Can I get interest frozen on my debts?

[The Tech Clerk]

Re: Can I get interest frozen on my debts?

Impact collection are Vanquis DCA

By the way their telephone number list is very long they even use your area code followed by 4xxxxx or similair, look at my TC/Vary thread list of known phone numbers added all the time.


Reliable collections are in house DCA J.D. Williams

[Carley]

Re: Can I get interest frozen on my debts?

Impact collection are Vanquis DCA

By the way their telephone number list is very long they even use your area code followed by 4xxxxx or similair, look at my TC/Vary thread list of known phone numbers added all the time.


Reliable collections are in house DCA J.D. Williams

Thanks for the info! Gosh I wonder how they manage to use your own area code. Mind you I have begun to receive nuisance calls from India which show up as UK numbers now whereas they used to show up as either 'International' or 'Unavailable Out of Area'.

[SXGuy]

Re: Can I get interest frozen on my debts?

If you have some spare cash, say around £40, you could buy yourself a CPR Call blocker, this lets you add numbers you don't want getting through to a block list, you will never hear from them again on the same number.

you also have the option to block international calls, withheld numbers, and VOIP calls. And also 08 numbers.

Could be a great way to stop you worrying who the next call is all the time. I bought one and I have never looked back!

In terms of the default notice, yes usually if this goes unpaid the account will be terminated, interest should stop at that point, and they will demand the full balance, but you will be able to negotiate a repayment on the balance, so don't worry to much.

Let us know what happens when they send you the next letter after you miss the default notice sum arrears deadline.

[Carley]

Re: Can I get interest frozen on my debts?

If you have some spare cash, say around £40, you could buy yourself a CPR Call blocker, this lets you add numbers you don't want getting through to a block list, you will never hear from them again on the same number.

you also have the option to block international calls, withheld numbers, and VOIP calls. And also 08 numbers.

Could be a great way to stop you worrying who the next call is all the time. I bought one and I have never looked back!

In terms of the default notice, yes usually if this goes unpaid the account will be terminated, interest should stop at that point, and they will demand the full balance, but you will be able to negotiate a repayment on the balance, so don't worry to much.

Let us know what happens when they send you the next letter after you miss the default notice sum arrears deadline.

SXGuy, thank you so much for that information - I didn't know such a thing existed! I have a call barring facility on my phone which I have used to block the numbers so far but it doesn't work with witheld, international calls etc and I do get a lot of International spam calls from India and so on - they drive me mad! These are on top of the usual cold calls re changing energy suppliers and payment protection insurance etc. I'm registered with TPS and have changed my phone number in the past but none of this has helped, especially with the international calls which are on the increase (several per day at the moment). The CPR call blocker sounds like a worthy investment

Regarding the debts, as suggested I will wait until I receive the next letters and then come back for further advice.

Thanks again!
Carley

[Undercover Elsa]

Re: Can I get interest frozen on my debts?

Hi Carley,
This is the quickest way to get the interest stopped, by not paying and letting them default you as soon as possible. The balance will go up at first but in the long run not half as much as if you were struggling to pay for evermore.
Just hang in there until they issue default notices and terminate the accounts then the balance will freeze.
Let us know everything they send..
Elsa x

[Carley]

Re: Can I get interest frozen on my debts?

Hi

Well after all this time, Fifty Plus are still sending threatening letters - mostly to send debt collectors to my home - and the balance is still increasing each month, (£24 a month in admin fees plus interest). I have not made any payments to them nor have I contacted them. I am just waiting a bit longer to see if they will pass this to a debt collection agency so I can start paying the damn thing off

Regarding Vanquis, things have progressed and I received a letter from Moorcroft Debt Recovery. The balance I owe on this now seems to have frozen at £1599 which is a relief despite the fact it has increased by nearly £300 in fees since I stopped making the monthly payments. However, I have been a complete idiot and now need some further advice.

I contacted Moorcroft last Tuesday by phone, basically just to say that I would phone them back on Friday with an offer of payment. My intention was to go through my monthly budget to see exactly what I could afford to pay (bearing in mind I am still paying of large electricity bills), and also I would be in a position to make an actual payment on the Friday, however small. (I couldn't afford to do so on the Tuesday that I phoned them). Anyway, before I managed to say anything much I was told initially that the whole balance was due immediately. I said I couldn't pay it and was then told I could pay 9 x monthly payments of £175.00. At this point panic started to set in because they were demanding WAY more than I could ever afford to pay. When I told the woman this she asked for my monthly outgoings which I gave as best I could from the top of my head although not sure I remembered everything, and I said again that I was phoning to say I would ring back on the Friday when I was in a position to make a payment. I was told there was no need to do this as they could take my debit card number now and not actually take the payment till Friday. I was asked how much I could pay on Friday and how much per month and I said £15 Friday and £30 per month. I was informed that due to the balance outstanding, this was not sufficient and they would accept £25 on the Friday and £40 per month. After some hesitation I said OK.

