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some advice on a claim form sent from LOWELL please thank you

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  • some advice on a claim form sent from LOWELL please thank you

    Hi,
    Can anyone please give me some advice?
    Thank you


    I received a claim form letter on the 24th January 2018 [dated 22nd January 2018]
    from NORTHAMPTON COUNTY COURT BUSINESS CENTRE.

    Claimant is: LOWELL PORTFOLIO I LTD
    Underneath that it says 'address for sending documents and payments'
    LOWELL SOLICITORS LIMITED

    Particulars of claim:
    1) The defendant entered into an agreement with Orange under account reference ######## ('the agreement').
    2) The Defendant failed to maintain the required payments and the services was terminated.
    3) The Agreement was later assigned to the Claimant on 28/06/2017 and notice given to the Defendant.
    4) Despite repeated requests for payment, the sum of £164.27 remains due and outstanding.
    And the Claimant claims
    a) The said sum of £164.27
    b) Interest pursuant to s69 County Courts Act 1984 at the rate of 8% per annum from the date of assignment to the date of issue, accuring at a daily rate of £0.036, but limited to one year, being £7.38
    c) Costs

    Signed: LOWELL SOLICITORS LIMITED

    Amount claimed: £171.65
    Court fee: £25.00
    Legal representative's costs: £50.00
    Total amount: £246.65

    Comes with a response pack.
    Included in this pack are

    > Admissiom Form N9A
    > Defence and Conterclaim form N9B
    > Acknowledgment of service

    Summery

    I took out a mobile phone contract with Orange [before they changed to EE] many years ago.
    Anyway i stopped the direct debts going out from my bank to EE/Orange back in 2012/2013 [around 5/6 years ago]
    because i had payed for the phone the contract time limit had actually ended in other words i had payed to the phone and i was not using the phone anymore so i stopped the direct debt payments
    the contract had come to a end because Orange/EE were contacting me asking me if i wanted to upgrade my phone and change my contract etc
    [i hope that makes sense]

    then Orange sent me 2/3 warning letters saying if i do not pay they will pass the 'debt' to a debt company
    since then over the years i have had letters from 2 debt companies [Moorcroft Debt Recovery and now Lowell Portfolio] before and thrown them away until this claim form came from the courts.

    Also may i just point out i never got any confirmation that Moorcroft debt recovery had passed the 'debt' to Lowell Portfolio i just wonder if they should have done this?

    So what I plan to do after doing some research on the internet is the following

    1) Acknowledge the Claim [i think this is also know as acknowledgement of service]
    2) Send CPR 18 off very soon via moneyclaim.gov.uk
    [i am now registered on money claim also i do have a claim number along with a password on the claim form letter sent to me from NORTHAMPTON COUNTY COURT BUSINESS CENTRE]
    3) Start thinking of what to say in my defence
    4) Wait so many days after the issue date [not sure how many days i should wait i think 22 days after the issue date please advise me if you think different] for a reply from Lowell.
    5) Send my defence online and/or by post saying what Lowell have or have not done in response to my acknowledgement of service [of course this depends if they comply with my requests i have asked for in the acknowledgement of service]
    And then what?
    My questions now are


    Do i have the right to ask for a copy of the original contract i signed with Orange [i just think if they wish to claim i still own this money they should have this as a piece of evidence to back them up]
    Do i also send a email [or letter by post] of the acknowledgement of service as well as my defence to Lowell solicitors as well as Lowell portfolio?
    I will post underneath the CPR 18 i am sending, does this look ok?
    i am very anxious about all this and could do with some help please any help and advice at all i would be very grateful
    Thank you in advance.
    B


    BELOW IS WHAT I THINK I WILL SEND

    My address and theirs...

    Dear Sirs,

    Re: LOWELL SOLICITORS LIMITED v ME Claim Number: ########
    CPR18 Request for further information.

    On the 24 January 2018, I received the Claim Form in this case issued by you out of the Northampton County Court.
    I confirm having returned my acknowledgement of service to the court in which I indicate my intention to contest your entire claim.
    Please treat this letter as my request made under CPR18 for the disclosure and the production of a verified and legible copy of each of the following documents mentioned in your Particulars of Claim and is made by way of Service upon You:

