Should I pay debt collection companies fees?

[Alwyn]

I have a small debt with a hire purchase company (less than €200.00) that has now turned into a debt of almost €600.00 because they engaged a debt management company to repossess the goods.

I got one or two letters from the debt collection company threatening repossession but due to other debt commitments I put the HP company at the latter end of the scale to be paid.

I contacted the HP company last week to offer them a settlement figure but they said I must take responsibility for the costs accrued by the collections company as well as the debt I owe them.

Should I pay the fees of the collections company or merely clear the debt that I owe the HP company?

 

[unsub]

Is your Hire Purchase agreement a Consumer or a Non consumer agreement?
If it is a consumer agreement and more than half is paid repossession cannot take place. Look at the where the figures are totted up on the agreement. You can be asked to surrender the goods.

Pay only the balance due if you wish , otherwise make an offer of 25/30% of balance outstanding prior to the debt having been transferred to this debt co.

Put everything in writing and keep copies.

 

[Gerry Canning]

Alwyn;

1.Since the 200 was (farmed) out to Debt Comp ,your credit rating is probably shot.
2. @ 200 it was not worth bank pursuing you , probably sold it on @ circa e50?
3. As per unsub , if you owe the 200 pay it.
4. Do not take phone calls , keep everything copied and in writing.
Do not give your Date of Birth over the phone . They are hardly ringing to say you have won the lotto! If you do NOT identyfy yourself ,matters go in writing and therefore give you time to properly judge things.

In short pay the 200(if owed) and it will finish at that (there may be some residual huffing and puffing)

 

[Jim2007]

Is your Hire Purchase agreement a Consumer or a Non consumer agreement?
If it is a consumer agreement and more than half is paid repossession cannot take place. Look at the where the figures are totted up on the agreement. You can be asked to surrender the goods.

Pay only the balance due if you wish , otherwise make an offer of 25/30% of balance outstanding prior to the debt having been transferred to this debt co.

Put everything in writing and keep copies.

But once the debt company gets a court order, the county registrar or sherif can take it, plus anything else the OP owns in settlement of the debt.