Do I Pay or Ignore Oriel Collections HMRC Debt?

Did you get a debt letter from a company you don’t recognise? Are you asking, do I pay or ignore Oriel Collections debt? If so, this post will explain how to respond so matters don’t take a turn for the worse.

Check out the paragraphs below to find out more!

Do you have to pay Oriel Collections?

You might not have to pay Oriel Collections.

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 Oriel Collections?

Oriel Collections is one of the many debt collection agencies that operate throughout the UK. Their offices are based in Cheltenham.

Their core business is chasing people who owe money to other businesses. However, Oriel Collections also purchases third-party debts!

One of their clients happens to be HM Revenue & Customs.

Is Oriel a legit debt collection agency?

Yes. Oriel collections is a legitimate debt collection agency. The business is authorised and regulated by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority).

Oriel is also a recognised member of the Credit Services Association (CSA) and is registered on the Financial Services Register.

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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What sort of HMRC debts does Oriel chase?

Oriel Collections will chase you for outstanding HMRC debts which include the following:

• VAT
• Corporation Tax
• Self-Assessment
• PAYE

Who else uses Oriel commercial collection services ltd?

Oriel Collections has other clients who use their debt recovery services. This includes:

• Energy providers
• Virgin Media
• Car park management companies
• Credit providers

So if you owe money to any of the above or other Oriel clients, chances are they’ll chase you for payment! Moreover, there are several HMRC debt collection agencies the government uses.

What happens when you don’t pay debt collectors?

Things get messy when you don’t pay debt collection agencies that are chasing you for an HMRC debt. It’s not the same as other debts you could be chased for!

HMRC probably tried and failed to contact you over an outstanding payment. Your details are sent to a debt collector when this happens. In this instance, it’s Oriel Collections that take over the task of collecting what’s owed.

So when you get a debt letter from Oriel Collections, you should take it seriously and respond sooner rather than later.

What happens when you ignore debt collectors?

As mentioned, ignoring and not paying an HMRC debt could land you in serious trouble. First, Oriel Collections will attempt to contact you several times.

They could write to you, phone you, send you emails or visit you in person if all else fails!

If you don’t respond, the debt collector informs HMRC that they couldn’t contact you or get you to pay!

Things then escalate and HMRC will use their legal powers to collect the outstanding money owed.

What powers do debt collection agencies have?

A debt collection agency’s powers are limited. For example, Oriel Collections won’t take you to court themselves if you don’t pay an HMRC debt.

They just tell HMRC they failed in their task and Customs & Revenue take it from there!

Oriel Collections are persistent when chasing people for debts. Take a look at what one person wrote on a popular forum and the replies they received:

Source: Moneysavingexpert

What can Oriel Collections legally do?

Once HMRC instructs Oriel Collections to recover money that’s owed them, the debt collector must follow the law and the CSA Code of Practice.

They can legally:

• Contact you about an alleged HMRC debt whether, by letter, phone, text, or email and they can visit you at home. However, they can’t just turn up, they should let you know about their intentions
• Talk to you about the debt in a polite and understanding way
• Ask you to pay the outstanding amount to them directly

What can’t a debt collector do?

A debt recovery company can’t do specific things and if they do, they’d be breaking the law and the CSA Code of Practice!

For instance, it’d be unlawful for them to do or say any of the following things:

• Tell you they have the same powers as an enforcement agent (court-appointed bailiff)
• Urge you to apply for another loan to help pay the money you owe
• Force their way into your property
• Clamp vehicles or seize possessions
• Visit you at work
• Talk to your employer about an alleged HMRC debt
• Discuss things with your friends, neighbours or a family member
• Harass you all the time with constant phone calls, texts, emails etc
• Threaten you

Can you stop Oriel Collections from contacting you?

No. Debt collectors are within their rights to contact you. However, they must remain within the law when they do!

That said, you’ve got the right to tell them how you’d like to be contacted. Moreover, Oriel Collections must respect your wishes and if they don’t, it would be seen as harassing behaviour.

Harassment is against the law!

So, in your shoes, I would write a letter to the debt collection agency asking them to only contact you in writing.

Preferably by mail so you have a record of their demands should the case go to court.

Also, make sure you send your letter by registered post so you know Oriel Collections received it!

Not all debt collectors act with integrity and could deny receiving the letter from you.

Will the debt collector take you to court?

No. Not in this instance because Oriel Collections are acting on behalf of their client, HMRC.

However, once a debt collector tells HMRC they failed to get you to pay, Revenue & Customs would start legal proceedings. They use their legal powers to recover the amount owed when HMRC debt collectors don’t succeed.

What will HMRC do to recover a debt?

If Oriel Collections fails to recover the amount owed to HMRC, things escalate and the situation will involve more serious enforcement action.

For example, HMRC could:

• Instruct an HMRC enforcement officer to visit your home, repossess assets and sell them at auction to clear what’s owed. The cost you’d incur would be an additional £75 on top of the original debt. The fee covers the cost of telling you about a planned visit to your home
• Take money from your bank account if you owe them more than £1,000 providing it won’t cause you any financial hardship
• Place an attachment on your earnings. They have the power to instruct your employer to pay a percentage of your wages directly to Revenue & Customs
• Place a charging order on your home and take some of the proceeds following the sale to clear the debt
• Take money from a current or eventual pension
• Place a bankruptcy order on you

So as you can see when you don’t pay an Oriel Collections, things get complicated, expensive and really stressful!

How can you contact Oriel Collections?

The best way to deal with an HMRC debt when Oriel Collections contacts you is to stay in touch with the debt collector. Let them know your situation.

HMRC debt collectors should take into account your personal circumstances when recovering a debt.

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

Can you complain about Oriel Collections?

Yes. You’d be within your rights to file a complaint with Oriel Collections if you feel the HMRC debt collectors acted inappropriately.

First, file a complaint with Oriel Collections to see if they’ll make things right. 

Second, if they don’t deal with your complaint, you have the right to report the debt collection agency to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

You can’t file a report with FOS if you haven’t filed a complaint with the debt recovery company first!

What free debt advice is there in the UK?

Several UK charities offer free debt advice to people who are struggling with finances and have fallen into arrears.

I’ve listed three of the main charities below

• National Debtline 
• Citizens Advice
• 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 I pay or ignore an HMRC debt?

You should pay Oriel Collections if you can afford to. That said, if you feel the amount allegedly owed is incorrect, you should contact HMRC directly without delay.

If you’re struggling to pay the amount owed, don’t ignore things. It’s far better to face the problem and contact an HMRC debt collection agency sooner rather than later.

It makes for a better and more positive outcome when you stay in contact with an HMRC debt collector!

Thanks for reading my post. I hope the information clears up the question of whether to ignore or pay an HMRC debt collector when they get in touch with you.