Debt Management Plan Experiences please?

jenevieve

Hi everyone,
Posted for the first time yesterday and got a couple of very helpful replies. Am still in two minds about whether to contact the CCCS for advice. Have read through some of the posts from other people who have gone there and it seems to be a mixed bag of good and bad experiences.
I would be really grateful to hear from anyone who has gone through this who can tell me the process and how they got on.

Thanks very much

Jenevieve

trying_hard

HI Jenevieve, We are with the CCCS and we have had a few problems but they were soon ironed out. I have found them extremly helpful and it is also nice when the creditors ring me asking for money and I say the standard phrase "the CCCS are dealing with it all their number is................" and they say ok and off they go! Once you have spoken to them you will feel much better and more in control they give you a budget to stick to and this can be altered. I have found that it has taken me 5 months to get round the budget, but then if I was good at budgeting then I wouldn't owe so much money!!! Hope this helps you a little. Good Luck

davet_3

Do you have to pay CCCS? Are they a company or a charity?

Tondella

The CCCS are a charity, and do not charge a cent for their debt management plan. Same goes for PayPlan.

jenevieve

At the moment I am managing my debts - in that I have not missed any payments and do not feel that is something that will happen at the moment. Maybe the best option is to concentrate on reducing my outgoings, working out and sticking to a budget and I can get overtime at work occasionally, so I can increase my income.
There are so many helpful tips on this site and even by posting on this forum I have realised that I am not alone in this problem. And in general, the debt free wannabees seem to have a brilliant sense of humour - necessary in this situation I suppose....

Tondella

Hi jenevieve, I would agree with your post above, I have no personal experience of CCCS or PP, however I believe that they only take on cases where payments have been missed. If you can still meet your repayments and are motivated enough to tackle the debt then I would say handle it yourself.

If you feel comfortable with it then why not post a list of your incomings and outgoings. To make sure you cover everything completing Martin's budget spreadsheet helps (as it enables you to budget for weekly, monthly and yearly costs easily). If you are putting down all of your debts then you should try and find out the amount owing, the APR (interest rate it is charged at) and for any fixed rate loans the date on which final payment will be made. Information like this helps money savers suggest better deals or help you to prioritise which debts any overpayments should be made to.

davet_3

Thanks everyone, just spoken to cccs, what a great bunch they are.
Feel a weight lifted off my shoulders and maybe light at the end of the tunnel :-)

trying_hard

The CCCS will help/advise we didn't miss any payments before going to them. but just felt we couldn't keep up with everything any longer.

jenevieve

Thanks trying hard for your advice. Having looked at my outgoings and income, I think that with a lot of discipline and some hard work, I can increase my payments towards my debts. However, I think if the worst comes to the worst, I wouldn't be so scared of ringing the CCCS for help now I have read a lot of the inspiring posts.
Thanks again.

ffs

jenevieve wrote:

At the moment I am managing my debts - in that I have not missed any payments and do not feel that is something that will happen at the moment. Maybe the best option is to concentrate on reducing my outgoings, working out and sticking to a budget and I can get overtime at work occasionally, so I can increase my income.
There are so many helpful tips on this site and even by posting on this forum I have realised that I am not alone in this problem. And in general, the debt free wannabees seem to have a brilliant sense of humour - necessary in this situation I suppose....

I delayed for two years. I'd never missed a payment, therefore I thought I was in control - a huge mistake.

tasha38

erm can anyone please tell me what cccs stands for?

tasha38