Unpaid Train Fine

Every day you ignore it could cost you more so ring them now please..

Sehnsucht said:

If the case has gone to court and I haven't shown up, what kind of fine would that be? There's also a littering fine I didn't pay. I feel like such an idiot.

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If it was a fine, then it would be court bailiffs enforcing it - not emails from debt collectors.

However, just for information, fare evasion fines and costs are typically around the £400 mark.

As has been said above, it's not clear that the email from Lowell is necessarily about the penalty fare or consequences from it.

Sehnsucht said:

If the case has gone to court and I haven't shown up, what kind of fine would that be?

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If you miss a court case because you didn't get the information, you can make a "statutory declaration". This means the verdict is set aside so the process can begin again. To ensure the trial is void, the declaration has to be made within 21 days of finding out about the trial - see the notes on the form that can be downloaded here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...edure-rules-new-form-of-statutory-declaration

[If there's a more recent procedure than that, someone may say so on here, but it shows the principle.]

Sehnsucht said:

I searched my email and found a message declining my appeal and saying that I needed to pay or there would possibly be charged/court proceedings.

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How long ago was that? Would you like to upload the correspondence including your appeal, perhaps with other details removed even if you're happy with your name being on here?

There may be two or more issues to deal with, so it would seem wise to find out what's happened with the penalty fare and the littering issue in any case so those can be dealt with rather than have them cause more problems.

What was the date given for you to pay the penalty fare, or take the appeal further?

Rockhopper said:

You need to ring them rather quickly and find out whats going on.

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Do NOT ring them. Always deal with Debt collectors in writing. I know from bitter experience. They will just keep calling you. An email is fine. Ask them what the debt is for, who passed it to them and for them to send you the credit agreement it refers to.

Lowell do deal with mobile phone companies, so if you got behind on a phone contract it could be that. Or it could be identity fraud.

I would suggest going to your local CAB as soon as possible.

The letter is so easy to interpret in a hundred different ways I wonder if Miss Lowell might have thought that a 'personal matter' might actually be something of benefit to her???

Do not telephone Lowell's. Write a letter, stating clearly that you do not acknowledge the alleged debt and asking for documentary proof. Do not sign manually, but use a suitable computer font. Although new here, l don't believe this is a suitable platform to discuss this debt management company, but an internet search will enlighten further.

No mention of Lowell's dealing with railway fines on their corporate website, although there is a section called 'other' so who knows.
https://www.lowell.com/what-we-do/sectors/

As others have said, never ever speak with debt collection agencies over the phone. If they ring you up do not answer the 'data protection' questions they will inevitably ask you. Block their numbers on your phone. Deal with them via post or email only. You need to find out what debt they're after first. You normally can arrange a repayment plan with them, which if you do then pay them by standing order. Remember also that debt collection agencies are not bailiffs and have no power of entry (they sometimes say the will send someone round to collect payment, they have no more power that the milkman at your door). For bailiffs to get involved the case has to have gone to court, and then you've ignored any court fines or CCJ

I've unfortunately had dealings with DCA's so am speaking from experience but have learnt not to worry about them.

Sound advice from Sharpley, and I would add that the first time you receive a notification from an agency you write back to them instructing them to freeze any interest on the debt whilst you are in dispute. If the debt is still with the originator and they have instructed a DCA to act on their behalf then deal with them directly and not the DCA. Write or e-mail (I tend to write and send important letters recorded delivery as e-mails can get deleted) when corresponding with them, and again, if they have requested a DCA to act on their behalf, request that they suspend activities whilst you resolve this with the originator. Only deal with the DCA directly if the debt has been sold on, and then again follow the steps above.

You can make a fair offer to repay interest free via instalments. If they reject the offer then visit your local Citizens Advice, and have them work out a pro-rata payment for all creditors against disposable income, which can often work out a lot less than what you offered in the first place. Like Sharpley, I'm speaking from experience

Having had negative experience with Lowell's, due to a debt belonging to a previous occupier of my home l can offer this thought.

Although by no means written in stone, Lowell's tend to work on old debts. As the events in the OP took place in March, it would perhaps be unusual that the alleged debt has been written off and sold so quickly. Interesting.

Is there any merit in the OP not responding to this email? Now please hear me out here.... We have established that it is most likely not railway related and it is not like they are ignoring any correspondence directly from a Court or organisation they owe a debt to. It is unusual for debt collection agencies to make email contact especially if the OP hasn't given their email address out. I really would not trust a debt collection agency as far as I could throw them.