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Link Financial Harassment? Here’s What to Do

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.

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link financial harassment

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 surprise letter from Link Financial claiming you owe a debt, don’t worry. This article is here to help.

Every month, more than 170,000 people come to our website seeking advice on issues just like this one. You’re not the only one facing this situation.

In this friendly guide, we’ll explain:

  •  How to check if the debt really is yours (and if it’s not, you don’t need to pay!).
  •  If it’s possible to question or even disregard Link Financial.
  •  Methods to stop Link Financial from bothering you too much.
  •  Ways to arrange payments or even clear your debt.

Research shows that 64% of UK adults find interactions with current debt collectors stressful1. So, our team understands how worrying it can be when Link Financial is on your case. We are here to help.

Let’s find out how you can stop Link Financial from bothering you today.

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.

Have you received a letter?

Responding to a debt letter from Link Financial is not pleasant, but you need to do it!

Link Financial will send a letter to the people they’re chasing on behalf of their clients. This letter will outline how much is owed and give them a deadline to pay. It’s likely to suggest or threaten court action can be taken if they don’t pay. 

These letters are formally known as a Letter Before Action (LBA) because they give the debtor an opportunity to pay or agree on a payment plan before the company takes legal action. They’re a prerequisite step in the process of taking someone to court. 

Typical Debt Collection Process

Link Financial initiates the debt collection process with letters and calls. Ignoring these communications may lead to the filing of a CCJ against you.

We’ve put together this table to help you better understand the debt collector process and manage your financial situation. For more information, be sure to check out 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.

Can they prove it?

If Link Financial have written to you about a debt that you supposedly owe, make sure you ask for proof before you make a payment.

Debt verification is a step that too many people skip! You have no obligation to pay a debt until Link Financial has proven that you are liable for it.

The importance of debt validation can’t be stressed enough, in our opinion. You don’t want to pay a debt that you didn’t have to.

You can use our free ‘prove it’ letter template to write to them and request proof that you owe the debt.

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

Don’t pay if your debt is too old to be collected!

The only time you shouldn’t send a prove-it letter is when the debt is too old to be recovered.

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 it will be enforceable for the duration of the CCJ. 

If your debt is statute-barred, you can use our free letter template to write to Link Financial and explain the situation.

If you are unsure about the status of your debt, you can contact a debt charity for some advice. Their advisors will be able to look at the debt in question, determine its status, and advise you on your next steps.

We don’t recommend writing about a debt that you think is statute-barred because this can be used to restart the 5 or 6 year timer on the debt. If you need to contact your creditor or Link Financial about the debt, phone them and don’t write to them.

How do I find out if my debt is statute-barred?

The best way to know if your debt is statute-barred or not is to get professional debt advice. You don’t have to use paid-for services. Instead, get in touch with a UK debt charity and get an advisor to look over your case and tell you whether the debt is too old to be collected or not. 

You can always check yourself by looking at the criteria for a statute-barred debt, but it’s best to get a second knowledgeable opinion. You don’t want to tell a company your debt is statute-barred when it’s not (yet). 

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.

What happens if I don’t pay?

If you don’t pay Link Financial after receiving an LBA, you may or may not be taken to court. There’s no surefire way of knowing if they will or won’t start legal action. 

Sometimes, court threats can be genuine, and at other times, they’re used as a scare tactic to get you to pay swiftly. Unfortunately, the fear of being taken to court causes a lot of people to pay quicker than they need to – and some of those people may have avoided paying at all.

We explain how you should react to one of these letters shortly. But first…

What to do if you’re harassed

Janine, our financial expert, explained that while debt collectors can visit your home for payments, they cannot come to your workplace, act threateningly, force payment, or discuss your finances with others. If they violate these rules, you can complain.

There are a number of steps you can take to deal with Link Financial harassment. You can send them your contact preferences and even ask for all communications to be made in writing. 

If they persistently ignore your preferences or don’t respond to your complaint, you can escalate it. It’s best to report the behaviours and harassment of Link Financial to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). 

They will investigate and could punish Link Financial. It’s best to supply the Ombudsman with as much evidence as possible, to prove you were being harassed and they broke the rules. 

Customer reviews

Many of the Link Financial reviews online talk about how the company is aggressive and persistent in their approach. A few reviews talk about experiencing Link Financial harassment. 

Here are some examples of recent reviews:

“[…] if they continue to harass me I will take this issue to the financial ombudsman, the financial conduct agency and to the trading standards. Ridiculous company with an embarrassing reputation and non-existent morals.”

  • nicelocal.co.uk

Hounded me over a 2p debt, that’s not an error, TWO PENCE! I paid, they deferred my debt of TWO PENCE to Moorcroft Debt Recovery who are just as useless and unprofessional […]”

  • Ritual (nicelocal.co.uk)

We’ll discuss what you can do if you experience any Link Financial harassment further down this guide.

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Fill out the short debt form

Can they take you to court?

It’s possible for Link Financial to take you to court after ignoring one of their letters. However, they may choose to keep asking for you to pay instead, especially if your debt isn’t of a significant amount.

Dealing with legal threats is uncomfortable, so we recommend getting some legal advice as soon as they mention court. The charities at the bottom of this page will be able to offer free advice.  

A County Court Judgement (CCJ) is an order from a judge that states you have to pay the debt. This means that the court agrees with your creditor, and you owe the money.

Your judgement will include the following:

  • How much you owe
  • How you should pay
  • Who you should pay
  • Your deadline to pay.

Unless you pay within one month of the CCJ being issued, it will be recorded in the Register of Judgements, Orders and Fines for 6 years. If you pay off your debt within these 6 years, you can request that your judgement is marked as ‘satisfied’ on the register.

To do this, write to the court with proof that you have paid off the debt in full.

If you manage to pay within one month of the CCJ being issued, the judgement will not be recorded in the register. You will need to write to the court explaining that you have paid and provide proof.

CCJs are also visible on your credit file for 6 years. This will make it almost impossible for you to get credit during this time.

This is because companies use your credit file to see if you are a ‘high-risk’ customer – someone who might have difficulty paying their bills on time. If you have a CCJ, you have had such trouble paying back your debt that someone had to go to court about it.

Understandably, companies are going to be reluctant to give you credit!

After 6 years, it is no longer visible on your credit report and you should find it easier to get credit again.

Unfair or improper practices

As we mentioned earlier, Link Financial’s tactics have a history of being unfair or even illegal.

If you don’t pay Link Financial and they don’t intend to take you to court, despite threatening to do so, they may try to contact you more frequently and be more aggressive. However, Link Financial are guilty of harassment if they:

  1. Call at unsociable hours
  2. Call your employer
  3. Make repeated calls and texts throughout the day
  4. Start showing up at your home (don’t let them in!)

How do I complain?

If you think that Link Financial 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.

Fortunately, the steps to lodge a complaint against Link Financial are quite straghtforward.

Make your first complaint to Link Financial 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, Link Financial may be fined. You could even be owed compensation.

Website: Corporate Home Page
Customer Home Page
Customer Self Service Portal
Email Customer Service: [email protected]
Email Dispute Resolution Team: [email protected]
General Enquiries Phone: 0870 845 8484
Customer Service Phone: 800 064 44990
Dispute Resolution Team Phone: 0330 024 7050
Address: The Peak 2nd Floor, 5 Wilton Road
London, England, SW1V 1AN
Post: Link Financial Outsourcing Limited
PO Box 107, Caerphilly CF83 3GG
Direct Exchange: DX 148020 Caerphilly 6
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

  1. Indebted Debt Collection Survey
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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.