Money troubles can be very frustrating, but they’re often made much more stressful when a debt collection firm becomes involved. One of the UK’s largest firms is Moorcroft Debt Recovery, who you may have already heard from if you’re struggling to pay off what you owe.
If you need to find out more about Moorcroft Debt Recovery, or if they’re seeking to recover an unpaid debt from you, keep reading as we take a look at the company and its practices.
Who are Moorcroft Debt Recovery?
Moorcroft Debt Recovery is a debt collection firm that falls under the banner of the wider Moorcroft Group. The firm is based in Stockport, England.
Why am I being contacted by Moorcroft Debt Recovery?
If you’ve received communications from Moorcroft Debt Recovery, it’s likely that you may be responsible for an outstanding debt. It could be that this was with a different company, but Moorcroft usually becomes involved either to collect debt on behalf of other firms or where they have purchased outstanding debts to recover for themselves.
Is Moorcroft Debt Recovery legitimate?
Moorcroft Debt Recovery Limited is a legitimate company (operating under UK Company Number 01703704) and has adopted the principles of the Lending Standards Board along with the Credit Services Association’s code of practice. This means that they are required to follow various rules and regulations that are intended to protect debtors from unreasonable behaviour – such as demanding payment without allowing the individual concerned to take time to consider their position.
Are Moorcroft Debt Recovery regulated by the FCA?
Moorcroft Debt Recovery Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). They can be found on the FCA’s register at the following link, under reference number 714738.
What debts does Moorcroft collect?
Moorcroft Debt Recovery collects a wide variety of debts, ranging from council tax arrears through to outstanding credit card balances and even debts arising from utility payments.
Who does Moorcroft Debt Recovery collect for?
Moorcroft Debt Recovery collects outstanding debts for a range of companies and organisations, including:
- HMRC (for self-assessment debts and tax credit overpayments)
- Virgin Media
- O2
- United Utilities
- nPower
How to deal with Moorcroft Debt Recovery?
The best course of action for dealing with Moorcroft Debt Recovery will depend on your own unique set of circumstances – such as whether you can afford to pay what you owe, or if you dispute the fact that you owe the debt at all.
Generally speaking, there are several courses of action that you could choose to take depending on your specific circumstances. These might include for eg: paying Moorcroft Debt Recovery in full, making a part payment, agreeing to a payment plan, seeking to write off your debt by using an insolvency solution or alternatively disputing the fact that you owe money to Moorcroft in the first instance.
How to check if you actually owe money to Moorcroft Debt Recovery
Whether you dispute a debt or not, you may wish to establish that you actually owe money to Moorcroft Debt Recovery before deciding to pay up. When asked, they should be able to confirm your total debt figure, that they have purchased your debt, or that they are collecting the debt on behalf of another organisation.
Any information provided by Moorcroft can then be double-checked against your own personal records to make certain that all information is correct and that you owe the amount they are chasing.
Can Moorcroft take you to court?
Moorcroft Debt Recovery could take you to court to seek a County Court Judgment against you. This is more likely to happen if you refuse to engage with them when they seek payment of your outstanding debt.
As a rule of thumb, companies, lenders and debt collectors are more likely to work with debtors if they communicate clearly and are keen to find a solution to their problems. When it comes to debt, it’s an unfortunate truth that ignoring the problem will not make it go away.
Will Moorcroft come to my house?
If you do not respond to Moorcroft Debt Recovery’s attempts to contact you, they may send a debt collector to your house.
Do you have to let debt collectors from Moorcroft Debt Recovery in?
You do not have to let debt collectors from Moorcroft Debt Recovery into your property, however you may invite them in out of choice. If you refuse to grant them entry to the property, they cannot force their way in.
Can Moorcroft send bailiffs?
Moorcroft cannot send court bailiffs, but they may send debt collectors. These are not bailiffs, and they have very limited powers in comparison. In most cases, Bailiffs will only be sent to your home to enforce a County Court Judgment (CCJ) where either you have not paid what you owe, or where you have failed to keep up with monthly instalments agreed at court. That’s not to say that your unpaid debt will never escalate to the point where court bailiffs attend your address, but Moorcroft do not have the power to send bailiffs of their own accord.
For more information, see our explanation of the difference between bailiffs and debt collectors in the FAQ section below.
Do Moorcroft buy debts?
Moorcroft Debt Recovery are known to purchase outstanding debt from companies that have been unable to collect what they are owed. In such cases, Moorcroft will purchase debt at a reduced rate before seeking repayment of the full amount owed.
