Your lender has taken a commercial decision to sell selected paying / non-paying accounts in line with its own business circumstances.
If Cabot has purchased your debt, then we will have sent you an introductory letter, which is the notice of assignment confirming the sale from your original lender.
We also include a leaflet with our introductory letters which will provide you with useful information. It is important that you keep both of these documents.
In addition this debt will continue to be reported with the Credit Reference Bureaux under Cabot's name.
We need you to contact us in order for us to start helping you to manage your debt.
Our aim is to provide a contact method that works for you. Therefore if you prefer to speak to one of our customer advisors, please call us on 0845 0700116. Alternatively you can make a payment online using your Cabot customer reference number.
If you continue to ignore our attempts to contact you, your account may be escalated to an external debt collection agent or, where appropriate, escalated to our litigation department.
If you believe that the balance on your account is incorrect, then please call us on 0845 070 0116. If an error has been made, then we will assist you in resolving this.
If you are a new customer, then please contact us on 0845 070 0116.
Existing customers can also contact Cabot to arrange settlement of their debt by calling us on 0845 0700116, emailing cabotcustomer@cabotfinancial.com or by making a payment online using your Cabot customer reference.
At Cabot Financial we understand how easy it is to fall behind on monthly payments for credit cards, store cards, loans and the many other forms of credit easily available in today's world.
We want to work with you to enable you to clear your debt in a manner which suits your own individual circumstances.
Therefore if you are unable to settle your debt in full at this time and wish to propose a repayment plan, you can do this by
Alternatively you can download a Direct Debit Instruction and send it back to us at Cabot Financial (Europe) Limited, PO Box No. 241, West Malling, Kent ME19 4NA.
The minimum payment amount for all online transactions is £10.00
Our accepted payment methods are: Direct Debit, all major Debit and Credit Cards, Standing Order, by telephone or internet payments via our website, post office and Payzone payment card, cash, cheques, postal orders, Giro supplied by Cabot (which can be paid by post or over the counter at your local bank or post office).
All cheques and postal orders should be made payable to 'Cabot Financial (Europe) Limited' and sent to PO Box 241, West Malling, Kent ME19 4NA.
Please ensure that you write your Cabot reference number on all correspondence, cheques, postal orders and other payments so that we can deal with your account and/or allocate payments as efficiently as possible.
Yes - Cabot ensures that your card details are adequately safeguarded and encrypted and only used with your permission.
We believe that Direct Debit is most suited for long-term repayment plans as it is a reliable, regular payment method that ensures that your plan will not fail as long as funds are available, thus giving you peace of mind that your payments will be made on time.
It also means that you will be protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee offered by participating banks and building societies and that you will be given advance notice of the collection amounts and dates.
If you did not maintain payments with your original lender you would have entered into arrears. Ordinarily the lender would inform you of this. Also you may have received a default notice which gives you a limited period to repay the arrears. If you have not satisfied the default notice, your agreement may be terminated and the full outstanding balance becomes due immediately. In addition, details of the default may be registered with the Credit Reference Agencies.
Where you entered into a repayment plan with Cabot, we will continuously monitor this and where necessary contact you to review your circumstances. In the unlikely event you do not keep up with your repayments with Cabot, we may look to escalate your account through our collection procedures, which may include instructing an external debt collection company, or where appropriate, commence legal proceedings to recover the balance.
The lender may have marked your credit record with a 'default' at or around the time that you fell behind with your contractual repayments. This action may make it difficult for you to obtain further credit. In addition, where a County Court Judgement (CCJ) has been obtained, it may be recorded on the credit file in association with your account.
Cabot Financial works closely with the Credit Reference Agencies to ensure that your credit record is updated on a regular basis to reflect the payments made to us and to show the actual status of your account at the end of each month.
Where you settle a CCJ with us, then we will provide you with the relevant documentation so that you can arrange for your credit file to be updated as 'satisfied'.
You can check your credit file for a small fee by contacting a credit reference agency. Please click here for further details.
Having a poor credit rating may make it difficult for you to obtain further credit. It may also make other borrowings more expensive if you are believed to be a credit risk.
