Should I Pay or Ignore Arvato British Gas Debt Collection?


Can you write off any Arvato Financial Solutions debt?

1 of 5

How much debt do you have?

This isn’t a full fact find, Thrifty Family doesn’t give advice. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provides information about your options. 

For free & impartial money advice you can visit MoneyHelper. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provide information about your options. This isn’t a full fact-find, some debt solutions may not be suitable in all circumstances, ongoing fees might apply & your credit rating may be affected.

How to get out of debt
How to beat debt collectors
Avatar photo
By
Janine Marsh
Avatar photo

Janine Marsh

Financial Expert

My name’s Janine, and I’m a mum of two who’s always been passionate about trying to cut down spending costs. I am now sharing as much financial knowledge as I possibly can to help your money go that little bit further.

Learn more
- Financial Expert
Updated 06 December 2023
Featured in...
Arvato British Gas Debt

For free & impartial money advice you can visit MoneyHelper. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provide information about your options. This isn’t a full fact-find, some debt solutions may not be suitable in all circumstances, ongoing fees might apply & your credit rating may be affected.

Have you received a message from Arvato about a British Gas debt? It can be concerning to get a message from debt collectors. But don’t worry; you’re not alone. Each month, over 12,000 people come to this site for advice on money problems.

In this article, we’ll answer some important questions, such as:

  • Who are Arvato Financial Solutions?
  • Do you need to pay Arvato Financial Solutions?
  • Can you lower your repayments to them?
  • What happens if you do not pay?
  • How can you get free debt advice?

We understand that debt can be hard to deal with. You might be worried about how it will affect your life. You may also be unsure about your rights. Our team knows what you’re going through, as some of us have had debt problems too. Let’s dive in and learn more about dealing with Arvato and British Gas debt.

Who are Arvato Financial Solutions?

Arvato Financial Solutions Limited (AFS) is a division of Arvato Bertelsmann. The company has a presence in forty countries and employs over 65,000 staff.

The company specialises in debt recovery, international collections, business process outsourcing and call centre support.

Do you have to pay Arvato Financial Solutions?

You might not have to pay Arvato Financial Solutions.

If you genuinely can’t afford your debt repayments then looking into whether you could have your written off might be just what you need. 

If you want to find out whether you qualify for having debt written off or payments lowered then fill out the short form below.


Can you write off any of your debt?

1 of 5

How much debt do you have?

This isn’t a full fact find, Thrifty Family doesn’t give advice. We work with The Debt Advice Service who provides information about your options. 

Is Arvato a legitimate debt collection agency?

Yes. Arvato is a legitimate debt collection company and a member of the Credit Services Association (CSA) with a head office in Scotland. Like all debt recovery companies, they must abide by the law when pursuing you for a British Gas debt.

The debt collector is known to chase down debtors with unsecured debts.

Is the debt recovery company regulated in the UK?

The company is authorised to operate in the UK as a debt recovery agency. The debt collector is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Can you lower your repayments?

If you’re struggling to pay back your debt, then you might qualify for a debt solution.

Some solutions lower your monthly payments while others write off a portion of your debt


To find out whether they could work in your situation, hit the button below.

Get Started

Is Arvato part of British Gas?

Arvato is a credit management company that provides financial solutions to clients both domestic and international. They are known to collect debts for British Gas.

Check out what happened to one person who was contacted by Arvato Financial Solutions about money apparently owed to British Gas:

Is Arvato part of British Gas?

Source: Moneysavingexpert

What debts does Arvato collect?

Arvato Financial Solutions collects debts for the following:

  • Business to businessUtility
  • Telecoms
  • Credit agreements
  • Banking and Finance
  • Mobility

Does Arvato buy debt?

Yes. Arvato does buy debts and has over five hundred portfolios in its inventory. That said, a purchased debt is often older which means it could be statute barred.

What other debt collection agencies does British Gas use?

Apart from Arvato Financial Services Limited, British Gas outsources the task of recovering debts to other debt collection agencies.

I’ve listed the various ones below:

Why would Arvato debt collectors contact you?

You’d likely get a letter from Arvato because you fell behind with your payments to British Gas. Chances are the energy provider tried to get in touch with you and sent you payment reminders.

However, if you didn’t respond to British Gas, they could send your details to a debt collection agency. That said, they may have sold the debt to Arvato Financial Solutions.

When this happens, you’d no longer deal with British Gas directly. Instead, you’d have to deal with the debt collector. In short, you should try to settle the outstanding debt with Arvato if you can and if the debt is yours!

Plus, you may find the money owed is too old to enforce because it’s deemed statute barred!

Should you respond to Arvato?

Yes. You should respond to the debt collector whether Arvato contacted you by text, email, letter or phone.

The reason you should get in touch is that there could be important information that you would not otherwise be aware of.

