not sure ive done the right thing

tigerfeet2006

I am sorry I don't normally swear but I have to " For f@$%s sake please, please, please do not go with those sharks. PLEASE!!! You have had solid advice from experianced peiople please take it. As CCCS are incredibly busy at the moment ring National Debt helpline the other debt charity and they will be able to talk to you now. They are open till 9pm tonight.(details in my signature)

Do your self a favour and take the advice offered..

cantcope

Well done on getting to the meeting last night. I hope it helped a little, give it a few weeks and it will start to make better sense.

I never went on a DMP but from what i've read on these boards i would echo a million times do not use FH!!!
I know you say its an emergency but 3 weeks isnt really that long. Nothing is going to change in 3 weeks. They CANNOT stop anyone calling you, even when you request that it can still sometimes take a while for the calls to stop. Unfortunately, they aren't God.

This is a long road now, nothing will change overnight so its worth waiting and investing the time into doing it properly and the best way for you and your family. If you are paying a fee to FH it will take a lot longer in the long term to clear your debt. When you eventually tell your wife, would she rather you were paying a fee as well? Or would she rather your debt be paid off quicker?

If you get up an SOA, you may not even need to go this route if you have enough surplus cash. You always found extra money for gambling right?

Again, well done on the meeting last night. To me, selfishly, thats more important to me/you than your debt as i know until you get that under control the debt will never be sorted regardless of whether you get a DMP.

Buffythedebtslayer

Ok, I know everyone is saying the same thing here and FH seem really great and the CCCS seem miles away from helping you but they are free and they are good.

Also people often come on here asking how to get out of such agreements when they discover the company aren't actually paying the debts at the rate they said they would. the agreements are very cleverly worded these companies want to make money out of you, they are in business they want profit - ie your wages in their bank account.

The CCCS are a charity, set up to help people in difficulty they aren't a profit making organisation.

If you read around the board and do a quick internet search on your company it might help you make your descision.

xx

rustybucket

Ok, you have tried CCCS. If there is a 3 week wait, give payplan a call.

Website is https://www.payplan.co.uk

They again are a charity like CCCS and they have the same clout as CCCS. All the money you pay to them goes towards paying your debt off.

You have got to this stage, holding on another month is not going to make much difference.

You WILL get telephone calls. You WILL get letters. You will find this hard to keep from your other half. I tried and it didn't work so I told her. Of course she hit the roof but she has been very supportive.

GA should be your priority I think, the debt situation while initially will be VERY bumpy will settle down.

Good luck.

By the was someone said that your credit history will be affected 6 years after your DMP finishes, I believe it is in fact 6 years after you default.

Hang in there. The debt bit will get better, I hope the gambling does as well.

mumoftwins

Or try www.capuk.org - they are a debt charity too who came 3rd in Martin's charity poll recently and have been awarded money from MSE towards the good work they do.

They don't charge either.

Pobby

If you are looking for more help and support for your gambling problems I am posting 3 very good sites that you might find helpful

http://www.gamcare.org.uk/

http://www.sfcghub.com/

http://www.gamblingtherapy.org/

Good luck with it all.

GeorgeUK

I hate to say it riquelme, but the easiest option is not always the best option. There are template letter available on the board if you want to look at them to see what to send your creditors - also available on the national debtline website.

today i intend to
1. open a new bank account and to redirect my salary to the new bank account
2. change my standing orders that i intend to carry on paying (union, payment to the family joint account, car insurance etc)

ok, i can do all this without making a decision as to who i would like to go with - cccs or FH,

AM I OK SO FAR?

Ok so far.

1. ring cccs and ask if they could fit me in sooner as this is an emergency.
2. wait 3 weeks for the interview with cccs (this will give me time to get all my details together) - however if i do this i will default on a loan and have a £3600 overdraft accumilating interest - SO WHAT STEPS DO I TAKE HERE?

You can write to the bank informing them that you are having financial difficulties and will not be able to meet your payments. Make a token payment of £1 and inform them that you will be sending them a breakdown of your income, expenditure and debts as soon as you have had your meeting with CCCS. (CCCS is funded by the financial institutions so are aware of what will happen)

3. i can write to credit card companies asking them to delete my contact number and not to ring me (this will kep it away from my wife for a while until i feel i have things in order and happy with GA, i do intend to tell her what a flippng idiot ive been)

I would also remove your phone number from any online banking site you use.

4. i can complete application form with FH and let them deal with things - at the moment to be honest his looks the most attractive because im entering unknown scary territory and if it all goes belly up then it makes telling my wife all the more difficult and the outcome could be the worst possible for me - no wife, no kids , no home, i cant face this

It depends on your definition of belly up. I would say it has already gone belly up and you are now correcting the problem. I can understand that you must be terrified about what will happen. Losing the money is bad enough but not knowing your wife's reaction must be driving you crazy - even if you're pretty sure what her reaction would be.

One thing i will say though. If FH mention an IVA be EXTREMELY careful. Some companies try to give the impression they are the answer to your prayers but they are 1 step away from bankruptcy. Take advice from one of the free debt charities before even thinking about this. These companies usually get about £5k for each one they set up (i bet they wouldn't tell you that) and they are not suited for everyone. Losing your home could be a very real possibility. Just look at the bankruptcy board to see what i mean.

riquelme

ok, once again many thanks to you all, if i could buy you a drink i would. xx

so ive made my mind up and am definately going with cccs

3 weeks will give me time to find out what i owe and do it properly.

today - set up new account, transfer essential direct debits, contact payroll to give details of new account.

i understand i need to contact my bank, tesco loans and credit cards offering them xx amount (can someone direct me to a letter template for this please)

2 concerns -
1. can i expect further interest to be accrued, is there any way of stopping this by writing?

2. am i now seen as a defaulter? even though i am offering to xx amount.

LilacPixie

Have a google for national debt line. all the template letters are there. You could also give them a call for advice. I have found them to be fantastic.

There is a letter requesting they stop interest and charges but it may not happen. Some companies default you because you are paying less than the agreed contractual payment others don't its all a variation i'm afraid.

LilacPixie

national debt line

save you googling