I know it sounds ridiculous but the woman was so pushy I felt almost bullied into agreeing this amount. I really wasn't prepared for being pressured in that way as I'd only phoned to say I'd be ringing them back in a few days when I'd worked everything out. I did say to the woman that I only wanted to commit to £30 and pay extra if I could afford it rather than commit to more than I could afford but that fell on deaf ears. To top if off, I paid £25 last Friday and the £40 per month agreement starts on the 1st September so I'm actually paying £65.00 this month which is going to make things tight for the rest of September.

I am still paying off large electricity bills and at the moment and I am not heating water in my home because I can't afford to, (apart from my morning shower). I have storage heaters in my home and am on a heatwise energy tariff which literally costs a fortune and I am worried about heating my home this winter. I do want to pay these debts off but what I don't want to do is over commit myself and get into a situation where I can't afford to make the payments I have promised. I want to phone Moorcroft back and say I can only pay £30 per month but I'm not sure how this would be received. I also could do with not having to make the first payment until a month after the first £25 I paid last Friday, rather than on the 1st September.

The other thing is that future payments were supposed to have been taken by direct debit, for which I gave my bank details, but I have had a letter from Moorcroft stating that future payments will be taken from my debit card. I don't really want this because I have no control over that but they have my card number now.

So I guess I have been stupid and got myself in a pickle, but what to do about it? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Carley

[garlok]

Re: Can I get interest frozen on my debts?

Firstly Carley do NOT make any telephone calls at all, everything to be kept in writing. Stop all direct debits, you have no control,ONLY ever do standing orders if you are forced to do so. I need to read back on this thread and have picked up this last post.

Have you started a telephone log of times, dates, from whom, to whom and brief notes as to content. If not then now might be good time to start. Never ever give out bank details to anyone involved with the debt collection industry voluntarily unless a court orders you to do so which is unlikely.

regards
G

[Carley]

Re: Can I get interest frozen on my debts?

Hi

No I haven't started a telephone log, that is the one and only call I've made. I realise now I shouldn't have called them, I guess these people are trained to put you on the spot. I was feeling the pressure to be honest with the threat of doorstep collectors, although that wasn't from Moorcroft.

Going to cancel the direct debit and see if i can cancel further use of the card and then wait for further advice.

[Pixie]

Re: Can I get interest frozen on my debts?

I would report your card as lost or stolen to the bank...there's some information on this thread

Dcas continually threaten that they will call at your home but it isn't often that they do. If they do, just refuse to speak to them and close the door.

Please, whatever you do, don't speak to dcas on the phone in future. Your priority is to pay off your electricity bill and have hot water and heat over the winter.

[helmsman]

Re: Can I get interest frozen on my debts?

I would report your card as lost or stolen to the bank...there's some information on this thread

Dcas continually threaten that they will call at your home but it isn't often that they do. If they do, just refuse to speak to them and close the door.

Please, whatever you do, don't speak to dcas on the phone in future. Your priority is to pay off your electricity bill and have hot water and heat over the winter.

Please do as Pixie says, report your card lost/stolen immediately, once they have your card details they could empty your acc, they probably will not but don't risk it.

[garlok]

Re: Can I get interest frozen on my debts?

Can I suggest an investigation into your electricity tariffs with your provider Carley? It would seem that you are in an all electric home with storage heaters etc. There should be a number of options available to you in these circumstances not just the basic economy-7 type of tariff usually they fob you off with. We had an all electric home a few years back and when we looked at it and asked a few questions they fitted a new meter which would actually handle a combination of 23 tariffs. By careful selection we managed a saving at the time of about 15% on the quarterly bills and that included having a rugby playing and cricket playing late teenager at home at the time with all the washing that entailed.

regards
G

[Undercover Elsa]

Re: Can I get interest frozen on my debts?

Ohhh Carly I do feel for you. It's so easy to get pushed into things by these bullies. At least you know now NEVER to discuss anything on the phone again, although you've learned the hard way

As everyone says, cancel those payments. Report your card as stolen and also check your own bank's policy on cancelling recurring payments by debit card.
It's good, though that interest has stopped. Well done on hanging in there until they defaulted.
Right, Moorcroft are absolutely useless so don't worry about these muppets.
If it was me, I would write (recorded delivery) something on the lines of:
Following a very unpleasant telephone conversation with a member of your staff I have cancelled payment forthwith as I feel I was coerced and harassed into agreeing to pay far more than I could afford on the phone, after I had tried in good faith to come to an arrangement that was sustainable and affordable. In hindsight I am appalled at being treated in this way and spoken to so rudely. It has left me feeling shakey, anxious and upset and I now insist that all further communication must be in writing only otherwise I will complain to the OFT.
This predatory and offensive attitude more suited to a back street money lender has also made me query whether the debt claimed is genuine and accurate, and for this reason before proceeding further I enclose a formal request for a copy of the Consumer Credit Agreement under section 77-79 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974.
Once I am in receipt of this and am satisfied that the account has been documented and administered correctly then I will look at starting a sustainable payment plan, paid by Standing Order only and based on a properly completed Income and Expenses form.
I trust this makes my position clear and that you will cease phone calls and communicate in writing only as requested.

