Debt collection letter received

FledNanders · 06-04-2019 4:34pm #1

Not sure if this is the right to post so please move if necessary.

I received a debt collection letter yesterday from a company called Intrum. They are chasing a debt of €193 for a hire car company who neglected to charge the Visa card I gave them when I hired a car in France 2 years ago (through no fault of mine).

This is the first letter I've received from these Intrum people and it has very little information on it really other than the amount and how to pay it. The company name they say they are acting on behalf was something called Citer CCI Location who I had never heard of before in my life. Took some deep googling to make the link to the hire car company.
Also the address they had for me was very wrong, not sure how the letter actually made it to my house.

My question is, what happens if I don't pay this? Am I better off just paying it now and getting rid of it?
I would have expected some information on consequences on non payment on the letter but there is nothing, so not sure if the amount increase with time etc.

Anyone any experience with this?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 06-04-2019 4:43pm

I suppose the first question is; do you owe the money? If the card wasn't charged at the time, did you pay subsequently, and if not why not? If you're going to pay the debt do so directly to the car hire company.

keavebm · 06-04-2019 4:43pm

Dept collector from france? Would i feck pay it. Whats the chances they will bring you to court for such a small amount? Zero chance. Forget about it and move on

whomitconcerns · 07-04-2019 6:39am

So question is. I ran up a bill while utilising a service I requested.

Do I have to pay?

Yes you do.

Can I get away with not paying?

Probably

07-04-2019 7:40am

keavebm wrote: »

Dept collector from france? Would i feck pay it. Whats the chances they will bring you to court for such a small amount? Zero chance. Forget about it and move on

Debt collector from Ireland.

https://www.intrum.ie/customer/

GerardKeating · 10-04-2019 5:48pm

FledNanders wrote: »

Also the address they had for me was very wrong, not sure how the letter actually made it to my house.

I might blame An Post for that, they are quite good at getting the post to the intended reciepent, dispite the bad addresss detals

FledNanders wrote: »

I received a debt collection letter yesterday from a company called Intrum. They are chasing a debt of €193 for a hire car company who neglected to charge the Visa card I gave them when I hired a car in France 2 years ago (through no fault of mine).

Assuming you owe the debt, you have four choices,

Pay the debt collector directly.
Go to the origional car hire company and pay them.
Have some fun with the debt collector and engage them with a series of detailed freeman style requests.
Renege on your responcibilities to the rest of the world.

Hoboo · 10-04-2019 6:07pm

Engage. It's a tiny amount <SNIP> which will escalate as they follow the process.The unpaid debt has been sold for a fraction of the original and they won't go away.

That being said, if you want to, wait until you receive a registered letter or a knock on the door. Enjoy those skipped heart beats and paranoia in your own home everytime you hear the doorbell.

Ardent · 10-04-2019 6:32pm

Don't pay. It's such a small amount they won't apply much pressure.

I had a dispute with Virgin Media some years back - 90 odd quid - and a debt collection agency called me asking if I'd pay it. Told them no way and my reasons. That was the end if it.

Shamboo1801 · 10-04-2019 6:43pm

If you are planning on paying it, set up a DD for â‚¬5 a week. You won't even miss it, and it'll stop ya worrying about it. Dealt with them before and had no bother, even though it gets up their wick. They may contact ya once or twice to see if you're interested in paying it off, but once you're paying your fiver a week you're free to move on.

Del2005 · 10-04-2019 6:46pm

If you plan to go back to France I'd pay it. If you never intend to travel to France then they can't really chase it up here. While the debt is being chased in Ireland it originated in France so the OP could already be in trouble there.

flossy1 · 10-04-2019 7:05pm

Will it come back to bite you ie Credit Rating

IAMAMORON · 10-04-2019 8:07pm

FledNanders wrote: »

Not sure if this is the right to post so please move if necessary.

I received a debt collection letter yesterday from a company called Intrum. They are chasing a debt of €193 for a hire car company who neglected to charge the Visa card I gave them when I hired a car in France 2 years ago (through no fault of mine).

