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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:00 pm
by mikebdomain
More as a matter of interest, what do people do? What are your thoughts?

Do you just accept correspondence and figures quoted by Debt Collection Agencies (DCA) or do you legally contest their right to collect the debt and interest applied?

Debt collection is now big business, more and more companies carrying out this work are springing up every week. Consumers are not always aware that they can contest the debt as well as the DCA’s right to collect it.

The procedure is a little confusing, but;

When you are contacted by a DCA, you are entitled to request a copy of the Consumer Credit Agreement that you would have signed for the debt under the Consumer Credit Act 1974.

The request for the Consumer Credit Agreement (CCA) can be as simple as:

I do not acknowledge the debt as referenced as xxxxx in your letter dated xx/xx/xxxx. Please find enclosed a cheque (or postal order) number xxxxxx for £1 in payment of the statutory fee; under no circumstances should this be put towards any alleged debt, if you are unable to supply the document requested then you should return this fee"

On receipt of a request for a CCA, the creditor/DCA must supply the CCA within 12 working days of your request; otherwise the original agreement is no longer enforceable unless the creditor/DCA obtains a Court Order.

If after 30 days, the creditor/DCA has still not supplied a copy of the original CCA, then they have committed an offence under the Consumer Credit Act, 1974.

The following outcomes could arise from the request for a copy of the CCA

1. Creditor/DCA provides true copy of signed CCA within 12 working days of your request = CCA is then enforceable.

2. Creditor/DCA provides true copy of CCA after 12 days, but within 42 days of your request = CCA can ONLY be enforced if creditor/DCA obtains a Court Order.

3. Creditor/DCA does NOT provide a true copy of signed CCA after 42 days then the CCA is no longer enforceable and the creditor/DCA has committed an offence under the terms of the Consumer Credit Act 1974.


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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:17 pm
by sonyse2t5
I have heard of a few cases with one concerning Tesco fiance whereby they could not enforce a debt of 8K as they could not produce a copy or the original CCA!

But the credit was still registered as a default as the debt existed and unpaid

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:33 pm
by mikebdomain
Tesco should remove the default once requested to do so, as without a CCA they can not issue a default.

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see feedback and testimonials at:
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Check out my blog at:
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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:56 pm
by lily
Too late for me I have admitted owing my debts and I do so thats fair. And I want to settle them, just cant pay it all back.

lily

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 4:01 pm
by mikebdomain
Lily I am not saying that people should contest everything, if you know for a fact that you owe the money then you should pay it back. I am just interested in how many people actually contest DCA's. And to find out if people even know that you can do this - (Pre April 2007 agreements)

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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 4:08 pm
by lily
I understand, if someone buys stuff in your name or steals an identity to obtain credit in your name and you need to contest it.

I once had my card cloned, the user was doing stuff totally out of character from me and the bank were on to it like a flash. They phoned me, stopped the card and I didnt hear any more of it. That happened in the long since gone, credit worthy and solvent days. (I wouldnt be able to give my identity now, I guess, tee hee)

lily

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 5:54 pm
by iva.com
Hi Mike,

Thanks for posting the above, it could be very useful. I am considering writing some articles on these topics for IVA.com as some form of 'help guide'. Would you mind if I used some of your text for this?

Kind regards,
Terry Balfour
IVA.com

IVA.com - The IVA Comparison Site
100s of reviews, All IPs and IVA firms rated.

Use our IVA firm comparison tool to find best IVA firm for you:
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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 6:31 pm
by MelanieGiles
I have seen a certain creditor charging referral fees recently of up to £1,200 which of course I have refused to admit. You do need to read the fine print when dealing with these people, and if in doubt ask them to provide the documentation entitling them to charge such monies.

Regards, Melanie Giles, Insolvency Practitioner for over 20 years.

To have me propose an IVA for you, please visit:
http://www.melaniegiles.com/ivaEnquiry.asp

See customer feedback at:
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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 6:41 pm
by mikebdomain
iva.com Yes, of course you can, although remember the new clause in the 2006 changes where Abolition of automatic enforceability (section 15) come into effect - not sure what impact this has on the 1974 clause, I would need to do more research, I just wondered whether anybody actually used it.

FREE ADVICE IS THE BEST ADVICE

LEYBRIDGE LIMITED
Mortgage Broker

Specialising in adverse credit.

see feedback and testimonials at:
http://www.leybridge.com/testimonial.php
Check out my blog at:
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Please read our Initial Disclosure Document(IDD):
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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 7:00 pm
by mikebdomain
Another interesting point, which I am unable to clarify is; when a DCA buys a debt do they actually by the agreement or debt. If it's just the debt then there is no Consumer Credit Agreement between the DCA and the debtor and so the DCA should be unable to add interest or in fact any charges.

AND - whatever happened to the Data Protection Act issues in transfering a customers information to a DCA.

FREE ADVICE IS THE BEST ADVICE

LEYBRIDGE LIMITED
Mortgage Broker

Specialising in adverse credit.

see feedback and testimonials at:
http://www.leybridge.com/testimonial.php
Check out my blog at:
http://mikebdomain.blogs.iva.co.uk/
Please read our Initial Disclosure Document(IDD):
http://www.leybridge.com/Leybridge-IDD.pdf

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:14 pm
by Chris.z
I alledgedly have a debt from 1997 with Abbey National ( Now Abbey ), it is for 3k. I thought I had made them a settlement offer and it had been accepted back in 1997. I heard nothing for nearly 10 years then I recieve a phonecall from a company called Link Financial saying that they had some mail for me from an old address and could I give them my new address. I did this and then recieved 2 letters. I saying I owed just over 3k and another charging me 75.00 for tracing my new address and the costs involved in this. This is ludicrous and I am in an IVA ( albeit a failing one . I am going to contest this debt though as I am looking at , when my IVA has failed going into a DMP.

Thanks for the advice Mike anyway... It has given me the heart and knbowledge to challenge this.

Regards

Chris

Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 10:59 pm
by scaredkez
chris if you have not acknowledged this debt for over six years and had paid nothing to it then it becomes statute barred, and they can't get it from you, i am sure someone will correct me if i am wrong they are probably trawling through their debts they bought and are trying it on, do not accept the debt in any form of correspondence.
kerri

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Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 7:57 am
by Adam Davies
Hi
Is it six or twelve years ?
Regards

Andy Davie
IVA.co.uk Spokesperson

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Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 11:44 am
by Skippy
As far as I know it's six years.

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is the present - a gift to make the most of.

View my blog at http://skippy13.blogs.iva.co.uk/

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 11:45 am
by MelanieGiles
Six years for normal debts, but if the debt relates to property then the period is extended to twelve.

Regards, Melanie Giles, Insolvency Practitioner for over 20 years.

To have me propose an IVA for you, please visit:
http://www.melaniegiles.com/ivaEnquiry.asp

See customer feedback at:
http://www.iva.com/iva_companies/IVA_Advice_Bureau.asp