The CCA Request template is here Carly: http://www.all-about-debt.co.uk/inde...2-cca-requests


Despite the Vanquis one being post 2007 it will stop them in their tracks and give you some breathing space. Once they come back with that then telling them that you are seeking advice and will be completing an Income and Expenses form supplied by CAB will give you another 30 days grace. Here's the Nedcab I usually recommend: http://mymoney.nedcab.org.uk/moneyadvice/quickfs.asp
Don't do it yet though, do the CCA request first then wait and see what happens. When it comes to it if you wish I'll help you with the Expenses (look over it for you and make sure you're claiming all you're due to in respect of housekeeping etc)

I would also send one for the catalogue debt too, at the same time. It's highly unlikely that they'll come up with an agreement and they'll leave you alone while they root round for it.

Wise words from Garlok about your electricity tariff. Definitely look into that too.

So, all is not lost, chin up, we'll get there eventually

[Carley]

Re: Can I get interest frozen on my debts?

Hi

As advised, I have reported my debit card as lost with the bank and they have cancelled it and are sending me a new one.

Can I suggest an investigation into your electricity tariffs with your provider Carley? It would seem that you are in an all electric home with storage heaters etc. There should be a number of options available to you in these circumstances not just the basic economy-7 type of tariff usually they fob you off with. We had an all electric home a few years back and when we looked at it and asked a few questions they fitted a new meter which would actually handle a combination of 23 tariffs. By careful selection we managed a saving at the time of about 15% on the quarterly bills and that included having a rugby playing and cricket playing late teenager at home at the time with all the washing that entailed.

regards
G

Hi Garlok

Last summer I queried my electricity bills with my supplier (E-on) due to the extortionate amounts and they sent a surveyor out to see how I was using the storage heaters and hot water. It basically boiled down to storage heaters being expensive to run and there was nothing that could be done about it. I live on my own in a one bedroom bungalow and am currently paying E-on £169.00 per month, although some of that is to clear arrears from previous bills. I was told that the heatwise energy tariff is the only option open to me and that there are only two companies in the UK that do it, E-On and one other whom I can't remember offhand.

There is no gas in the village where I live so yes, my home is all electric. Based on what you've said, I will see if I can find out anything else about the possibility of different tariff options being available. May I ask how you went about it when you got your new meter for your all electric home?

Undercover Elsa, thank you for the info. I will get that paragraph typed out as a letter and sent off by the end of the week.

Thanks for all your replies.

Carley.

[garlok]

Re: Can I get interest frozen on my debts?

Hi Carley,

We bought a new house on an estate where the first three homes were attempted to be supplied with gas as well. British Gas were unable to sustain a stable pressure in the area. Why we never knew but the site had been an old military base from WWII. Anyways, we were not entirely happy with the heating system a couple of years in and looked at various options including tanked LPG or even oil. However we got the surveyor in from the electricity supplier who measured every room. She , yes she, said we were "under utilised" was the term used by about 50% despite the additional insulation which had been installed at the build. We talked through a plan with her which increased substantially the heating capacity of the heaters, we replaced the lot then. She provided a list of how we could operate and told us in any case we would have to have a new meter. Even then they could read it from a van going up the road without entering the property. It would handle a combination of up to 23 tariffs.

Because the whole system was much more efficient and in effect only working as a whole on part capacity, with a careful choice of tariffs and even top ups during the daytime we saved about 15% on the quarterly bills. Just as a thought how old are the heaters in your home? The storage material is in fact a thermal type of brick and they do deteriorate so you waste an awful lot of energy. Plus during their lifetime they do need to be dismantled and dusted off because the dust acts as an insulator as well, both preventing heat from getting into the storage bricks and preventing the heat you have saved from getting out. hence a portion of your heat is only convected heat from the elements.

The hot water tank was both foam coated and loose lagged as well and we ran the immersion heater on the same tariff basis as the storage heaters. The washing machine was a hot and cold fill (almost unobtainable these days) and we tumble dried as well in the winter.

Hope that helps a bit
regards
G

[Carley]

Re: Can I get interest frozen on my debts?

Hi Garlok, sorry for the delay in replying.

Thank you for the information, that definitely helps a lot. The storage heaters here are prehistoric and even when they are on they don't heat the house properly so it's interesting what you say about the deterioration etc. Last winter when it snowed I had to buy two cheap fan heaters and have those running too because I was freezing despite having the storage heaters on. I think I will contact my landlord and explain the situation and ask for the heaters to be thoroughly checked. I'm also in the process of trying to find out more information regarding the meter situation.

Thanks all for your replies so far. I will keep you informed as and when I hear from Moorcroft or anyone else.