Should I Pay or Ignore Merligen Debt Collection?

Have you received a letter from Merligen Debt Collection and don’t know what to do next? You’ve come to the right place. Each month, over 12,000 people visit this site for advice on dealing with debt.

In this article, we’ll explain:

•  Who Merligen Investments are, and if you need to pay them
•  How Merligen Investments work and if they are regulated
•  What happens if you ignore their debt collection attempts
•  How to handle contact from Merligen Investments
•  What to do if you’re unsure the debt is yours

We understand that dealing with debt collectors can be worrying. You might be scared about losing your things or having someone visit your home. You may also feel unsure about your rights or worried that you’re being tricked. 

Don’t worry; we have a team of experts who have dealt with situations just like yours. They know how to handle debt collectors and can give you the advice you need.

Do you have to pay Merligen Investments?

You might not have to pay Merligen Investments.

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. 

Should you pay a Merligen Investments debt straight away?

No. Not without first carrying out a little investigation of your own. That said, let Merligen Investments know you are aware of their correspondence but you’re seeking independent advice.

Debt recovery agencies must allow you the time to seek debt advice. Plus, it will stop Merligen Investments from escalating things!

Is the debt Merligen Investments purchased statute barred?

Before you admit, sign or pay anything to Merligen Investments you should:

• Check if the debt is statute barred because if it is, a court won’t take on the case and you can’t be given a County Court Judgement!
• Make sure all the details on the debt letter are correct. If they are incorrect, let them know in a letter and send it by registered post!

Should you sign any correspondence with Merligen?

Don’t sign the letter because not all debt recovery companies are honest and some practice unethical tactics.

This includes fraudulently using your signature on specific documents!

Is the Merligen debt yours?

Next, write to Merligen and send the letter by registered mail asking them to prove you owe the money.

Merligen must provide solid proof the debt is yours. It’s not enough for a debt recovery agency to simply say they ‘know’ you owe money!

The proof could be an authenticated copy of a Credit Agreement. But the copy must be authenticated by the original creditor or authorised body. 

A debt collection agency can’t authenticate copies of original agreements!

How should you respond to Merligen Debt Investments?

You should always respond to a debt letter you get from Merligen Investments. However, you should do the following first:

• Is the debt too old to enforce because it meets all the necessary criteria?

If so, write a letter to stop Merligen Investments from contacting you!

• Make sure the debt is yours and that it’s registered in your name.

Mistakes happen and Merligen could be chasing the wrong person for payment. The best way to check if the debt is yours is by visiting a credit reference agency like Experian

• Get Merligen to prove the debt is yours.

It’s up to the debt collection agency to prove you owe the money. It’s not up to you to prove you don’t. Plus any proof must be authenticated by the original creditor or an authorised body

If Merligen can’t provide solid proof the debt is yours, you can’t be held liable and a judge wouldn’t rule in Merligen’s favour

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Fill out the short debt form

What happens when Merligen proves the debt?

You should enter into negotiations with Merligen Investments if they prove you owe the money.

However, before you admit, or sign anything with the debt collection agency, you should:

• Get independent debt advice from a charity or debt expert
• Work out how much you can realistically afford to pay
• Calculate a fair settlement offer with the help of a debt adviser
• See if you negotiate a final settlement with Merligen

What is a fair debt settlement offer?

Debt collection companies like Merligen Investments hope to get a high return on their debt purchases! However, most are open to fair debt settlement offers.

A debt recovery company would typically accept 75% of the original debt which provides a business such as Merligen to still make a huge profit!

That said, make sure you’ve had sound debt advice before entering into any sort of settlement negotiations with a debt collection agency.

Also, you must keep to a payment plan if Merligen accepts your offer. If you default on a scheduled payment, the agreement could be null and void.

In short, you’d have to pay Merligen the full amount within a specific deadline!

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Can you stop Merligen Investments from contacting you?

No. You can’t stop Merligen Investments from contacting you over an alleged debt. They have the right to call you on the phone, text you, and send emails, and letters.

Merligen can pay you a visit at home if they can’t contact you in other ways! They have the right to pay you a visit providing they let you know about their intentions.

That said, you can dictate how and when Merligen Investments contacts you.

Can you ask a debt collector to only contact you in writing?

Yes. You have the right to tell Merligen Investments to contact you by letter only. They must respect your request!

You should send a registered letter to Merligen asking them to only contact you in writing by letter.

You’ll have a record of all their demands should Merligen take you to court. It could be important evidence if they acted inappropriately in any way.

Can Merligen Investments legally visit you at home?

Yes. Unfortunately, a debt collection agent could visit you at home if all other means of communication fail.

However, you can ask them to leave and they must oblige. It’s the law!

Also, field agents can’t just show up. They must let you know about their intentions giving you time to prepare for their visit!

Do you have to open the door to a debt collector?

Do you have to open the door to a field agent? No, you don’t have to let them into your home!

You should never open the door to one of their field agents. Instead, you should talk to them through an upstairs window or through a letterbox.

You have no legal obligation to ask them into your home!

Can Merligen seize your possessions?

No. Merligen’s powers are limited. They can visit you at home, and talk to you politely but they can’t seize any of your possessions or clamp your car.

Their powers are the same as that of an original creditor which means they can ask you to pay, take you to court and win a case against you.

Does Merligen have to send you a Letter Before Action?

Before a Merligen can take you to court, they must send you a Letter Before Action (LBA) which you should not ignore!

The letter is a notice of intended legal action and ignoring it could just make the situation more stressful. Moreover, you never know if it’s just a threat or a real intention!

What sort of legal action can Merligen take?

Debt recovery companies must abide by UK laws. This includes following privacy laws, legislation that covers debt recovery and the CSA Code of Conduct.

That said, Merligen Investments can legally do the following:

• Contact you about an alleged debt they purchased by sending you debt collection letters, emails, texts and phoning you. They can also visit your home
• Discuss an alleged debt with you politely and discreetly by taking into account your personal circumstances
• Report defaults to credit reference agencies

What can’t Merligen do?

Merligen Investments Limited can’t do any of the following because they would be breaking the law and the CSA Code of Conduct:

• A field agent can’t force their way into your home, clamp vehicles or seize possessions
• Infer they are appointed by the courts and have the same powers as enforcement agents
• Use documents that seem to be court-issued although they are not
• Urge you to borrow more money to pay an alleged debt
• Visit you at work unless you said they could
• Talk to your boss about the money you allegedly owe
• Discuss an alleged debt with your neighbours, friends or a family member which breaches privacy laws
• Threaten or harass you with lots of phone calls, texts, emails and letters

You can file a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) if Merligen’s actions are inappropriate.

But first, you have to lodge a complaint with the debt collection agency.

Will Merligen Investments take you to court?

Debt collection agencies that buy third-party debts have the power to take you to court. That said, threats of court action might just be threatening tactics to get you to pay!

However, if the debt is substantial enough to merit court action, you could find yourself facing proceedings in court!

Can I file a complaint against Merligen Investments?

Yes. You have the right to complain directly with Merligen Investments Limited if you feel they’ve acted unlawfully in any way.

You must lodge your complaint with Merligen and allow them to put things right. If they fail to deal with your complaint appropriately, you can contact the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

The FOS should launch an investigation and if they find Merligen acted inappropriately or unlawfully, they could issue penalties.

Plus, you could receive compensation for the debt collector’s actions!

How do you contact Merligen Investments?

I’ve included the contact details for Merligen Investments in my table below: