Dealing with debts and debt disputes

CAB_Swansea_Bay_representative · 11 September 2012 at 3:15PM

Hi cadgaboo, thank you for your query regarding MKDP.
Shop direct is a catalogue company who own companies such as Kays, Littlewoods, Great Universal, Isme and many others so it may be that you took out an account with one of these. If that is not the case I would suggest you write to MKDP stating that you dispute the debt and request a copy of the original agreement, account statements such as payments made and received and items ordered etc and also request they hold action until they provide those details. Send the letter recorded delivery and keep a copy. I would also suggest you get a copy of your credit report to see if that shows any details.
Hope this is of assistance

D8TA · 11 September 2012 at 6:45PM

Hello.

I could do with some advice please. To be as brief as possible, in 1998 my partner now wife had to give up work to have our daughter. She did not work again until 2006.

As a result we got into financial difficulty and a number of loans etc defaulted. These came off our credit report in 2006 - after the 6 year period. I had been dealing with Debt Collection Agencies paying small amounts, some still going, many paid off.

A particular DCA was working for Lloyds Bank - I sent off payments monthly but in 2010 into 2011 cheques were cashed late on occasions which resulted in me getting bank charges.

I wrote to the DCA and asked to reduce the amount I paid every month given some payment cheques were cashed 3-5 weeks after sending causing me charges.

I could not afford to continue these payments. Lloyds then went with other Debt Collection agencies and the most recent - Robinson Way have contacted me, threatened home visits and many letters. I have 3 other accounts with them yet they keep saying court action maybe taken in respect of monies owed but their client (Lloyds) is keen to make arrangements without commencing legal proceedings.

I have sent them a letter questioning the time period - this defaulted in 2000 / 2001 as I questioned that last payment date - it may come under then limitation act.

They have sent a letter back today stating the last payment made was on the 9th and 22nd Sept 2011.

Where do I stand ? What can I do?

The amount owed is approx £7,800 and was originally from 1997. A very stressful time again, this is a large amount of money having already gone through the defaulting process with many creditors and having that on our credit report of 6 years.

May I have some advice please.?

Thanks if someone could assist.

CAB_Swansea_Bay_representative · 11 September 2012 at 8:05PM

Hi McClane, thank you for your query regarding debt advice in Cardiff.
You should be able to find information about local services such as contact telephone numbers and drop in sessions at https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk and you can phone the Welsh Adviceline on 08444 772020. If you cannot get assistance from a Citizens Advice Bureau in your area you can contact National Debtline at https://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk or 08088084000 who offer free confidential advice over the telephone and you may get assistance from a solicitor or law centre under the Legal Help scheme depending on your circumstances and you can find out at https://www.thelawsociety.org.uk.
Hope this is of assistance.

CAB_Swansea_Bay_representative · 11 September 2012 at 8:25PM

Hi D8ta, thank you for your query regarding debt.
Firstly a debt will only be statute barred under the Limitation Act if you have not made a payment for 6 years and the creditor has not taken court action in that time so if you were making payments up until 2011 this is unlikely to apply to this debt. If you are unhappy about the charges added to the account in 2010 I would suggest you make a complaint to the bank and then to the Financial Ombudsman Service. What I would now suggest you do is to complete a detailed budget and if you can afford to make a payment offer then you can use template letters on adviceguide.org.uk. If you cannot afford to make a repayment then I would suggest you seek advice from a debt adviser who can assist you in looking at options such as a debt relief order or bankruptcy. You can find your local Citizens Advice Bureau at https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk.
Hope this is of assistance.

Scully38 · 11 September 2012 at 10:20PM

Hi, i've been dealing with the CAB for the last 8 months and had a payment plan set up with various agencies to get my debt down. I'm now receiving emails and phone calls from different debt agencies regarding what they claim is my debt, but i've never heard of them before, and haven't got any payment plans set up with them, but they keep writing to me and emailing me. I don't want to ring them as I don't know who they are, and have a debt payment plan in place which I received help with from the CAB. What do I do about these emails an phonecalls et? Do I reply? Ignor them? They're called SRJ and it's not one I know.