Can I stop Moorcroft Debt Recovery from contacting me?
It won’t be possible to stop Moorcroft from contacting you altogether without the help of a formal debt solution. That being said, you are within your rights to express contact preferences to Moorcroft, for instance having all communications in writing rather than receiving phone calls.
As mentioned, certain debt solutions such as a Debt Relief Order (DRO) or an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) will prohibit your creditors from contacting you to chase for repayment of outstanding debts. These are serious solutions for serious problems, but if you really can’t pay Moorcroft then they may provide a lifeline.
How to write off my debt with Moorcroft Debt Recovery
Moorcroft Debt Recovery are unlikely to simply write off a debt, however they may consider any full and final settlement figures that are put to them even if they are less than the total figure owed. If a full and final settlement offer is accepted, debtors may wish to request written confirmation that no further action will be taken against them prior to making the payment.
Generally, it is only possible to write off debt via a formal insolvency solution.
How to contact Moorcroft?
It always helps to have all the necessary details available when dealing with debt. Moorcroft Debt Recovery can be contacted via telephone, with their call centre open Monday through to Thursday between 7:15 am – 9 pm, Fridays between 7:15 am – 7 pm, and Saturdays between 8:30 am – 4 pm.
Full Company Name: Moorcroft Debt Recovery Limited
Moorcroft Debt Recovery phone number: 0330 123 9765
Moorcroft Debt Recovery website: www.mdrl.co.uk
Moorcroft Debt Recovery reviews
There are many sites hosting reviews of Moorcroft Debt Recovery, but one of the most established is Trustpilot. Here they have a 2 star rating (at the time of writing this was generated from 29 reviews). This is a fairly low rating, and Moorcroft Debt Recovery receive criticism from reviewers for their “unhelpful” approach to debtors, although they do receive praise for their “helpful handling” of some calls.
How to complain about Moorcroft Debt Recovery?
There are various ways to go about making a complaint about Moorcroft Debt Recovery, and which of these you choose will depend on the severity of the issue at hand.
To complain directly to Moorcroft Debt Recovery, you can contact their Customer Helpline on via 0330 123 9765 between 8 am – 6 pm Monday to Friday and 9 am – 2 pm on Saturdays. It is also possible to reach their team by submitting a query via the ‘Contact Us’ page on their website.
As a member of the Credit Services Association (CSA), Moorcroft Debt Recovery also encourage complaining customers to request that the CSA act as a mediator for their complaint. They can be contacted via telephone (0191 21 7 0775) and more information is available on this course of action at https://www.csa-uk.com/.
Finally, if you feel that your complaint has not been dealt with in a satisfactory or fair way, you may wish to refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Not all complaints fall within the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction, but those that do must be brought to their attention within six months of Moorcroft Debt Recovery issuing their own response. The Financial Ombudsman Service can be contacted via telephone (0300 1239 123) or email ([email protected]), and more information is available on their website at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk.
The bottom line on Moorcroft Debt Recovery
Moorcroft Debt Recovery is one of the UK’s largest debt collection companies. Purchasing outstanding debts from a number of other sources and acting on behalf of other companies, they go on to chase the repayment of debts. Despite some fairly negative Trustpilot reviews, Moorcroft’s activities do not seem to be out of line with many other UK debt collection agencies.
If you have been contacted by Moorcroft Debt Recovery, there’s no need to panic and the information outlined in this guide could help you to gain a better understanding of your position.
Moorcroft Debt Recovery – FAQ
What is Moorcroft Debt Recovery Limited?
Moorcroft Debt Recovery Limited is the registered company name of Moorcroft Debt Recovery. The firm is registered with Companies House under company number: 01703704.
Does HMRC use Moorcroft Debt Recovery?
HMRC do use private debt collection agencies to collect debt arising from unpaid tax bills, including Moorcroft. As stated on the HMRC website, Moorcroft may contact you if you owe an outstanding debt to HMRC and in such circumstances payment can be made directly to Moorcroft.
Who owns Moorcroft Debt Recovery Limited?
Moorcroft Debt Recovery is owned by Moorcroft Group Plc – a company registered in England and Wales under company number: 01703704.
Do Moorcroft accept credit card payments?
Moorcroft Debt Recovery do accept payments made via credit card. Caution should be exercised when making debt payments with a credit card, however, as the total figure owed will simply be shifted to the credit card provider and will remain payable.
