Debt Management - Frequently Asked Questions

My creditors are saying that they haven’t had a monthly payment from you. What should I do?

As an informal debt solution client, you can expect us to send payments to your creditors automatically each month provided that we have received your disposable monthly income on time. A statement will be sent to you detailing the amounts paid to your creditors. If your creditors say that they have not received payment you can check your statement or if you are still in doubt don’t hesitate to contact us.

I keep getting telephone calls from my creditor wanting payment.

You will need to tell the creditors that you have people acting on your behalf and that arrangements for payment will be made soon. Take a telephone number and name from your creditor and pass this information on to us so we can get in touch with your creditor and explain your situation.

What do I do if I need to open a new bank account?

You will be able to open a new account with a bank that you do not owe money to. You don’t need a chequebook or overdraft, just a basic bank account that you can use to arrange standing orders and direct debits and pay money into. You will also want a cash card for ATM withdrawals.

If I receive a letter from a debt-collector or solicitor wanting an outstanding debt, what should I do?

In the case that we have contact details for the debt-collecting agent or solicitor, then we do not need the letter sent to us. We will however need the letter sent to us as soon as possible if the letter states that they had the debt transferred over to them to deal with.

My creditors are saying that they have not been contacted by you.

We will always keep a record of our contact with a creditor. If we have informed you that we have contacted a creditor there will be a document and proof on our record file. It is sometimes the case that creditors want to pressurise you into making a payment by saying that we have not contacted them. Just take the creditor’s name and number and we will verify with them how and when we contacted them.

I have had a letter from my creditor saying that they want to visit me at home or want me to go to their offices. What is the best thing to do?

There is no reason for you to have to agree to either of these. Just tell us who the creditor is so that we can explain to them what you intend to do.

My creditor has said that they will send a bailiff to my house.

It is usually the case that only after you have stopped making payments after a County Court Judgement that a creditor can involve bailiffs. Bailiffs can sometimes be mentioned to try and scare you into making a payment; don’t hesitate to contact us if you are confused about what to do.

My creditors say that they will take me to court.

A creditor will normally only threaten to take people to court if you have not made a response with regard to your outstanding debt. Because we keep in contact with your creditors and keep them up to date with your situation and when their next payment should be, the risk of being taken to court is low.

I have received a letter I feel is threatening from a creditor.

If the letter is from a creditor with whom we are currently negotiating, then there is no need for you to send us the letter. If the letter worries you however, you may wish to contact us.

What if I have County Court Judgements?

The payments that you agreed with the courts must still be made. These can be included in your regular expenses to make an allowance. If you are a client of legal debt solution about to enter a Protected Trust Deed or an I.V.A. you will stop making payments only after the arrangement is set up. You will be informed once this has happened.

I got a letter telling me that they have passed one of my debts on to a different company to deal with.

The company that have been passed the debt will contact you to inform you of the situation. They will normally be a third party company such as a solicitors’ debt collecting section or a debt-collecting agent. Any correspondence should be sent to us quickly in order for us to get in touch with them to explain your situation to them.

What if my creditors reject my I.V.A./P.T.D.?

This would be an uncommon situation, but we would just reassign your case to our department of informal debt solutions and make arrangements to meet with you in order to explain what the consequences of this are. We will carry on dealing with your creditors on your behalf and make annual reviews of your situation. Should your situation change so that a legal answer presents itself, we will update you on the change of circumstances.

What happens if there is a creditor I’ve forgotten to tell you about?

We will need to be informed of any other creditors as soon as possible. An informal or legal agreement can be compromised by not disclosing all creditors.