PRA Group Uk Portfolios Ltd

[echat11]

Hello ECHAT11

Thank you for your response and comments.

I am sorry for the delay in responding to you.

I have looked at the example letter on Citizens advice and I will follow through with this.

No, I do not have reports without that information, also they are not recent reports.

If I request a letter from my GP evidencing my health she is likely to ask what it is for and may wonder why I need to do this as I am of retirement age. I could also not guarantee that my age would not be included.

So if I have to go forward without this and I inform the debtors, as I did the original debtors that the reason I went into default was because of my mental and physical health, that it has not changed and that I am not going to be returning to work.

And as I am requesting the debt to be written, if I have to mention the source would I just say I receive benefits?

Thank you,

a) No, I do not have reports without that information, also they are not recent reports.

That's O.K..

b) If I request a letter from my GP evidencing my health she is likely to ask what it is for and may wonder why I need to do this as I am of retirement age. I could also not guarantee that my age would not be included.

O.K.

c) So if I have to go forward without this and I inform the debtors, as I did the original debtors that the reason I went into default was because of my mental and physical health, that it has not changed and that I am not going to be returning to work.

See what they come back with. It might be sufficient.

d) And as I am requesting the debt to be written, if I have to mention the source would I just say I receive benefits?

Yes, what you receive isn't enough to meet your needs and with the 'cost of living' things are not going to get better.

[pbks]

a) No, I do not have reports without that information, also they are not recent reports.

That's O.K..

b) If I request a letter from my GP evidencing my health she is likely to ask what it is for and may wonder why I need to do this as I am of retirement age. I could also not guarantee that my age would not be included.

O.K.

c) So if I have to go forward without this and I inform the debtors, as I did the original debtors that the reason I went into default was because of my mental and physical health, that it has not changed and that I am not going to be returning to work.

See what they come back with. It might be sufficient.

d) And as I am requesting the debt to be written, if I have to mention the source would I just say I receive benefits?

Yes, what you receive isn't enough to meet your needs and with the 'cost of living' things are not going to get better.

Thank you ECHAT!!,

I will post when I have any updates.

Thank you.

[pbks]

Thank you ECHAT!!,

I will post when I have any updates.

Thank you.

Hello ECHAT11,

I sent a letter to MDRL on the 25th May 25. Explaining my circumstances and my reasons for leaving work in 2006 when the debt went into default.

I explained that I assumed PRA was aware of my situation from the previous debtors, and as my circumstances regarding my health and income had remained unchanged, and PRA had initially accepted the original payment set up in 2006 with BCW I did not respond to PRA when they offered numerous settlement payments and then further letters requesting details of my circumstances so they could reassess my payments to them.
I explained that the reason for this was I found it very stressful and it impacts my mental health.

I explained that my circumstances have remained the same, that I will not be returning to employment and the government benefit barely covers my needs. I stated that the payment plan of £1.00 would not cover the debt in what is likely left of my lifetime, but even if it was increased to £5.00 or £10.00 a month, which I could not afford anyway, would not clear the debt which is why I am requesting the debt be written off.

I have no assets and with the increasing cost of living it is not going to improve.

The initial reply from them on the 31sr May and the 2ndJune. The letters were duplicate, stating you have raised a query about this account. We need to contact our client which may take some time.

Once our client has completed their investigation we will write to you with their responsewas an aknowledgement of the letter.

You don't need to do anything.

I then received a further letter on the 5th June.

We have been advised of personal circumstances which have affected your financial position. Please be aware we will take your circumstances into account and if you are experiencing difficulties it is important we work together.

In order for our client to obtain a better understanding and to assist you further please provide a medical letter signed by a healthcare professional on headed paper outling your condition and how this affects you. Once received we will be happy to refer your request to our client.

Your account is placed on hold for the time being to allow you to complete this.

My personal circumstances affecting my financial position are no different from 19 years ago, I feel my health is not relevent to this as such, as I have stated I am unemployed and have been for the past 19 years, I will not be returning to work, I am in receipt of benefit and I have no assets and that is why I am requesting the debt be written off, and not specifically because of my health.

