Arc Europe Ltd Debt Collection – Should You Pay?

Are you being chased by Arc Europe Ltd Debt Collection? Don’t worry, you’re not on your own. Each month, over 170,000 people come to our website for advice on debt issues. We’re here to help you figure things out.

In this article, we will talk about:

• Who Arc Europe are and if they are a real company.
• Why Arc Europe might be trying to get money from you.
• If you really owe them any money.
• What Arc Europe can do if you can’t or won’t pay.
• Ways to stop them from bothering you and how to get help with your debts.

Research shows that 64% of UK adults find interactions with current debt collectors stressful¹. Our team knows what it’s like to be chased for money you can’t pay. We understand how you feel and want to share useful information with you.

We’ll tell you all you need to know about Arc Europe Ltd Debt Collection and what you can do in this situation. Let’s get started!

Why you are being contacted by Arc Europe Ltd?

Make no mistake – the debt collection business is huge. Debt collectors like Arc Europe Ltd come in several forms…

Many debt collection agencies are independent businesses; some may also be a business arm of a creditor, such as a credit card company (sometimes hiding their real identity – see below); there are even individual sole trader debt collectors.

Debt collection agencies buy billions of debt annually at rock bottom prices – at an average of 10p to £1!²

There are few morals involved; as far as they are concerned it is you who ran up the debt and you who is responsible for repaying it. They care nothing about you and your personal circumstances.

Simply put, they tend not to be nice people. The Office for Fair Trading (OFT, 2010)³ acknowledged that such poor practices “appear to be widespread”.

Your Rights With Debt Collectors

Unfortunately, debt collectors will try to intimidate you to make you pay. While this is common, it’s crucial to keep in mind that they cannot harass you.

Here’s a quick table that explains what debt collectors are not allowed to do. If you’d like to learn more about your rights, make sure to check out our detailed guide.

Check if you really owe the money

Are you sure you really owe the money? The first thing to establish is where the debt started and how much you really owe.

Sometimes mistakes happen and Arc may be chasing you, thinking that you are someone else. So I always recommend asking for proof that you owe the debt before you make a payment.

If Arc can’t or doesn’t provide you with proof that you owe the debt, you are under no obligation to pay it.

If they do prove that you owe the debt but you know that it’s been a while since you made a payment towards it or wrote to your creditor about it, stop for a moment and think. You need to find out if the debt has been statute-barred.

If it has been 6 years – or 5 years in Scotland – since you last paid towards your unsecured debts and you have not written to your creditor about your debt during this time, it is statute-barred.

This means that the debt is not enforceable. It still technically exists, and you still technically owe the money, but there is no legal way for you to be forced to pay or for the debt to be enforced.

Keep in mind that not all debts become statute-barred!

Any HMRC debts, for example, will stay enforceable for decades. Any debt that had a County Court Judgement (CCJ) attached to it during the 5 or 6-year window will always be enforceable. 

But if Arc can prove that you owe the debt and it is not statute-barred, unfortunately you probably are going to have to pay. Now might be a good time to consider a debt solution.

Making a payment

To make a payment to the Arc Europe website, click ‘quick pay’ and enter your ‘Arc reference number’. You will also need your last name and date of birth.

What can ARC Europe Limited Do?

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Fill out the short debt form

A limited range of things. There are a number of actions that ARC Europe Limited can take if you don’t pay back your debts. That being said, you need to keep in mind that they are still a debt collection agency.

This means that their powers are only limited to what debt collectors can do. This is essentially nothing different from what your original creditor could do. They are not even allowed to make phone calls to you if you inform them that you don’t prefer it. In order to stop phone calls from ARC Europe Limited, all you have to do is inform them via letter that you don’t prefer being contacted via phone. They will be obligated to communicate via letters with you from then on.

ARC Europe Limited can send debt collection agents to your house if you fail to make your debt repayments. However, they are obligated to give you prior notice of this at least 7 days before a debt collector visits your residence.

Please note that debt collectors don’t have any extra-legal authority and you don’t have to let them into your house. In fact, you don’t even have to open the door if you don’t want to.

I recently spoke to the Mirror about debt collectors and bailiffs. While a bailiff may be permitted to take your possessions, a debt collector never can. All they are allowed to do is ask for a payment.

A debt collector must never lie about who he or she is. They need to be clear and loud about who they are and they must show their credentials upon request.

Debt collectors are also required to leave your residence if you ask them to.

Thousands have already tackled their debt

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Writing off your debt entirely

It is possible to write off your debt entirely through an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA).

Arc Europe Ltd Contact Details

How to file a complaint

If you think that Arc Debt Collection 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 Arc directly 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, Arc Europe may be fined. You could even be owed compensation.

Other Debt Collectors 

You should check for more outstanding debts that you may have with other companies or debt collectors. Here are four steps you could take: 

1. Check your credit report for other defaults 
2. Check your email and post for reminders or overdue notices
3. Check the court records for CCJs against you
4. Check your bank statements for the names of other debt collectors 

There are hundreds of debt collectors in the UK and each works with different companies to collect debts.

For example, Cabot Financial have been known to collect for the DVLA while Lowell Financial and PRA Group buy debts from various credit card companies like Barclaycard.

If you see a name on your bank statement that you don’t recognise then you can search MoneyNerd to see if they’re a debt collector. 

References

1. Indebted Debt Collection Survey
2. Jubilee Debt Campaign
3. OFT1274 – Debt management guidance

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

CONC 7.9 Contact with customers