Should I Pay Orbit Debt Collection for Water or Ignore?

Are you worried about a debt letter you got from an unknown company? If so, like other people, you may be asking, “should I pay Orbit Debt Collection for water or ignore them”?

You’re in luck because I’ll cover the topic in my post. I will look at how Orbit works to collect debts and how you should respond to resolve things.

Check out the paragraphs below for more information!

Do you have to pay Orbit Debt Collectors?

You might not have to pay Orbit 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 Are Orbit Debt Collections?

Orbit is a company based in West Malling that collects debts in the private sector. In short, they work in conjunction with Cabot Credit Management and Wescot Credit Management.

Their core business centres around working with some of the biggest water companies in the UK.

So, if you’ve already received a letter from Orbit Debt Collections, chances are you’ve fallen behind on a water payment.

Is Orbit authorised to collect debts?

Yes. Orbit Debt Collections are authorised to operate in the UK. The company is regulated and a member of the Credit Services Association (CS). 

Orbit must adhere to UK laws and the CSA code of conduct when pursuing debts for water companies.

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.

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Who uses Orbit Debt Collections?

As mentioned, Orbit collects debt for some of the largest water suppliers in the UK. Their client list includes the following companies:

• Hartlepool Water
• Essex and Suffolk Water
• Yorkshire Water
• Southern Water
• Anglian Water
• Northumbrian Water
• United Utilities
• South West Water

Why would a water company pass your details to Orbit?

If you fail to pay your water bill on time and struggle to settle what’s owed, the provider will send you payment demands. However, if you don’t respond and still don’t pay, they pass your account to Orbit.

When this happens, you’d have to deal with the debt collection agency rather than the water company.

You’d get a letter, phone call or email from Orbit asking you to settle the outstanding debt. Initially, the correspondence and phone calls could just be payment demands.

However, when you don’t respond or pay what’s owed, the letters become more threatening! It’s a tactic used by debt collectors to scare you into paying!

Should you pay Orbit straight away?

No. You shouldn’t pay a debt collection agency straight away, not before checking if all the details on the demand are correct.

Moreover, there are two important things to check before you fork any money over to Orbit!

• First, check whether the debt is too old to enforce. Second, check if the debt is yours to settle or if is Orbit contacting the wrong person?

Mistakes happen and debt collection agencies often contact the wrong people about an alleged debt. Also, the debt could be deemed statute barred which means it can’t be enforced through the courts!

What happens when you ignore Orbit over a water debt?

Things get complicated and stressful when you don’t respond to Orbit when they contact you. For example, you’d get more threatening letters, phone calls, emails and texts all demanding payment.

The demands will have a more threatening tone which includes legal action!

When you continue to ignore things which include a Letter Before Action (LBA), you could be faced with court action. If you still don’t respond, a judge will issue an Order to Pay which makes you liable for the outstanding debt!

Could you get a County Court Judgement?

Yes. You’d get a County Court Judgement (CCJ) if you don’t pay Orbit when they contact you over a water debt.

Of course, the court has to rule in favour of the creditor to issue the order, but if you’ve ignored things, chances are the judge would!

Having a CCJ on your credit file over an unpaid water debt will negatively impact your credit rating. You’ll find it hard to get a bank loan, mortgage or credit card.

Can you prevent Orbit from contacting you?

You can’t prevent Orbit from getting in touch with you about an outstanding debt if the provider passes the account to them. Debt collection agencies have the right to pursue debts.

However, you have the right to dictate how a debt collector contacts you.

For example, you may not want to speak to one of the representatives over the phone or receive constant emails/texts!

If so, you can write to Orbit telling them to only contact you by letter. It’s a good move because you get to have everything they ask for in writing.

Make sure you send the letter by recorded delivery and keep a copy of it for your records!

Does Orbit have the power to cut off your water supply?

Absolutely not! All households in the UK must have a constant supply of water even if there’s an outstanding water bill! 

In short, a debt collector or water supplier has no right to cut off your water because you’ve fallen into debt!

Is the water debt too old to enforce?

If you’ve moved house and left without paying a water bill, chances are the outstanding never got paid. Especially, if you didn’t leave a forwarding address and have a new water supplier at your new home.

It could be that the water supplier gave up trying to contact you and passed your account to Orbit.

In this instance, the debt could be quite old and therefore too old to enforce. It means a court won’t take on the case and therefore, no Order to Pay could be issued against you.

However, for a debt to be statute barred, it must meet specific criteria.

