What
To Do If You Get A Nasty Letter or Phone Call From:
1st Credit
Ltd

Important Notice
If you are currently having problems with debt collectors, or if you suspect them of using illicit or unfair tactics, then please contact the BBC in complete confidence at the following email address:
Laura.Ancell@bbc.co.uk
(United Kingdom enquiries only, please) |
1st
Credit is a debt purchasing company or debt collecting company which
is listed in the website of the DBSG
(The Debt Buyers and Sellers Group) and/or mentioned in consumer finance
forms. They have a legitimate function as debt collectors, but there
is some indication that some such companies (not necessarily 1st Credit),
and especially the debt purchasing element, go a bit too far sometimes
and can make people's lives a misery when those same people are at their
most vulnerable. We do not suggest that they are acting outside the
law, but getting that letter or phone call is not exactly helpful to
you right now.
So the first thing
you must do if 1st Credit is bothering you is not to panic or
despair. That's just what they want! They'd love you to call
their number and speak to their specially trained sales team for 'advice'.
But once you do that you'll be suggestible to whatever they tell you,
instead of getting independent advice. While we always say that you
should keep an open dialogue with debt collectors, we would recommend
that you do so in writing only. This will prevent them 'railroading'
you into any action which is not in your best interests, as they so
love talking people into doing things on the spur of the moment. Of
course, they are only doing their job, but that's hardly a consolation
for you in the present situation.
There are several
courses that are open to you, and some will suit your own situation
better than others.
A sensible option,
we would suggest, is a debt management plan or even an IVA - which is
designed to actually write off a large chunk of your unsecured debt.
But you would need to take advice on this and look at your income and
expenditure in detail. This option won't suit everyone. There's more
on this below.
As an alternative
you could apply for a 'logbook loan' which many people
find a very handy option. It is actually a loan secured on your car,
except you get to keep the car and keep the cash as well! That's why
some people find it such a good idea, as it unlocks the equity in your
vehicle without taking away your means of transport (there's no need
to sell the car). To apply
for a logbook loan click here.
Yet another option
is a no credit-check guarantor loan. This is especially
useful because your own credit rating is not looked at; you must find
someone else willing to act as a guarantor for you such as a friend
or family member. This is an ideal solution if you're at the stage where
your credit profile has been downgraded by recent events, etc. So click
the following link for Unsecured Loans
that don't need you to be credit checked.
If you wanted to
try a debt management plan, then we provide a whole-of-market service,
with a number of debt management experts on our panel. So whatever your
circumstances, your application will find the plan for you, meaning
the optimum outcome for your situation. It also means
there are no minimum requirements for debt levels or income.
So apply for a debt management plan using the form below.
DPC
Registry. Consumer Credit Licence number 633327.
Name: 1st Credit
Ltd Reigate
Also Known As: First Credit, 1st Cretins, First Cretins, etc.
Address: The Omnibus Building, Lesbourne Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 7JP
Telephone: 01737 228555
Fax: 01737 228564
Email: USER [AT] 1stcreditltd.com
Extra Data: In
February 2009 1st Credit were severely reprimanded by the Office of Fair
Trading.

Get a free QuickCreditScore
check by applying
here.
1st Credit
and the Truth About Your Debt
1st Credit is a
company which has purchased the delinquent account from the original
lender (or in some cases another debt purchasing company) for a small
percentage of the original value of the account and is brazenly attempting
to get the full sum of the original from you.
More Data
On 1st Credit
1st Credit Work tooth in claw with their
solicitors, LCS Solicitors, also of Reigate and possibly a subsidiary,
who specialise in bothering people by phone. They like to leave messages
on answering machines the the effect that you should phone them on
a "very important" matter (of course, it's important to
them that you phone them; it's important to you that you don't. Because
if you phone them they will be able to say things to you orally that
they would not dare put in writing because they would not be able
to get away with it.
Also,
I wonder if the person who phones up is really a qualified solicitor
- he had the demeanour of an aggressive telesales wide boy. Not the
kind of fellow you'd associate with chambers!
Personal
Testimony from Contributor: I was being hounded by phone calls from
LCS Solicitors on behalf of 1st Credit and they were phoning me up
to 4 times a day. This frequency got greater and greater up until
one Monday evening (10th November 2008) when the BBC's Panorama programme
did a little expose of them (1st Credit) and they suddenly stopped
phoning. In fact they seem to have ignored that dead account completely
- they've stopped phoning entirely and it's been like that for weeks.
I can't get a peep out of them. I wonder why?
In
February 2009 1st Credit were severely reprimanded by the Office of
Fair Trading for heavy handed practices. Read the full account at
the OFT's website here.
If
you have any information that you would like honest people to know
about 1st Credit then send us an email in complete confidence and
we will try to corroborate it with the clowns involved.

This
1st Credit Ltd Reigate page is part of DPC Registry. Consumer Credit
Licence number 633327.
Please
be aware that figures entered need to be accurate by law, and to give
the best service to you. It is extremely important that you budget for
all necessary expenditure including rent or mortgage, council tax and
utility bills, etc., and any other necessary outgoings related to the
upkeep of your household and in relation to any specific circumstances
which may apply to you or your household. This website only collects data on behalf of
debt management professionals, from which it will receive affiliate
remuneration for data collection only and does not itself engage in
any debt management services. Other debt management options are available
and may be more suitable. People entering into an IVA or debt management
will have this entered on their credit profile and this may affect their
ability to get credit in the short term or even in the long term in
some cases. It is free to apply from this website; you will be given
advice by debt management professionals and a 'cooling off' period,
by law, to decide whether or not the debt management plan is suitable
for you, and you should be aware that a fee will be chargeable upon
a successful arrangement, as with any commercial transaction. Failure
to meet the repayments on an IVA or any debt management programme may
result in serious consequences, including, but not limited to, bankruptcy.
Bankruptcies, CCJs and similar defaults will be entered into a public
register and will remain there for a statutory period of not less than
six (6) years.
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settlement for people on state benefits
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Take
a look at the Insolvency Service's leaflet called 'In Debt', downloadable
here.
Registry
of Debt Collectors
Please note that independent advice is available on debt, debt collecting and debt purchasing.
This
1st Credit Ltd Reigate website is part of DPC Registry website group.
All rights reserved. Complaints Against 1st Credit.