Debt Relief Order

[Enforcer]

Question regarding Daughters situation. Has 3 outstanding debts with Santander. Current account overdraft around £1500 Credit card debt of around £2500 and a loan of around £8000. All taken out after 2007 and therefore enforceable. Also owes arrears on electric from 2 house moves ago, and owes on catalogue. Her job pays 30 hours a week at just above minimum wage, her main source of income is tax credits child allowance and CSA payments. No payments to Santander since May 2011 but she is paying catalogue and electric arrears.

Has now received letter from Santander & Hoist portfolio relating to credit card debt, now sold, and collection letter from Robinson Way, although these letters have been sent to this address and not her new home.

My wife has had 3 phone calls asking for daughter from Robinson Way, on each occasion she has quite correctly told them that, "there is no one of that name living here" and put the phone down.

Question is, do I advise her to wait for possible contact at her home address and then try the UE route, or should she apply for a DRO. She is not managing to live properly at present, always coming to ours for food and money.

Any advice appreciated.

[Undercover Elsa]

Re: Debt Relief Order

There's nothing to stop her trying the UE route, but as you know if all the debts are post 2007 it would take a lot of blagging, still with the risk of CCJ's at the end of it.
Much depends on your daughters temperament as to whether she could cope with that. You'd need to explain the pros and cons to her. There's also the option of her doing letters of authority to each creditor, authorising you to deal with them for her.

Similarly, a DRO is not to be taken lightly but would be a quicker way out of her difficulties providing her debts fall under the £15,000 threshold and other criteria: https://www.nationaldebtline.org/EW/...9/Default.aspx

Regarding her electricity, have you looked into getting her a grant from one one of the participating energy companies, to pay off her arrears. British Gas, Eon and EDF do them:
http://www.edfenergytrust.org.uk/
http://www.britishgasenergytrust.org.uk/
https://www.eonenergy.com/for-your-h...rt/energy-fund

The grants can also cover essential household items such as cookers and fridges.

Has she got another current account that's unrelated to Santander? If not that's the first thing I would do if it was me.

I have been in the same place with my own grown up children and it's hard not to just hand over money to help them, even when making yourself go short.
In the long run though I've found that it's much better to teach them how to deal with these things themselves. Give them all the information and guidance they need and let them make their own decisions. My daughter now proudly rings me up to tell me when she's sorted the bank or a debt collector out herself.

Elsa x

[Enforcer]

Re: Debt Relief Order

Thanks for the reply. Yes first thing I told her to do was change banks. She has a new current account with Barclays. What gets me is that the catalogue company have increased her credit limit to £4000 she has got car insurance on instalments from Tesco and a new contract from Orange. Must still have a good credit rating. Daughter tells me to just shred everything. Says she has got nothing and nothing to worry about. I worry for her!

[cymruambyth]

Re: Debt Relief Order

Certainly don't shred everything! You could return mail as not living at the address or, if you are happy to, open and catalogue her mail for when she realises that she needs to take responsibility.

She could be nearing her limit for the catalogue company which is why they have increased her limit.

[Enforcer]

Re: Debt Relief Order

Today received a letter from drydensfairfax solicitors to my daughter, our client Santander UK plc, Although we've contacted you previously (definitely have not) about the amount shown above £8535.60 , it remains outstanding and there is no suitable payment arrangement with us.
What you need to do
If you'd like to pay the full outstanding amount, please see the back of this letter for information on how to do this.
If you need to make a payment arrangement with us instead, call us -----.
If you do not call us or make a payment by 1st October 2015, we will recommend that Santander should take further recovery action against you to recover the outstanding balance.
4and a half years since daughter defaulted, moved house 4 times since then, all she says is shred it. Got nothing, living on low wages, working tax credits family allowance and child support payments. No car, no assets says nothing they can have.
Clarity were chasing her overdraft, gone quite, Robinson Way were chasing credit card, gone quite, is she doing the right thing by just ignoring them?

[Enforcer]

Re: Debt Relief Order

Daughter has today received a letter to her latest address, (keeps moving) from Robinson Way regarding her ex Santander Cards Ltd. Robinson Way, Due to HPH2 Ltd amount due £2,445.11.
The above amount remains unpaid despite previous letters and calls. Your account is now due to be transferred to Howard Cowen & Co solicitors in the next 10 days, who will consider court action. If court action is taken, our clients solicitors will ask the court for an order adding legal costs and interest to the amount you owe. If the court grants their request, then the amount you owe will be increased.

carries on!

So far we have not sent in a CCA request nor a SAR. Daughter believes this card was taken out around 2008. Last payment 30th May 2011.

Do members feel that I should send CCA request & Sar yet?

Since last post, daughter has taken out Capital One card & maxed it out £750.00 had meters changed to pre payment due to old debts, and struggling to live.

Should we just go for Debt relief order! Single Mum, Private Rented, No car, (had to sell it) no assets. Totally broke. Grandson come to ours regularly for food
and dinner money. Wife constantly helping daughter out, we really can't afford it ourselves.

[Never-In-Doubt]

Re: Debt Relief Order

Might not be a bad idea based on her circumstances Enforcer (ie the DRO).... Or why not go BR?

Not sure what's best - always best to ask around so you know all the facts and options.

[PlanB]

Re: Debt Relief Order

Daughter has today received a letter to her latest address, (keeps moving) from Robinson Way regarding her ex Santander Cards Ltd. Robinson Way, Due to HPH2 Ltd amount due £2,445.11.
The above amount remains unpaid despite previous letters and calls. Your account is now due to be transferred to Howard Cowen & Co solicitors in the next 10 days, who will consider court action.

I couldn't help but notice an ex-Santander card mentioned.

Was this a store card (only) which transformed into a credit card by any chance? Who was the original creditor? I'm not sure Santander actually issued store cards (maybe they did).

What makes your daughter think the account was opened in 2008? Could it have been assigned to Santander in 2008 but opened earlier than that by a previous creditor?

Just a shot in the dark.

It was the bit about Howard Cohen which caught my eye. I defeated them in court with my Santander v Mayhew debt (Mayhew = PlanB) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/h...wjudgement.pdf


Plan B x

[Enforcer]

Re: Debt Relief Order

Thanks for replies, worth a CCA request to Robinson Way, or wait and CCA Howard Cohen then, for the sake of £1.00?

[Enforcer]

Re: Debt Relief Order

OK I give up! Please advise me as to how I download the template for CCA request and Advanced SAR request, tried printing but won't work.

[Deepie]

Re: Debt Relief Order

OK I give up! Please advise me as to how I download the template for CCA request and Advanced SAR request, tried printing but won't work.

I've Never had a problem ....have you had problems before ?

[Enforcer]

Re: Debt Relief Order

Found it now, CCA request printed out and cheque enclosed

[Enforcer]

Re: Debt Relief Order

CCA Request sent 17th March, no response other than usual letter, please phone us, me will offer a discount. They simply want to talk my daughter into paying them. Told her not to reply!

[Roger]

Re: Debt Relief Order

Found it now, CCA request printed out and cheque enclosed

Has the cheque been paid?
Do you have proof of Postage and Delivery?

[Enforcer]

Re: Debt Relief Order

Yes & Yes.