Blockbuster 'debt' being pursued by debt collectors

[TheHappyEverAfterFairy]

More a wwyd really. And I know the sum involved is small (for us) but presume other folk are also getting similar messages, probably for more £s.

Husband has had a message today from a debt collection agent acting on behalf of blockbuster (now in administration). They state we owe £1 and that we have been advised of this previously (we haven't).

At first I assumed it was a scam, but googling proves it to be genuine. However, I have no idea whether the money is owed (I know it's only £1 + a charge for paying by card, but if I don't owe it why should I pay). I fired off an email asking for documentary evidence that this debt is real as I have no recollection of it. By auto return I received an email reminding me how I could pay, saying I could request documentary evidence in writing, but if they don't have it the debt would still stand or I could prove the debt has been paid.

Can they do this? Just tell folk they owe money, but provide no evidence about how the debt was accumulated? It just doesn't seem right. If we owe it, we will pay it, but having no knowledge of any such debt surely we shouldn't just pay without any evidence. Are there any guidelines about collection of debts? WWYD? Just pay it?

for the sake of a pound I would either pay it or just ignore it.. I certainly wouldnt waste time firing off emails..

Actually, I wouldn't pay it. I would ask for evidence of when the 'debt' was incurred, and evidence of the previous requests for payment. I would also like that in writing and not via email.

Could you feasibly owe Blockbuster £1?

They owe me money because I'd just paid my monthly fee and they went into administration a day later. I received an email saying if I returned any discs that were out on loan they would refund the fee. I sent them back and they haven't refunded a penny.

Perhaps I should chase them with threatening emails and letters.

Email is legally "in writing" though surely because it can be submitted in court.

DH had a similar problem with a mobile phone company after he had left them and they got taken over by someone else. He asked for a copy bill, which they couldn't provide, but they insisted he owed the money. He refused until they billed him for it.

They didn't. They didn't pursue him. But they did put a black mark on his credit record (despite not being a FSA company) which gave us trouble later when we were changing mortgage deals.

Pay the pound, in pennies taped to a postcard.

Pay the pound, in pennies taped to a postcard.

Love it!

If you pay it then the debt will be registered to you including referencing it on a credit record file, which will come up on automated credit checks (which check if the is a debt rather than an amount) by banks and credit requests, such as store cards. I would ask for it to be waived, if they haven't made you aware of the debt then then can't legally refer you to a credit agency.

It is unlikely to actually prevent you from getting credit but it will be a ball ache going through the process of demonstrating that it isn't a bad debt.

Pigs we really struggled to get the black mark removed. If it had been a proper finance company it would have been easier because there is a proper formal process. As it was, we had a nightmare.

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ask on MSE, it's bound to of come up.