I feel If I had made no mention of my health, and I requested the debt be written of because I am unemployed and have been for 19 yrs. I have been in receipt of benefit for 19 yrs. I have no assets, and explained the debt payments, even if they were increased to £5 or £10 per month which I could not afford would likely not pay off this debt in my lifetime. They would not be requesting this? and that is why I don't feel my health is particularly relevant in this instance. What do you think?

Although my health was the reason initially why I left work, my financial circumstances have been the same for 19 yrs and my health, although it has improved in some ways. There are issues that have come with ageing, but obviously obtaining a letter of my condition and how it affects me would be a problem if I had to obtain a health letter from my GP because of my age, as I have been retired for 6 years and although I am on medication for the initial medical issues, I have not seen my GP for some time regarding those initial medical issues. I have only seen her regarding general health issues that have come about in the last couple of years.

Thank you.


.

[echat11]

Hello ECHAT11,

I sent a letter to MDRL on the 25th May 25. Explaining my circumstances and my reasons for leaving work in 2006 when the debt went into default.

I explained that I assumed PRA was aware of my situation from the previous debtors, and as my circumstances regarding my health and income had remained unchanged, and PRA had initially accepted the original payment set up in 2006 with BCW I did not respond to PRA when they offered numerous settlement payments and then further letters requesting details of my circumstances so they could reassess my payments to them.
I explained that the reason for this was I found it very stressful and it impacts my mental health.

I explained that my circumstances have remained the same, that I will not be returning to employment and the government benefit barely covers my needs. I stated that the payment plan of £1.00 would not cover the debt in what is likely left of my lifetime, but even if it was increased to £5.00 or £10.00 a month, which I could not afford anyway, would not clear the debt which is why I am requesting the debt be written off.

I have no assets and with the increasing cost of living it is not going to improve.

The initial reply from them on the 31sr May and the 2ndJune. The letters were duplicate, stating you have raised a query about this account. We need to contact our client which may take some time.

Once our client has completed their investigation we will write to you with their responsewas an aknowledgement of the letter.

You don't need to do anything.

I then received a further letter on the 5th June.

We have been advised of personal circumstances which have affected your financial position. Please be aware we will take your circumstances into account and if you are experiencing difficulties it is important we work together.

In order for our client to obtain a better understanding and to assist you further please provide a medical letter signed by a healthcare professional on headed paper outling your condition and how this affects you. Once received we will be happy to refer your request to our client.

Your account is placed on hold for the time being to allow you to complete this.

My personal circumstances affecting my financial position are no different from 19 years ago, I feel my health is not relevent to this as such, as I have stated I am unemployed and have been for the past 19 years, I will not be returning to work, I am in receipt of benefit and I have no assets and that is why I am requesting the debt be written off, and not specifically because of my health.

I feel If I had made no mention of my health, and I requested the debt be written of because I am unemployed and have been for 19 yrs. I have been in receipt of benefit for 19 yrs. I have no assets, and explained the debt payments, even if they were increased to £5 or £10 per month which I could not afford would likely not pay off this debt in my lifetime. They would not be requesting this? and that is why I don't feel my health is particularly relevant in this instance. What do you think?

Although my health was the reason initially why I left work, my financial circumstances have been the same for 19 yrs and my health, although it has improved in some ways. There are issues that have come with ageing, but obviously obtaining a letter of my condition and how it affects me would be a problem if I had to obtain a health letter from my GP because of my age, as I have been retired for 6 years and although I am on medication for the initial medical issues, I have not seen my GP for some time regarding those initial medical issues. I have only seen her regarding general health issues that have come about in the last couple of years.

Thank you.


.

Your GP can write a general letter, 'XXXXX has suffered from XXXXXXX since XX/XX/XX.
This makes it difficult for XXXXX due to chronic pain (or whatever it might be). These
people know GP's are busy people, so don't have time to write your complete
medical history.

It is literally a couple of lines, 'not war and peace' on everything.

