I HAVE BEEN WITH DEBTCALL FOR A FEW MONTHS AND I AM ON THE "NOMINAL PAYMENT SCHEME", WHICH MEANS I PAY THEM ABOUT £18 AND £1 PER DEBT AND THEY DISTRIBUTE THE MONEY AND COMUNICATE WITH THE DEBTORS ON MY BEHALF. I RECIEVE A STATEMENT EVERY MONTH SAYING WHO THEY HAVE PAID. LAST MONTH I RECIEVED A LETTER FROM ONE OF MY DEBTORS SAYING I HADN'T PAID THE £1 AS AGREED, BUT THE NEXT DAY I RECIEVED A STATEMENT FROM DEBTCALL SAYING THAT IT HAD BEEN PAID, SO I THOUGHT THAT THEY MUST HAVE RECIEVED THE PAYMENT AFTER THE LETTER WAS SENT SO LEFT IT THERE. THIS MONTH I RECIEVE A LETTER FROM THE DEBTORS SOLICITORS SAYING THEY WANT FULL PAYMENT IN 7DAYS. SO THIS TIME I THOUGHT ID PHONE DEBTCALL AND TELL THEM ABOUT THESE LETTERS. I TRIED THERE 0800 NUMBER FROM THE INTERNET, NO RINGS JUST SAYS "CALL REJECTED" AND BEEPS. SO I EMAILED THEM AND ADDED TRACKING TO THE MESSAGE, MESSAGE DELIVERED BUT NOT READ. PHONED THE DEBTORS SOLICITORS AND THEY SAID THEY RECIEVED A LETTER FROM DEBTCALL SAYING THEY WERE PAYING MY DEBTS AND THE AGREED REATE BUT NEVER PAID THEM. THEY HAVE NOT PAID MY OTHER DEBTORS. I HAVE CALLED THEM AND MOST OF THEM BUT TWO AGREE TO STICK WITH THE £1 PER MONTH PLAN, BUT 2 HAVE SAID THEY WANT AN INCOME EXPENDITURE FORM AND MORE MONEY, AND BOTH WORK ON BEHALF OF HALIFAX WHICH HAVE BEEN A NIGHTMARE WITH PROTECTION PLANS AND PAYMENT AGREEMENTS SINCE I FIRST GOT IN TOUCH WITH THEM. HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD ANY PROBLEMS, WHAT ELSE CAN I DO, WHAT IS THE BEST CALL OF ACTION? I AM REALLY WORRIED AS THOUGHT ME AND MY FAMILY WERE STARTING TO GET SOMETHING SORTED, AND NOW FEEL LIKE I HAVE BEEN RIPPED OFF AGAIN. GARRYUK1978

Hi GarryUK1978,

I personnaly have not been involved with Debtcall. I have tried to contact tthem this afternoon and experienced the same as you. I have a feeling that they have gone bust and are no longer trading as their line doesn't go anywhere. It may be that you other debts will stop being paid also. Without sight of the contract they will have set up with your creditors, you will not be able to stick to the £1 per month payment schedule. If you have decided that Debt Management is the best route for you. I suggest that you find another debt management company to take you on as a client. They will contact all your creditors immediately and start dealing on your behalf. It sounds like it will be too difficult to fight this one alone.

Tim

I FOUND A NUMBER THAT WORKS FOR THEM, CALLED THEM, AND THEY ARE GIVING ME A REFUND FOR THE AMMOUNT PAID TO THEM.

BUT I STILL DON'T KNOW THE BEST CORSE OF ACTION WITH THE REMAINING DEBTS AS I DONT HAVE MUCH MONEY LEFT AND WITH HAVING A 7 MONTH OLD BABY AND A LOW INCOME ITS DIFFICULT TO JUDGE THE BEST AMMOUNT TO PAY EACH OF THEM WITHOUT LEAVING ME AND MY FAMILY STRUGGLEING.

WHAT IS AN IVA AND COULD IT HELP ME OR MAKE LIFE HARDER?

An IVA is an Indivisual Voluntary Arrangement that runs (usually) for 5 years. It is like debt management, but it takes the fee from the creditor and not the debtor. Do you currently have a regular income from employment?

Thanks

Tim

I should have told you the difference between and IVA and a Debt Managementg program sorry.

A debt Management program looks to pay the debt off in full but over a very long period. The fees, like you £18 are taken from you every month for distributing the money to the creditors.

An IVA is set up and agrees to write-off a proportion of your debt (up to 75%) and lasts for a fixed period. The fees are taken from the creditors.

However, for an IVA, you need a minimum of around £15k of unsecured debt spread over at least 4 creditors to qualify.

Thanks

Tim

1 WEEK SINCE I RANG AND THEY STILL HAVEN'T GIVEN ME THE REFUND.

PHONED THEM UP (0845 450 3095), THE WOMAN SAID THAT THE MANAGER WAS ON HOLIDAY THIS WEEKS SO SHE COULDN'T SEND THE CHEQUES OUT, SO IT WILL BE SENT OUT ON MONDAY SO SHOULD GET IT SAME TIME NEXT WEEK.

JUSTY FEEL LIKE THEY ARE DRAGGING IT OUT AND EARNING INTEREST ON MY MONEY, BUT ALL I CAN DO IS SIT BACK AND WATCH.

I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED ON THE SITUATION

YES I HAVE A FULL TIME JOB, BUT THINK I HAVE SLIGHTLY LESS THAN 15K DEBT, NOT INCLUDING FINANCE ON MY CAR.

WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT IVA?