    1.The agreement/contract, including the specific Terms at the point the alleged Agreement was made and any subsequent changes. You will appreciate that in an ordinary case and by reason of the provisions of CPR PD 16 para 7.3, where a claim is based upon a written agreement, a copy of the contract or documents constituting the agreement should be attached to or served with the particulars of claim and the originals should be available at the hearing. Further, that any general conditions incorporated in the contract should also be attached.
    2.The deed of assignment
    3.The notice of assignment
    4.The default warning letter
    5.The default notice
    6. I deny any indebtedness to the Claimant but particularly deny they are due statutory interest on the alleged amount of £246.65 and as such I request full disclosure of the amount the Claimant alleges to have paid for this alleged debt.
    7. Also, your Particulars of Claim state the action is brought for Breach of Agreement, yet you have failed to identify the specific Statutory Instrument you have commenced proceedings under. Therefore, I would be request details of the Statutory Instrument under which you have brought proceedings.
    You should ensure compliance with your CPR 18 duties and ensure that the documents I have requested are copied to and received by me within 7 days of receiving this letter. Failure to produce each and every document referenced within the Particulars of Claim (detailed above) will result in an Application to the Court for an Order of Disclosure.
    Your CPR 18 duties extend to making a reasonable and proportionate search for the originals of the documents I have requested, the better for you to be able to verify the document's authenticity and to provide me with a legible copy.
    Further, where I have requested a copy of a document, the original of which is now in the possession of another person, you will have a right to possession of that document if you have mentioned it in your case. You must take immediate steps to recover and preserve it for the purpose of this case.
    Where I have mentioned a document and there is in your possession more than one version of that same document owing to a modification, obliteration or other marking or feature, each version will be a separate document and you must provide a copy of each version of it to me. Your obligations extend to making a reasonable and proportionate search for any versions to include an obligation to recover and preserve such versions, which are now in the possession of a third party.
    I request under Civil Procedure Rule 39A (3.3) any documents upon which the claimant intends to rely are brought to any subsequent hearing for examination
    If you require more time in which to comply with this request you must tell me in writing. You must tell me before the time for compliance with this request has expired. In telling me you require more time you must tell me what steps you have taken and propose to take in order to comply with this request and also state a date by when you will comply with this request. In addition your statement must be accompanied with a statement that you agree to an extension of the time for me to file my defence. Your extension of time must be not less than 14 days from the date when you say you will have complied with my request and you must state the new date for filing my defence.
    If you are unable to comply with this request and believe that you will never be able to comply with this request you must tell me in writing.
    Please note that if you should fail to comply with this request, fail to request more time or fail to agree to an extension of time for the filing of my defence, I will make an application to the court for an order that the proceedings be struck out or stayed for non-compliance and a summary costs order.
    Yours faithfully

    Signed.....
    Dated......


    Could you tell me if all this looks ok before i send it off please?
    Best Regards,
    B

    Tags: None

  • #2
    Hi B

    Firstly welcome to the forum and you are correct that your first action should be acknowledgement of service. This will allow you 33 days from the date on the letter from the court to file a defence, which by my reckoning is 23rd Feb (but we'll be aiming to file earlier than that).

    A Part 18 request is to ask questions, you want copies of documents mentioned in the Particulars of Claim and this is a different request.

    Send off a CPR Part 31.14 request to Lowell solicitors asking to for copies of the Contract and the Notice of Assignment, they have 7 days to comply and there's a guide here: https://legalbeagles.info/library/gu...-of-documents/

    CPR requests are done between you and the other party directly, so you won't send them via MCOL.

    If they respond saying that they need more time and the case will go on hold, you must still file a defence before the deadline. DO NOT trust them.

    As for your Defence, I haven't read the above as we need to know what you get or don't out of the request first before getting that together. Additionally you won't be writing it in a letter format, there's a particular way to format it.
    COMPLETING AN N180 DIRECTIONS QUESTIONNAIRE (SMALL CLAIMS TRACK) GUIDE

    My posts here are based on my experience of a variety of life events. I have no formal legal training & if in doubt take professional legal advice or contact CAB. If you follow anything I write here you do so at your own risk & I accept no liability for any loss, costs or other outcomes.

    Private messages are disabled as help is only offered publicly. I do not come on here in the evening, at weekends or on public holidays.

    Comment


    • #3
      thank you JAGUARSUK for your reply where do i add the CPR Part 31.14 request oh i send it to Lowell solicitors thank you i will look into it via the link you posted thank you will let you know how i get on and hope it is ok to ask for further advice here

      Comment


      • #4
        ok so i send a CPR Part 31.14 to Lowell solicitors once i have sent the acknowledgement of service via moneyclaim.gov.uk correct?

        Comment


        • #5
          i am very confused on what to do now
          after i have sent the acknowledgement of service via moneyclaim.gov.uk do i then send off a CPR 18 and a CPR Part 31.14 and who do i send it off to?
          any advice would be most welcome thank you

          Comment


          • #6
            hello again i would really appreciate some help i sent a email to CAB they suggest i phone their dedicated consumer helpline but Calls to the helpline cost up to 9p per minute from a landline. If you're calling from a mobile, it'll cost between 3p and 40p per minute - if you have inclusive minutes, it's the same as calling a landline.

            PLEASE CAN SOMEONE HELP ME ON HERE P L E A S E

            Comment


            • #7
              having a real panic here now moneyclaim.gov.uk say

              The following errors have occurred:
              1. Claim number or password is incorrect.