Can Moorcroft take my car?
Moorcroft’s debt collectors cannot immobilise your car or take it in full or part payment of debt unless that debt is secured over the vehicle unless they have your consent.
Contrastingly a court bailiff could take your vehicle from your home, place of work, or if it’s on a public highway. Court bailiffs can also remove a vehicle from private land but only if their warrant specifies that they can take control of the vehicle from that location.
Can Moorcroft sell my home?
In theory Moorcroft Debt Recovery could sell your home, but this is unlikely. Unless the money you owe relates to a secured debt (such as mortgage over your property), they would need to take you to court – first to seek a County Court Judgment against you and then to seek a charging order to permit them to sell your home.
How long can Moorcroft Debt Recovery legally chase a debt for?
Under the Limitation Act 1980, creditors have six years to chase the majority of unsecured debts – with the period starting from the date of your last payment of acknowledgement of the debt. Once this period has elapsed, Moorcroft Debt Recovery will not be able to take legal action against you to enforce the debt.
This doesn’t mean that you can just wait for this time to elapse, however, as Moorcroft may continue to chase you for the outstanding figure and perhaps even seek a County Court Judgment (CCJ) against you.
What’s the difference between bailiffs and debt collectors?
People often find it difficult to tell bailiffs (also known as enforcement agents) and debt collectors apart. Whilst they have the same goal – to collect an outstanding debt – their roles are in fact quite different.
The main difference to keep in mind is that debt collectors don’t have any legal powers to collect a debt, whilst bailiffs do.
Bailiffs are generally involved in the collection of debts under County Court Judgments (CCJs), council tax arrears, unpaid parking fines, and child maintenance arrears. They have a legal right to attend your property and can remove and sell goods that you own to cover your outstanding debt.
Debt collectors, who are also known as doorstep collectors and field agents, cannot enter your property unless you invite them to do so. They have no powers to remove goods to cover your debt, and the most that they can do is ask you to pay what you owe or enter into a payment arrangement.
What is a CCJ?
A County Court Judgment (CCJ) is a type of court order in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. If a CCJ is made against you, it means that the court has formally decided that you owe money to another person or company.
You will receive all of the information relating to a CCJ via a letter confirming the judgment along with how much you owe and the deadline for doing making payment. A record of a CCJ will remain on your credit file for a period of six years unless the full amount is paid within a month of the order being made. This can have a negative impact on your credit score and can make it difficult to access credit in future.
Can Moorcroft issue a warrant?
Moorcroft Debt Recovery cannot issue a warrant, however a court may do so if a CCJ has been granted against you.
Can I ignore Moorcroft Debt Recovery?
You may choose to ignore Moorcroft Debt Recovery, but it’s likely that they’ll take further action to recover what you owe if you do this. In the first instance they may ramp up attempts to contact you before eventually sending a debt collector to your home. These debt collectors do not have the powers of bailiffs and cannot enter your property unless you choose to allow them in.
If none of these tactics work, Moorcroft may apply to the court for a County Court Judgment (CCJ). If this is granted by the court, you will be required to pay up and failing to do so may lead to a visit from the court bailiffs.
Can you ignore a CCJ letter from Moorcroft Debt Recovery?
If Moorcroft Debt Recovery decide to seek a CCJ against you, they will first issue a ‘letter of claim’ which will set out exactly what you owe and confirm that they intend to commence legal proceedings. In most cases, debtors will have 30 days to respond to a letter of claim and a reply form will often be sent with the letter.
Once legal action has started, debtors can expect to receive documentation directly from the Court. If you fail to act on official CCJ documentation received from the County Court, bailiffs may be instructed to visit your home.
Can Moorcroft recover debts during the coronavirus?
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the way we all live our lives, and many people are struggling to cope financially. Debt collectors and firms such as Moorcroft Debt Recovery are still operating, but they do ask debtors to let them know immediately if there has been a change to their circumstances so that they can “try to assist them as much as [they] possibly can”.
Ultimately Moorcroft Debt Recovery can still pursue unpaid debts during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they may be more willing than usual to work with debtors who are struggling.
What if I can’t afford to pay Moorcroft Debt Recovery?
If you’re struggling to cope with your financial situation, help is on hand. In the event that you’ve received a letter or another communication from Moorcroft Debt Recovery, don’t feel that you have to pay up without taking time to consider your position. The organisations listed below can provide free and impartial advice that could help you to make sense of your situation: