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sukysue

My best friend has been rung by a cccs from llanelly who have said they will move heaven and earth regarding their debt for £199 he has stupidly paid them by cc over the phone . I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW STUPID THEY ARE!Perhaps I am the stupid one but it all sounds so suspicious can you shed some light on this for me. thanks in advance .

lyndorset

CCCS_Matthew wrote: »

Hi Lyn.

The 30 day rule is set out to give somone breathing space when they first get into financial difficulty. In theory, creditors should stop taking action or contact you whilst you seek advice from someone such as CCCS for advice.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_177214

Once you've had the advice, the creditors have the ability to contact you again should they want to. If you offer a reduced payment to the creditors through a DMP or directly yourself, the creditor doesn't have to accept the proposal, and they don't have to stop interest and charges I'm afraid.

Was the advice to pay £1 a month directly to the creditors because there was no money left over to pay your creditors, or are you making £1 payments to each creditor until you start a DMP with ourselves?

Regards,
Matthew.

The £1.00 was what I was advised to offer when I did all the figures on line with CCCS. I have used the template letter etc emailed to me from CCCS. Problem is I have been using credit to pay existing bills etc for a while and since my husband has been unable to earn (variety of reasons) It all came to a head and I realised drastic action was needed.

GOOD NEWS - just got home to another letter from Black Horse and they have applied 0.00% interest to the debt. I dont know if they are still charging the default charges - but hopefully not. This is a step in the right direction. I do want to repay debts. Debt free is much closer without the high interest!

So should I be trying to get more advise somewhere then?

Thanks Lyn

missi08

CCCS_Matthew wrote: »

Hi there.

We can certainly help advise you on a default notice. What specifically do you need help with?

Regards,
Matthew.

I recently visited my CAB and they gave me the paperwork to fill in and send to my creditors, which I did with my offer of payments.

My loan is with RBS and they have wrote back to me saying they can not accept it and will send me default papers in the post. However, I have stopped or defaulted on any of my payments!?

So Im a little confussed what to do now?? Ive sent them another letter saying Im sorry they cant agree to my offer, but my other creditors have and I cant change my offer to them in favour of their company.

Im just a bit confussed as what to do next???

Thank you for your reply.

CCCS_Matthew

lucy1179 wrote: »

over the past few years i recieved letters from mackenzie hall who say i owe over 7000 to lowell portfolio 1 limited. i phoned them last year and was really worried about the amount even tho i didnt know who the debt was with, anyhow last march i set up a direct debit to pay them 25 pounds a month till the year 2034. when i spoke to them i asked for a copy of the original agreement and as i have still not recieved it after a year i decided to stop the direct debit. 2 weeks after doing so i recieved a letter from them, a reduced settlement offer of 5700. but i noticed the original amount even tho i have been paying them for a year is still the same amount. i dont know who the debt is with but i am really worried cos i am expecting a baby and i have these letters keep coming in saying they want payment. i really dont know what to do ..please help. and this debt is not on my credit file.

Hi Lucy.

If you are unsure whether you owe the money then you did the right thing by requesting a copy of the agreement. If the agency has not been able to produce a copy of an agreement to prove it's you that owes the money then there isn't a great deal they can do. The debt collection guidelines state that it is unreasonable to chase someone for a debt when it cannot be proved that they owe the money.

The worst case scenario is that they could go for a CCJ against you, but if this were to happen you would be able to defend the claim on the grounds that you do not admit liability to the debt and that they cannot prove you owe the money which would mean the CCJ would not be granted.

Lowell portfolio are a debt purchasing company so the chances are the debt was bought from the original creditor at some point. Have you ever had any debts that have gone unpaid or are you sure that you have no debts outstanding?

Regards,
Matthew.

missi08

missi08 wrote: »

I recently visited my CAB and they gave me the paperwork to fill in and send to my creditors, which I did with my offer of payments.

My loan is with RBS and they have wrote back to me saying they can not accept it and will send me default papers in the post. However, I have stopped or defaulted on any of my payments!?

So Im a little confussed what to do now?? Ive sent them another letter saying Im sorry they cant agree to my offer, but my other creditors have and I cant change my offer to them in favour of their company.

Im just a bit confussed as what to do next???

Thank you for your reply.

I meant I have NOT stopped making or defaulted on any payments!

CCCS_Matthew

sfiente wrote: »

Hi

I am new to this, like many my loans and credit cards were all in hand until my partner lost her job, I hae a child to support etc.

I spoke with my IFA who referred me to Eurodebt. After speaking with one of their advisors they seemed ideal, however I could not afford their fees. After looking on here it looks like I have done the right thing so I have been in contact with CCCS & Payplan.

When the guy from Eurodebt called to see if I had made a decision he advised that CCCS will very rarely push to stop interest on debts, as they have a close link with the banks which fund them. I called today and asked if this was true. I did not really get a response, I was advised they will ask but it depends on the debt and banks are generally not that willing. I have already filled in my details so they will know who my debts were with etc.

Payplan seem very proactive, they called me earlier this evening and seemed optimistic much like Eurodebt. They advised that looking at my creditors MBNA, HSBC & Tesco Finance that they would not see it being a problem freezing interest with these creditors, which was the same response I got from Eurodebt.

I advised both CCCS & Paypan that I have a rented property which I am only able to sell in July 2012. Paylan advised they would set me up on a DMP with a program which would offer a monthly payment with the intention to settle debts in 2012, of which they advised they would be able to negotiate a good discount.

