Do I Pay or Ignore C.A.R.S Debt (Credit Link Account Recovery)?

Responding to a company you don’t recognise when they’re chasing you for money can be disturbing. You may be asking ‘should I pay or ignore C.A.R.S Debt or not’?

I explain who CARS Debt is, why you shouldn’t ignore them and what happens when you do. Read on to find out more!

Do you have to pay CARS Debt Collection?

You might not have to pay CARS Debt Collection.

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.

Who is CARS Debt Collection?

CARS stands for Creditlink Account Recovery Solutions. They are a debt collection agency based in the UK. Their offices are in Basingstoke, Hampshire.

Their core business is chasing debtors on behalf of their clients which means they must refer back to the original creditor when it comes to court action.

In short, it’s not up to Creditlink to take you to court, but rather the company you to decide.

Is the debt collector regulated?

Yes, Creditlink Account Recovery Solutions Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). They are also a recognised member of the Credit Services Association (CSA).

As such, CARS must follow the law and the CSA Code of Practice when they chase you for an unpaid debt!

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

Who uses Creditlink Account Recovery solutions?

Several companies use Creditlink Account Recovery solutions when they fail to recoup money owed themselves.

Some of their clients include:

• Energy providers
• Internet providers
• Budget
• Virgin Media
• Fitness First

Take a look at what happened to one person that CARS debt contacted:

Source: Moneysavingexpert

Why would C.A.R.S Ltd contact you?

Creditlink will contact you if you defaulted on a payment to a company and they passed your details onto the debt collection agency. The original creditor would instruct CARS to chase you for payment.

So, when you get a debt letter from them, it’s best not to bin it. Instead, find out whether the debt is still current or is it statute barred. Next, check whether you really owe anything to the company concerned!

Should you pay the debt collection agency?

You shouldn’t pay a debt collection agency straight away. But you shouldn’t wait too long either. You should check a few things out first. For example, is the debt yours and is it still current, or is it too old to enforce?

Make sure you let Creditlink know what you’re doing and when you’re seeking debt advice otherwise, they could escalate things!

You should only pay when you’re satisfied with both of the above. But you should seek independent advice from an expert before admitting, signing or paying anything to debt collection companies.

Is the debt too old to enforce through the courts?

Courts won’t take on cases that involve debts that are deemed statute barred. So, if it’s at least six years old and meets specific conditions, you may not have to pay!

It means Creditlink can’t advise their client to start legal proceedings against you over an older debt.

Moreover, you can’t be given a County Court Judgement for not paying Creditlink.

Can a debt collection company enforce a statute-barred debt?

A debt collection company can only enforce a debt that’s statute barred if:

• You were in contact with the creditor and admitted owing the money
• You paid money towards the debt in the last six years
• There’s already a County Court Judgement registered on your credit history

It’s worth noting that if a debt is deemed too old to enforce, it doesn’t just vanish! You’ll find it stays on your credit report for six years making it harder or impossible to borrow money!

Is the Creditlink debt yours?

You should check if the debt is yours after confirming the debt is not statute-barred and therefore still enforceable. You have the right to send a letter to the debt collection company requesting proof you owe something to a creditor.

Creditlink must oblige by showing you proof the debt is yours. However, don’t just accept their word for it.

Debt collectors must provide you with written proof and copies of credit agreements or other contracts must be authenticated. In short, the creditor must authenticate all copies you’re sent!

Make sure you send the ‘prove the debt’ letter to Creditlink by registered post, so you know they received it. Plus, it means you have a record of the letter regarding alleged outstanding debts!

Is it a good idea to ask CARS to prove the debt?

It’s always a good move to ask a debt recovery company to prove you owe the money. If the debt is yours, you gain a little time by making the request.

Moreover, CARS is obliged to respect the request and must send you written confirmation you owe money to their client!

Another advantage is that Creditlink can’t do anything until the debt is proven!

What happens when CARS can’t prove a debt?

If CARS can’t prove you owe the money by providing you with hard evidence, they can’t take you to court! A judge wouldn’t rule in their favour if CARS can’t show proof you owe the money.

In short, with no proof against you, a court won’t issue an order to pay.

What happens when the debt is proven?