Check out what happened to one person who posted this message on a popular forum website:

Source: Moneysavingexpert

When is a debt too old to enforce?

As mentioned, a debt is deemed statute-barred when it’s too old to enforce through the courts.

However, the following must apply for it to be statute barred:

• It must be six or more years old
• Nobody whether it’s you or a representative admitted owing money in those six years
• Nobody paid anything towards settling the water debt in the six years
• A court hasn’t already issued an Order to Pay against the debt

When a debt is statute-barred, you can’t be forced to pay and you won’t get a County Court Judgement (CCJ) recorded on your credit file. Why?

Because the debt meets the criteria set out by the UK’s Limitation Act.

You seek advice from a debt expert if you’re unsure whether the debt is statute-barred or not. Once you’ve established it is, you should write to Orbit telling them to stop contacting you!

If the debt collector continues to get in touch over a proven statute-barred debt, you can report them to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). Harassing behaviour is against the law!

Can you ask Orbit to prove the debt is yours?

You have the right to ask Orbit to prove the debt is yours if they haven’t already done so.

Water companies are legally obliged to provide households with water. It’s the law. In short, the supply of water doesn’t fall under any sort of contract because it’s a legal obligation.

As no ‘contract’ exists between yourself and the water company, you need to contact Orbit directly to find out if they’re pursuing the right person.

What can Orbit legally do?

Orbit is perfectly within its rights to contact you when a water company passes your account to them. However, they must remain within the law when pursuing a debt.

That said, debt collection agencies can:

• Contact you by letter, email, or text or they can phone you. If all else fails, Orbit can send a debt collection agent to your home
• Discuss the outstanding debt with you discreetly showing empathy for your personal circumstances
• Request that you pay the outstanding to them rather than the water company

You can’t prevent the debt collector from doing any of the above. However, you can ask them not to bombard you with phone calls, texts etc.

Moreover, you have the right to ask a field agent to leave your property if they visit you at home. They must respect the request!

What can’t Orbit do?

Orbit would be acting unlawfully and against the CSA code of conduct if they do or say any of the following things:

• You can’t be shown documents that seem to be issued by the courts when they are not
• You mustn’t be pressured into borrowing more money to settle a water debt
• Debt collectors can pretend they’re bailiffs (court-appointed enforcement officers)
• Your possessions can be seized or your vehicle clamped
• A debt collection agent can’t use legal jargon to confuse you
• Debt collectors don’t have the right to force their way into your home or visit you at work
• They can’t talk to a family member, your friends, neighbours or your employer about the money you allegedly owe
• They can’t harass or threaten you in any way

Would Orbit let you pay in instalments?

Orbit may offer you an affordable payment plan to clear the outstanding. It could be a way of settling the debt by making monthly payments if you’re struggling to pay bills and other debts!

Fortunately, unlike many other debt recovery companies, Orbit has a reputation for taking a more empathetic approach to recovering money owed.

Can you file a complaint against Orbit Debt Collection?

You have the right to complain about debt collectors when they act unlawfully and when they harass you with phone calls.

Plus, if you ask a field agent to leave your property, they must respect your request. If they don’t, it’s another reason to file a complaint against them.

How do you complain about debt collectors?

First, you have to file a complaint with Orbit and see if they’ll make things right. However, if they don’t, you can then report them to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

The FOS should investigate your complaint and take the necessary actions against the debt collector.

You could receive compensation if the ombudsman finds a debt collector acted unlawfully!

How do you contact Orbit Credit Services Ltd?

I’ve listed ways to contact Orbit Credit Services Ltd in the table below:

What free debt advice is there in the UK?

If you’re struggling to pay bills and drowning in debt, it’s worth contacting one of the major UK charities. They provide free debt advice which could get you out of a hole!

Moreover, it stops things from escalating when you tell Orbit you’re seeking independent debt advice. But don’t wait too long to let them know otherwise they might think you’re ignoring things.

I’ve listed some of the leading UK charities in the list 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 Orbit Debt Collection for water arrears?

You should only pay Orbit when you’re sure the debt is yours and that it’s not statute-barred.

That said if the debt is current and yours, it’s best to settle it as soon as possible otherwise things could escalate to the courts!

Don’t ignore the problem, instead, stay in touch with Orbit and let them know about your personal circumstances. It’s essential if you’re struggling with debt and unable to settle the arrears in full.

Thanks for reading my post. I hope the information helps you solve things so the experience is less stressful and the outcome is positive!