Also, the sols at your southport office helped me with British Gas and phone debts, but i've not heard anything from them in a while and I don't know if the issues are now sorted or not.

Many thanks

OnAndOn · 12 September 2012 at 12:22PM

Hello,

I am 23 year old who has around 6 months left to run on my rental agreement on the house. (which i pay religiously)

Unfortuinitly last month my partner left her job due to personal issues, which has obviously left me in a hole.

I am struggling to keep on top of any of my debts which cost me around £200 a month to repay (including phone contract)

last month i got by using a payday loan which of course landed me in a hole this month.

although i am starting a better paid job at the end of the month and my partner is once again looking for work the next 2.3 month is worrying!!

After seeking advice from friends etc, they said maybe using a payment plan company may be a good idea.

Thank you very much in advance

CAB_Swansea_Bay_representative · 12 September 2012 at 2:25PM

Hi Scully38, thank you for your query what to do next.
When you are making informal repayment arrangements with creditors they can sometimes sell the debt on or pass it to a debt collection agency and I would suggest you contact the original creditor to find out if this is the case and whether they have passed on your financial statement and offer of repayment and if so you need to start making payments to the debt collection agency. If there is any other issues I would suggest you contact the adviser who set up the arrangement as they may now be requesting a review of your circumstances as it has been over 6 months since the arrangment was set up. Regarding your other debts, if a repayment arrangement was set up and you are making payments then no action is required until the creditor asks for a review. If there are other outstanding issues I would suggest you speak to the adviser assisting you for an update.
Hope this is of assistance.

CAB_Swansea_Bay_representative · 12 September 2012 at 2:31PM

Hi OnandOn thank you for your query regarding debt.
If you are taking out payday loans to pay everyday essentials due to a reduction in income I would suggest you seek advice from a debt adviser. You can find details of your local Citizens Advice Bureau at www.citizensadvice.org.uk. In the meantime you need to complete a detailed income and expenditure and gather paperwork for each debt including original credit agreements if you have them. It is important that you prioritise your expenditure to neccessities such as food, rent and utilities and any priority debts you have such as rent or council tax arrears. If you cannot afford to make payments towards non-priority debts I would suggest you cancel direct debits and especially Continuous Payment Authorities which are common with payday lenders so you can safeguard what income you have for essential expenditure.
Hope this is of assistance.

System · 18 September 2012 at 8:39PM

Hi,
I have not been paying my national insurance contribution for a number of years - I contacted them to get this sorted and to start paying it on a monthly basis which is now arranged.
As I expected they have also now written to me requesting repayment of the arrears (£950) with a payment date of January 2013. The problem is I only earn approx £13K a year and am currently really stretched. I will be able to pay the monthly nat insurance from now on (approx £13 per month), and a further £17 per month to pay off the debt. Do the HMRC permit a repayment plan? How should i approach them with this? What if they want me to pay more, but i am not able to, without defaulting on other commitments like my rent etc.

Many Thanks
HanLiam

CAB_Swansea_Bay_representative · 19 September 2012 at 4:38PM

Hi Hanliam, thank you for your query regarding National Insurance.
I am presuming you are talking about Class 2 National Insurance contributions. I would suggest you complete a detailed income and expenditure and contact HMRC to see if they will accept a repayment arrangement. If they will not accept a payment arrange I would suggest you contact Business Debtline at www.bdl.org.uk or on 0800 197 6026 as HMRC have special powers to enforce debts by way of bailiff warrants or bankruptcy which may require specialist advice. You can find more information on completing a budget and template letters to send to creditors at www.adviceguide.org.uk.
Hope this is of assistance.

Dealing with debts and debt disputes

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