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Ask a CCCS counsellor a question
Comments
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Hiya,
Thank you for the advice..... but being a newby.. what is an SOA???
SOA means statement of affairs, is basically another name for a budget. Your SOA would need to detail all your income and expenditure, everything from day to day living costs, travel food etc
If you need any help completing one and if you need any advice on any debts, the CCCS have a free online debt advice facility called Debt Remedy. This link will take you directly to Debt Remedy.I am a Debt Counsellor that works for the CCCS and have specific permission from Martin, to post on these boards to try and help those in debt. Read more information on the CCCS and what it does in the Debt Problems: What to do and where to get help article.
CCCS is a registered charity, and there is no charge whatsoever for any of the services we provide to our clients. We take great pride in offering first class help and advice, but we only offer this where we have been able to fully explore and understand your circumstances with you. We want to help you understand these choices and their possible implications but not make them for you.
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Crisp_£_note wrote: »Hi
I have recently set up some regular payments from my bank account for £1 token payment to some of my creditors as advised by CCCS.
I want to write a letter to the creditors to confirm I have done this as I said I would in a letter to them last month, rather than paying by Postal Order. What do I write?
Some of the bank information about the accounts held with my creditors I have not had details sent to me yet so I cant set up regular payments.
However I have noticed that on most of the giro slips they have sent me have what looks like a sort code and account number on them, would I be safe to set up a regular payment to those details with my credit account number as the 'reference'?
Do you think it is safe to proceed with these numbers and set up regular payments? I am assumung the numbers on the giro slips near my credit account numbers are the numbers relating to the creditors bank details?
Thanks
Hello,
I have answered this on your previous post, let me know if you have any further questions.
SarahI am a Debt Counsellor that works for the CCCS and have specific permission from Martin, to post on these boards to try and help those in debt. Read more information on the CCCS and what it does in the Debt Problems: What to do and where to get help article.
CCCS is a registered charity, and there is no charge whatsoever for any of the services we provide to our clients. We take great pride in offering first class help and advice, but we only offer this where we have been able to fully explore and understand your circumstances with you. We want to help you understand these choices and their possible implications but not make them for you.
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blondie4281 wrote: »Hello there, any advice would be much appreciated.
My brother is 30 and lives with my dad. In the last 12 years, he has built up a lot of debt and is currently in a minimum wage job, resulting in the need for my dad to pay many of his debts each month. Usually my dad pays about £600 -£800 worth of bills for him each month. This is damaging their relationship.
My brother starts a new job late September which will pay more and will nearly cover all his outgoings. Nearly. It will be touch and go, and that is based on only paying his minimum credit card payments. He and I have put together an expenditure sheet and there is nowhere he can cut back any further. This is without paying any rent, or money towards the household bills / food etc - on the assumption my dad will continue not to expect money from him for these things.
My question is - with a loan (£425 a month for another 3 years), £6500 in total on credit cards, and a £1000 overdraft, where can he go from here? The contract for the job he is going into specifies that he must not enter into any agreement with creditors (which I assume covers IVA's), but he can't carry on knowing that he will never be able to move out of home, or have any future. He is on anti-depressants and has talked of suicide through sheer worry. He can't sleep, and is sick through nerves. He feels trapped by his debts. He can't risk losing this new job by going against the terms of his contract.
Thank you for any advice you can offer.
Prior to starting his new job, should he consider token payments to creditors rather than the full lot in order to stop having to go to our dad? It would have a knock on effect on his credit rating I assume, which we don't know at the moment how bad it is....
Hello,
Thank you for your message.
I would recommend that your brother calls for an appointment, then we can help him complete a detailed budget and look at his options. He may also want to look into ways of increasing his income for the moment i.e. overtime or part time job as this will help a little until he starts his new job.
If he would like an appointment, our number is 0800 138 1111.
Sarah
I am a Debt Counsellor that works for the CCCS and have specific permission from Martin, to post on these boards to try and help those in debt. Read more information on the CCCS and what it does in the Debt Problems: What to do and where to get help article.
CCCS is a registered charity, and there is no charge whatsoever for any of the services we provide to our clients. We take great pride in offering first class help and advice, but we only offer this where we have been able to fully explore and understand your circumstances with you. We want to help you understand these choices and their possible implications but not make them for you.
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After much soul searching my husband and I bit the bullet and decided to take control of our finances with a debt management plan through CCCS.We started the process back in May but I have just found out that out of 7 creditors only 2 have replied to CCCS and they both rejected our offer.We are bombarded with phone calls every day - so much so that our phone is unplugged most of the time.I am so disappointed after the effort it took to take this step and I dont know where to go from here.In the last 18 months we have had to battle serious illness,redundancy and unemployment and up until May we managed to keep everything going by living on credit cards in the hope that our income would increase.It all feels absolutely hopeless now.