[pbks]

Your GP can write a general letter, 'XXXXX has suffered from XXXXXXX since XX/XX/XX.
This makes it difficult for XXXXX due to chronic pain (or whatever it might be). These
people know GP's are busy people, so don't have time to write your complete
medical history.

It is literally a couple of lines, 'not war and peace' on everything.

Hello ECHAT11,

Thank you for your reply it is appreciated.

I appreciate they are aware GPs are very busy and only a summarization of my issues are necessary, but because of the potential problem of this which is my age, which as I mentioned, are, I am actually 71 not 61 which for some reason is the age they have on the application form and I am retired, so why would not being able to return to work because of my health be relevant ? also my GP has my address at what was my Sisters address, as my home address is not in the catchment area for my GP and there is a strong possibility that she would need to add my address to the letter and that would be different..

My query is why do I need to give evidence of my health when the reason for requesting the wiping out of the debt is mainly because my financial status has not changed for 19yrs, and although it initially was because of my health, and I am still on medication, a lot has changed and I have now been retired for 5 years. So suffering from xxxx since xxxx makes it difficult for me to work would not apply and I feel my GP would question this.

As I stated, I feel if I had just said I was in receipt of benefits and that is all I could afford I dont feel they would have requested this, and involving my GP could open up other problems that I have mentioned, that I dont feel I could deal with.

Can I state I don't wish to involve my GP in this and that I wish it to be reviewed purely on the financial reasons that I have already stated to them?

Thank you.

[echat11]

Then write back that you are 71, past retirement age and thus rely on benefits to meet your
'day to day' needs, you would struggle without them.

You will not be returning to work because you are past retirement age and in 'ill health'.

As such requesting a letter from my GP doesn't help XXXXXX understand my
personal circumstances.

To be honest, I don't think they are reading what you've sent to them.
It might be an idea to write to a manager.

[pbks]

Then write back that you are 71, past retirement age and thus rely on benefits to meet your
'day to day' needs, you would struggle without them.

You will not be returning to work because you are past retirement age and in 'ill health'.

As such requesting a letter from my GP doesn't help XXXXXX understand my
personal circumstances.

To be honest, I don't think they are reading what you've sent to them.
It might be an idea to write to a manager.

Hello ECHAT11

Thank you for your reply and comments.

I contacted my GP today, just to check if they could accommodate my request letter. And I was advised that as of the past couple of months the GPs no longer issue any letters regarding patients.

The practice has now gone completely digital and everything is completed via a form on line.

They could only suggest that if I go into the practice they can print out a summarisation of my health which would include other personal issues which are private that I would need to redact, so I feel that would not be the best option.

Obviously if I contacted MDC with my true age and that I am retired that probably could end the matter, but as I said they believe me to be 61 not 71 and that may create other problems as to why they have my date of birth, showing me to be 61.

They may require proof of my age which in itself I dont feel is an issue but they may question how the error came about.

I will write to them again advising them of my GPS policy regarding the letter, and reiterating my financial situation and see how they respond to that and I will update you when I get a response.

Thank you.

[pbks]

Hello ECHAT11,

I have received a further response from MDRL today.

I initially received a letter to my request in July, further advising me a letter from my GP really would be beneficial, and also enclosed a debt &mental health evidence form to be completed by an official practitioner, which was not applicable, as I had not had any association with anyone like that for many years. The form stated it was a mental health form that affects a persons ability to repay or communicate with their creditor.

I assume they had sent me this form as I had advised them of some of the medications I was taking, one of them can be for more serious mental health, but is also for depression.

I explained that a summarisation of my health issues contained a number of issues, some very personal and therefore cannot be summarised in one condition.and reiterated again, I had not worked for 19 yrs and would not be returning to employment.

The letter from them is to advise me that Pra due to no medical evidence being provided, the account and balance remains correct. They also would like to know more about your current financial situation in order for them to better understand.

