When you’re in debt, the last thing you want to do is have to deal with a debt collection firm. Among the many that operate in the UK is Advantis Credit (also known as Advantis Debt Collection), and if you’re reading this page you may already have heard from them.
If you need to find out more about them, 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 Advantis Debt Collectors?
They describe themselves as a ‘leading UK Debt Collection Agency’ that trades under the name of Advantis Credit Limited. The firm dates back to 2004 and is based in Stoke on Trent, England.
Why am I being contacted by Advantis Debt Collection?
If you’ve received communications from Advantis Debt Collectors, it’s likely that you may be responsible for an outstanding debt. It could be that this was with a different company, as they become involved to collect debt on behalf of other firms.
Are Advantis Credit legitimate?
Advantis is a legitimate company (operating under UK Company Number 5223252). They act on behalf of other companies to collect outstanding debts, and are a member of the Credit Services Association.
Advantis Credit 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 705478.
What debts do Advantis collect?
They collect a wide variety of debts, ranging from self-assessment tax arrears and tax credit overpayments through to outstanding debts owed to utilities companies.
Who does Advantis collect for?
Advantis collects outstanding debts for a range of companies and organisations, including:
- HMRC
- British Gas
- Swinton Insurance
- Vodafone
- Next
How to deal with Advantis Debt Collectors?
The best course of action for dealing with Advantis Debt Collection 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 Advantis Debt Collectors 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 Advantis in the first instance
How to check if you actually owe money to Advantis Debt Collectors?
Whether you dispute a debt or not, you may wish to establish that you actually owe the money that Advantis are trying to collect. When asked, they should be able to confirm your total debt figure and name the company that they are collecting the debt on behalf of.
Any information provided 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 Advantis take you to court?
Advantis Credit Limited could take you to court to make a claim for any money you owe. In many cases, any court action would involve the company that you actually owe money to seeking out a County Court Judgment against you. This is more likely to happen if you refuse to engage with them when they request payment of your outstanding debt, or where you simply ignore their communications.
Generally speaking, 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, ignoring the problem simply doesn’t cut it.
Will Advantis come to my house?
If you do not respond to the attempts to contact, they could send a debt collector to your house. There are important differences between debt collectors and bailiffs, which we discuss later in this article.
Do you have to let debt collectors from Advantis Debt Collection in?
You do not have to let debt collectors from Advantis Debt Collectors 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 Advantis send bailiffs?
Advantis cannot send court bailiffs, but they may send debt collectors.
These are not bailiffs, and they have far fewer 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 court ordered monthly instalments. That’s not to say that your unpaid debt will never escalate to the point where court bailiffs attend your address, but they cannot send bailiffs of their own accord.
Do Advantis buy debts?
Advantis state on their website that they do not purchase debts from other companies. Instead, they provide debt collection services to other organisations and companies including British Gas and HMRC.
Can I stop Advantis Debt Collectors from contacting me?
You can’t stop Advantis from contacting you altogether unless you engage with a formal debt solution. Despite this, you are within your rights to express contact preferences to Advantis, for example having all communications in writing rather than receiving phone calls.
There are certain debt solutions such as a Debt Relief Order (DRO) or an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) that 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 Advantis then they may provide a lifeline.
How to write off my debt with Advantis Debt Collection?
Advantis aren’t likely to just write your debt off, and in any case, this would probably require the agreement of the organisation you owe money to. Despite this, 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.
The company is also known to set up payment plans with debtors who cannot afford to pay what they owe in one go. For more information about their payment plan, the company recommends contacting their team on 01782 401100.
Generally, it is only possible to write off debt via a formal insolvency solution.
How to contact Advantis Credit?
Effective communication is essential when you’re dealing with debt. For customer enquiries, use any of the details below to get in touch with Advantis.
Full Company Name: Advantis Credit Ltd
Phone number: 01782 971 346
Email address: [email protected]
Website: www.advantiscredit.co.uk
Head office address:
Advantis Credit Ltd
Minton Hollins Building
Shelton Old Road
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
ST4 7RY
Reviews
There are many sites hosting reviews of Advantis Debt Collectors , but one of the most established is Trustpilot. Here they have a 2.1 star rating (at the time of writing this was generated from 27 reviews). This is a reasonably low rating, and they receive criticism from reviewers for their “unacceptable behaviour” in their approach to debtors, although others are full of praise and “happy with the customer service given”.