This is the first letter I've received from these Intrum people and it has very little information on it really other than the amount and how to pay it. The company name they say they are acting on behalf was something called Citer CCI Location who I had never heard of before in my life. Took some deep googling to make the link to the hire car company.
Also the address they had for me was very wrong, not sure how the letter actually made it to my house.

My question is, what happens if I don't pay this? Am I better off just paying it now and getting rid of it?
I would have expected some information on consequences on non payment on the letter but there is nothing, so not sure if the amount increase with time etc.

Anyone any experience with this?

How come you were never initially contacted by the car hire company ?

Elaborate on how wrong your address was. This may be connected to my first question. Is it at all possible that you have ignored previous correspondence from the hire company to your old address?

Finally, what is the name of the French car hire company? You can make one up if you would like. The reason I ask is that it confuses me that the hire company never debited your credit card in the first place, they are entitled to?

KOR101 · 10-04-2019 8:12pm

Hoboo wrote: »

Enjoy those skipped heart beats and paranoia in your own home everytime you hear the doorbell.

Who in their right mind answers a doorbell these days.

The Enbalmer · 10-04-2019 8:42pm

Pay it and have done with it. Debt collection agencies can ramp up the charges every time they send you a letter or if they send somebody around. I've heard of people ending up owing thousands and being blacklisted from credit facilities. It's not worth it,don't listen to 'Freeman' style experts,the debt will not go away. As suggested,set up a monthly mandate of 20 euro til it's paid.

L1011 · 10-04-2019 10:14pm

flossy1 wrote: »

Will it come back to bite you ie Credit Rating

This would neither turn up on the ICB or the CCR which are the two important ones for mortgages, loans, credit cards etc. It is not an accepted type of debt for either.

It could, but probably won't, turn up on the private operators which are sometimes used for utilities contracts, insurance direct debits, hire purchase etc.

FledNanders · 11-04-2019 9:41am

So seems to be an even split between the ‘pay it and get rid of it’ and ‘don’t bother paying it’ camps.

To be honest I probably will pay it just to avoid any future hassle but wanted to suss out what the options are. The vagueness of the initial letter annoyed me so if they had sent meaningful correspondence explaining things properly I would have been more inclined to pay straight away.

For those asking, I gave my card to the assistant at the counter of the hire car company (Enterprise rent a car) and saw that she hadn’t swiped it as she was doing other admin stuff. I asked her had she taken the payment as she said yes.
When I realized afterwards that she hadn’t I put it down to seller beware, their problem not mine and forgot about it then.

For the address, they had my name, Inchicore, Great Britain ðŸ€”

my3cents · 11-04-2019 9:42am

The Enbalmer wrote: »

Pay it and have done with it. Debt collection agencies can ramp up the charges every time they send you a letter or if they send somebody around. I've heard of people ending up owing thousands and being blacklisted from credit facilities. It's not worth it,don't listen to 'Freeman' style experts,the debt will not go away. As suggested,set up a monthly mandate of 20 euro til it's paid.

That isn't how it works. Debt collectors are not allowed to add on fees or interest.

Because of that its not worth sending anyone around.

Erik Shun · 11-04-2019 9:43am

my3cents wrote: »

That isn't how it works. Debt collectors are not allowed to add on fees or interest.

Because of that its not worth sending anyone around.

If it's been sold to a debt collection agency, they most certainly will add on fees and interest

kennethsmyth · 11-04-2019 9:55am

Erik Shun wrote: »

If it's been sold to a debt collection agency, they most certainly will add on fees and interest

In Ireland the debt collector can essentially be told to sling their hook, you can deal directly with original debtor. Collection agency can add all the charges they like but you do not have to pay them. You can pay original amount to hire company

Sin City · 11-04-2019 10:03am

Intrum can be ignored

They will try and frighten you into paying but if you ignore they generally get the message

Or if you email them and say that you do not owe a debt to them and any further correspondence will be viewed as harassment and dealt with appropriately they generally back off

