my battle with MBNA...

cenobitehell

i already posted this in reply to someone else;s thread from some time ago. but with it being an old thread, nobody viewed it. so i have copied and pasted my text here.

well i am with MBNA and my debt is in the 6k region (possibly more this month due to charges etc.....)

i simply can no way ever ever afford what the minimum payments are! over 300 a month! i am unemployed at the moment and in difficulty getting jobseekers due to my self employment status in my previous line of work (no type 1 NI contributions, but you don't when self employed!)

anyway, thats a separate battle...

MBNA....

i am still trying to freeze interest and charges with them, they just wont seem to budge. they wont let me go on an arranged payment plan cos i am not earning any money and they wont get a guarantee of any cash from me. but surely its better than what they are asking for! which i could never afford!

finally, today, i have got them to agree to accept a lower minimum payment of 70 a month, which i can afford on my savings and when i eventually getemployed i will deffo be able to afford this amount i offered. another thing is though, even though they have accepted this payment- because it is lower than the contracted minimum payment, i get threatening letters and calls all the time.

some people at MBNA are suggesting simply ridiculous solutions to my financial problems. i had one person say i should steal it from a family member! one person even told me to sell an organ! most of them suggest getting a loan from the bank (more debt)

i just dunno where i am heading with it, but im trying to not let it stress me out. this can easily happen and it will take over my life. i don't want that. i have tried again (in writing) to get them to freeze interest and charges, if i get no luck i will suggest they pass it onto a DCA. which would benefit both parties.

i really am not bothered about it affecting my credit rating, after this ordeal i NEVER want credit ever again.

another thing MBNA have been doing, which i am sure is illegal, is contacting my friends and family to get in touch with me. they even reveal my balance to them.

one person who i lived with at my previous address got a TEXT from them asking him to get me to call them on the above number regarding my balance of £......

and my parents have been getting calls too, which isn't on. they get worried enough with their own problems. i really was unhappy that this has been happening. i rang and asked for MBNA to take every other contact detail for me off their system but the girl who i spoke to didn't understand how this happened. but anyway. the worse part is, its not even like i have been avoiding them! i am on the phone to them all the time and when they ring me i have never ignored them! so i dont know why they have been harassing my peers.


anyway. my rant is done now! lol

anyone else have any similar stories and experiences? or even advice on how to get them to freeze interest and charges.. charges for the past two months alone reach over £400! which is rediculous

Any

This is really bad story.. Did you try to contact Citizen Advice Bureau about this? They might be able to advice about whether it is legal for the credit card company to call your family and where to go and complain about this. Also they might be able to advice how to deal with the debt when unemployed or how to get the benefits...

cenobitehell

thanks for the reply! yeah i have taken legal advice over the JSA benefits, i am not entitled to them whatsoever. long story...


but the credit card.....
once i have got the charges and interest sorted, i will write to complain about the family harassment. but i don't want to pursue that right now, i don't want them to get annoyed at me. im trying to get on their good sides remember! lol if i send disgruntled letters about customer service, i dont think i will get thought of seriously over the other side of things.


i was told by a few people that MBNA are a real pain when it comes to trying to freeze interest and charges, the silly thing is. the debt on the card was only initially £3k or something (transferred from a previous card to get the free interest for 12 months) but cos of interest and fees each month being higher than the payments, it just built up a lot! it doubled in less than a year! and once the 12 months ran out the charges to my account went massive!

as i say, they want about £300 a month payment and £200 a month in charges and then the interest on top of that too. its a lot of money to ask even if i was in a good job.

in my letter asking them to accept my offer, i added that at £70 a month - it will be paid off in full within ten years if they charge me no more interest or charges. i also said that I will review my situation every year to see if i can afford an extra £10. i hope they agree... its not unreasonable of me.

Any

I don't know what kind of business you were before you were unemployed, but if you have skills and can work (I mean you are not ill or anything) then have a look at website myhammer.co.uk. I came across it the other day and thought it is good way to find some small jobs for tradesman if they are strucked by the credit crunch and big companies are no longer needing their services... Don't know much about the site though, might be good to maybe find some reviews on the internet.
Surely you must be able to get some benefits? How do you eat?

cenobitehell

unless you have been hired under PAYE circumstances within the past two tax years, and had your employer pay your National insurance type1 one contributions. you are not entitled to JSA benefits. even if you are broke and genuinely looking for work.

sad isn't it?

i was self employed and paying my own tax and type 2 national insurance, which doesn't count. even though i was paying loads, probably even more than most people who aren't self employed, it means nothing when claiming benefits.

don't worry with trying to answer this one, ive fought it till im blue in the face. with citizens advice, inland revenue helplines and my own union (which specializes in this)
its true and there is nothing i can do about it, just have to pray i get a job. luckily i am doing paid work next week.


but back to MBNA, does anyone have any hints or tips on trying to freeze interest and charges?

clio

really cannot say anything as i,m not that well off for good info. but mbna/virgin when they get on your case are worse than the devil. go to the CAB or at least get an appointment m8, they[mbna] won't give your breathing space to think straight, so CAB can talk to them for you.
best of luck