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Idem Servicing Debt Collectors – Should You Pay?

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Scott
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Scott Nelson

Managing Director

MoneyNerd’s founder, Scott Nelson, has a decade of financial industry experience, including 6 years in FCA regulated loan and credit card companies. Troubled by a lack of conscience in the industry, he founded MoneyNerd to give genuine advice to those in debt and struggling financially.

Learn more about Scott
&
Janine
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Janine Marsh

Financial Expert

Janine Marsh is an award-winning presenter and a valuable member of the MoneyNerd team. With a wealth of experience as a financial expert, she's been featured on BBC Radio 4, BBC Local Radio, and BBC Five Live, and is a regular on Co-op Radio.

Learn more about Janine
· Feb 6th, 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.

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IDEM Servicing Debt Collectors

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 just got a letter from Idem Servicing Debt Collectors, don’t worry; you’re not alone. Every month, over 170,000 people come to our website for help with debt issues. We’re here to guide you through your options.

In this article, we’ll explore:

  • How to find out if the debt is really yours.
  • The reasons you might not need to pay Idem Servicing Debt Collectors.
  • What to do if Idem are not following the rules.
  • Your options if the debt is yours and you can’t pay.
  • How to write off your debt with Idem.

We understand that getting a letter from a debt collector can be scary, but luckily, our team has helped lots of people in the same situation as you. We know how you feel, and we’re here to help you get through this. So, let’s take a step-by-step look at what you can do if you’ve been contacted by Idem Servicing Debt Collectors.

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.

Why have Idem Servicing Debt Collection contacting you?

Idem Servicing Debt Collectors are contacting you about debt you have outstanding. The debt will not usually be with them directly, it will have been passed to them by the original credit company, such as a bank or credit card company. It could even be a payday loan you have failed to pay back.

Idem Servicing Debt Collectors purchase the debt from the original creditor. They buy it for a small percentage of the total value of the debt, and they make a profit when you start to pay the debt.

Does this debt really belong to you?

You should not pay the debt from Idem Servicing Debt Collectors if you don’t recognise it. If you don’t believe this is your debt or if the value of it is incorrect, you should ask Idem Servicing Debt Collectors to send evidence of the debt, including a full breakdown. You should be aware that the amount you owe is likely to be higher than the original debt, as there will be charges and interest added onto it.

You can write to Idem Servicing Debt Collectors and request that they send you a copy of the original credit agreement. If they cannot provide this for you, you would not be under any obligation to pay the debt.

There is no reason why they should not be able to provide this information to you. If you have already paid some of the debt, you could end up with a refund.

Follow our ‘prove it’ guide with letter templates and get them to prove that you owe the money.

I’ve found it I do owe the debt, what do I do next?

If you have requested evidence, and they have provided this for you, the best approach is just to clear the debt as soon as possible. Of course, this is not always possible.

You may be dealing with financial troubles, and may not have the means of paying the full debt you owe to Idem Servicing Debt Collectors. In this case, you should be able to come to an arrangement to pay the debt via a suitable repayment plan.

Could Idem Servicing Debt Collection make my life miserable?

Whilst you hope that they would always work on the right side of the law, it is not unusual for debt collection companies to employ tactics that could be seen as questionable. They could resort to bullying, applying pressure, making frequent phone calls.

Some people who have been chased by debt collectors have said that they have had sleepless nights after dealing with them.

There are some who have said that they are scared and anxious about opening the door or answering the phone just in case it is them.

In fact, debt support trust stated that as many as half of the people in the UK who have had struggles with debt have felt close to suicide. Which is a truly shocking statistic when you think that some of these issues could be caused, or made worse by a debt collection agency.

What will they do?

They say that knowledge is power, so, if you want to try to take on and defend yourself against Idem Servicing Debt Collection, then you are going to want to know more about how companies just like this operate and work.

They are on a bonus

One thing to keep in mind that Idem Servicing Debt Collection are usually working on a bonus. Those people who call you to discuss your debt and try to make payments are working for the bare minimum that they can be paid per hour. However, their wages will be topped up daily or monthly as a part of a bonus scheme that relates to the amount of collections that they have made. This means that the person making the call is going to want to be able to collect the money in order to receive their own bonus.

They may use automated calls

Many people decide to simply ignore the calls that they receive from debt collection companies.  Not only is this going to make it much harder to resolve your debt problems, but you may also find that they then employ automated call technology in order to get you to answer. This tech works by making calls to you on an automatic basis, rather than being made by an actual person. If you do happen to answer, then chances are that you are going to find that the other end of the phone line is silent.

It is important that you make a note of the frequency of the calls that are being made to you. It could be that the behavior is deemed a breach of the Office of Fair Trading guidelines and they could find themselves in trouble.

They may change their attitude

One common tactic which is regularly used by debt collectors is to change attitude as and when it suits. For instance, they will generally act friendly and helpful, but if you tell them you can’t pay the debt, they are likely to change their attitude. In some cases, they may even be quite rude to you, or even angry at the fact you are unable to pay. The reason they do this is that it confuses you and puts you under pressure, to the point where you will pay anything, just to get them off your back! It can be an extremely difficult attitude to deal with, as it can make you feel humiliated and unsure of yourself. You should not just put up with this though, you should call them out on any of these negative behaviours.

They may discuss your debt with someone else

There is another approach which is often used by debt collection agencies. This is speaking to other people about your debt if you fail to answer or deal with it. For instance, if your partner happens to pick up your phone, they may discuss your debt with them instead. As you would probably imagine, this is against the laws which have been devised by the Office of Fair Trading. Basically, they have no right to do this, and you would be within your rights to report them for such behaviour.

Would they lie to you?