WHO IS THE BEST PERSON TO TALK TO ABOUT SETTING ONE UP?

Hi Garry

Rather than discuss this in an open forum - It may be more appropiate for you to email me direct.

tim.moss AT moneysupermarket.com

Many thanks,

Tim

I HAVE HAD FIRST HAND AT SEEING THE WORKINGS AT DEBT CALL. CONTINUOUS CALLS FROM DISATISSFIED CLIENTS WHO HAD PAID DEBTCALL BUT THEN FOUND CREDITORS WERE NOT BEING PAID. THE ONLY TIME ACTION WOULD BE TAKEN WAS WHEN A CLIENT WOULD RING UP BECAUSE THEIR CREDITORS WERE CHASING THEM, ONLY THEN WOULD A PAYMENT SOMETIMES BE MADE.

EXCUSES WOULD BE GIVEN TO CLIENTS JUST LIKE AS MENTIONED IN ONE OF THE OTHER POSTS THAT THE MANAGER WAS ON HOLIDAY ETC ETC. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE AND WAS MERELY A DELAYING TACTIC!

 A NEW COMPANY HAS NOW BEEN SET UP IN SEPTEMBER 2006 CALLED DEBTCOM LTD TO TAKE ON CLIENTS FROM DEBT CALL WHICH IS NO LONGER TRADING. HOWEVER IT IS THE SAME 2 PEOPLE NOW RUNNING DEBTCOM THAT RAN DEBT CALL, AND THESE PEOPLE SIMPLY CAN NOT BE TRUSTED. I WOULD ADVISE ANYONE WITH AN ACCOUNT WITH DEBT COM LTD TO STRONGLY CONSIDER TRANSFERING TO ANOTHER COMPANY. DEBT COM WAS SIMPLY A PLOY TO GET OUT OF THE MESS DEBT CALL WAS IN!

IT APPEARS THAT THE PERSON NOW RUNNING DEBT COM IS NOT A QUALIFIED ADVISOR AND RELIES ON MR DAVID CAIRNS (PREVIOUS OWNER OF DEBT CALL) ON RUNNING IT IN THE BACKGROUND AS HE IS NO LONGER ABLE TO SET UP YET ANOTHER NEW COMPANY IN HIS NAME. MR CAIRNS RECENTLY SUCCESSSFULLY APPLIED FOR BANKRUPTCY - IS THIS A MAN YOU REALLY WANT TO BE TAKING DEBT ADVICE FROM? 

Hi,

I am very experienced at dealing with David Cairns and Debtcall ltd (now Debtcom ltd). We joined them as a very niaive customer in 1999. I do not need to tell you that this company is a big problem. I have been unable to get our file back from them or the correct information and despite having paid £25k into their coffers it would appear that our Debt is ever looming and larger than life. They are incredibly irresponsible and prey on the vunerable. They frequently do not pass on the funds entrusted to them and break agreements with creditors making your life and mine hell. They are I would say fraudulent and as far as I can tell despite being made bankrupt David Cairns is still on the staff at the newly formed Debtcom Ltd. I am so concerned that I would like to ask anyone out there to post me as much info as they have on their expeiences with Debtcall and Debtcom so I can write to my local MP and get advice about action against the company and recovery of our funds and indeed a warning needs to go out to those considering becoming a customer. David Cairns it seems is very clever at hiding the fact that he raped the company of its funds and then sold it on - but he still looms larger than life pocketing mine and your money!

Former debt-help boss declared bankrupt Oct 28 2007
by Robert Weatherall, Sunday Sun THE former boss of a North company which helped people trapped in debt has been declared bankrupt, owing more than £1m.Director David Cairns, head of Gateshead-based Debtcall, admitted he had to ‘take his own advice’ when he got in severe financial difficulties.But a bankruptcy hearing revealed the 52-year-old, whose firm specialised in helping people with credit card problems, is broke.He has personal debts amounting to £1,009,837, including £122,453 on 16 different credit cards, and four outstanding loans totalling £164,091, a hearing at Newcastle County Court heard.Mr Cairns lost his £250,000 home in Greystoke Park, Gosforth, Newcastle, after the company went bust earlier this year. He said: “I got into business difficulties and got in too deep and wasn’t able to sustain it, so I had to take my own advice.

Hi I know that a long time has elapsed since you came on this forum to discuss Debtcall or Debcom, but Mr Cairns I believe is still working at detcom and has another company under his belt.. I would like as much information from people who have been given shoddy service from this company and any other company he is associated with to contact myself and maybe we can sort out this person from living the high life off the misfortunes of others.

I would be more than happy to give further information regarding debtcom / debtcall. Like you, they appear to have taken thousands of pounds over many many years and not paid my creditors, instead, keeping the money for themselves, now resulting in past creditors stating that no payments have been made in over 8 years! Their statements, (which have not stopped appearing) state that payments were being made, but obviously they were not. I am not left to sort things myself and am out of pocket to the tune of thousands, which Mr Cairns has pocketed. I have stopped all further payments to this fraudulent company and would like to take further action against them.

Thanks for your response notapenny. I believe that there are a lot more people that will come forward. I will now contact moneysupermarket to find out how to make contact with you. Will give you a lot more information once we are in touch. Look forward to hearing from you.

Note: Please place your email address only in your profile. To edit your profile, log-in in and go to the News & Community homepage and click on ‘Edit my community profile’ on the top right-hand side. Cheers.

I look forward to hearing from you - you can pm via consumeractiongroup, just in case money supermarket cannot forward emails.