Without going into too much detail,
If you are in dispute with a company that you are paying Direct Debits every month for repayments, do you still have to pay the direct debits while the dispute is in the process of being looked at???
This is a major company and I have put in a complaint about them, But my next instalment which I dont think I should be paying is due in 2 weeks time.
I have heard somewhere that if you are in dispute with a company you dont have to pay while the dispute is going ahead but havnt read it for certain.
Has anyone heard this, know anythig about it, know any websites that give me any information about it??
Lea :)

A Direct Debit is just a payment method and can be broken. But the payment itself is a contract that you will have signed to make payments of a certain amount to the company, breaking this will get you into hot water.  You can get authorisation from them to give a lesser amount until your problem is sorted.  But if you break it without authorisation and the company wish to take it further you could well end up with solicitor and court fees added onto your normal monthly amount if you should loose your case.

Why not make an appointment with your Citizens/Consumers Advice centre they are always in the phone book, to see where you stand legally (not knowing the full extent of your problem) show your original contract and tell them what your problem is and take advice from them, sometimes you can get the wrong advice without everything being read and screened by a proffessional.

Totally agree with Carrington, DO NOT stop making payments, as you are then breaking that contract and they will be able to re-claim or re-possess the goods in question, take care, all the best, Dawn

Both of the above replies are very good advice. 

If you continued to pay while you were in dispute, it would not prejudice the outcome of the complaint.  In the event your complaint succeeded, any payment you had made that was later deemed not to be due would then be refunded, and your payment record (& potentially your CREDIT record) would remain intact.

But, if you stopped payments, and your complaint later failed, you would then be overdue with your payments, in breach of contract, and at risk of a county court judgement and an adverse entry on your credit record.

JP