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Sued by Barclay for Debt Collection – How to Resolve Debt

George Simons | January 16, 2025

Fact-checked by Patrick Austin, J.D.

Patrick Austin
Attorney from George Mason
Patrick Austin, JD

Patrick Austin is a licensed attorney with a background in data privacy and information security law. Patrick received his law degree at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief for the National Security Law Journal.

George Simons
Co-Founder of SoloSuit
George Simons, JD/MBA

George Simons is the co-founder and CEO of SoloSuit. He has helped Americans protect over $1 billion from predatory debt lawsuits. George graduated from BYU Law school in 2020 with a JD-MBA. In his spare time, George likes to cook, because he likes to eat.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Hannah Locklear
Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: Act fast if Barclay sues you—respond to avoid default judgment. Negotiate a settlement or use tools like SoloSettle to resolve debt and protect your rights.

If Barclay sues you, you need to act on it quickly. There are proactive steps you can take to respond to the debt collection notice and possibly negotiate a settlement without having to endure the anxiety-inducing litigation process.

Settle debt with Barclay

You can negotiate debt settlement at any stage of the collections process. SoloSettle makes it easy.

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What is Barclay?

Barclaycard, owned by Barclays, is a credit card and payment service provider based in London, U.K. It was founded as a charge card in 1966; it became the U.K.'s first available credit card the following year.

Who does Barclay collect for?

Barclaycard collects for its credit card service provider. This means they will contact someone who has a past due balance on a Barclay-branded credit card or other financial account.

Read Barclay reviews online

If you are curious to learn what consumers have said about their experience with Barclay on a debt collection matter, then take a moment to read these reviews:

Despite Barclay online reviews being pretty mixed, this should not deter you from taking steps to engage with them in an effort to resolve the debt collection matter. Many debt collectors, including those affiliated with Barclay, are open to working with individuals to resolve their concerns and get their debt paid in a manner that works for them, based on their current financial situation. Proactive communication is the key.

If calling a debt collector to negotiate doesn’t sound like your idea of fun, try using SoloSettle to negotiate online and resolve your debt through the digital settlement platform.

Use SoloSuit to respond to a debt collection lawsuit in 15 minutes.

What to do if Barclay has sued you

Respond to the lawsuit promptly

Regardless of if the debt is yours or not, you will need to respond to the debt collection lawsuit. Do not admit fault, but respond to avoid a default judgment. Suppose the debt collector obtains a default judgment. In that case, they can garnish your wages, put liens on your property, or even take money from your accounts directly.

If you disagree with anything said in the debt collection lawsuit, you will file a response to the lawsuit and contest it. You can even ask the court to submit the lawsuit. In this case, you must bring documentation to show the following:

  • Who the creditor is
  • If the debt has been paid
  • If the amount is accurate
  • If the debt is past the statute of limitations

You can bring evidence if you feel your rights have been violated. Violations of the FDCPA are not tolerated and include the following:

  • Contacting a consumer at odd hours (outside the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.)
  • Harassment using profanity or threatening harm.
  • They are threatening to take your property without the legal right to do so.
  • They are contacting you once you are working with a lawyer.
  • Make fraudulent claims, such as misrepresenting who they are or saying you owe something different than what you do.

Don't let debt collectors intimidate you. Respond with SoloSuit to block a default judgment.

Challenge the lawsuit

Because debt collectors are third-party agencies hired by the original creditor, they usually have purchased your debt for pennies on the dollar. This means that you have the opportunity to challenge the lawsuit and see if they can prove it is yours. Reasons to challenge a case include:

  • The wrong person being sued
  • You already paid the debt.
  • The debt amount is wrong.
  • The statute of limitations has passed.

Accept the judgment

In some cases, you may wish to accept the judgment and end the collection suit. There are various reasons why you may or may not take a debt collection lawsuit. You may take the decision but also want to settle out of court, or you may be considered "judgment proof." This means that you have limited wages, so you will not have your wages garnished. If your debt ends up being unmanageable, you can eventually file for bankruptcy as a last result.

When to hire a lawyer

If you have accepted a judgment, you may decide to hire a lawyer. In this case, you may be able to obtain a free consultation to discuss your options. If you choose to speak with a lawyer, make sure that it is a licensed debt collection lawyer. This is important because they specialize in debt defense and can give you good advice.

Some debt collection lawyers will take your case for a low or contingent fee if you do not want to hire a lawyer because you think it is too expensive. Otherwise, you can try to fight it on your own.

Use Solo to respond to debt collectors fast.

Negotiate a settlement if possible

If you owe the debt, then you can try to negotiate a settlement. This can allow you to resolve your debt without having to go through the stress and frustration of the litigation process. This means negotiating a settlement can help you avoid going to court.

If you decide to settle, one tactic is to state that you plan to file for bankruptcy. Even if you do not intend to, it may push the creditor along and help you negotiate a settlement. This is because they know that they lose all chance of getting paid if you file for bankruptcy.

The debt settlement process can be as simple as following these steps:

  1. Respond to any pending debt collection lawsuit filed by Barclay.
  2. Determine what you can reasonably afford to pay based on the amount you owe.
  3. Send a settlement offer to Barclay. You can call them, send an email, or write a letter. Phone calls are usually most reliable, but try to document your communications with Barclay.
  4. Be prepared for a counter-offer and to engage in multiple rounds of negotiations.
  5. If you can negotiate a settlement agreement, get the settlement terms in writing.

To learn more about debt settlement negotiation, check out this video explaining how you can negotiate a debt settlement on your own, with tips directly from a debt lawyer:

SoloSettle makes it easy to start the debt settlement negotiation process. Keep in mind that many debt collection agencies are willing to settle for less than the original amount, because often they purchase the debt for pennies on the dollar.

Other options to look into:

  • Exempt Status: Depending on the state and how much you owe, you can be exempt from wage garnishment if you have limited wages or assets. This means that you are judgment proof.
  • Filing for bankruptcy: If you are in a bad situation financially, filing for bankruptcy may be an option. If you file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, then Barclay will forgive all your debts. If you file a Chapter 13, then you can usually negotiate a lower amount to pay.

Regardless of what your decision might be, whatever you choose may follow you for the rest of your life. Be sure to weigh your options carefully and make the decision that is right for your situation.

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