Wescot Credit Services Debt Collectors – Should You Pay?

Have you received a letter from Wescot Credit Services Debt Collectors? Are you feeling confused about the debt and wondering if you should pay it?

You’re not alone, and you’re in the right place. Every month, over 170,000 people visit our website for advice on debt issues just like this one. 

In this article, we’ll help you understand:

•  Who Wescot Credit Services are.
•  How to check if the debt they claim is truly yours.
•  The steps to deal with Wescot if you can’t afford to pay.
•  Your rights when dealing with Wescot and other debt collectors.
•  Options for paying the debt, including ways to possibly write off some of it.

We know how worrying it can be to get a letter from a debt collector. After all, nearly half of individuals who deal with debt collection agencies have experienced harassment or aggression¹.

Don’t worry! We’re here to help you navigate this issue and find the best solution for you.

Why Is Wescot Calling?

It is highly likely that Wescot is calling to you to recover a debt that you owed to another company. Wescot will have purchased the debt from your original creditor. This is very common, as debt collection agencies buy billions of debt annually at rock bottom prices – at an average of 10p to £1! ²

This often means that you will pay any remaining debt to them, not your creditor.

It is common for Wescot Debt Collection to first make contact with a letter. This letter will include your name, a customer reference number, the amount of you owe and who it is owed to. They usually go all out and ask for all of the money you owe. 

But the letter may ask you to pay or to get in touch and discuss your repayment options. Most of the time you will not need all of the money ready to avoid legal action. If you do not respond, they might start calling you to ask you to pay. 

Keep in mind that Wescot will sometimes make mistakes! Take this comment from a financial advice forum:

It appears that Wescot had the wrong information but tried to collect the debt anyway!

While this was probably just an error on their part, it is very important that you keep good records of your finances. Being able to quickly share evidence that they have the wrong person is the easiest way to get them off your back if they have made a mistake!

Typical Debt Collection Process

As mentioned above, Wescot will call or send letters if you’ve missed a payment. This is quite common, as it’s part of the debt collection process.

We’ve put together this table that will help you better understand the debt collector timeline. If you’d like to learn more about this process, 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.

Fight Wescot Debt Collection with This Simple Trick

So, with county court action on their radar, how can you fight back? You make them work and prove the debt.

You should always ask Wescot to provide proof that you owe the debt by sending them a letter. We explain how to do this in our proving the debt guide. 

Without proof, it is difficult for a judge to say you have to pay and you might never have to pay off your debts, even if you really do owe them. Moreover, it is not that uncommon for a debt agency to send a letter to the wrong person.

They may send a letter to a property where the debtor used to live, rather than to a specific person.

What Happens if You Ignore Wescot?

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.

The consequences of ignoring debt letters and calls are severe, and your situation will only get worse if you carry on ignoring them!

Don’t be surprised if the letters and calls start flooding in, to the point of harassment. Home visits will also make your life uncomfortable and your credit score will be negatively affected until your pay off the debt.

Unfortunately, debt-related harassment can be all too common and you should report this behaviour if you can.

Can You Write Off the Debt?

If the debt is more than six years old, it may have become too old to enforce.

This is called a Statute-Barred Debt. While the debt is not technically written off, your creditors are legally prohibited from doing anything to make you pay.

Even if your debt is younger, you may be able to write off some of it. Keep in mind that this is not guaranteed and will depend on your personal circumstances.

You will need to do some research to make sure you find the best option for you!

Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA)

An IVA is a legal agreement between you and your creditors that will allow you to pay back your debt over an agreed period of time.

If you take out an IVA, you will have some obligations.

• You must make all of the payments that you have agreed to
• You can’t take out any new credit until your IVA is finished
• You must inform your IVA provider if you get any money.

Your creditors will also have obligations. Once you have started your IVA, they are not allowed to:

• Hassle you to pay your debts
• Charge you interest on any of your debts.

There are no minimum or maximum amounts of debt that can be included in an IVA. However, fees can be quite high so if your total debt is less than £10 000 a different debt solution may be more suited to you.

Debt Settlement Offer

You can offer to pay your creditors a lump sum. In return, they agree to wipe off any outstanding debt that you may have.

