Received a county court claim form... what should I do?

UK Bankruptcy Law Forum
1

Hey everyone, I just got a claim form from the county court business centre about an old Barclaycard debt. I asked them to stop interest and charges back then, but they refused and sold the debt to Hoist Portfolio Holding 2 Ltd. The amount has ballooned from £3,500 to over £10,000! I wasn’t properly served any papers until now. If I don’t respond, can they come into my house and take my stuff or put a charge on my home? Feels like Barclaycard didn’t help me at all and just kept piling on the fees. Thanks, Andy

2

Hey Andy, ignoring it isn’t a good idea. If they get a CCJ and you don’t pay, they can send bailiffs or even put a charge on your property.

3

HazelOwen3 said:
Hey Andy, ignoring it isn’t a good idea. If they get a CCJ and you don’t pay, they can send bailiffs or even put a charge on your property.

Thanks, JHN. So, should I respond to the claim form then?

4

@Hayden
Yeah, definitely. You should respond to avoid further action.

5

I had a similar issue. Reached out to a debt advisor, and they helped me sort it out. Maybe try that?

6

Fay said:
I had a similar issue. Reached out to a debt advisor, and they helped me sort it out. Maybe try that?

Thanks, SUE. Do you have any recommendations for debt advisors?

7

Hayden said:

Fay said:
I had a similar issue. Reached out to a debt advisor, and they helped me sort it out. Maybe try that?

Thanks, SUE. Do you have any recommendations for debt advisors?

I used Citizens Advice. They were pretty helpful.

8

Just to clarify, what’s a CCJ?

9

Payne said:
Just to clarify, what’s a CCJ?

It’s a County Court Judgment. Basically, a court order for you to repay the debt.

10

Wow, that’s a huge increase in debt! Did they explain why it went up so much?

11

Whitney said:
Wow, that’s a huge increase in debt! Did they explain why it went up so much?

Not really. They just kept adding interest and fees.

12

Hayden said:

Whitney said:
Wow, that’s a huge increase in debt! Did they explain why it went up so much?

Not really. They just kept adding interest and fees.

That’s rough. Maybe you can dispute some of those charges?

13

If you weren’t properly served, you might have grounds to challenge the claim. Look into that.

14

Parker said:
If you weren’t properly served, you might have grounds to challenge the claim. Look into that.

Good point, DAN. I’ll check if I can challenge based on improper service.

15

@Hayden
Yeah, worth a shot. Better to explore all options.