# How to proceed with "Intrum Justitia" debt collection agency?



## kenny10033

Hi I am looking for some advice with dealing with Intrum Justitia.

Last August I bought a phone from 02 online and was on a €100 a month price plan for 18 months.Soon after wards my phone was stolen and I called 02 asking to blacklist the phone.They did this but they said I would have to keep paying the €100 a month until the contract was finished, obviously I didn't want to do this as it would be paying for nothing so I asked to cancel the contract but it was over €1,500 to do this so I just left it and canceled my direct debit.

Im living away from home and I went home last week to find about 8 letters from o2 ,Centurion Collections, Intrum justitia and the latest from Bill Holohan & Associates Solicitors saying that I owe €1700 and that if I didn't pay within 7 days the would issue legal proceedings against me without further notice.

I know I cant ignore them but I have no Idea what to say to them, I'm unemployed, have no savings and have no idea how I can pay it back.

Also will this affect my credit rating?

I would be so grateful if anyone could advise me how to proceed??


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## Sconhome

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*

Tell them exactly what you have just said. Do it in a letter. Tell them (in the letter) to stop sending demand letters, that you will not recognise further charges per letter, that you recognise the debt and are speaking to MABS.
Speak to MABS.
Can only affect your credit rating if there is a judgement against you. If it was a loan your ICB record could show arrears, not the case with a phone contract.


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## MelF

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*



Sconhome said:


> Can only affect your credit rating if there is a judgement against you. If it was a loan your ICB record could show arrears, not the case with a phone contract.


 
Is this true? I remember having a dispute with ebay over fees and they eventually sent one of those intrum justitia debt collection notices and I paid it for fear of having a black mark on my ICB record. It was only about 20 quid which was why I caved in and paid it in the end even though I knew it wasn't valid.


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## jhegarty

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*

Only loans/credit cards count for your ICB.


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## bond-007

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*

Intrum or any debt agency cannot affect your ICB.


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## ajapale

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*

mod bump


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## bond-007

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*

What do you need to know ajapale?


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## ajapale

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*

A poster asked a question with the cryptic title "intrum justitia" today. I wanted to bump this thread before possibly merging the two threads.


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## bond-007

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*

Fair enough.


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## smiley

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*



kenny10033 said:


> Last August I bought a phone from 02 online and was on a €100 a month price plan for 18 months.Soon after wards my phone was stolen and I called 02 asking to blacklist the phone.They did this but they said I would have to keep paying the €100 a month until the contract was finished, obviously I didn't want to do this as it would be paying for nothing so I asked to cancel the contract but it was over €1,500 to do this so I just left it and canceled my direct debit.



Why did you not just get a new phone and a new sim? This is what most people would do.

You signed a legal contract and then stuck your head in the sand. Not a good course of action.

If debt collectors start calling at your house that 1700 euro will start heading upwards very fast. They charge very high fees.


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## bond-007

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*



> If debt collectors start calling at your house that 1700 euro will start heading upwards very fast. They charge very high fees.


Debt collectors cannot add fees. Also they cannot call to your house. Only the county sheriff can do that.


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## terrontress

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*



bond-007 said:


> Debt collectors cannot add fees. Also they cannot call to your house. Only the county sheriff can do that.


 
They can call to your house. They can come round to the door and ask you to pay it. They have no rights of access to your house and have to leave if you ask them.

If they put one step out of line, you can apply to have the debt struck out.

But there is nothing stopping them coming to the door to ask for the money.


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## TheShark

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*



bond-007 said:


> Debt collectors cannot add fees. Also they cannot call to your house. Only the county sheriff can do that.


Are there any circumstances where a debt collector can call to your house bond-007?


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## bond-007

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*

As said they can knock the door and ask, of course you can tell them to go away and not come back. If they comeback they are in big trouble.

Unless a debt is considerable in size, home visits esp on the off chance someone is home are very expensive and thus very unlikely to happen.


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## TheShark

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*



bond-007 said:


> As said they can knock the door and ask, of course you can tell them to go away and not come back. If they comeback they are in big trouble.
> 
> Unless a debt is considerable in size, home visits esp on the off chance someone is home are very expensive and thus very unlikely to happen.


Thanks for that , I have a niece that racked up a €1000 debt with a moblie phone provider and also got many letters demanding payment from various debt collectors, I have now taken her under my wing and am prepared to clear her debt for her but have no intention of dealing with any of these goons.


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## Ants09

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*

there is a wee european directive that called unfair terms into a consumer contract and it may be of value to you's i cant remember the directive no.


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## Ants09

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1995/en/si/0027.html

found the directive


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## 8till8

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*



bond-007 said:


> Debt collectors cannot add fees. Also they cannot call to your house. Only the county sheriff can do that.


 
Bond-007: "As said they can knock the door and ask"

So which is it?


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## bond-007

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*

Any person can knock on your door for money. You can tell them to go away. They have no legal powers to enter to seize goods.


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## 8till8

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*



bond-007 said:


> They have no legal powers to enter to seize goods.



What has this go to do with collecting an outstanding debt? 

Are you sure you know the differences between debt collectors and the sheriff?


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## csirl

*Re: How to proceed with intrum justitia debt collection?*



8till8 said:


> What has this go to do with collecting an outstanding debt?
> 
> Are you sure you know the differences between debt collectors and the sheriff?


 
A lot.

Strictly speaking there is no such thing as a "debt collector" in Ireland in the sense that no "debt collection" agency can enforce the collection of a debt - this can only be done by the sherriff.

All a debt collection agency can do is politely ask you to pay - they have zero powers of recovery.


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## bond-007

100% correct. These people purporting to be debt collectors often misstate their powers.


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## 8till8

Agreed. I had stupidly forgotten that plenty debt collectors would claim to have all sorts of powers (including entry and recovery).


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## banbha

My partner was having trouble with debt collectors in the uk trying to collect for a broadband service that he had never ordered. A letter informing the debt collectors and the broadband provider outlining the history of the case, and informing them that any further correspondance would be charged at 35 pounds per item put a stop to it pretty quickly. For the original poster though, you should go to mabs and see if you can sort something out. No point in it hanging over you...


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## ajapale

Mod bump. topic raised again today.


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