Should you miss payments to your catalogue, or don’t make the minimum payments, the catalogue company will ask you to catch up with the arrears.
If you have a debt with a catalogue company, this is a non-priority debt and would be treated the same as other unsecured debts such as credit cards, store cards, loans or overdrafts.
If you can’t pay them the account, it will be closed so you can’t buy any more goods. The account will default and impact your credit score, the debt will most likely be passed onto a debt collection agency and the creditor may take eventually pursue court action against you, including pushing for a decree; a CCJ in Scotland.
Wage arrestments are more commonly used to enforced unpaid council tax in Scotland, but can be known to be used to enforce some unsecured debts too, including catalogue debts.
Lowell Portfolio is an example of a debt collection agency that pursue individuals with catalogue debts on behalf of their clients. Nationwide Debt Recovery is another.
Unlike car finance, where you could negotiate to hand back the car, with catalogue debts - you can't give the items back should you fall behind with payments.
Paying only the minimum monthly payment to a catalogue debt in Scotland might not cover the interest and repayments. This can cause the catalogue debt to build up and become difficult to manage. You're also at risk of your account being a 'persistent debt'.