How to complain?
There are various ways to go about making a complaint about Advantis Debt Collectors, and the method you choose will depend on the issues involved.
To complain directly, you can call 01782 401100 between the hours of 8am – 7pm Monday to Friday or 8.30am-1pm Saturday. You can also email a complaint to [email protected], or contact their complaints department via post at Advantis Credit Ltd – Complaints Department, Minton Hollins Building, Shelton Old Road , Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 7RY.
As Advantis is a member of the Credit Services Association (CSA), complaining customers can request that the CSA act as a mediator for their complaint. They can be contacted via telephone (01912 17 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 deal 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 the company 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.
Bottom Line
Advantis are one of the many debt collection companies operating in the UK, and you may come across them if you owe money to HMRC or a major company. Whilst they might have some negative reviews on Trustpilot, Advantis don’t seem to be acting out of line with industry standards.
If you have been contacted by Advantis Debt Collectors, you don’t need to panic. With the information contained in this guide, you should have a better understanding of the company and can make more informed decisions about your position.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Advantis Credit Limited?
It is the registered company name of Advantis Debt Collectors. The firm is registered with Companies House under company number: 5223252.
Does HMRC use Advantis Debt Collectors?
Yes – HMRC use a number of private debt collection agencies including Advantis. For a complete list of the debt collectors used by HMRC, visit their website.
Who owns Advantis Credit?
It is owned and operated by Advantis Credit Limited – a company registered in England and Wales under company number: 5223252.
Do Advantis accept credit card payments?
Advantis do accept payments made via credit card – including Visa, MasterCard and Maestro. Keep in mind, however, that paying with a credit card may see you incur interest and charges from your card provider, making the debt more expensive altogether.
Can Advantis take my car?
They cannot immobilise your car or take it in full or part payment of a debt unless that debt is secured over the vehicle unless they have your consent.
Can Advantis sell my home?
In theory, Advantis Debt Collectors could sell your home, though this isn’t likely. To do this, they would need to take you to court to seek a County Court Judgement against you, unless the money you owe relates to a debt secured against your property such as a mortgage. Even with a CCJ against you, they would need to seek a charging order for your home to be sold.
How long can Advantis 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, creditors 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 Advantis may continue to chase you for the outstanding figure and perhaps even seek a County Court Judgment (CCJ) against you.
How are bailiffs different from debt collectors?
The differences between bailiffs (also commonly known as enforcement agents) and debt collectors are stark. Despite this, people often struggle to understand that these two officials hold quite distinct positions even though they both ultimately aim to collect outstanding debts.
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 often tasked with 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 goods that can be sold to cover your outstanding debt.
Debt collectors (also known as doorstep collectors and field agents) cannot enter your property unless you invite them to do so. They don’t have the power to remove goods from your property, and the most that they can do is ask you to pay what you owe or enter into a payment arrangement.
Can Advantis issue a warrant?
No, they cannot issue a warrant, however a court may do so if a CCJ has been granted against you.
Can I ignore Advantis Debt Collection?
You could choose to ignore them, but this could prompt them to escalate the matter. Their interest is in recovering what you owe, and they could send 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 these tactics don’t work, Advantis could take the matter to court to seek a County Court Judgment (CCJ). If this is granted, you will be required to pay up and failing to do so could lead to a visit from the court bailiffs.
Can you ignore a CCJ letter from Advantis?
If Advantis Debt Collection 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 Advantis 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 are still operating, but they do ask debtors to contact them if they have been directly affected by COVID-19 in a way that is impacting on their ability to maintain payments.
Ultimately Advantis can still pursue unpaid debts during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they may be more willing to consider individual circumstances and to work with debtors who are struggling to make ends meet.
What if I can’t afford to pay?
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 Advantis, 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:
- www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk
- www.stepchange.org
- www.nationaldebtline.org