Do I Pay Elderbridge TV Licence Debt (tvlspp payment)?

Are you being chased by a debt collector? Are you asking, “do I pay Elderbridge TV licence debt”? And will I face legal action if I don’t?

If so, this post is for you because I’ll explain what to do when the debt collector contacts you which might get you out of paying!

Read on to find out more about Elderbridge and a TV Licence SPP!         

Do you have to pay Elderbridge debt collectors?

You might not have to pay Elderbridge debt collectors.

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 Elderbridge?

Elderbridge purchases debts from other companies. More often than not, the debts they buy are older with some being too old to enforce. But their profit margins are huge when they get people to settle what’s owed!

The company was previously known as Abbey North Limited. Today, Elderbridge Limited is registered on The Companies House website under its new name. But they also trade under Aberdeen Financial Limited.

The business is a subsidiary of Target Group Limited

If the debt collector contacted you, chances are you’ve fallen behind or not paid for your TV Licence and their demanding payment from you!

Is Elderbridge a legitimate company?

Yes. Elderbridge is a legitimate company and like all debt recovery agencies in the UK, they are authorised to operate in the UK and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). 

Their full company name is Aberdeen Financial Limited.

Does Elderbridge buy debts?

Yes. As mentioned, Elderbridge buys debt portfolios from other businesses. Often the debts are old and are no longer enforceable.

That said, the debt collector pays pennies on the pound for the portfolios which means when they successfully recover any debts, their profit margins are huge! In short, they buy debts for a vastly reduced rate!

What is the TV Licence simple payment plan?

The Simple Payment Plan was set up to help people who are struggling financially. It allows you to make TV Licence payments every fortnight or monthly over 12 months. It’s not the same as any other current TV Licence plan!

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

Do you need a TV Licence?

The laws regarding TV Licences are confusing, to say the least. I mean, do you need a licence if you only watch programmes on your favourite device?

The answer is, yes you need a licence to watch live TV, record programmes or download them on your BBC iPlayer!

If you don’t have a licence, you could be breaking the law.

But the rules are blurry which often leads to people falling foul of the law.

Why would Elderbridge contact you?

Getting mail, emails, text messages or phone calls from Elderbridge debt collectors could send you into a panic. Once you’ve calmed down, you should respond sooner rather than later.

The quicker you reply, the sooner you resolve the problem. Maybe Elderbridge is chasing the right person and is the debt too old to enforce?

If you don’t get in touch, you may never know and end up with a County Court Judgment for a debt that’s not even yours!

Should you ignore Elderbridge debt collectors?

No. As mentioned, you won’t find out if the debt is statute-barred or if it’s not even yours when you ignore things.

However, if the debt is yours and it’s still current, ignoring Elderbridge won’t make the problem go away. Debt recovery companies are persistent. It’s how they make their living!

Also, some collection agencies are known to use questionable tactics to get you to settle debts. This includes harassment and intimidation, both actions are unlawful which doesn’t seem to matter to certain debt recovery companies!

In short, ignoring debt collectors just makes the situation and experience a lot more stressful!

Just look at what happened to one unfortunate person who cancelled their TV Licence the right way. Yet, the threat of enforcement officers visiting them seemed to be on the cards!

Source: Moneysavingexpert

Is the debt statute-barred?

The first thing to check when Elderbridge contacts you is if the debt is still current or whether it’s statute barred.

Courts won’t take on cases that involve statute-barred debts. Plus, Elderbridge is known to buy older debts, so it’s always worth checking!

If it turns out the debt is too old to enforce, you can’t be made to settle the amount owed on a TV Licence!

Under the Limitation Act, the original creditor/debt collector has run out of time to get paid. However, although the debt can no longer be enforced, it doesn’t vanish and remains on your credit file till it expires!

When is a TV Licence debt statute-barred?

A debt must meet specific criteria to be statute barred. For example, it must be at least six years old. Plus the following must apply:

• You or any of your representatives haven’t admitted owing money in six years
• You or any of your representatives didn’t settle any of the debt in six years
• There’s no Order to Pay

Is the debt yours to settle?

You should also check all the details of an apparent debt are correct. Collection agencies are known to make mistakes! Especially if they don’t have the right person’s details and current address on file.

Elderbridge may have already proved the debt is yours, but if they haven’t, it’s your right to ask them to ‘prove the debt’. It’s their obligation to do so and not yours to prove.

You should never just accept a verbal confirmation from Elderbridge. They must send you a copy of an agreement or contract. Moreover, it has to be authenticated by the original creditor/provider.

Even when you know it’s yours, you should send them a “prove it” letter because Elderbridge can’t escalate things until they do!

For example, it allows you to gain a little time if you need to sort things out if you need to!

What happens if Elderbridge can’t prove the debt?

If Elderbridge can’t prove you have a TV Licence debt, they can’t force you to settle the debt. Furthermore, if they start legal proceedings without proof of owing the money, you can inform the judge.

Tell the judge you’re still waiting for Elderbridge to provide you with an authenticated copy of a credit or other agreement!

A judge would find it challenging to rule in the debt collector’s favour if they can’t prove things! 

What if the debt is proven?

You’ll have to settle the amount if Elderbridge proves you owe money on a TV Licence. There’ll be no getting out of it.

However, you should seek advice from one of the debt not-for-profit organisations if you’re struggling with money and debt collectors. They would provide support and help on how best to proceed and offer essential help regarding affordable payments.

But let Elderbridge know what you’re doing so they don’t escalate the matter!

Debt collection agencies must allow you the time to find the right plan to suit your needs.

Will Elderbridge take you to court?