You’ll have to pay if Creditlink can prove you owe money to their client. However, don’t sign, admit, agree or pay any money to debt collectors until you’ve sought independent advice.

You could contact an independent debt adviser or you could seek advice from one of the leading debt charities. Independent debt advisers will charge for their advice.

However, UK charities provide free debt advice which could be the better option if you’re already struggling financially.

What happens when you ignore CARS Limited?

Things escalate quite quickly if you choose to bin debt letters from Creditlink. Plus, you may not find out the following:

• That the debt is not yours or that it’s too old to enforce!
• The chance to have some of the debt wiped off could make it that much easier to settle
• Creditlink wins a court case against you which results in a CCJ being recorded on your credit file
• Bailiffs appointed by the court (enforcement officers) calling at your home and seizing some of your possessions
• Finding an attachment has been placed on your earnings or bank account

To put it in a nutshell, ignoring Creditlink Limited could have serious consequences even if the debt isn’t yours!

What can Credit Link Account Recovery do?

Credit Link is governed by the CSA Code of Practice and several UK laws. So, when they contact you over an alleged debt, they must abide by the ‘rules’.

For example, a debt recovery company can:

• Get in touch with you whether it’s by phone, text, letter, email or by sending a field agent to visit your home
• Talk to you about the debt but they must remain polite. They must show understanding and empathy towards your specific circumstances
• Ask that you pay them the amount owed rather than their client

What can’t Creditlink do when they contact you?

Creditlink can’t threaten or harass you when they contact you about a debt you allegedly owe one of their clients.

Moreover, they can’t do any of the following because it’d be unlawful if they do:

• Tell you they are bailiffs and have the same powers as court-appointed enforcement officers
• Use documents and papers that look like they’ve been issued by the courts
• Force entry into your home, seize your possessions or clamp your vehicle
• Discuss things with your neighbours, a family member, friends or employer
• Visit you at work
• Harass you with constant phone calls
• Pressure you into taking out a loan to pay the debt

When debt collectors do any of the above, you should file a formal complaint with their head office. Wait to see if they make amends and if they don’t, lodge a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

How do you complain about Creditlink?

You should first write a letter of complaint to Creditlink’s head office if you feel Creditlink has acted unlawfully when they contacted you. This allows them to put things right.

However, if debt collectors don’t deal with the problem straight away, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service!

Can you prevent Creditlink from contacting you?

You can’t stop Creditlink from contacting you, whether the debt collectors send you a letter, email, text or phone you. You can’t prevent them from visiting you at home either but you can ask them to leave.

But you can dictate how and when Creditlink can get in touch with you about an alleged debt!

You should write to the debt collectors telling them to contact you in writing and to stop phoning you! Creditlink must respect your request and if they don’t, it could be seen as them harassing you.

Harassment is against the law!

Plus, it’s always better to have as much correspondence with debt collectors in writing so you have a record of what they say and want! It could be a great asset if the case against you goes to court!

How do you contact Credit Link Account Recovery Limited?

I’ve listed how you can contact Credit Link Account Recovery Ltd below:

Is there any free debt help available?

Yes. There are charities in the UK that provide free debt advice when you need it. Their advice is impartial and could be invaluable when dealing with Credit Link Account Recovery Limited.

I’ve put together a list of the major charities here:

• Money Advice Service
• National Debtline 
• Citizens Advice
• My Money Steps
• Step Change Debt Charity

“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, do you pay or ignore C.A.R.S Debt (Credit Link Account Recovery?

It’d be a mistake to ignore Credit Link Account Recovery Ltd over an alleged debt. Things escalate quite quickly making it harder to resolve the problem. Moreover, the debt may not even be yours.

Or it could be too old to enforce through the courts which you wouldn’t realise if you bin the letters from debt collectors!

However, don’t pay, agree, sign or admit anything about the debt until you’ve spoken to an independent adviser. As mentioned, you could seek free debt advice from one of the leading charities.

Only pay Creditlink once you’re satisfied the debt is yours and that you can afford to settle the amount. If you can pay CARS Limited in one go all the better. But if you can’t, then try to negotiate an affordable repayment plan with them!

Thanks for reading my post. I hope I’ve answered the question: should I pay or ignore CARS Debt so it saves you stress, time and money when dealing with debt collectors.