For instance, Arvato may have purchased older debts in a portfolio. The one they’re pursuing you for could be too old to enforce in the courts. Plus, you could find the debt isn’t yours!

As such, you should write to Arvato to let them know you’re disputing the claim you owe anything because you didn’t pay a British Gas bill.

Don’t sign the letter. Instead, print your name at the bottom of the letter.

How serious is a Letter Before Action?

Arvato sends out a Letter Before Action (LBA) which is a notification of intended court action. The letter could just be an idle threat to get you to settle an outstanding debt.

But it might not be!

You shouldn’t bin the letter and forget all about it because you could receive a summons to attend court. If you don’t attend, a judge will issue a Court Order to pay what’s owed.

The court order makes you liable for the payment and if you still don’t pay, enforcement officers could pay you a visit at home!

Do you have to pay Arvato Financial Services Limited?

You may have to pay Arvato but only when the debt collection agency proves you owe the money. Plus you’d have to pay if the debt is still current and not statute-barred!

However, before admitting, signing or forking any money out, you should check the following:

  • Is the debt too old to enforce through the courts?
  • Do you owe money to British Gas, or is Arvato pursuing the wrong person?

Make sure you do the research before writing to Arvato to let them know what you’ve found out about the debt.

If necessary, seek advice from an independent debt management company or one of the leading UK Charities!

Is the British Gas debt too old to enforce?

If you find the debt is too old to enforce because it’s passed its sell-by-date in accordance with the Limitations Act, tell Arvato. Write to them and send the letter by registered post and don’t sign it!

Tell the debt collector to stop chasing you over a statute-barred debt!

When is a debt too old to enforce?

A British Gas debt is too old to enforce if it meets the following criteria:

  • It’s at least six years old
  • You or a representative never admitted owing anything to British Gas in six years
  • You or a representative didn’t try to settle the debt in six years
  • A judge hasn’t issued a Court Order to Pay

Arvato cannot force you to settle the outstanding debt because a court won’t hear cases that relate to statute-barred debts.

It means you can’t get a County Court Judgment on your credit report either so your rating won’t be harmed.

Is the debt yours?

When Arvato Financial Solutions can’t prove the debt is yours, they can’t make you settle it. Maybe the debt collector already provided authenticated proof that the amount is yours to pay.

But if they did not, you have the right to send them a ‘prove the debt’ letter. Arvato must respect the request and put things on hold until they send you the proof.

Can you ask Arvato to prove the debt?

Yes. It’s not good enough for Arvato Financial Solutions to say you apparently owe something to British Gas. They must provide hard proof that you do. This could be a copy of a contract or agreement which must be authenticated by British Gas!

Without proof, you can’t be made to settle a debt you apparently owe.

What happens if the debt can’t be proven?

If Arvato fails to prove you owe money to British Gas, you won’t have to pay. A judge would find it hard to rule in Arvato’s favour if they can’t prove you owe any money!

So, if the debt collector takes you to court, you can tell the judge you’re still waiting for Arvato to provide proof you defaulted on payments to British Gas.

What if the debt is proven?

When Arvato Financial Solutions proves you defaulted on payments to British Gas, the next step is to contact the debt collector. Sooner rather than later.

Write to them and say you’re seeking advice from a debt expert. That you’re establishing which debt solution might be best for you!

Arvato must allow you enough time to seek debt advice and should put everything on hold. But don’t keep them in the dark, stay in touch with them or they might begin legal action against you.

What can Arvato Financial Solutions legally do?

Debt collection agencies like Arvato Financial Solutions can contact you in several ways which are perfectly lawful. For instance, debt recovery companies can:

  • Send you emails, texts, and letters and they can call you on the phone
  • Visit you at home when all other methods of contacting you fail
  • Discuss things with you politely and sympathetically
  • Ask you to settle the debt with them and not British Gas if they’re acting on the energy provider’s behalf

You can’t stop a debt collector from doing any of the above when they contact you over an alleged debt. It’s in line with the CSA strict code of conduct and UK laws.

What can’t a debt collector do?

Arvato Financial Solutions, as mentioned, must follow the CSA code of conduct and respect UK laws relating to privacy and your rights!

That said, a debt collectors would be acting unlawfully if they did any of the following:

  • Force their way into your property, seize your possessions, or clamp your vehicles
  • Pretend they have more powers than they really do. For instance, infer they are enforcement officers appointed by the court
  • Show you documents and other papers which seem to be issued by the courts when they aren’t
  • Discuss things with your employer or visit you at your place of work
  • Talk to your friends, neighbours or a family member about money owed to British Gas
  • Harass you with phone calls, texts, emails etc
  • Pressure you into applying for more credit to settle what’s owed

If debt collectors do any of the above when they contact you, they’d be breaking the law. You have the right to file a complaint with Arvato and allow them to put things right.

But if they don’t and they fail to address your complaint correctly, you can then report the debt collector to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

You must do it in that order, first to Arvato, then to the FOS!

