Newbie seeking advice

gizmo0205

Hello all,

Was wondering if anyone could give me some advice. I have a sum of debt that was accrued 6-7 years ago basically from having loads of credit chucked at me then not being able to repay it, I have 2 CCJs from that point. Total sum is in the area of £7-10k although I was on a debt management plan with B&E in 2005 I had to stop as I just couldn't afford the payments after having to leave work when I had my first child.

I am now a single mum on benefits with 2 children after I seperated from my ex in Jan. I did have a provident loan at that address and for 3 months I was constantly contacting them to update my address details so I could maintain payments but they still kept corresponding to my old address. Eventually they managed to get it into their heads that I had moved and arranged for an agent to collect payments, however she was based in another area and could not be bothered to drive over to collect payments and didnt return my calls. This debt has now been passed to a DCA who say what went on with the company is nothing to do with them and they just want payment. I have offered £5 a month as I do accept the debt is mine but they want a breakdown of my income & expenditure. They are expecting this within 72 hrs.

What I wanted to ask was if there was a template letter I am able to send to them requesting more time and how long as if I am going to start making repayments to them I would also like to request my credit files and get advice from somewhere with regards to sorting out paying all my debts off (will only be small amounts because of my income but I don't want to spend the rest of my life with all this debt hanging over my shoulders and not being able to provide for the children).

If anyone knows if i am able to request an extension to seek advice and can recommend what steps I should take next I would be very grateful - sorry for the long post.

Emma

pink_princess

hi don t do anything without seeking advice i know absolutely nothing about debt but if you bump your post up tomorrow that means add another piost to this thread there are lots of people on here who know what they are talking about.hth

gizmo0205

Thanks for the tip - know it's a bit late now so will bump it back up if no joy.

thepinkladez_2

hello hun,

i suggest first you contact cccs, payplan or national debt line, these are all charity debt advisors who can give you lots of advice and help you address your own specific debt needs. As they are a charity they will take no money from you to help you ( stay well away from companies who will take money in return for help!)
i suggest you also do a soa (statement of affairs) and maybe also check if you are getting all the benefits you are entitled to aswell. Doing both of these will give you a much clearer idea of how much you can afford to throw at your debt. have a look at this page here :

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/debt-help-plan

this should give you lots of info about everything i have mentioned above, plus a lot more!

regarding your letter you want to send have a look here :

http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/debt_advice.php#6

in section 6 sample letters there is a letter you can send that asks you creditors to hold action on your account. This is probably what you want to send to them but have a look at it asnd use your own judgement.

please keep posting.

gizmo0205

Hi,

Thanks very much - that's exactly what I needed. I have ordered my credit files from Experian & Equifax, I just need to get my CallCredit one then I can arrange to sit down with someone and see what steps I need to take next. As I've just moved into my own place with the children I am just waiting for all accounts to be set up so I can see what my outgoings are and then do an accurate SOA.

Hopefully one day I will finally be debt-free and I look forward to coming to this excellent forum for advice on my journey! :j

Emma