Ask a CCCS counsellor a question

TooMuch2AM

Can I please ask why the CCCS does not offer a 'call back' service?

I appreciate the fact that you use an 0800 line, but for people like me who's only phoneline is a pay-as-you-go mobile it costs 15-20p a minute.

I'm currently finding it really hard to sort my problems out with CCCS because I'm struggling to top up my credit.

For instance, I just spent 18 minutes talking to Northern Rock on an 0844 number and it cost me the best part of £5 (I got nowhere with them either) - now I have to wait until I can afford credit to continue setting up my DMP.

I called up and asked the advisor if he could call me back, but was told that facility wasn't available.

Please, please, please CCCS - think of people like me!

But apart from that - keep up the good work!

Wotsitfingers

CCCS_Sue wrote: »

Hi wotsitfingers and thank you for your message

Can you just clarify whether you had purchased the car when you had your appointment and a DMP was recommended, or did you purchase the car afterwards?

Thanks
Sue

Hi Sue Thanks for your reply.

I agreed to the purchase of the car back in NOvember/December time and due to delay in funding from access to work I didn't actuallt pick the car up and Toyota get they money till Mid January. So it was all done before I spoke to anyone at CCCS so it was before DMP was recommended.

Thanks again for your help.

CCCS_Sarah

kellyanne wrote: »

Hi CCCS Sue

My partner is on a DMP and I have offered to help him 'settle' his accounts with full and final settlements. The total I can offer is about 65% of his total debt, however, we have already had 3 rejections asking us to increase the offers. Maybe we shouldve started lower so we had room to negotiate?? What now?? Also Barclaycard put on the rejection letter to call by the 26th Feb and 'failure to comply will leave us no alternative than to continue with further action' although they had agreed to the DMP and the payments are going through regular as clockwork - can they take further action because we have offered a lump sum?

Also, what if some settle and other dont - is this classed as preferential treatment of one creditor over another?

Thanks in advance

Kellyanne x

Is your partner a CCCS client? If so I would recommend that he contacts our client support department so we can discuss this in detail.

If he is not a CCCS client then he would be able to have an appointment by calling our helpline free on 0800 138 1111.

With regards ‘further action’ I have attached a link to the CCCS website that explains the collection process in detail for you https://www.cccs.co.uk/InfoCentre/EnglandandWales/Creditoraction/Debtcollectionprocess.aspx . The main thing is that your partner sticks to the payments on his DMP and he is not pressured into paying anymore.

I do have sample letters for full and finals I could send you. If you send an email to [EMAIL="contactus@cccs.co.uk"]contactus@cccs.co.uk[/EMAIL] FAO Sarah I will send you a copy.

Hope this helps
Sarah

CCCS_Sarah

whichwaynow wrote: »

Hello

I was wondering if you could help me. My husband and I have been on a DMP since October and it is going well, with all but one of our creditors accepting reduced payments. Prior to the DMP we had our bank account with HSBC, we were over our overdraft and being charged £150 a time by them for going over hence one of the reasons we started the DMP. They are still continuing to charge interest and overdraft fees. Today we have received a Final Demand from them stating that they "demand immediate payment of over £3,000" otherwise action will be taken and we may be taken to court.

What do I do? Shall I write to them again explaining the situation if so do you have an example of a letter.

Sorry if I've waffled, in a bit of a panic.

Thanks in advance.

You don’t need to do anything, just continue making your reduced payments via the DMP this is a standard collections letter. I have attached a link to the CCCS website that explains about the collection process for you, have a read through and let me know if you have any questions you don’t need to do anything; this is a standard collections letter. I have attached a link to the CCCS website that explains about the collection process for you, have a read through and let me know if you have any questions

https://www.cccs.co.uk/InfoCentre/EnglandandWales/Creditoraction/Debtcollectionprocess.aspx


Sarah

CCCS_Sarah

TooMuch2AM wrote: »

Can I please ask why the CCCS does not offer a 'call back' service?

I appreciate the fact that you use an 0800 line, but for people like me who's only phoneline is a pay-as-you-go mobile it costs 15-20p a minute.

I'm currently finding it really hard to sort my problems out with CCCS because I'm struggling to top up my credit.

For instance, I just spent 18 minutes talking to Northern Rock on an 0844 number and it cost me the best part of £5 (I got nowhere with them either) - now I have to wait until I can afford credit to continue setting up my DMP.

I called up and asked the advisor if he could call me back, but was told that facility wasn't available.

Please, please, please CCCS - think of people like me!

But apart from that - keep up the good work!

I will pass your message on; as this is something I would not deal with as a debt counsellor. The initial call to helpline is a 0800 number so would be free from a landline so you could use a local pay phone as this would not cost you anything. Once the appointment is booked the counsellor does call back at an agreed time and date to cut back on the cost.

We also have a free online debt advice facility called Debt Remedy where you would not even need to speak to a counsellor and they have a web chat facility. If you would like to use Debt Remedy then this link will take you to the section of the site.

Sarah

lyndorset

Help, I have read and reread the booklet and also messaged the CCCs site today, the reply I got has helped in some ways and confused me in others.

