PO Box 2196 Debt Letter

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Have you received a debt letter from PO Box 2196? This address is commonly used by PS&P, a debt collection agency. Every month, over 170,000 people visit our website looking for debt solutions and advice, so you’re not alone, and we’re here to help. Believe it or not, nearly half of individuals who deal with debt collection agencies have experienced harassment or aggression¹

In this article, we’ll explain:

Who PS&P Debt Collection are.
Whether you owe them money.
What are your options in case you can’t pay.
What PS&P can and can’t do.
How you can complain about PS&P should the need arise.

Our team understands how frustrating and worrying being in debt and receiving this type of letter can be, as many of us have been in your shoes before. We know how tough it can be to deal with debt collection letters and we’re here to help you figure things out.

Let’s dive in and talk about how you can deal with this situation!

Received a Letter From PO Box 2196? Here’s What to Do

If you’ve received a letter from PO Box 2196, it likely comes from a debt collection agency called PS&P. Debt collection agencies pursue their clients’ debts to recover the money owed to them. In some cases, they’ll even purchase the debt entirely for a fraction of what is owed, hoping to make a profit when recovering the actual amount due.

In fact, research shows that debt collection agencies buy billions of debt annually at rock bottom prices – at an average of 10p to £1!²

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Fill out the short debt form

Do You Owe Them Money?

The first thought that comes into many people’s heads when receiving a letter like this, is whether they owe money to the agency. If you’re unsure of the validity of the debt, you’re well within your rights to dispute it.

You can write PS&P a letter questioning the debt. The agency is legally obligated to respond with proof of the debt; otherwise, they can’t charge you for it.

I should also mention, that even if PS&P prove the debt, if it’s older than six years and you haven’t made any payments or kept in touch with the agency at all in that period, there’s a chance that it’s statute-barred. If so, the debt is no longer enforceable, and you don’t have to pay it.

However, if the agency has issued a CCJ (Country Court Judgement) against you within those 6 years, the debt will NOT be statute-barred. Also, there are exceptions, such as HMRC, which can remain enforceable for decades.

How a debt solution could help

Some debt solutions can:

Stop nasty calls from creditors
Freeze interest and charges
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 Your Options if You Can’t Pay?

If you find yourself in the uncomfortable position of not being able to afford the amount owed to PS&P, there are many debt solutions available that I recommend you consider.

You can always reach out to the agency and try to negotiate a repayment plan – they’ll likely agree to it, as taking partial timely payments beats having to chase you constantly for their money.

Some other potential debt solutions at your disposal include:

Debt Solution	Description	Formality	Debt Type	Debt Range	Legally Binding	Impact on Credit Score	Asset Risk	Monthly Payment	Duration	Creditor Agreement Required
Debt Management Plan (DMP)	Agreement to pay back non-priority debts in one monthly payment.	Informal	Non-priority debts	Any amount	No	Yes	No	Varies	Varies (until debt is paid)	No (but creditors must be informed)
Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA)	Agreement to pay back all or part of your debts over a set period.	Formal	All or part of debts	Usually over £10,000	Yes	Yes	Possible	Fixed	Fixed period, usually 5-6 years	Yes (75% by debt value must agree)
Debt Relief Order (DRO)	Freezes debt for a year and be potentially written off.	Formal	Non-priority debts	<£20,000 debt	Yes	Yes	No	None during freeze	12 months	No (court approval needed)
Bankruptcy	Legal status for those who cannot repay debts, potentially writes off debts.	Formal	Unmanageable debts	Any amount, typically high debt	Yes	Yes	High	None during bankruptcy	Usually 12 months, then discharge	No (court process)
Consolidation Loan	Taking out a new loan to pay off all existing debts.	–	Multiple debts	Based on loan amount	Varies	Yes	Depends on loan type	Fixed	Depends on loan terms	No
Payment Holiday	Temporary relief or reduced payments offered by creditors.	–	short-term financial difficulties	Any	No	Yes	Low	Reduced or paused payments	Break of up to 6 or 12 months, depending on circumstances, payment history, and creditor’s policy.	No
Informal Negotiation	Direct negotiation with creditors for reduced payments or extended terms.	–	All debts	Any	No	Possible	No	Negotiable	Until agreement terms are met	No
Statutory Debt Repayment Plan (SDRP)	Plan to repay debts over a reasonable time, with protections from creditor action.	Formal	All debts	Varies	Yes	Yes	No	Fixed	Varies, based on ability to pay	Yes
Equity Release	Homeowners release equity from their home to pay off debts.	–	Debts of homeowners, typically older individuals aged 55+	Varies and depends on property value	Yes	Yes	Asset (home) is used as collateral	Varies	8-10 weeks timeframe from application to fund disbursement. Lifetime; repaid on house sale/death.	No

I strongly recommend reviewing your options and diving deep into researching whichever one you feel more comfortable with. The more you know about a debt solution and the many ways to protect yourself against unfair debt recovery, the easier it will be to get out of this situation and stop worrying.

It’s also important that you know what your rights are when dealing with debt collectors, as many of them will try to catch you off guard or abuse a lack of knowledge in certain situations.

Debt Collector’s Rights

When trying to collect a debt, agencies will try almost everything to get you to pay. However, there are laws and regulations in place, and it’s important to know what these agencies can and can’t do so that they don’t take advantage of you.

Remember, even when you owe them money, they’re not entitled to harass you, use violence to recover the debt, or intimidate you in any way. It’s also important that you keep in mind that debt collectors and bailiffs are two different things with different rights and powers.

To make things clearer, please take a look at the following table.

Debt Collectors Can	But They Can’t
Contact you by phone or mail.	Call you after 9pm or before 8am.
Conduct home visits (on rare occasions) and knock on your door.	Forbily enter your home, or stay if you ask them to leave.
Threaten to take you to court by suing you for payment on a debt.	Harrass you, including threats of violence, repeated calls and visits, or abusive language.
Negotiate a debt settlement. Tip: make sure to get this new arrangement in writing.	Visit your workplace.
Access your bank account, but only after a court judgment has been made.	Take anything from your home or threaten to do so.
Sell your debt.	Speak to other people about your debt without your permission.
Contact you frequently.	Keep doing so if you request that they reduce communications.

If you suspect PS&P has acted improperly or ignored the code of conduct they’re supposed to abide by, you can report them and complain.

How to Complain About PS&P

If you’ve been harassed by PS&P or you believe they’ve broken any of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) guideline, you can make a complaint.

We recommend making your first complaint to PS&P to allow them to address the issue internally. However, if you feel the need to escalate matters, you can make any secondary complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).