Legal Assistance with Debt Collection and Payment Debts

Questioner

Dear Sir/Madam, This morning I received a bill from a debt collection agency that I do not know. It concerns a bill for a car repair at a garage that I (after checking, I initially thought that I had already paid it) did not pay. This was in January 2012. The garage owner claims to have sent 3 reminders, which never reached us. He could have sent them later, but actually he was completely done with me because I am a defaulter, and he did not feel like talking to me anymore. Of course this remains a game of guesswork, since the bill was never paid I still want to pay it. I called the debt collection agency for more information and got the writer of the letter on the phone immediately. He also answered with his own name and not with the company name, which I found rather strange. I told him who I was, and he immediately started in a hostile tone, I had to pay because the garage owner had sent 3 reminders that were all in the possession of the debt collection agency, so he had enough proof. After this strange phone call I did some googling and it turns out that anyone can simply start a debt collection agency. So I suspect that this collection agency is a guy who does debt collection on the side. Now my questions: - a number of costs are charged on the collection letter: the principal sum of 103.70 euros, extrajudicial costs of 40 euros, information and registration costs of 13.50 and due to late payment I am also liable, based on the General Terms and Conditions, as well as in accordance with the law: Interest of 8.41 euros. This amounts to a total of 165.61 euros. I think this is quite a high amount, I thought that under 250 euros a maximum of 40 euros can be charged. Can the collection agency ask for these costs? - How do I know for sure that this is an existing collection agency, and that these cents are not simply being put into their own wallet as a bonus?

Lawyer

Indeed, a maximum of €40 may be charged as collection costs and no information and registration costs, but interest may be charged. So you have to pay €152.16. The garage company indicates that a collection agency has been called in. They have also sent you a letter and then you have to pay the agency, especially now that you have acknowledged that you paid the bill far too late.

Questioner

Thank you for your quick response!

Questioner

Thank you for your quick response!