I know these are both charitable companies that do not charge a fee, however I wanted some additional advice from CCCS & anyone that have used Payplan.

I have read a few articles who advised clients were not happy with Payplan, however I don't understand why they would try to be competitive as they offer a free service?

All advice would be appreciated as I don't want to get on a plan and find out that I may have made the wrong choice, it's something I need to get right promptly.

Thanks

Hi there.

Stopping interest can never be guaranteed on a debt management plan as the decision comes down to the discretion of the creditors. Whilst we will certainly request the creditors consider stopping interest when a reasonable offer of payment is made along side a realistic budget most creditors are normally receptive to the offer. However, we would never be able to make a promise that we will stop the interest as the decision always comes down to the creditors.

The main thing to consider when choosing an organisation is ensure they are non for profit, so that they do not take a fee for their service. If you want to get opinions from other people about CCCS or anyone else, you might want to start a seperate thread, as this thread is designed specifically to answer questions about CCCS.

If there are any specific questions you want to ask about CCCS though, feel free to fire away!

Regards,
Matthew.

CCCS_Matthew

candypop wrote: »

Hi

I am due start a DMP on 1st April with yourselves. So far I have sent token payments to my creditors with my DMP notification letter and 3 out of 5 have been in touch accepting. One of these is Northern Rock they have accepted the DMP for 6 months and have stated in the ltr to me the first payment is due immediately. As they will not get my first payment via yourselves until 25th April do I need to pay this or will a token payment suffice. If a token payment is okay what would be correct amount to send. Is the normal to only accept for 6 months? my other creditors have not stated any timescale.

Many Thanks

Hi there.

The best thing to do is offer what you can afford without struggling to your creditors until the DMP starts. Don't worry if the amount is not as much as they will get through the DMP as in many cases it takes time to get your finances in order according to the budget so you're in a position to pay the first month on the DMP.

Some creditors will say that they will review the situation after a set amount of time. As standard we will review the situation after 12 months, which is something your creditors will be aware of. It's quite likely that NR will review the situation after 6 months and see you cannot pay anymore and extend the review period again. If they turn round and ask for more money, we'll still pay them regardless through the DMP - don't be pressured into paying anymore outside the DMP.

Good luck with the DMP.
Matthew.

CCCS_Matthew

sukysue wrote: »

My best friend has been rung by a cccs from llanelly who have said they will move heaven and earth regarding their debt for £199 he has stupidly paid them by cc over the phone . I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW STUPID THEY ARE!Perhaps I am the stupid one but it all sounds so suspicious can you shed some light on this for me. thanks in advance .

Sorry sukysue, I'm a bit confused with your question.

You say your friend was called by CCCS? We wouldn't ask for any money from anyone to help repay their debts. Are you suggesting a company pretending to be CCCS has contacted your friend? Could you perhaps elaborate on the situation a bit so I can help?

Regards,
Matthew.

sfiente

CCCS_Matthew wrote: »

Hi there.

Stopping interest can never be guaranteed on a debt management plan as the decision comes down to the discretion of the creditors. Whilst we will certainly request the creditors consider stopping interest when a reasonable offer of payment is made along side a realistic budget most creditors are normally receptive to the offer. However, we would never be able to make a promise that we will stop the interest as the decision always comes down to the creditors.

The main thing to consider when choosing an organisation is ensure they are non for profit, so that they do not take a fee for their service. If you want to get opinions from other people about CCCS or anyone else, you might want to start a seperate thread, as this thread is designed specifically to answer questions about CCCS.

If there are any specific questions you want to ask about CCCS though, feel free to fire away!

Regards,
Matthew.

Thanks

If I have a debt of 36k and I came in to 25k would CCCS proactively contact my creditors and ask if they would accept this as full and final settlement.

Also with MBNA, HSBC & Tesco Finance would you for see any issues with these clients freezing interest and charges?

CCCS_Matthew

lyndorset wrote: »

The £1.00 was what I was advised to offer when I did all the figures on line with CCCS. I have used the template letter etc emailed to me from CCCS. Problem is I have been using credit to pay existing bills etc for a while and since my husband has been unable to earn (variety of reasons) It all came to a head and I realised drastic action was needed.

GOOD NEWS - just got home to another letter from Black Horse and they have applied 0.00% interest to the debt. I dont know if they are still charging the default charges - but hopefully not. This is a step in the right direction. I do want to repay debts. Debt free is much closer without the high interest!

So should I be trying to get more advise somewhere then?

Thanks Lyn

Hi Lyn.

If we've advised you to offer £1.00 token payments to your creditors it generally means your living costs outweigh your income. This means you cannot look at offering payment through a DMP or IVA because you don't have anymore money to offer your creditors. Other options such bankruptcy wouldn't be discussed as you would have to show that you can afford to cover your living costs and/or you may have assets to protect.

Offering £1.00 token payments is only considered a short term option until you've found ways in which to improve the situation, which is either by looking at increasing your income or reducing your living costs. The letters we supply you with in the meantime request the creditors consider stopping interest to give you some breathing space whilst you try to improve things, but whether they do depends on the discretion of the lender.

If blackhorse have said they will freeze interest for the time being, that's great news. You don't need to be getting advice anywhere else unless you feel you want to. CCCS will provide you on all the options you have when it comes to becoming debt free, but your options are going to be restricted when you're living costs outweight your income. Once you can balance the budget so to speak, you need to come back to review your long term options.

If you need any further help or clarification in the meantime you're more than welcome to call us for a chat.

Hope that helps,
Matthew.