Believe it or not, some debt collectors will go as far as to lie to you about who they are and what they can do. In some cases, they will pretend that they are bailiffs, and that they have plans to come to your home and remove your goods! Hard to believe, isn’t it! They may even say that they are calling from the court, and that they may prosecute you. These are purely threats, but it would be understandable if they leave you feel distressed and upset.

If you are dealing with this kind of behaviour, you should contact the police and inform them of how you are feeling, they will deal with the debt collector on your behalf.

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

What are the regulations they need to follow?

With so many debt collection agencies out there and with some of them not employing the best methods to collect money, it comes as no surprise that the Office for Fair Trading has decided to set out a number of guidelines that debt collection businesses have to abide by. This includes Idem Servicing Debt Collection.

So, what do they need to do?

  • They should treat any debtors fairly and never use practices that could be seen as coercive, aggressive or deceitful as well as oppressive, improper or unfair.
  • They should provide clear information that is not confusing or misleading
  • They should approach debtors who are finding it hard to pay with consideration towards their circumstances
  • They should then take into account these circumstances and the situation when talking about making repayments

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Fill out the short debt form

Will I be able to write off my debt?

There is the option of writing off some of your debt, by entering into an Involuntary Voluntary Agreement, or IVA as it sometimes refereed to. The IVA is an agreement you reach with the debt collectors, where you would pay a specific and affordable amount each month. Some of your debt would then be written off.

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.

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Idem Servicing Debt Collectors Contact Details

Company Name: Idem Servicing
Other Names:  Paragon Finance PLC
Post: Idem Servicing PO Box 16619, Solihull B91 9TU
Phone:  0345 322 7300
Mon to Fri: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Sat & Sun: Closed
Email: [email protected]
Website:  www.idemservicing.co.uk 
Numbers they call from: 01495529402
08433770194
08451960497

FAQs

Who owns Idem Servicing?
Idem Servicing is ultimately owned by Paragon Banking Group Plc.
Are Idem Servicing financially regulated?
Yes, Idem Servicing is part of Paragon Finance PLC which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under registration number 01917566.
Do HMRC use Idem Servicing?
Idem Servicing are not used by HMRC for debt collection.
Does Idem Servicing buy debt?
Idem Servicing manages debts for Idem Capital. Idem Capital buys debts from other businesses and organisations.
What happens if you ignore debt collectors?
You may decide to just ignore the debt collectors, but if you do this, they could end up sending debt collection agents to your door. They may also apply for a County Court Judgement and if this is successful, it will affect your credit score.
Can Idem Servicing take you to court?
Idem Servicing may be able to take you to court, in order to try and get the money you owe. If they plan to do this, you will receive a CCJ letter through your door.
Can you go to jail for debt collections?
You will not go to jail because of the debt you owe. You may receive a CCJ though.
What happens if I ignore a CCJ?
You should not ignore a CCJ. If you do, the bailiffs may turn up at your door. It is always best to keep the lines of communication open, and not ignore any contact you receive.
Can Idem Servicing issue a warrant?
Idem Servicing will not be able to issue you with a warrant, or send you to prison. The most they will be able to do is request a CCJ. If this turns out to be successful, you may end up with bailiffs at your door, trying to recover goods to the amount of the debt you owe.
Are Idem Servicing bailiffs?
Idem Servicing can request a County Court Judgement, which would result in bailiffs being sent to you. However, they are not in themselves bailiffs.. If they do plan to issue you with a CCJ, you will receive notice.
Can Idem Servicing come to your house?
Idem Servicing may send agents to your house, but they do not have any legal rights so you could tell them to leave, and they won’t be able to do anything. However, they may get bailiffs sent to your home.
Can Idem Servicing force entry?
No, Idem Servicing do not have the rights to force entry. They can instruct bailiffs to come to your property though. They do not have any legal powers over you on their own.
Will Idem Servicing give up?
No, Idem Servicing will never give up chasing you for the debt. They will try every possible avenue to try and get the debt paid. As a result, they could chase you for as long as 6 years.
Can a debt be too old to collect?
The debt could become too old to collect, as part of the Limitation Act 1980, they would only have up to 6 years to try and obtain the debt payments. The 6 years counts from the last payment you made, or when you last discussed the debt with the creditor.
How long can you legally be chased for debt?
A debt can be too old to collect from you. Under the Limitation Act 1980 they have a maximum of 6 years to chase a debt. This 6 years is counted from your last payment or the last time that you acknowledged the debt.
Are debts ever written off?
The Limitation Act 1980 is in place, and this means the debt cannot be chased for any longer than 6 years. However, if a CCJ is raised, this would no longer apply so they can keep chasing you about your debt.
How do I contact Idem Servicing?
Idem Servicing lists a local rate phone number on their website or you can contact them via email or via secure messaging at their website. You can also write to them by post.
How do I pay Idem Servicing?
Idem Servicing prefers payment via direct debit. You can also make payments online at their website, although they only accept debit cards and do not accept payment by credit card. Card payments can also be made over the phone, or you can pay by bank transfer or by posting a cheque to them.
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

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The authors
Scott Nelson Profile Picture
Author
MoneyNerd’s founder, Scott Nelson, has a decade of financial industry experience, including 6 years in FCA regulated loan and credit card companies. Troubled by a lack of conscience in the industry, he founded MoneyNerd to give genuine advice to those in debt and struggling financially.
Janine Marsh Profile Picture
Debt Expert
Janine Marsh is an award-winning presenter and a valuable member of the MoneyNerd team. With a wealth of experience as a financial expert, she's been featured on BBC Radio 4, BBC Local Radio, and BBC Five Live, and is a regular on Co-op Radio.