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Hi all, I'm a newbie but would welcome advice on the following saga (apologies for length!)
Around the middle of 2009 I had a load of debt that had built up following my divorce a few years earlier. At the time I owned a house which was adjacent to some ex-allottment land. I did a deal with a property developer to buy my house and the land for a sum that would enable me to pay off my debts and leave with a few quid to start over. All this took time to go through planning etc, so I wrote to my creditors and arranged for them to freeze interest or suspend payments until the deal was done. Eventually it all worked out, my house was demolished and new properties built - I paid off my debts (some creditors settled for less) and moved into a one bedroom rented flat hoping to rebuild my life and my credit history. In November 2009 I had a letter from Phillips Debt Collection agency about a debt of £9400. I asked for proof that the debt was mine and heard nothing, therefore I ignored it and carried on with my life.
Fast forward to 2011 and I get a letter out of the blue from Mackenzie Hall asking me to pay a debt of £9300 odd to Lowell Sav. I had no knowledge of such a debt and so wrote and asked for them to substantiate the debt via a CCA - I heard nothing more from them.
During June/July 2012 I received three letters from Debt Managers Ltd about the same debt. This time I decided to check my credit file with Experian. It appears that Lowell Portfolio I have a default on my file with a default date of September 2008 for £9391.
I wrote to both Lowell Portfolio I and Debt Managers Ltd asking them to substantiate the debt within 12 working days (as per advice read on Moneysaving expert website). I enclosed copies of the earlier letters I wrote to Phillips and Mackenzie Hall. This past Friday I received letters from both these companies effectively stalling for time - they both say they need to get the original CCA from the original credit company.
On Saturday morning I received another letter from Lowell Portfolio I. This letter informs me that they are querying the debt with Shop Direct (whom I have never heard of or dealt with). They also say they enclose a copy of a Letter of Assignment - but there was no copy enclosed. The 12 day deadline for them to provide me with a CCA expires this coming Thursday.
My questions are;
1) Do I ignore their stalling letter and stick to the deadline date before contacting them?
2) Do I write to them immediately and give them more time (if so, how much time)?
3) What are my next steps and are there any form letters I can plagiarise?
My aim in all this is simply to clear my credit records so that at some point I may be able to see a future for myself.
Apologies for the length of this tale but some advice would be appreciated.
Around the middle of 2009 I had a load of debt that had built up following my divorce a few years earlier. At the time I owned a house which was adjacent to some ex-allottment land. I did a deal with a property developer to buy my house and the land for a sum that would enable me to pay off my debts and leave with a few quid to start over. All this took time to go through planning etc, so I wrote to my creditors and arranged for them to freeze interest or suspend payments until the deal was done. Eventually it all worked out, my house was demolished and new properties built - I paid off my debts (some creditors settled for less) and moved into a one bedroom rented flat hoping to rebuild my life and my credit history. In November 2009 I had a letter from Phillips Debt Collection agency about a debt of £9400. I asked for proof that the debt was mine and heard nothing, therefore I ignored it and carried on with my life.
Fast forward to 2011 and I get a letter out of the blue from Mackenzie Hall asking me to pay a debt of £9300 odd to Lowell Sav. I had no knowledge of such a debt and so wrote and asked for them to substantiate the debt via a CCA - I heard nothing more from them.
During June/July 2012 I received three letters from Debt Managers Ltd about the same debt. This time I decided to check my credit file with Experian. It appears that Lowell Portfolio I have a default on my file with a default date of September 2008 for £9391.
I wrote to both Lowell Portfolio I and Debt Managers Ltd asking them to substantiate the debt within 12 working days (as per advice read on Moneysaving expert website). I enclosed copies of the earlier letters I wrote to Phillips and Mackenzie Hall. This past Friday I received letters from both these companies effectively stalling for time - they both say they need to get the original CCA from the original credit company.
On Saturday morning I received another letter from Lowell Portfolio I. This letter informs me that they are querying the debt with Shop Direct (whom I have never heard of or dealt with). They also say they enclose a copy of a Letter of Assignment - but there was no copy enclosed. The 12 day deadline for them to provide me with a CCA expires this coming Thursday.
My questions are;
1) Do I ignore their stalling letter and stick to the deadline date before contacting them?
2) Do I write to them immediately and give them more time (if so, how much time)?
3) What are my next steps and are there any form letters I can plagiarise?
My aim in all this is simply to clear my credit records so that at some point I may be able to see a future for myself.
Apologies for the length of this tale but some advice would be appreciated.
i will advise further on removing the negative file on your credit reference. 
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