Income Outgoings/expenses
Assets
Priority debts
Other debts
Any other relevent information

Types of paperwork you could send
3 months bank statements for accounts used to pay household bills
Benefit award letter
Mortgage information or tenancy agreement

Some of this is not an issue, as I have no assets however, some could be really problematic as although I pay rent I do not have a tenancy agreement as it is a family member, and my utility bill is paid from another bank account and is also subsidised by a family member as I cannot cover the full cost. The bank account that shows my rent payment from the council and my pension, has nothing else in or out from this account other than the original SO to BC&W passed on to PRA, and another SO for a defaulted account that came about at the same time and would then they may question how I pay my bills. As they would obviously want proof of anything I state I have to pay. And the benefit award letter is my pension, which would then highlight that my true age is different from the one they, MDRL hold and they may then query how they have a different age for me.

My main concern is I am not sure how far they would investigate into this and I am really worried, as a further issue which came about accidently over 40 yrs ago when I received my passport which in those days was a completely different process, it did not have the security measures it has today, and they made an error on my DOB and they had reduced it by 3 yrs.

Due to stupid vanity I did not question this, nor think about the issues it could create in the years ahead, and have continued to use that DOB for everything legal, and I did not know how to best rectify it later on without it becoming a huge problem, and my award letter because it is a pension letter would highlight I have reached a pensionable age, and although it doesnt show my true DOB it does have my NINumber and therefore they may be able to check the exact DOB. But even if they couldnt do that they would know it still has to be different from the one they have. So, it would then depend how far MDRL are prepared to investigate into it. And if they were to check my current CRReport, it would show the DOB as the one used on my passport, and not my true DOB, and not the one MDRL have, not to mention the other credit cards on the current report that I have had over the years, and although there is no debt owed to them they were applied for with my passport DOB.


I fully appreciate this could now be a huge mess and I do not know which way to best deal with this that would cause the least problems. My mental anxiety is through the roof, and I am not sure if you are able to offer any advice in light of all of this.

[echat11]

Hello ECHAT11,

I have received a further response from MDRL today.

I initially received a letter to my request in July, further advising me a letter from my GP really would be beneficial, and also enclosed a debt &mental health evidence form to be completed by an official practitioner, which was not applicable, as I had not had any association with anyone like that for many years. The form stated it was a mental health form that affects a persons ability to repay or communicate with their creditor.

I assume they had sent me this form as I had advised them of some of the medications I was taking, one of them can be for more serious mental health, but is also for depression.

I explained that a summarisation of my health issues contained a number of issues, some very personal and therefore cannot be summarised in one condition.and reiterated again, I had not worked for 19 yrs and would not be returning to employment.

The letter from them is to advise me that Pra due to no medical evidence being provided, the account and balance remains correct. They also would like to know more about your current financial situation in order for them to better understand.

Income Outgoings/expenses
Assets
Priority debts
Other debts
Any other relevent information

Types of paperwork you could send
3 months bank statements for accounts used to pay household bills
Benefit award letter
Mortgage information or tenancy agreement

Some of this is not an issue, as I have no assets however, some could be really problematic as although I pay rent I do not have a tenancy agreement as it is a family member, and my utility bill is paid from another bank account and is also subsidised by a family member as I cannot cover the full cost. The bank account that shows my rent payment from the council and my pension, has nothing else in or out from this account other than the original SO to BC&W passed on to PRA, and another SO for a defaulted account that came about at the same time and would then they may question how I pay my bills. As they would obviously want proof of anything I state I have to pay. And the benefit award letter is my pension, which would then highlight that my true age is different from the one they, MDRL hold and they may then query how they have a different age for me.

My main concern is I am not sure how far they would investigate into this and I am really worried, as a further issue which came about accidently over 40 yrs ago when I received my passport which in those days was a completely different process, it did not have the security measures it has today, and they made an error on my DOB and they had reduced it by 3 yrs.

Due to stupid vanity I did not question this, nor think about the issues it could create in the years ahead, and have continued to use that DOB for everything legal, and I did not know how to best rectify it later on without it becoming a huge problem, and my award letter because it is a pension letter would highlight I have reached a pensionable age, and although it doesnt show my true DOB it does have my NINumber and therefore they may be able to check the exact DOB. But even if they couldnt do that they would know it still has to be different from the one they have. So, it would then depend how far MDRL are prepared to investigate into it. And if they were to check my current CRReport, it would show the DOB as the one used on my passport, and not my true DOB, and not the one MDRL have, not to mention the other credit cards on the current report that I have had over the years, and although there is no debt owed to them they were applied for with my passport DOB.