This is a good option if you have some savings available or if you have recently come into some money.

When you make a debt settlement offer, you must explain to your creditors that this is a limited-time deal to pay back some of your debt as you usually would not be able to afford to pay them back at all.

Keep in mind that not all creditors will agree to this. They are more likely to accept if you offer to pay a larger percentage of your debt back!

Debt Relief Order

If you owe less than £30 000, don’t own your own home, don’t own anything of value, and have limited income, your best bet for dealing with your debt could be a Debt Relief Order (DRO).

With a DRO, you do not make payments to most types of debt and you can’t be forced to by your creditors.

Generally, a DRO will last a year but will be cut short if your financial situation improves. At the end of your DRO, any remaining debts will be written off.

Keep in mind that there is a fee to apply for a DRO and you will need to go through an official DRO adviser.

A DRO will not cover all debts – including child maintenance or other court fines – so it is not suitable for everybody.

Bankruptcy

If you are unable to repay your debts and these debts add up to more than the value of your belongings, you might have to declare bankruptcy.

From our experience, a bankruptcy period will last around a year and your creditors will not be able to claim their debts.

However, bankruptcy is a serious financial situation that will have lifelong implications for you. It really only should be used as a final resort.

Feeling overwhelmed?

Don’t hesitate to contact someone for help!

There are several charities and organisations that offer financial counselling, debt advice, and even tips to negotiate with your creditors.

The following organisations can help:

• TDAS
• StepChange
• National Debtline
• Citizens Advice

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Fill out the short debt form

Has Wescot Debt Collectors Behaved Like This?

The debt industry is unfortunately full of people trying to earn extra money and get the highest possible amount out of debtors using unlawful tactics. If Wescot does any of the following, you should lodge a complaint with the FOS. 

Aggressive Callers

Aggressive callers who shout or intimidate you are not sticking to the industry laws. They cannot get angry with you or try to threaten you in any way.

Sometimes people working for these groups will act aggressively because they are working towards a bonus.

Also, look out for silent calls and people coming to your door to discuss the debt. You don’t have to let anyone in your home!

Frequent Calling

Typically hand in hand with the above, you might experience frequent callers.

Repeat calling is viewed as a form of harassment because there is no need to repeatedly question you about repaying your debt account if you spoke to someone the day before or even in the last hour! 

Repeat calling is easy for some debt collection agencies because they add your number to automated calling technology. 

Wearing You Down

If the methods above were not already enough to wear you down, there is one other tactic a debt collection firm could try.

They may be very rude and unfriendly and then follow up the call with a friendly caller who tries to learn about your situation and gently steers you to a repayment plan or full payment.

If you reject to pay the amount they ask for, this supposedly friendly caller can soon turn mean. 

Breaking Privacy Laws

Having debt is your personal business and you probably don’t want other people to know about it, especially people who you work with.

If Wescot call and do not confirm they are speaking with you first, they could reveal the details to someone else.

This is a massive privacy violation and a serious offence. Contact the FOS to report such behaviour. 

Pretending to Be More than Debt Collectors

There is a big distinction between a debt collection team and law enforcement officers, also known as bailiffs.

The former are basically administrators who use letters and calls to collect money before taking legal action. The latter are employed to enforce court decisions.

If any debt collection team pretend they have the same rights as a bailiff, they are committing an offence. Even just suggesting it over the phone or at your door is illegal. Again report this behaviour to the FOS.

Don’t worry, you could prevent all future contact from Wescot debt collectors by entering into a debt solution.

There are several debt solutions in the UK and some would mean you no longer have to worry about debt collectors.

How Can You Contact Wescot Debt Collection?

Company Name:	Wescot Credit Services Limited
Other Names:	Wescot, Wescot Credit Services
Address:	PO Box 137, Hull, HU2 8HF
Phone:	01482 484673 Weekdays: 8 am to 8 pm Saturdays: 8 am to 4 pm
Website:	www.wescot.co.uk
Email:	[email protected]
Telephone Numbers Wescot call from:	08442 511 034 01482 483 246 01482 483 247 08448 911 785

References

1. Indebted Debt Collection Survey
2. Jubilee Debt Campaign

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

CONC 7.9 Contact with customers