Can a debt collector chase a 17 yr old?

[popperdoodles]

I will be calling citizens advice tomorrow but as they are closed now I wondered if anyone knows about this. My son's best friend is being hassled by a sports club for unpaid fees and as he has ignored the problem it has escalated and he now owes over £300. His parents are either ignoring it also or he hasn't told them! I have ofcourse told him to talk to them but I don't think he is getting any help from them. My son is trying to help him sort it out and even offered him some money which I have forbidden him to do because it is not his problem. I would like to be able to offer some help and advice though. You need to be 18 to join the sports club and he lied about his age which wasn't checked and hasn't been paying for ages. Finally he left but with a massive bill which they are now chasing him for. I have suggested firstly he needs to tell them he is under 18. Can they persue him? Is his parents liable for it? Any experience anyone?

Nope, you can't chase an under 18 for debt as they can't enter a contract. It's their fault for not checking id.

However he could be done criminally for fraud I think, which is much more worrisome.

Thank you. He absolutely is in the wrong, lying about his age, not paying and then not taking the situation seriously and sorting it out. I do feel sorry for him though as he didn't really understand the consequences and his parents are just not that interested in what he's up to, or atleast that's the impression I get. He's a nice lad and has been a good mate to ds.

I think once they find out his age they may back off. They will be held liable for not checking.

Not exactly the same situation but I heard of some teenagers who went into a betting shop, lost a load of money and they had it all reimbursed as they were under 18 and ID had not been checked.