If you fail to make the required repayments on your debt, then a default may be registered on your credit record. This could make it difficult to obtain credit in the future. It may also make your other borrowings more expensive if you are believed to be a credit risk.
To update your contact details with Cabot Financial please call one of our customer advisors on 0845 070 0116, who will be happy to assist you.
Under the Data Protection Act you have the right to obtain a copy of the personal information that Cabot Financial (Europe) Limited holds on you. If you would like to request a copy of your file, please contact the Customer Relations Department in writing.
There is a charge of £10 for this service which should be made payable to Cabot Financial (Europe) Limited. Please make sure when requesting your information under the Data Protection Act that you make it clear in your letter that the fee for £10 is for a ‘subject access request’.
Please note that only Cabot Financial (Europe) Limited handles customer data. Any payments made payable to any other company in the Cabot Financial Group shall either be returned or refunded if already processed.
The manner in which we process your personal information is stated within our Privacy Policy.
Please contact one of our customer advisors 0845 070 0116 in the first instance. This will enable us to investigate and to review the account.
If you are receiving calls from Cabot, then we are probably trying to contact you regarding a new account that we have purchased or to review an existing repayment plan. Please contact us on 0845 070 0116 to discuss further.
Some of the debt that Cabot purchases may have been in arrears for several years and the financial industry, like many others, is subject to ongoing mergers and acquisitions. Likewise retail operators regularly review and sell their main brands. Therefore the name of the lender that sells your debt on to us may not be the same one that you are familiar with on your original credit application.
Cabot keeps an extensive list of lender related information and our customer advisors will be able to assist you with your query. If you still believe that this debt does not belong to you, then please notify us as soon as possible and our teams will carry out a full investigation to establish whether an error has been made.
If your debt is being handled by a Debt Management Company or debt counsellor, then please pass a copy of our letter on to them and we will be happy to work directly with them. We would appreciate it if you could also contact us with the details, so that we can alter your records accordingly.
If you would like to nominate an individual or an organisation to be able to discuss your debt with us on your behalf, then please download and complete a Consent Form and return it to us at Cabot Financial (Europe) Limited, PO Box No 241, West Malling, Kent ME19 4NA.
"If the correspondence is addressed to an individual that does not reside at your address you should mark the envelope “not known at this address” and return it back in the post. Royal Mail will then make sure that any mail marked “not known at this address” will be returned to the sender. The sender will then update their records accordingly and take the appropriate action.
If you are able to establish who the correspondence has been sent by, it would be very helpful to make contact with the agency. You will be asked a number of questions such as your name and date of birth. These questions are only used to confirm identity. Once it is clear that the identity cannot be confirmed, the agency will be able to suppress your details from their systems and update their clients records, which will prevent any further contact from being made by other agencies looking for the same individual.
Unfortunately, in the case of tracing for debt collection purposes, some debtors will 'pretend' that they are not resident and return mail. This leads to further trace activity and can create a future mis-trace scenario. It is therefore recommended that in a mis-trace situation you be as helpful as possible".
Credit Services Association - Consumer Advice
"There are a number of reasons for this. Credit Reference Agencies collate data from creditors (including banks, credit card companies, utility companies, insurance firms etc). The data that is input into these vast databases can sometimes be
corrupted or inaccurate data entered. For example, a date of birth can be entered incorrectly, or initials mistyped.
There may also, however, be a more sinister explanation if a person has committed an act of fraud. A person may use the name and address of another individual to gain credit with no intention of repaying the money.
The information collated at the time the credit was taken out will be input into the Credit Reference Agencies in the usual way, however, it of course is not correct. When the creditor attempts to recover the amount, they will use the services of the Credit Reference Agencies and contact will be made via their address link service".
Credit Services Association - Consumer Advice
"No. A property is not blacklisted. The individual taking out the credit will have data attached to their personal credit file if they default on their credit agreement. However, if this is due to fraudulent activity, you will need to check your own credit file to make sure that any associated links are removed. To do this, please contact the Credit Reference Agencies".
