We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.

This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

advice on IVAs please

hello, i have stumbled across this site and forum and feel so relieved, i am suffering in silence with debts amount to £28K from a previous marriage that i stupidly took out in my sole name, i have had dealings with CCCS and minimum payments but found after 5/6 months the creditors were back on my case again and at that stage CCCS were only available between 9 - 4 and i was at work and couldnt phone them to discuss so i took matters in my own hands and cancelled my plan with CCCS and am now making minimum payments directly to my 5 creditors by way of standing order but i just want to die some days i really do, i have no one to talk to about this, am struggling like mad to keep a roof over mine and my lads head (private rent), council tax, utility bills, groceries, his spending money, general cash and 5 creditors to deal with all on my own income, his Dad occasionally sends me something but i cant rely on it and CSA have given up cos he's self employed - am now considering an IVA with my creditors in the hope they wont phone me anymore and will just agree in writing to a fixed amount for the next 5 years or something, does anyone have any advice for me, am presently paying average of £25 per month to each creditor which isnt alot but when on a budget like mine that 5x£25 is alot of money, am sick of going round the supermarket trying to get the very bare necessities, i even look in peoples trolleys at all the goodies and wish i had enough to do that, god i'm so sad, have suffered the trauma of my mum's sudden death this last 12 months, my divorce and separation from husband and on top of all of this horrific financial problems, if it werent for the fact i love my kids so much and my little granddaughter i seriously would just leave this planet i really would, i dont see a way out of it anymore, i'm sick of Barclaycard phoning my work, i hold my breath, my colleagues are getting suspicious, i am trying to whisper to them to call me at home, have even phoned and written saying i will not accept calls at work, and dont get me started on MBNA, i'm wondering what kind of future i have as a 43yr old woman with such debt, having lost my home and ended up in rented and constantly struggling, i truly wish i hadnt brought children into this world i really do cos i'd leave it all today but i know i cant, i have to carry on for my lovely kids and granddaughter but its hardly a subject i can talk to anyone about, its humiliating, my boss is really getting on my nerves she keeps saying to me why have nt you been on holiday this year and why dont you treat yourself to this and that, i dont know where she's coming from, i wont tell her of my financial problems its not her business but i so wish she would get her head from her backside, she earns 3 times my salary and has her husband's income. sorry i so needed to rant and release all that, basically what i'm asking is does anyone have any pros/cons advice, step forwards for me applying for IVAs. many thanks,

Comments

  • nottoolate
    nottoolate Posts: 1,359 Forumite
    I noticed the other day that this site has some info on ivas here http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/pdf-iva-guide.pdf

    maybe you should talk to cccs again as I'm not sure you have enough spare money in your budget foe an iva :confused:

    other people will help, but its quiet on a sat night.
  • CLAPTON
    CLAPTON Posts: 41,865 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    welcome to the site..........

    you need to tell us some more details before we can give you good advice

    you need to post up an SOA ...i.e. income , spending and the full debt details.. there's more detail in the stickie thread but if you have been to CCCS you are probably familiar with the format...

    as first reading an IVA may not be the best solution but post the details and we'll see
  • GeorgeUK
    GeorgeUK Posts: 7,737 Forumite
    Hi Whistler

    As Clapton says, just post up a SOA and we'll see what we can suggest.
    http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=107280

    Don't worry about coming one here to have a moan. This board has a real community feel to it and alot of people can relate to what you're going through. Luckily, we've also got a lot of knowlegable and helpful folk that may be able to suggest what the next step is.

    Keep posting and don't give up. There's always a solution - we just need to find it. Not saying it's going to be easy, but it's there.
    After falling off the gambling wagon (twice): £33,600 (24,000+ 9,600) - Original CC Debt: £7,885.91

    Dad Gift 6k ¦ Savings & Inv Tst: £2,500
    Loan 10k: £0 ¦ Dad 5.5k: £2,270 ¦ LTSB: £0 ¦ RBS: £0 ¦ Virgin £0 ¦ Egg £0

    Total Owed: £2,270 (+6k) 11/08/2011
  • GeorgeUK
    GeorgeUK Posts: 7,737 Forumite
    Thanks to RAS and Fermi for the following letters and details.

    You may also want to search the board and add references about contacting you at work - especially if you work in an openplan office where the calls will not be private. I'm sure i read something about that somewhere.

    Once you have your letter, send it by recorded delivery so that you have proof that the letter was received.

