Can creditors refuse to deal with a third party?

Q I have paid a company to sort out my finances, which so far they have done very well. They have been very efficient and reduced my payments considerably and have made it clear to me that I can continue negotiations with creditors myself at any time if I stop my monthly payment with them - it is good to find an honest company.

I do however have one creditor (Abbey National) that is refusing to deal with this company and saying they will only deal with me.

Is there any legal way to get them to deal with the company I have paid for this service as I want them to act on my behalf?

MH

A The guidelines from the Office of Fair Trading say that creditors can't pick and choose whom they deal with. It could be that there is one individual whom you are dealing with who is unaware of this. Try speaking to a manager in the department or to customer services and explain your position.

Mainstream lenders don't on the whole refuse to deal with third parties. They may write to you and explain that you are paying a fee for a service which you could have organised for free at a local independent money advice centre, but they can't refuse to deal with your debt management company. You should be able to resolve this problem fairly quickly.