If Elderbridge purchased the debt, they have control over what happens next. They’ll send you lots of threatening letters and one of them will be a Letter Before Action (LBA).

An LBA lets you know that Elderbridge is about to begin legal action to recover what you owe. It could be an idle threat or the debt collector could be serious about starting legal proceedings!

You need to consider things carefully before refusing to acknowledge these letters. The threat could be real or maybe not!

What happens if you don’t pay?

When you don’t pay your TV Licence you could risk prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000. Plus, there’ll be legal costs too!

That said, when your overdue account is sent to Elderbridge, things could get even more expensive! Especially if a judge issues an Order to Pay the outstanding.

In short, the debt collection process begins which can prove stressful!

Why is there an Elderbridge tv licence debt tvlspp on the bank statement?

Chances are a judge issued an Order to Pay the debt and Elderbridge applied for an attachment on your bank account. It’s their way of recovering the outstanding debt!

If you failed to attend a hearing or respond to Elderbridge, this could happen and you’d not even know! Why? Because you didn’t realise how far the debt collection process had gone!

Can you stop Elderbridge from contacting you?

No. Elderbridge has the legal right to contact you about an apparent debt. However, they must follow the law when they do!

That said, you can write to Elderbridge telling them how to contact you. For instance, you can send a letter by recorded delivery saying you only want to be contacted by letter!

The debt collector must oblige but if they continue to call you or contact you in other ways regarding debts you owe, it could be seen as harassment.

Harassing behaviour on the part of Elderbridge is unlawful!

You’d have the right to report them to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

What can debt collectors do?

Debt recovery companies can do any of the following without breaking the law:

• Contact you by phone, letter, email or text
• Discuss an apparent debt with you politely and discreetly
• Ask you to settle the amount owed directly to them

Debt collectors must be fair and show empathy when assessing your personal circumstances when discussing an alleged debt with you. If they’re rude or they harass you, they’d be breaking the law!

What can’t a debt collector do when they contact you?

A debt recovery company cannot do any of the following when they contact you about an alleged debt:

• Force their way into your home, clamp vehicles or seize your possessions
• Infer they are enforcement officers and therefore, have the same powers which they do not
• Show you official papers and other documents that appear to be court-issued
• Pressure you into borrowing more money to pay off their debt
• Harass you with constant phone calls, texts, and emails
• Visit you when you are at your place of work
• Discuss an apparent debt with your employer, friends, neighbours or a family member
• Threaten you

Elderbridge must respect privacy laws and your rights as a consumer. If they don’t you could report them to the Financial Ombudsman Service and The Office for Fair Trading.

Will Elderbridge give up chasing you?

No. It’s unlikely that Elderbridge would stop chasing you, debt collectors seldom give up!

Today, they have tracing tools so even if you moved several times, they could still catch up with you. That said, it might take them a while, which could see the debt being statute barred!

Can you complain about Elderbridge?

According to The Office for Fair Trading (OFT), debt recovery companies often use worrying tactics when pursuing debtors.

Many of them fail to follow OFT guidelines which set out how a debt collector must behave. I’ve listed some examples below:

• Treat debtors fairly without using threatening or aggressive tactics
• Be clear and transparent when discussing an alleged debt
• Be empathetic to people who are experiencing financial hardship
• Factor in a debtor’s personal circumstances when dealing with the debt

It’s worth noting that you may have to complain using the debt collector’s full company name.

Should you pay Elderbridge?

You should only pay Elderbridge when you’re satisfied the debt isn’t statute barred and that it’s yours to settle!

If the debt collector has proved you owe the money, you’ll need to pay what’s owed! But should only offer to repay what you can afford!

However, you should seek advice from a debt expert before you admit or sign anything. Their advice could be invaluable when it comes to negotiating a fair repayment schedule with Elderbridge!

Will Elderbridge accept a direct debit payment?

Yes. Elderbridge could agree to a repayment schedule that involves you settling what’s owed by DD. It may be the best way to repay what’s owed.

However, you can’t miss a scheduled payment otherwise you may be asked to settle the full amount!

How do you contact Elderbridge Debt Collectors?

I’ve listed ways to contact Elderbridge in the table below:

Is there any free debt advice available?

Fortunately, there is free debt advice in the UK for people who are struggling to keep on top of monthly bills and debts!

It’s nothing to be ashamed of and you’re definitely not alone. More people than ever are finding themselves in financial difficulty! You may just need some breathing space to sort out the payments if you’re struggling.

Getting help from a debt expert could help get you out of a hole and your finances back on track.

I’ve listed some of the leading UK charities that offer free support about debts below:

• StepChange
• Advice Direct Scotland
• Citizens Advice
• National Debtline
• Money Advice Scotland

“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 Elderbridge TV Licence debt or not?

You should only pay an Elderbridge TV Licence debt when you’re happy it’s yours to pay and that it’s not statute-barred.

That said, if the debt is yours and you can afford it, you should settle things sooner rather than later. It’ll get Elderbridge off your back and you won’t be stressed out by constant phone calls about a debt you owe!

If you can’t afford to repay the amount in full, try to set up a plan you can easily handle.

If, however, you feel Elderbridge’s behaviour was heavy-handed and bordering on unlawful, you should file a complaint with them.

Next, report the debt collector to the Financial Ombudsman Service. They’ll investigate your complaint and could penalise Elderbridge if they find they acted unlawfully.

Moreover, you could receive compensation for the stress and anxiety their actions caused you!

Thanks for taking the time to read my post. I hope the information helps you deal with Elderbridge debt collectors so the experience is less stressful!