When you receive a letter relating to money you owe from a debt collection agency, it can be a worrying time, especially if you aren’t sure what it’s for.
If Akinika Debt Recovery has sent you a letter about the money you owe to another lender or provider, you need to know your next best step. If so, you could be asking yourself why? You might also be wondering who you should pay, what your rights are, and why a different company to the one you owe is chasing you for the debt in question.
Here at Talk About Debt, our experts can answer all of your questions and help you deal with any issue that you’re not quite sure about.
Read on for further information about Akinika Debt Recovery, their contact details, and how you should proceed in your situation.
Akinika Debt Recovery contact details:
Company Name: Akinika Debt Recovery Ltd.
Other Names: Akinika Debt Recovery, Akinika, iQor Recovery Services
Address:
PO Box 82
33 Winckley Square
Preston
PR1 3EL
Main Contact Number(s): 01772 557635
Website: www.akinika.co.uk
Email: enquiries@akinika.co.uk
Other phone numbers that they might use to contact you:
01772 557642, 01772 557635 or 01772 221143
Opening hours:
Monday–Thursday: 8am–9pm
Friday: 8am–7pm
Saturday: 8am–2pm
Who is Akinika Debt Recovery?
Akinika is one of the longest-standing and leading debt collection agencies in the UK. Based in Preston, they were founded in 1926. They are also one of the founding members of the Credit Services Association (CSA) and follow their Code of Practice.
They specialise in consumer and commercial debt collection but also work on behalf of various public and private sector clients. These include HM Revenues & Customs, The Department for Work & Pensions and TV Licensing.
They work solely as debt collectors. They do not buy debt accounts from their clients and merely collect what is owed on their behalf.
They are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). They won at the Credit Today Awards as Public Sector DCA of the Year in 2012 and were recognised as a Consumer DCA of the Year finalist in 2013.
Why would they contact you?
The most likely reason that you’ll receive a letter from Akinika Debt Recovery is that you owe one of their clients money and have failed to keep up with your payments.
Your letter will outline the details of the outstanding debt and also invite you to discuss the best way to resolve the amount, specific to your circumstances.
The letter will be followed up with a phone call to establish contact, and also to learn about your financial situation.
If you fail to respond to any of their attempts to contact you, they will proceed with alternative options to recover the money. The standard method is taking legal action.
Do you owe Akinika Debt Recovery money?
The information outlined in the initial contact letter should be enough for you to recognise that the debt is yours and how much you still owe.
If any of the details aren’t correct or don’t add up, you will have to provide proof to correct the errors. If you can prove that the debt isn’t yours to repay or that you’ve already repaid it in full including any fees and charges, it will be removed from your account.
How old is the debt they are collecting?
Your debt could be statute barred, and you might not have to pay it back at all.
A statute barred debt is a consumer debt that is over 6-years-old and conforms to a selection of conditions.
If you think this is the case, it’s important to flag this to the relevant people as soon as possible. Contact Akinika and the credit reference agencies to check the status of the debt.
Should the debt turn out to be active, you will be responsible for making payments. However, the agency should work with you to help you pay it back in an affordable way.
Is Akinika Debt Recovery treating you unfairly?
There are specific guidelines for how debt collection agencies must behave. Set up to protect borrowers from unreasonable treatment, the Financial Conduct Authority will protect you from situations that go against what is considered fair and just.
If any of the following has occurred during your process, or any other action that you feel wasn’t appropriate, you could have a case to file for prosecution:
- Adding excessive charges, interest and fees that add up to more than the original debt
- Contacting you during unsociable hours
- Discussing your debt with work colleagues or family members
- Using force
- Pursuing a statute barred debt
- Attempting to confuse you with industry jargon to pressure you into paying what you can’t afford
- Harassment
Managing your debt
We work with people struggling to repay debt every day. Our main objective is to guide them back into good financial health and offer suggestions in money management to help them stay that way.
You should never have to pay an amount that you can’t afford. Repayment schedules should always be in line with your income and expenditure.
We deal with cases just like yours every day and are fully equipped to get you the best outcome possible. If you need help managing debt or dealing with a debt collection company, contact us today for a free debt health check.
We’re here to help you take control of your budget—to understand the many issues and causes of debt, how to avoid them, and how to resolve problem situations whenever the need arises.