I fully appreciate this could now be a huge mess and I do not know which way to best deal with this that would cause the least problems. My mental anxiety is through the roof, and I am not sure if you are able to offer any advice in light of all of this.

What I would do is book an appointment with your local CAB office, they might be able to help you with this.

[pbks]

What I would do is book an appointment with your local CAB office, they might be able to help you with this.

Hello ECHAT11,

Thank you for getting back to me.

Unfortunately I don't think the CAB could help as I did speak with someone about 18 months ago over the telephone, and they could only deal with it if I was prepared for them to contact all my debtors, which at that time there were 3, now only 2. They would'nt just offer advice which is all I wanted.

I would need to make an appointment and take in all the necessary paperwork of all the debts, which I no longer have. They also said they would need access to my credit history and bank account information of all my incomings and outgoings to help to put together a payment plan for all of the debts, and In light of what I have told you, if they were to be aware of all of what I have disclosed to you, I am not sure how they would have to deal with this from a legal standpoint.

I also did not want to the other debtors to be contacted as they were happy for the arrangement in place to continue and may have decided to change this had they been contacted after such a long time.

From the list of requirements that MDRL are now requesting to better understand my financial situation, what from a legal point of view can they insist upon seeing and not just accept my word of mouth.

Do they have a legal right to see my tenancy agreement, and if they see copies of bank statements and I state all my bills are paid from another persons account so I did not have to deal with this ,would they have a legal right to see proof of this, as this would be now giving them another persons information, and I know they would not be happy for me to do this.

My intention is to send them as little as possible, but to include the award letter, which does'st show my DOB only that it is a pension, 3 statements that show the pension and rent allowance and the 2 SO for the outstanding debts. And to explain due to health issues all other bills were set up and paid through a friends account.

Your advice if possible is appreciated.

[pbks]

Hello ECHAT11,

Thank you for getting back to me.

Unfortunately I don't think the CAB could help as I did speak with someone about 18 months ago over the telephone, and they could only deal with it if I was prepared for them to contact all my debtors, which at that time there were 3, now only 2. They would'nt just offer advice which is all I wanted.

I would need to make an appointment and take in all the necessary paperwork of all the debts, which I no longer have. They also said they would need access to my credit history and bank account information of all my incomings and outgoings to help to put together a payment plan for all of the debts, and In light of what I have told you, if they were to be aware of all of what I have disclosed to you, I am not sure how they would have to deal with this from a legal standpoint.

I also did not want to the other debtors to be contacted as they were happy for the arrangement in place to continue and may have decided to change this had they been contacted after such a long time.

From the list of requirements that MDRL are now requesting to better understand my financial situation, what from a legal point of view can they insist upon seeing and not just accept my word of mouth.

Do they have a legal right to see my tenancy agreement, and if they see copies of bank statements and I state all my bills are paid from another persons account so I did not have to deal with this ,would they have a legal right to see proof of this, as this would be now giving them another persons information, and I know they would not be happy for me to do this.

My intention is to send them as little as possible, but to include the award letter, which does'st show my DOB only that it is a pension, 3 statements that show the pension and rent allowance and the 2 SO for the outstanding debts. And to explain due to health issues all other bills were set up and paid through a friends account.

Your advice if possible is appreciated.

Hello ECHAT11,

I am not sure if you saw my last post? but I am reposting just in case.

If you feel you can no longer offer assistance can you please let me know?

Thank you,
pkbs.

[echat11]

Apologies, I seem to have missed it.

They can ask for you to send them this or that, your not obliged to do so.
Only an Order from the Courts can request that you make those disclosures.
The thing is if they ask and you don't, then you may lose there 'goodwill'.

Do as you suggest in your last paragraph. Update with their response.