Featured in...
Dashboard
Debt Info
Debt Collectors

1st Locate UK Debt Collection – Should You Pay?

Scott Nelson MoneyNerd Janine Marsh MoneyNerd
By
Scott
Scott Nelson MoneyNerd

Scott Nelson

Debt Expert

Scott Nelson is a renowned debt expert who supports people in debt with debt management and debt solution resources.

Learn more about Scott
&
Janine
Janine Marsh MoneyNerd

Janine Marsh

Financial Expert

Janine is a financial expert who supports individuals with debt management, cost-saving resources, and navigating parking tickets.

Learn more about Janine
· May 26th, 2024
Could you legally write off some debt? Answer below to get started.

Total amount of debt?

This isn’t a full fact find, MoneyNerd doesn’t give advice. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provide information about your options.

For free & impartial money advice you can visit MoneyHelper. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provide information about your options. This isn’t a full fact-find, some debt solutions may not be suitable in all circumstances, ongoing fees might apply & your credit rating may be affected.

Featured in...
First Locate UK Debt Collection

For free & impartial money advice you can visit MoneyHelper. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provide information about your options. This isn’t a full fact-find, some debt solutions may not be suitable in all circumstances, ongoing fees might apply & your credit rating may be affected.

If you’ve received a letter from 1st Locate UK Debt Collection, don’t worry. We know how you might be feeling confused about where this debt has come from, unsure if you should pay it, or worried because you can’t afford to. 

We’re here to help you understand what to do next. Every month, over 170,000 people visit our website for advice on debt.

In this article, we’ll explain:

  •  Who 1st Locate are.
  •  How to check if the debt is really yours.
  •  Your options if you can’t or don’t want to pay.
  •  Ways to deal with debt collectors.
  •  And steps to take if things get serious, like dealing with a CCJ. 

Some of our team members have also had letters from debt collectors. We understand how it feels, and we’re here to help.

Let’s dive in!

Could you legally write off some debt?

There are several debt solutions in the UK, choosing the right one for you could write off some of your unaffordable debt, but the wrong one may be expensive and drawn out.

Answer below to get started.

How much debt do you have?

This isn’t a full fact find. MoneyNerd doesn’t give advice. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provide information about your options.

What do they want?

If 1st Locate Debt Collection Agency are on your case about outstanding debt, you would be forgiven for feeling frustrated with their contact. You may even be thinking, ‘who are these guys, and what do they want!’

The truth is that debt collection agencies buy the debt from other organisations who you owe the original debt to. They don’t make their money back or a profit, unless you start making payments.

This is why they can be relentless, they don’t want to waste the money they spent buying the debt. Unfortunately, some debt collection agencies act in a way which could be deemed as unreasonable, and even threatening, in some cases.

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Fill out the short debt form

Is this your debt?

The first step in the process is to check if the debt you are being contacted about, is actually yours or if it is, is the value correct.

It may look a bit ‘over-inflated’, and that is down to interest and fees which could have been added, due to the length of time the debt has been outstanding.

If you are in any doubt about the debt, you should request a copy of the original credit agreement from 1st Locate Debt Collection Agency. If they can’t do this, you shouldn’t make payments.

How a debt solution could help

Some debt solutions can:

  1. Stop nasty calls from creditors
  2. Freeze interest and charges
  3. Reduce your monthly payments

A few debt solutions can even result in writing off some of your debt.

Here’s an example:


Situation

Monthly income £2,504
Monthly expenses £2,345
Total debt £32,049

Monthly debt repayments

Before £587
After £158

£429 reduction in monthly payments

If you want to learn what debt solutions are available to you, click the button below to get started.

Get Started

Can pay but don’t want to?

Let’s just start by saying that if you owe the debt, you need to pay it, even though you don’t want to.

However, if you are struggling to pay it, 1st Locate Debt Collection Agency must act reasonably and allow you time to pay the debt back. If that means you need to pay it back in installments – so be it!

Read what to do if you can’t pay back your debt.

UK Personal Debt 2021 Update:

24% of people feel they have made a poor decision about debt during the pandemic. This rises to 51% of those aged 18-24 (Aviva)

(Source: The Money Charity)

What Happens If I Don’t Pay?

We’ve all wondered – what exactly will happen if you stop paying off your debt? Well, the answer is a whole lot of bother.

  1. Your creditor will send you reminders and then demands if you miss several payments
  2. If you don’t pay, your account will default
  3. If you still don’t pay your debts, your creditor can choose to sell your debt to a debt collection agency or employ an agency to chase you for the missed payments. 
  4. If you don’t pay the collectors, your creditor or the collection agency might be able to take legal action against you to get their money back. Legal action usually starts with a CCJ.

Thousands have already tackled their debt

Every day our partners, The Debt Advice Service, help people find out whether they can lower their repayments and finally tackle or write off some of their debt.

Natasha

I’d recommend this firm to anyone struggling with debt – my mind has been put to rest, all is getting sorted.

Get started

Reviews shown are for The Debt Advice Service.

Visiting your premises

Debt collectors are often so desperate to get you to pay up, that they might even threaten to pay a visit to your home. Don’t let them they have no right to do this, or even threaten to do it!

If you are in any way worried about your own physical safety, you should contact the police.

How do I Make a Complaint?

If you think that 1st Locate has been unreasonable or behaved inappropriately, you can make a complaint. You can also make a complaint if you feel that they have broken any of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) guidelines.

Make your first complaint to 1st Locate so that they have the chance to sort out the issue themselves. If you feel that they have not taken your complaint seriously enough or have not addressed your issue properly, you can escalate matters.

You can make any secondary complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). They will investigate and, if your complaint is upheld, 1st Locate may be fined. You could even be owed compensation.

1st Locate Contact Details

Website: www.1stlocate.com 
Phone number: 0113 297 7508
Email: [email protected]
Address: Town Centre House
Merrion Centre, Leeds, LS2 8L
Numbers they call from: 01132977500
08445439280
08445439246

Other Debt Collectors to look for on your Credit Report

There are hundreds of debt collectors in the UK and they each collect for different companies.

It’s surprisingly easy to not notice that you’re in a debt collector’s crosshairs.


I’d suggest you spend time checking your credit report. If a debt collector purchases any of your debt, it will appear on your credit report.

Some of the biggest to look out for include Cabot, PRA Group, and Lowell.

So if you see anything relating to their names, then you’ll need to investigate further.

Could you legally write off some debt?

Answer below to get started.

How much debt do you have?

This isn’t a full fact find, MoneyNerd doesn’t give advice. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provide information about your options.

References

CONC 7.3 Treatment of customers in default or arrears (including repossessions): lenders, owners and debt collectors

CONC 7.9 Contact with customers

Did you like this article?
Show your support ❤️
We're glad you liked the article! As a small team, your support means everything to us. If you could rate us on Google, it would be amazing. Thank you!
We are so sorry...

Is there something missing? We’re all ears and eager to improve. Send us a message and let us know how we can make our article more useful for you.

You can email us directly at [email protected] to share your feedback.

The authors
Scott Nelson MoneyNerd
Author
Scott Nelson is a renowned debt expert who supports people in debt with debt management and debt solution resources.
Janine Marsh MoneyNerd
Debt Expert
Janine is a financial expert who supports individuals with debt management, cost-saving resources, and navigating parking tickets.