              Comment


              • #8
                Hi Tomato, Sorry your posts haven't been seen for a while. I'm just having a read.

                First tho Have you signed up to the Moneyclaim online service ? Are you trying to acknowledge ? Have a look on here https://legalbeagles.info/library/gu...ledge-a-claim/ which shows you how to sign up to government gateway and MCOL and what passwords etc - from quick glance (claim issued 24th Jan? ( ahh 22nd issued so still ok timewise to acknowledge - you get 14 days plus a couple days for service ) it looks like you have plenty of time so no panic.

                Back in a tic xx
                #staysafestayhome

                Any support I provide is offered without liability, if you are unsure please seek professional legal guidance.

                Received a Court Claim? Read >>>>> First Steps

                Comment


                • #9
                  thank you AMETHYST just done the AOS via moneyclaim online so that panic is over now thank god

                  just very confused on what to do next

                  do i now send off a CPR 18 and a CPR Part 31.14 or do i just send off a CPR Part 31.14?
                  and who do i send it off to?
                  any advice would be most welcome please and thank you

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Phew ! Okay, and don't worry about that confusing you, it is a ridiculous system really, not very user friendly for defendants, any one would think the court system was geared towards claimants .......

                    Okay - You need to do the CPR 31.14 Request Letter to Lowell Solicitors - ask for the Agreement, Termination Notice and Notice of Assignment.

                    and the CCA Request Letter to Lowell Portfolio ( it is likely not to be covered by the CCA being a mobile contract, however some contracts did contain a credit agreement for a handset so worth sending it anyway )

                    The Part 18 isn't normally used in small claims but you can do if you have specific questions you want to ask - it isn't used for copies of documents - that's the CPR 31.14. Part 18 would be more for things like " What date was the original account opened ? What was the contract term of the original agreement ? Was the agreement rolled over, and on what grounds/basis " That kind of thing.....

                    It would be useful would be to send a Subject Access Request Letter to Orange direct to find out what happened as you believe you were already outside of contract when you stopped paying so anything you can get from them may help your case.

                    Did you tell Orange you were cancelling at the time or literally just stop paying them ?
                    #staysafestayhome

                    Any support I provide is offered without liability, if you are unsure please seek professional legal guidance.

                    Received a Court Claim? Read >>>>> First Steps

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      thank you again AMETHYST will look at the links you sent

                      no i did not tell Orange i just stopped the direct debt payments to them

                      in a nutshell i took out a mobile phone contract with Orange [before they changed to EE] many years ago.
                      anyway i stopped the direct debts going out from my bank to EE/Orange back in 2012/2013 [around 5/6 years ago]
                      because i had payed for the phone the contract time limit had actually ended in other words i had already payed for the phone
                      and also i was not actually using the phone anymore so i stopped the direct debt payments
                      the contract had come to a end because Orange/EE were contacting me asking me if i wanted to upgrade my phone and change my contract etc
                      i hope all that makes sense
                      Last edited by TomatoSoup; 29th January 2018, 13:44:PM. Reason: just needed a extra edit sorry

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        It does How long, do you know, had you had the contract with orange ? I think when we come to do your defence we want to specifically state that the terms / agreement is required as your contention is the contract had ended and you'd stopped using the phone and there was no debt on the account. We'll need to check ( not sure if slainte caragh might know this actually ) what happened at the end of a contract term - if it went on a monthly rolling basis or renewed for another 12 months ?
                        #staysafestayhome

                        Any support I provide is offered without liability, if you are unsure please seek professional legal guidance.

                        Received a Court Claim? Read >>>>> First Steps

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          im not sure at all i might still have the contract in my files some where
                          [but not 100% sure i had a clear out just before christmas]
                          i think i started the contract with the Orange phone back in 2010 it was the summer of 2010
                          and not at all sure about the contract terms monthly rolling basis or renewed for another 12 months!? no sorry not 100% sure
                          i payed for it monthly i remember that much
                          also i remember the guy in shop saying to me once you have had this phone for 12 [may have been 18] months or more you then have the option to upgrade your phone and/or change your contract

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Okay so when Orange were bugging you to upgrade phone / change contract, did you tell them then you didn't intend to continue with the contract ?
                            #staysafestayhome

                            Any support I provide is offered without liability, if you are unsure please seek professional legal guidance.

                            Received a Court Claim? Read >>>>> First Steps

                            Comment


                            • #15

                              no i just ignored them

                              sorry been afk looking in boxes etc for any evidence likes letters from either orange or debt company
                              during my hunt i found a letter from orange about my orange care agreement it is dated november 2011
                              Last edited by TomatoSoup; 29th January 2018, 16:22:PM. Reason: added more

                              Comment

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