Credit Services Association - Consumer Advice
"The chances are that the individual in question is being searched for by a number of different companies. These companies will be using the same tracing tools as the agency that you have notified, but if there is a delay in updating records,
further correspondence could be sent. Whilst it is appreciated that making contact with the various agencies is frustrating, it is essential in ensuring that all records are updated. This will lead to your address being removed and will prevent any
future correspondence.
There may also be a 'link' attached to your address with the Credit Reference Agencies. These 'links' could have resulted from fraudulent activity, or a link between a previous address you may have resided in and that of the trace subject.
The Government recommends that you view your credit file regularly in order to ensure that all of the information on there is accurate and up to date. By checking your credit file you will be able to see if there have been any wrong links attached to you and have them removed. This will also prevent any future contact by debt collection agencies."
Credit Services Association - Consumer Advice
If you feel that you have been subject to a mis-trace, then please contact one of our customer advisors on 0845 0700116 in the first instance and we will carry out a further investigation to establish whether the information that we hold on you is correct.
In addition you can also raise your concerns with one of the following organisations:
Credit Services Association (CSA)
Visit the CSA website at www.csaconsumers-uk.com and download a Complaint Form. Alternatively you can call 0191 2865656 or write to
Credit Services Association
Wingrove House, Ponteland Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE5 3AJ
Information Commissioners Office (ICO)
The ICO oversee the Data Protection Act 1998 and will be able to investigate a complaint relating to your personal data. You can contact the ICO on 08456 306060 or write to:
The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane
Wilmslow, Cheshire
SK9 5AF
If you have been contacted several times from different collection agencies regarding outstanding debts, then this means that there may be an incorrect link in the system. All debt collection agencies use credit reference agencies if they need to trace customers. Therefore we would suggest that you contact one of these agencies to check the information that they are holding on you.
Cabot Financial (Europe) Limited has a reputation for providing excellent customer service and it’s a reputation that we work hard to maintain. But we also recognise that sometimes things can go wrong. In the event that we have made a mistake, or we could have done something better, we will do our best to put this right for you.
How to complain:
-
By telephone - 0845 026 0463 (09.00-17.00 Mon-Fri)
-
By letter - Customer Assurance, Cabot Financial (Europe) Limited, PO Box 241, West Malling, Kent ME19 4NA
-
By email - customerassurance@cabotfinancial.com
Cabot Financial (Europe) Limited has a reputation
How the complaint process works:
-
If any issues arise in the course of your dealings with us, please talk to us and let us know what your concerns are. It is highly likely that the situation can be resolved quickly by a Team Leader or Manager, therefore please speak to them early on so that any issues can be dealt with as soon as possible.
-
If we are unable to resolve your concerns in the first instance, then the matter will be referred to the Customer Assurance department, who will contact you promptly in writing to acknowledge receipt of your complaint. If you have any documentation that could assist us with our enquiries, please forward this as soon as possible, so that we can resolve your complaint more quickly.
-
We will attempt, by week 4, to conclude our investigation and send you our final response. If we are unable to do so, for example if we are awaiting information, then we will send you a letter updating you with our progress. In any case, we will send you our final response by week 8.
for providing excellent customer service and it’sFor further information, please download our 'Resolving your complaint' leaflet
a reputation we work hard to maintain. But we
also recognise that sometimes things can go
wrong. In the event we have made a mistake,
or we could have done something better, we will
do our best to put this right for you.
If, after a final response from Cabot, you do not feel that your complaint has been dealt with satisfactorily, then you may contact the following organisations:
Credit Services Association (CSA)
This is an industry trade body which operates a Code of Practice. Cabot is a member of the CSA and is required to abide by the CSA's Code of Practice. You can contact the CSA in relation to your complaint by writing to them at:
Credit Services Association
Wingrove House
2nd Floor
Ponteland Road
Newcastle Upon Tyne NE5 3AJ
Telephone: 0191 286 5656
Financial Ombudsman Service
Financial Ombudsman Service
This is an independent and impartial dispute resolution organisation. Please note that the Financial Ombudsman Service will only consider your complaint if you have tried to resolve it with us first. You can contact them by writing to:
Financial Ombudsman Service
South Quay Plaza
183 Marsh Wall
London E14 9SR
Telephone: 0300 1239 123