Mundo7976 · 11-04-2019 10:06am

Sin City wrote: »

Intrum can be ignored

They will try and frighten you into paying but if you ignore they generally get the message

Or if you email them and say that you do not owe a debt to them and any further correspondence will be viewed as harassment and dealt with appropriately they generally back off

Or they sell it on to another 'agent'

barrier86 · 11-04-2019 10:07am

flossy1 wrote: »

Will it come back to bite you ie Credit Rating

No it won’t. It wasn’t a credit agreement

Sin City · 11-04-2019 10:08am

Mundo7976 wrote: »

Or they sell it on to another 'agent'

Rinse and repeat then

Generally they will just write it off

The Enbalmer · 11-04-2019 10:09am

kennethsmyth wrote: »

In Ireland the debt collector can essentially be told to sling their hook, you can deal directly with original debtor. Collection agency can add all the charges they like but you do not have to pay them. You can pay original amount to hire company

They will take you to court for the money you owe them and if you lose you will be in a world of pain.

These people actually make their living from ramping up the charges on small debts...if you ignore letters and summonses you can end up owing thousands and perhaps have a lien placed on your goods or house.

Nevermind the morality of it all..you didnt pay for the rental car..pay it now before it gets nasty.

Mundo7976 · 11-04-2019 10:13am

Sin City wrote: »

Rinse and repeat then

Generally they will just write it off

Exactly

LordBasil · 11-04-2019 10:20am

If you think you actually owe the money and want to pay, then pay it to the original company.

If you feel you don't owe the money then do not pay it. In Ireland you will rarely, if ever, be brought to court for amounts less than €1000 as the legal costs are too prohibitive for the Debt Collection agency to risk for possibly only getting small amounts. Don't be intimidated by their sabre-rattling. Your credit rating is only affected if you owe money to a financial institution (Bank. Credit Union) for loans you could /would not pay.

antix80 · 11-04-2019 10:24am

FledNanders wrote: »

I received a debt collection letter yesterday from a company called Intrum. They are chasing a debt of €193 for a hire car company who neglected to charge the Visa card I gave them when I hired a car in France 2 years ago (through no fault of mine).

You should probably contact the car rental company and ask how much you owe. Then pay them.

Credit Checker Moose · 11-04-2019 10:37am

LordBasil wrote: »

If you think you actually owe the money and want to pay, then pay it to the original company.

If you feel you don't owe the money then do not pay it. In Ireland you will rarely, if ever, be brought to court for amounts less than €1000 as the legal costs are too prohibitive for the Debt Collection agency to risk for possibly only getting small amounts. Don't be intimidated by their sabre-rattling. Your credit rating is only affected if you owe money to a financial institution (Bank. Credit Union) for loans you could /would not pay.

Intrum is a toothless dog that has a scary bark but no bite.

As this is a foreign debt, Intrum would have to produce witnesses from France if the case was contested. That ain't going to happen for some piddly small amount.

As court fees are capped, Intrum will not take a punt for anything less than €1000 as stated earlier.

tracey01 · 11-04-2019 11:01am

Same thing happened us in France. It was for a small amount so we never noticed at the time that it wasn't taken out of our account. We ignored it and never heard from them again.

sparksfly · 11-04-2019 11:12am

Credit Checker Moose wrote: »

Intrum is a toothless dog that has a scary bark but no bite.

As this is a foreign debt, Intrum would have to produce witnesses from France if the case was contested. That ain't going to happen for some piddly small amount.

As court fees are capped, Intrum will not take a punt for anything less than €1000 as stated earlier.

This is the case. If you ignore this outfit they will huff and puff but eventually clear off which answers your question.

Whether you pay the debt or not is your business, nobody else's.

IAMAMORON · 11-04-2019 3:26pm

FledNanders wrote: »

So seems to be an even split between the ‘pay it and get rid of it’ and ‘don’t bother paying it’ camps.