    Hope this is the start of things getting better for you. (((Hugs)))
    Following link will take you to a downloadable pdf version of the Office of Fair Trading Debt Collection guidelines, to which they should all adhere should:

    http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/bus...dit/oft664.pdf (thanks rog2)

    Phone letters from fermi

    Something along the lines of:

    Quote:
    Dear Sir / Madam,

    Re accounts ref

    I am writing to you to inform that I request all communications to me in writing. I do not want any further telephone calls made to me.

    To continue to contact me by telephone after I have requested you not to constitutes harassment. I require all future communications in writing for future Court use. Do not telephone me again – remove any telephone numbers you hold for me from your systems.

    Your telephone calls are in breach of the Office of Fair Trading guidelines. If you continue with them after the receipt of this letter, an official complaint, together with a log recording the times and frequency will be passed both to that office and to Trading Standards, For your information, all telephone calls are taped.

    This type of debt collection method is contrary to the ‘Administration of Justice Act 1970’. In that it is intended to cause alarm and distress to the recipient. Your methods will not be tolerated. A formal complaint to the relevant authorities will be made.

    Take further notice that continued telephone calls after receipt of a request not to call may constitute a criminal offence under Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.

    Communicate in writing and ONLY in writing. Your telephone calls will not be answered.

    HOWEVER, CALLS WILL TRIGGER COMPLAINTS TO THE REGULATORY BODIES.

    I trust I have made myself understood on this matter.

    Yours,

    A list of good contacts to whom you can complain formally if they make a nuisance of themselves.

    Here are pipk62's list of websites for the organisations .

    These addresses are the ones that I have used to find the information that I required, You may want to research pages other than the ones I have linked to, try clicking on the home page if any of these aren't what you wanted.

    Office of Fair Trading, Contact page: http://www.oft.gov.uk/contactus

    The Information Commissioners Office, Complaints page: http://www.ico.gov.uk/complaints.aspx
    (note: I chose to complete and download the .pdf form on Data Protection, which I am also sending to the other offices, with an accompanying letter)

    Trading Standards, Central office homepage: http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/
    -Please note, you can search by inserting the postcode in the top right hand corner, remember to use the postcode of the DCA rather than your own-

    Consumer Credit Association, enquiries page: http://www.ccauk.org/consenquiries.htm

    the Financial Ombudsman Service, Contacts page: http://www.financial-ombudsman.org/contact/index.html

    Members of parliament list, (as provided by RAS): http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/clomps.cfm


    And then if you get any more calls:

    Quote:
    Dear Sir/Madam,

    Ref. 1234567890

    Despite my letters regarding ANY communication from your company, which stated that I require ALL communications in writing, your telephone calls continue.

    This behaviour constitutes harassment; the letters stated quite clearly to you that I require ALL communications in writing for future Court use. Do not telephone me again - remove any telephone numbers you hold for me from your systems.

    Your telephone calls are in breach of the Office of Fair Trading guidelines. If you continue with them after the receipt of this letter an official complaint, together with a log recording the times and frequency of the calls will be passed both to that office and to the Trading Standards office. For your information note that ALL telephone calls are taped.

    This type of debt collection method is contrary to the ‘Administration of Justice Act 1970’ in that it is intended to cause alarm and distress to the recipient. Your methods will not be tolerated. A formal complaint, containing copies of all correspondence including yours, has now been submitted to the relevant authorities. This will be relevant to questions of your fitness to hold a licence under the Consumer Credit Act, whether or not it results in a prosecution.

    Take further note that continued telephone calls after the receipt of a request not to call may constitute a criminal offence under Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.

    Communicate in writing and ONLY in writing, your telephone calls will NOT be answered.

    HOWEVER, CALLS WILL TRIGGER COMPLAINTS TO THE REGULATORY BODIES.

    I trust that I have made myself understood on this matter,

    Yours faithfully,
    There a quite a few other variations on these floating around on the site if you search as well.
    After falling off the gambling wagon (twice): £33,600 (24,000+ 9,600) - Original CC Debt: £7,885.91

    Dad Gift 6k ¦ Savings & Inv Tst: £2,500
    Loan 10k: £0 ¦ Dad 5.5k: £2,270 ¦ LTSB: £0 ¦ RBS: £0 ¦ Virgin £0 ¦ Egg £0

    Total Owed: £2,270 (+6k) 11/08/2011
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 352.1K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.6K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 454.2K Spending & Discounts
  • 245.2K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 600.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 177.5K Life & Family
  • 259K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.7K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.