Myth-busting: Prove It letters

We know that some customers may have come across the term ‘prove It letters’ online before and may be wondering what it means.

To help clear up any confusion and misinformation, we’ve created this simple and helpful guide to go through what a Prove It letter is and isn’t, whether you can send a Prove It letter to Lowell, and how you can work with us start your journey to becoming debt-free with Lowell. 

What is a Prove It letter?

In short, a Prove It letter is a type of letter that you can send to a debt collector after they’ve contacted you about a debt that they say is outstanding.

If you think you’ve already cleared your debt or that the debt mentioned doesn’t belong to you, then you can respond with a Prove It letter asking the firm to provide evidence that the debt belongs to you.

Sometimes you might not recognise a debt because it has been sold by the original company to a debt purchaser or it could even be due to a mistaken address if an old homeowner has forgotten to let their debt collector know that they have moved.

If you’re concerned that you’re being contacted about a debt that you don’t remember, we already have a helpful guide on how to recognise if a debt’s yours.

Can I send a Prove It letter to Lowell?

Although you can send a Prove It letter to Lowell, it’s always best to get in contact with us as soon as possible. You can call us on 0333 556 5552 and our friendly team will take the time to listen and understand. Once we’ve heard from you, we’ll want to work together with you and do everything we can to get to the bottom of your query.

Where does Lowell get my personal details from?

If you do hear from us, this is because we’ve purchased your debt from your original creditor. Once we purchase your debt from another company, the relevant details of the account will be shared with us. This could include your name, date of birth, and address so that we can identify you when we speak to you and make sure that we’re speaking to the right person. 

Your data is protected at every stage - for more information about your data, see our Customer Privacy Notice and, if you want access to your own data, you do have the right to request this.

The first letter that you will receive from us is a ‘Notice of Assignment’ which explains the change from the original company to us. However, we understand that you might be surprised to hear from us if you weren’t aware of any debt in your name, but we’re here to help in any way we can.

If there are any contact details that you want to change such as a change of address, or telephone number, you can change this via our online portal.

I don’t want to send a Prove It letter, can I just ignore letters from Lowell?  

If you’ve been contacted by us, then please don’t ignore it. We'd rather you call us or even receive a Prove It Letter from you and be able to give you more information about your debt so that we can work together.

At Lowell, we completely understand that dealing with debt can be worrying, but we’re here to help with your Lowell debt. We want the best for our customers and to come up with a straightforward and comfortable payment process for you. If you do have any questions or queries, you should get in touch with us.  

If you do ignore letters from Lowell, then you could be at risk of your account being passed on to our solicitors and further legal action. This would mean that additional costs and interest could be added to what you owe, thereby increasing your outstanding balance. Head to our debt guidance hub to find more information about what happens if you ignore a debt company.

Are Prove It letters the same as a ‘hello/goodbye’ letter?

No, these are not the same thing. A ‘hello/goodbye’ letter, otherwise known as a ‘Notice of Assignment’, is the first letter you will receive from us at Lowell introducing ourselves to advise you that we have purchased your outstanding debt. This will also include a goodbye letter from the original company that you took the credit out with. Legally, Lowell has to send you this notice after purchasing your debt.

How we can work together

Once you get back in touch with us, that’s when we can take the next steps to identify whether you are liable for the debt in question. If the debt does belong to you then we’ll work together to come up with a payment plan that is based on your own budget and affordability.

When it comes to setting up a payment plan, we’ll run through our budget calculator tool with you to work out how much you can afford to pay. This is a personalised tool that takes into account all your incomings and outgoings and provides an indication of how much you can afford to pay per month.

You can control your payment plan and get to choose from different payment methods as well as decide how frequently you want to make payments.

What you can do if you need extra support

At Lowell, our main goal is to help our customers to become debt free with Lowell in the easiest way possible. So, if you have any questions or need some extra support then please get in touch to talk to us.

We also know that things might change and if your circumstances are different to when we originally set up your plan then please do let us know. This is so we can find the best solution for you whether that be changing your payment plan or possibly even pausing your payments for a short while until you’re in a more comfortable situation.

If you’re looking for further information on extra support that may be available to help you with your debt, we’ve already written an impartial guide on the different types of debt solutions. The guide includes a lot of information on the different sorts of resources available to you along with where you can get independent advice and help.

Here at Lowell, we want to support you in becoming debt free with Lowell but appreciate that at first, you may be concerned about getting in touch with us. Our customers are our top priority, but if you are wanting more information about us as a legitimate company then you can read our guide on how Lowell are authorised and regulated. You can also visit the Lowell blog or our debt guidance hub for more information about how Lowell works and other helpful financial guides.

Published by Stephanie North-Shaw on 23/01/2023

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