To be honest I probably will pay it just to avoid any future hassle but wanted to suss out what the options are. The vagueness of the initial letter annoyed me so if they had sent meaningful correspondence explaining things properly I would have been more inclined to pay straight away.

For those asking, I gave my card to the assistant at the counter of the hire car company (Enterprise rent a car) and saw that she hadn’t swiped it as she was doing other admin stuff. I asked her had she taken the payment as she said yes.
When I realized afterwards that she hadn’t I put it down to seller beware, their problem not mine and forgot about it then.

For the address, they had my name, Inchicore, Great Britain ��

Did you not get a receipt of payment ? Please answer this.

The only Inchicore I am aware of is in Dublin ?

I am struggling with your story to be honest.

neris · 11-04-2019 3:34pm

Ignore them and theyll eventually piss off. If you want to pay the money owed, pay it to the company you owe it to and dont give these parasites the satisfaction

Credit Checker Moose · 11-04-2019 3:35pm

IAMAMORON wrote: »

Did you not get a receipt of payment ? Please answer this.

The only Inchicore I am aware of is in Dublin ?

I am struggling with your story to be honest.

What's your particular interest?

FledNanders · 11-04-2019 3:45pm

IAMAMORON wrote: »

Did you not get a receipt of payment ? Please answer this.

The only Inchicore I am aware of is in Dublin ?

I am struggling with your story to be honest.

Can’t remember if I got a receipt. You get a lot of documentation handed to you when you hire a car.

My earlier point was that the address was very wrong on the correspondence. As above, the envelope had my name, some of my address, and Great Britain at the bottom (as opposed to Ireland).

I didn’t think the story was that complicated to be honest

killanena · 11-04-2019 3:47pm

IAMAMORON wrote:

The only Inchicore I am aware of is in Dublin ?

He means the company in France mistook Ireland to be apart of Great Britain.

I mistake I have often encountered in the past but understandable as unless your well studied in world history, the average person probably doesn't know much about the history of most countries.

Credit Checker Moose · 11-04-2019 3:49pm

Did the letter come from a UK or Irish address?

11-04-2019 3:58pm

Sign of the times by the looks of things. You avail of the service, you know how much it costs, you know how much you owe, you are contacted for payment and yet the first reaction is to ask randomers on the internet whether you should pay, and, the majority tell you not to.

Let’s hope there is such a thing as karma.

FledNanders · 11-04-2019 4:11pm

Dav010 wrote: »

Sign of the times by the looks of things. You avail of the service, you know how much it costs, you know how much you owe, you are contacted for payment and yet the first reaction is to ask randomers on the internet whether you should pay, and, the majority tell you not to.

Let’s hope there is such a thing as karma.

Isn’t one of the internet’s primary benefits to be able to ask many randomers about things you know little about?
So, yes I guess it is a sign of the times.

11-04-2019 5:10pm

FledNanders wrote: »

Isn’t one of the internet’s primary benefits to be able to ask many randomers about things you know little about?
So, yes I guess it is a sign of the times.

Yes it is a great source of information, but you already knew that you availed of a service which you haven’t paid for before you asked. What you are just asking if there is any consequence of not paying. Now you feel better after reading the majority of posts telling you not to pay. It wasn’t info you wanted, it was validation, a google search of debt collectors would show they have little leverage against a debtor.

IAMAMORON · 11-04-2019 6:32pm

FledNanders wrote: »

Can’t remember if I got a receipt. You get a lot of documentation handed to you when you hire a car.

My earlier point was that the address was very wrong on the correspondence. As above, the envelope had my name, some of my address, and Great Britain at the bottom (as opposed to Ireland).

I didn’t think the story was that complicated to be honest

In all fairness the complexity of your story was not something I had a problem with.

If you can manage to locate your receipt you will have your proof of payment which will mean you do not have to pay the debt.

Given that Intrum don't have your proper address details they will fail to prove who you are, when push eventually comes to shove,they will have to drop it.

This entire item sounds extremely bizarre.

Debt collection letter received

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