Hello,
Thank you for your message.
Stick with it, DMP does generally take a couple of months for the creditors to settle down. Even if the creditors say they are not accepting the payments… send them anyway. The creditors can’t have what you have not got.
You might want to use this letter to try and stop the calls, if the creditors continue to make the calls after you have sent the letter, keep a log of dates, times and peoples names then you maybe able to make a complaint.
To whom it may concern
Dear Sir/Madam
I am writing to ask that you no longer contact me by telephone as your calls are causing me considerable stress due to the frequency, and that they are being made at inappropriate times. Please remove my telephone number from your database and send all future communication in writing to my home address.
I have provided the most recent copy of my income and expenditure to make you aware of my current financial situation. I will continue to make my payment of x on the x of every month and will keep you informed of any changes in my circumstances as I am keen to resolve this issue as soon as possible.
I understand that following this request if you continue to call I can contact the Office of Fair Trading to make a formal complaint.
Please confirm in writing that your records have been amended.
Yours sincerelyI am a Debt Counsellor that works for the CCCS and have specific permission from Martin, to post on these boards to try and help those in debt. Read more information on the CCCS and what it does in the Debt Problems: What to do and where to get help article.
CCCS is a registered charity, and there is no charge whatsoever for any of the services we provide to our clients. We take great pride in offering first class help and advice, but we only offer this where we have been able to fully explore and understand your circumstances with you. We want to help you understand these choices and their possible implications but not make them for you.
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CCCS_Sarah wrote: »In your letter you could say something along the lines of ‘as mentioned in my previous correspondence, I have now set up a standing order for £1 pcm. As soon as there is a change in my financial circumstances I will send you an updated financial statement’.
With regards the account numbers of where to send the payments, you would need to double check with your lenders as I would not want to say either way.
CCCS_Sarah
Helo thanks for the reply. I have written the letters and posted them Recorded Delivery. I still haven't heared anything back since my previous letter which included the CCCS Income & Expenditure sheet - should I be concerned?
Re the account numbers I have managed to find them all bar one now. I have the actual account number for Loan with LTSB but no sort code. How would I find this out without calling them up?
with reguards to all letters and Token Payments I have sent to LTSB since May I have not had any response what so ever. Previous to this I havent had contact with them since January and the account has been in arears for some time before that! Where do I stand now? Or more to the point what do I do now?
Thank you for your help and support it is much appreciated.Failure is only someone elses judgement.
Without change there would be no butterflies.
If its important to you, you'll find a way - if not, you'll find an excuse ! ~ Easy to say when you take money out of the equation!
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I have contacted my mobile phone company Orange stating I am in financial dire straits and said I need to cancel my 24 month contract and they said I cannot cancel for another 12 months and they said they will only cancel if I say I will pay the cancellation fees which were £396, which they would bill me. I cannot say yes I will pay this as I was found to have only a very small amount of money left over after my priority debts. I have severe health issues and I have spent over 3 hours on the phone trying to cancel my contract and I am left with the worry of it. I have stopped all direct debits now and only pay my top priority bills. I have been told by the cccs I need to cancel my mobile contract and go pay as you go. I am in a very bad anxiety state tonight. I am gonna get the forms to declare myself bankrupt tomorrow. I do need help to do all this... I do not want to end up in hospital.
cheers D.
If you get billed for the outstanding contract you have with Orange, this would also be included in your bankruptcy, so it would be a case of sorting out a pay as you go phone.
If you are worried about anything or have any other questions, you are more than welcome to call us back and we can talk through it with you.I am a Debt Counsellor that works for the CCCS and have specific permission from Martin, to post on these boards to try and help those in debt. Read more information on the CCCS and what it does in the Debt Problems: What to do and where to get help article.
CCCS is a registered charity, and there is no charge whatsoever for any of the services we provide to our clients. We take great pride in offering first class help and advice, but we only offer this where we have been able to fully explore and understand your circumstances with you. We want to help you understand these choices and their possible implications but not make them for you.
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Hi, i'm new to the website. I received a letter in the post today from Ruthbridge Ltd asking me to contact their customer services officer. I rang the number and they confirmed they were looking for Mr Keith Crooks (which is me!) at my address. when we confirmed the address and date of birth, the date of birth they were looking for was different. He then said they were collecting on behalf of Cabot for a credit card. I've never owned a credit card (a fact i'm proud of) and said it must be someone else. He then sharply hung up the phone on me. i'm a tad concerned about this, can someone use my name and address to get a credit card?
any help or comments would be great
Keith
Hi Keith,
Thank you for your message.
This sounds like they are trying to trace someone with similar details. If someone has an account and then they move without informing the company of their new address, then the company have to try and track them down. Sometimes they can mistrace the person in question.
