Just looking for a bit of advice about my Lowell situation.

[Ninezerofour]

Hello all

In 2009 i purchased a few items using a littlewoods catalog which amounted to around £600, a few months later i broke my hand which unfortunately left me without work for a while and by the time it did heal, there was no job waiting for me when i got back. I did however have the littlewoods insurance that is suppose to cover my payments whilst i was out of work (which they did not pay out on as i refused to start claiming benefits whilst i was off work).

Anyways, I kind of buried my head in the sand for a while (silly me) which lead the debt to be sold to Lowell group. Now being the young idiot i am, i didn't ask them for any proof that i owed them money or anything like that, i just agreed to start paying back what i owed because i though it was the right thing to do.

I set up for my first payment to be taken out on the 19th of last month but because i had recently started a new job and there was a muck up with them putting my wages into the wrong bank, i told them i was unable to pay it on the date set and changed the date to the 16th of august. They seemed to have completely ignored the conversation and decided to take the money out on the 2nd of august, which i did not authorize and resulted in me going overdrawn.

I phoned Lowell last Monday and they agreed to refund me the payment and set the new date to the 19th of august. As of today the money has not reached me and I'm worried they will still be taking the other payment on Monday.

I know this is absolutely my fault for getting into this mess in the first place but is what they are doing even legal? I didn't authorize any payment to be taken on the day they helped themselves to my account.

Just after a bit of friendly advise as i am without a clue of what to do.

Thank you in advance.

[Celestine]

Re: Just looking for a bit of advice about my Lowell situation.

Is this a standing order or direct debit?

Personally, I wouldn't get in too much of a sweat about missing payments to Lowell when you are strapped.

A 2009 agreement is probably enforceable so unless you want to get into sending s.78 requests etc, a manageable payment plan is probably sensible, especially as its a relatively low amount.

However, you can only pay what you can afford, especially when changing jobs.

So, I'd take control of the situation, either make a manual payment monthly. (Cancel any S/O D/DD because they only cost YOU money when they bounce) Remember you can ring your bank at any time to cancel such arrangements and just as easily set them back up again.

Don't let Lowell bully you. If you can afford £50 one month, pay that, if next month it's £25, thats what you pay. A quick call to let them know what you're paying will probably help but make sure you stay in the driving seat, not them. It is what we call a non priority debt and should certainly not be triggering bank charges.