Will the ombudsman investigate your complaint?

Yes. The ombudsman should launch an investigation into your complaint. Moreover, if they find that Arvato acted unlawfully, you could receive compensation.

Debt collectors could lose their licences to operate in the UK!

Can you prevent Arvato from contacting you?

Sadly no. You can prevent Arvato Financial Solutions from contacting you over an alleged British Gas debt.

However, you can dictate how and when you want to be contacted by the debt collectors. Plus, they must abide by your request. If they don’t, their actions could be deemed harassing behaviour.

It’s against the law for debt collectors to harass someone over an alleged debt!

Will Arvato stop chasing you?

Again, sadly no. Debt recovery companies rarely give up pursuing you over an alleged debt. These days they have tools that help track debtors down and Arvato, it seems, are specialists at tracing debtors!

What happens when you ignore Arvato debt collectors?

Things can spiral out of control when you ignore Arvato debt collectors. Moreover, you’d not find out about important things like the debt isn’t yours.

Or that it’s statute barred!

Arvato will just keep sending you more demanding letters which get more threatening each time. You could be bombarded with texts, emails and phone calls which can be stressful, to say the least!

You could end up with a County Court Judgment which will harm your credit report. It’d make it hard to borrow money, get a loan or credit card. You may have trouble getting a mortgage too.

Should you ignore a Letter Before Action from Arvato?

No. When you receive a Letter Before Action from Arvato, you should take it seriously.

As mentioned, it might be an idle threat to take you to court, but it might not be too! It’s always a risky decision to think that an LBA is just an idle threat to scare you into paying!

You could end up with a court order to pay and a County Court Judgment!

Will Arvato take you to court?

There’s always a chance that Arvato will take you to court if they purchased the British Gas debt. 

If they’re acting on behalf of British Gas, they could advise the energy provider to start legal proceedings against you. In this instance, it’d be up to British Gas!

Can an Arvato debt collection agent come to your door?

Sadly, yes. Arvato could send a debt collection agent to your home. However, they can’t just turn up. They must let you know when they intend to visit your property.

Plus, you don’t have to open the door to Arvato debt collectors. In fact, you should not open the door. Instead, talk to the agent from an upstairs window or through the letterbox.

Also, you have the right to ask Arvato debt collectors to leave your property which they must respect!

Can British Gas write off debt?

British Gas could write off a debt if you’re experiencing financial hardship and struggling to pay. You could be eligible for a grant to clear the debt from the British Gas Energy Trust!

Can I complain about Arvato?

Yes. You have every right to lodge a complaint with Arvato Financial Solutions when you feel they acted unlawfully. In short, if the debt collector harassed you or failed to abide by the law, you can file a complaint against them.

If Arvato fails to put things right and doesn’t deal with your complaint in a timely manner, you can then report them to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

How do you contact Arvato?

I’ve listed ways to contact Arvato Financial Solutions Limited in the table below:

By telephone 0344 472 9388
Via email [email protected]
Online https://www.arvato.co.uk/
Complaints mailto:[email protected]
Complaints policy https://finance.arvato.com/en-uk/privacy-policy/compliants-policy/

Can you seek free debt advice?

Yes. In fact, it’s always a good plan to seek debt advice if you’ve been contacted by Arvato. Plus, leading charities in the UK provide free debt advice when you need to negotiate a repayment plan.

I’ve listed several of the leading charities below:

“It will only get worse” 😩

It’s cliché to say, but with debt it’s true; the longer you leave it, the worse the problem gets

There are straightforward and effective ways to deal with debt, but you have to know your options. 

Fill out the short form to find out about the debt solutions that could reduce your monthly payments or even write off some of your debt.

Get Started

Lastly, should you pay or ignore Arvato British Gas debt collection?

You should not bin letters you get from Arvato about a British Gas Debt. Nor should you ignore texts, emails and phone calls from them.

It won’t make the problem or the debt collector go away, it’ll just make the situation more stressful.

It’s far better to contact Arvato and to check whether the debt is yours and that it’s not statute-barred!

Moreover, when you write to Arvato requesting they prove you owe money to British Gas, the debt collector has to put everything on hold. That’s if they haven’t already sent you the authenticated proof you owe the money.

If you can’t pay, you should seek advice from a debt charity. Then try to negotiate an affordable repayment plan with Arvato. A debt collector must consider your personal circumstance when calculating how much you can afford to pay!

The authors
Avatar photo
Author
My name’s Janine, and I’m a mum of two who’s always been passionate about trying to cut down spending costs. I am now sharing as much financial knowledge as I possibly can to help your money go that little bit further.
×
How to Beat Arvato Financial Solutions
How to Beat Arvato Financial Solutions

Looking into debt solutions could help. 

  • Lower monthly payments
  • Reduce pressure from the people you owe
  • Affordable monthly repayments. 
Close