I have been advised to offer creditors just £1 each for now and told that will go on my credit rating. OK.

But answer also said that this is just the start, to give me a chance to sort out better joob, assets or whatever I need to then improve on the repayments. Help - How?!

I work 38 hours a week, study 20 hours a week and have houseworka nd gardening to do as we grow our own veg. Plus if I earn more I loose the WTC.

This has confused me?

CCCS_Sarah

Wotsitfingers wrote: »

Hi Sue Thanks for your reply.

I agreed to the purchase of the car back in NOvember/December time and due to delay in funding from access to work I didn't actuallt pick the car up and Toyota get they money till Mid January. So it was all done before I spoke to anyone at CCCS so it was before DMP was recommended.

Thanks again for your help.

Was your counsellor aware of the hire purchase agreement on your appointment? If so and they have included it in the budget then it wouldn’t be a problem. If it’s not listed in your main budget then you would need to give the CCCS a call as this may change the advice once added.

Sarah

CCCS_Sarah

lyndorset wrote: »

Help, I have read and reread the booklet and also messaged the CCCs site today, the reply I got has helped in some ways and confused me in others.

I have been advised to offer creditors just £1 each for now and told that will go on my credit rating. OK.

But answer also said that this is just the start, to give me a chance to sort out better joob, assets or whatever I need to then improve on the repayments. Help - How?!

I work 38 hours a week, study 20 hours a week and have houseworka nd gardening to do as we grow our own veg. Plus if I earn more I loose the WTC.

This has confused me?

Hi lyndorset,

Thank you for your message. As I don’t have access to your budget I can only give you general advice, for specific advice on your situation I would recommend that you call our support counsellors as they can look at your budget.

From the advice you have given, it sounds to me like you are in a deficit budget. This means that you have more going out on priority costs then you have coming in. If this is the case you need to put the debts to one side for the moment as these are not priorities – this is why a £1 token payment would have been suggested.

When a budget is in a deficit there are two ways to improve your situation the first is to increase your income – if this is not possible due to the hours you work and college etc then you need to look at reducing your costs. Sit down with your budget and see if there are any areas you can cut back… cheaper accommodation, switching utility providers, using public transport instead of a car, reduce smoking costs etc

Once the budget balances and is “sustainable” then you can start to look at your long term options with your debts.

Hope this clears it up a little bit more, if you are unsure of anything then give me a shout.

Sarah

HardWorkingMum

Hi,

I am due to start the DMP on 1st March (with CCCS), and have been to Barclays to open a basic account... however this takes 2 weeks as it is processed at Head Office and because it is a basic account they don't offer the usual transfer of DD / SOs so I will have to do all of this manually. Therefore I am still going to have Febs wages paid into my normal HSBC Account where all my DDs ars as I won't have a chance to get them moved over in time.

As a result, I don't want to send the letters out to my creditors yet, in case they just take whatever is available in my account (which isn't much, but I use my overdraft to live on!)

On the plus side, I have been having a dispute with the Child Tax Credits office, and they finally agreed I was right and paid me c. £1500 and agreed that we will get £50 a week (this seems like a lot!) in future.:j Again I can't give them the details of the new account yet as they haven't arrived! To be on the safe side I have transferred the lump sum (£1500) into my A&L account which only has a £500 overdraft, but no DDs etc so I know I can get to it. This leaves me in the same situation with them... not sending them the letter yet incase they decide to keep it!!! At the moment I am just taking out £200 per day until I have all the cash at home... this might seem a bit drastic, but I want to pay back my parents £500 because they have helped us so much recently. I want to spend some... a new pair of much needed shoes for my son, a couple of hew shirts for work. Nothing extravagant, just basics that we have deprived ourselves of for so long. And I want to keep the other £500 for car servicing, emergencies!

Would I just be better off contacting the CCCS and suggesting we start the DMP from 1st April instead? then the tax credit £ would tide us over and cover the difference for 1 month and it would give me a chance to move all the stuff to the new account when it arrives?

I don't want to delay it, but have a feeling that both HSBC and A&L are likely to kick up a stink when they get the DMP notices after they have just seen £1500 go through the accounts and straight out again!!!

Any advice / thoughts welcome.

Thanks, Mel

silvervan

Hi
I spoke to one of your debt counsellers last year and he went through all my debts and said I couldnt afford an IVA due to my income. I am self-employed and am struggling to pay £25k unsecured debt.
He suggested I write and offer a payment I could afford to my creditors. Well I thought I would carry on as I was but again because business is quiet at this time of year I am really struggling.
I got my credit report from Experian and it is fair and satisfactory, I havent missed any payments yet.

On a link from there it takes you to moneyexpert (not this site). Someone from there has just rang me up and offered me an IVA. I told her that I had been told I couldnt afford one due to my income.

She then said that she could arrange for my debts to be sold and then I offer a full and final payment to my creditors. She said I would pay into a fund and basically after 27 months I would be debt free.
She said that all I would have would be a default against my name which would last 6 years.
This sounds too good to be true.
Does anyone know anything about this scheme? She did say I would be charged a commission and explained that to me.
I said I would think about it. I am getting pretty desperate.