It is the creditor’s responsibility to prove you owe the debt not the other way round.I am a Debt Counsellor that works for the CCCS and have specific permission from Martin, to post on these boards to try and help those in debt. Read more information on the CCCS and what it does in the Debt Problems: What to do and where to get help article.
CCCS is a registered charity, and there is no charge whatsoever for any of the services we provide to our clients. We take great pride in offering first class help and advice, but we only offer this where we have been able to fully explore and understand your circumstances with you. We want to help you understand these choices and their possible implications but not make them for you.
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Hi again,(see above) well it's been almost 8weeks now since I put in my claims to Halifax and MBNA.
I have received a letter from Halifax(7weeks in) saying that they are admitting fault and they will pay me money back.:j They have told me it will take another 3-4weeks and they will tell me how much i'm due then. They did say that some of the refund will be used to lower my outstanding balance. (I'd have done that anyway).
MBNA on the other hand, continued to call 2-3 times daily even after the letter you suggested I send (above):mad:. I then received a letter asking me to call them which I did, and I tell you, the Irish girls on the phone there are very arrogant and can be quite abusive. I admit I owe them the money but as cover, i took out their protection, they say "oh we never sold the protection to you as we don't sell protection" they tell me to speak to St Andrews who the cover is from. StAndrews on the other hand keep telling me I have to speak to the arrogant people back at MBNA. It's Wednesday now and MBNA's 8weeks are up on Friday, before the second letter go's off to them.
So your letter above didn't make any difference to the amount of phone calls I received, thanks anyway. I still don't appreciate their (MBNA's), "Don't tell me" arrogant attitude !
And still no admittion that they mis-sold.
Question, for either ppi or both, I take it i'm due a full refund for all payments made and 8% interest, but due to the fact i've not really paid anything(that's what the cover was for) should they also drop the over limit interest ? (They took me over limit with interest because they didn't pay my ppi).
Oh and what do I do after i've got the PPi refund, i'm still unemployed and the bill may not be paid in full (I have other debts some of the money will have to go towards)
Thanks cccs people
Hello,
Thanks for your reply.
I would recommend that you speak to consumer direct, they are part of the OFT and advise on mis sold products. Consumer Direct can be contacted on 08454 04 05 06.
Good luck and hope you get this sorted.
SarahI am a Debt Counsellor that works for the CCCS and have specific permission from Martin, to post on these boards to try and help those in debt. Read more information on the CCCS and what it does in the Debt Problems: What to do and where to get help article.
CCCS is a registered charity, and there is no charge whatsoever for any of the services we provide to our clients. We take great pride in offering first class help and advice, but we only offer this where we have been able to fully explore and understand your circumstances with you. We want to help you understand these choices and their possible implications but not make them for you.
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hi i need some help!! looked into getting iva but have been told as disposable income less than £200 we cannot do. have been advised bankruptcy as house in negative equity anyway and we wont loose it. however we have been given mixed advice on car. its on finance with approx 5k o/s. car worth 4k max. we have been told they may let us keep it as we need to take son to school and i need it in order to get to work. but we have been told if they take it they will give us some money for a new one. do you know how much they allow out of interest? thanks xxxx
Hello,
Thank you for your message.
I think that it is unlikely that you would be able to keep the car. I would recommend that that you check you HP agreement first of all to see if there is a clause in the agreement about bankruptcy, if so you would not be able to keep the car.
If there is nothing in the agreement then ultimately it would be down to the official receiver who would deal with your bankruptcy. So you may want to call the Insolvency Service for their advice.
Sorry to be a little vague but some official receivers do tend to have different views.
SarahI am a Debt Counsellor that works for the CCCS and have specific permission from Martin, to post on these boards to try and help those in debt. Read more information on the CCCS and what it does in the Debt Problems: What to do and where to get help article.
CCCS is a registered charity, and there is no charge whatsoever for any of the services we provide to our clients. We take great pride in offering first class help and advice, but we only offer this where we have been able to fully explore and understand your circumstances with you. We want to help you understand these choices and their possible implications but not make them for you.
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Hi,
Wondering if anyone could help me. My husband and I have just recently separated, we have a joint loan and a credit card (which is in my name but he had a secondary card which he used) which we defaulted on last year.
Does anyone know if I were to write to the banks that the loan and creditcard are with would they agree to split the outstanding balance 50/50 or does it need to be down through the court? Only he's moved back down to his parents house so he's given up his job and I dont want to be left having to pay all of the debts.
Many thanks
JenTotal Outstanding Debt - £[STRIKE]18,282.51[/STRIKE] £13,368.93
HBOS CC - £[STRIKE]3,342.14[/STRIKE] £2,324.81
HBOS Loan - £[STRIKE]13,145.03[/STRIKE] £11,044.12
Natwest OD - [STRIKE]£1,149.09[/STRIKE] Paid
Catalogue - [STRIKE]£646.25[/STRIKE] - Paid0
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