Gladstones Solicitors Debt – Should You Pay?

If you’ve had a letter from Gladstones Solicitors about a debt, you might be unsure what to do. Don’t worry, we’re here to help.

Every month, over 170,000 people come to our website to find answers to their debt questions. 

This article will help you understand:

•  Who Gladstones Solicitors are and who they collect debt for.
•  How to respond to their letters and what to do if they take you to court.
•  If you should pay the debt, or if you could write some of it off.
•  The consequences of ignoring debt collectors.

Research shows that 64% of people in the UK find dealing with debt collectors stressful¹. Some of us have even been there.

Don’t worry; we’re here to make it easier for you. So, let’s get started on understanding more about Gladstones Solicitors and how to manage this situation.

Letter Before Action

Gladstones Solicitors will send a letter threatening legal action if they don’t receive a payment or you agree on a debt management plan (DMP).

This is called a Letter Before Action because it must be sent before the client can take you to court. 

Although, they may have no intention of taking you to court. Sometimes, these letters are just used to intimidate you into paying, especially for lower amounts like parking fines. 

How to respond

There are two ways to respond to a Letter Before Action from Gladstones Solicitors. But first, make sure you are aware of your consumer rights.

The way you should respond depends on your specific circumstances. But maybe your debt fits into one of the two options below:

#1: Claim statute barred

A statute barred debt is when a debtor cannot be taken to court for an old debt they owe.

This is because the courts won’t take on older debt cases as a way to prevent the court’s resources from becoming overstretched.

If your debt qualifies as statute barred, you can’t be taken to court and made to pay. Although there are exceptions!

You should check with a debt charity to make sure your debt qualifies as statute barred.

Then reply to Gladstones Solicitors telling them this is the reason why you won’t be paying. It’s also worth asking them to write off the debt at this stage. 

#2: Ask for proof

If your debt isn’t at least six years old, it won’t be a statute barred debt. But there is still something you can do to delay or even avoid paying Gladstones. 

You can ask them to send you evidence that you owe the money.

This is also worthwhile if you think they have the wrong person. Until they provide proof, you won’t have to pay.

Typical Debt Collection Process

As mentioned above, Gladstones Solicitors will send a letter or call if you’ve missed a payment. This is part of the first stage of the debt collection process.

We’ve put together this table that explains the key stages and actions involved in the debt collector timeline. If you’d like to learn more, be sure to read our specialized guide.

Stage	Actions	What you should do:
Missing one or two small payments	Calls and letters from the debt collector asking for payment. They may enquire about reasons for missing payments.	Contact the debt collector and offer to pay what you can. If you are struggling to pay the debt, get in touch with us to explore your options.
Missing large or multiple payments	Their contact will become more frequent, urgent, and threatening.	Contact the debt collection agency and offer to pay what you can. You may also make a complaint if you think the letters are a form of harassment.
Debt collector visit	After a few months, if the debt is significant (£200+) you will receive notice of a debt collector visit. They have to notify you before arriving. Debt collectors cannot take anything from your home – they may only ask for payment.	If a debt collector shows up at your home, ask them to show proof of the debt and their ID through a window. Do not open your door or let them in. You can arrange a payment plan with the debt collector, but make sure to get a receipt of this.
Court	If you still do not pay your debts to the original lender/debt collector agency, they will take you to court and either attempt to: – File a CCJ against you. – File an attachment of earnings order. – File a lawsuit against you.	You must show up to your court date. From here, you can either dispute the debt, or the judge will likely suggest a manageable repayment plan for you.

They sent proof – what now?

You should consider paying the debt if Gladstones go to the trouble of sending you proof of the debt.

It may be an indication that the client will take you to court.

If you cannot afford the full amount, ask them about a repayment plan. 

Should you pay?

If you can’t ignore Gladstones Solicitors debt letters you’ll have to pay, right?

Not straight away! There are things you can do to avoid or delay paying Gladstones Solicitors – and not get taken to court for not paying by any deadline.

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Fill out the short debt form

Should you Ignore Them?

Debt collectors never give up, so it’s a bad idea to ignore them.

We always recommend responding to debt collectors – even just to question the debt’s validity. Remember, you have the right to request proof of the debt. They have to prove it or they can’t charge you.

If you keep ignoring them, they might take you to court, where you might have to deal with enforcement officers if a judge orders you to pay,

Or, if you own your own house, a charging order could be levied against it.

The best course of action is to contact Gladstones to come to an arrangement.

One thing to remember with debt collectors is that they simply want their money paid. So even if that means setting up a repayment plan, they are usually more than happy to oblige.

However, the sooner you do this, the more compliant they are likely to be.

Will they take you to court?

It’s impossible to know whether the client of Gladstones Solicitors will take you to court if you don’t pay. They have the right to under UK debt law.

They may not want the hassle of going to court, so there is a chance you could get away without paying.

But at the same time, if they do take you to court, you could be requested to pay by a judge and may have additional interest and charges.

In a nutshell, it’s not worth ignoring their letters and running the risk of legal action being taken against you. 

Consequences of ignoring them

The consequences of ignoring debt collectors are far-reaching.

For example, when you miss important letters and documents things can quickly escalate.

You could miss:

• A letter saying your debt has been passed to a debt collector
• A Default Notice
• A Letter of Claim or Court Action
• A Statutory Demand which is the first step in bankruptcy filings

There are strict deadlines that must be met to avoid things from escalating. In short, ignoring debt collectors is never a good idea.

Instead, try to set up payment arrangements with the debt collector.

Parking fine

A private parking fine is issued to motorists who don’t pay or overstay in private car parks, which may be attached to hospitals, supermarkets and other businesses.

If you don’t pay these fines, which aren’t real fines at all and are more like invoices, the car park operator could ask a debt collection agency to try and recover the payment. 

“I am a member of the Armed Forces, and as such, I am frequently away from home […] I did not receive notice until a few months ago of a parking charge brought against me […] I have received another letter today, dated 10 December 2019, from Gladstones Solicitors, asking for payment of the full £160, and threatening legal action.”

• Rose Shell (Money Saving Expert Forum)

“I parked within a car park where I could not see any immediate notices. I received a parking notice through the post on 25/02/2020 which I was told to ignore. I then received a LETTER BEFORE CLAIM from Gladstones Solicitors.”

• Ezio1 (Money Saving Expert Forum)

Gladstones Solicitors Contact Details

Phone:	01565 755 088
Email:	[email protected]
Website:	https://www.gladstonessolicitors.co.uk/
Address:	Gladstones Solicitors Limited, Unit B, 1st Floor, 210 Cygnet Court, Centre Park, Warrington, WA1 1PP

Glossary of legal terms

Letter Before Action – also referred to as a ‘letter of claim’ or ‘letter before claim’ is the initial step in the formal debt recovery process. Solicitors or debt collection agencies send them out to let debtors know that court action is being considered against them.

Statute barred debt – a debt that’s covered by the Limitations Act and is therefore no longer enforceable.

Charging Order – an order issued by the courts against an asset, typically a property.

References

1. Indebted Debt Collection Survey