CAB Independent Advice...NOT!

1313

A little while ago I went to two CAB offices wanting to sort out my Debt problems. After a short chat I was sent away with a booklet explaining what to do about it.

Booklet 1

It is called "dealing with your debts"
"free,cinfidential, independant advice on debt problems"
"Money Advice Trust"

"Supported by: NatWest The Royal Bank of Scotland"

OK there is a lot of useful information in the book. But there is also a lot of scarey stuff to read too. Every so often "If you need extra advice.....contact us" Doesn't actually say who to contact!! So if you look at the front cover you would think one of the two banks quoted above.

Booklet 2

Now you would have thought that the same booklets would be at each CAB, not in my case.

"Help with Financial Problems"

Sponsored by: Lloyds TSB

Now in this one it tells you how to use Lloyds TSB Cashpoint to check your balance.

Even Phonebank Express to help manage your money.

So in both cases this is NOT Independent advice.

IN_LIKE_EVERYONE_ELSE!

Blimey 1313, you have been beaten by the cynical stick!
Are you suggesting that the banks should not support the CAB?
I suppose if you look at it from that point of view it would weight the advice given in the Banks favour, after all there is no such thing as free unbiased help, present website excepted.
I cannot believe that their publications are sponsored by the likes of Nat West, if they had any moral fibre they would remain annonymous and not wallow in the glory of debt advice freebies when they are responsible, in part, for the predicament.
I am going to the CAB to check this out myself. (I was planning on staying in! I do live in town and my CAB is 2 minutes away, I will catch the free bus, sponsored by Morrissons!)
I have seen on the news a lot of debt stories with credit card adverts attached to them, aaaarrrggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Bloody Banks, should be banned!!
Anybody else got any "Sponsored by" horror stories?

This is serious stuff, thanks to 1313 for highlighting it.

"Of course the cheque won't bounce"

VenuS

Im gobsmacked that the CAB has this information ......from Banks!! :mad:

royboy1

As a CAB voluntary worker it is disappointing to see a thread such as this. The CAB is a charity which offers genuinely independent advice via an individual consultation process. The thread starter, if interviewed, would not just have been sent away with a booklet but with an agreed course of action in place to address the problems presented.

Any booklet would merely be used as backup or background reading.
Yes banks have a lot to answer for in this field but they are as much part of the solution as they are part of the problem. I would suggest the quote used "If you need extra advice.....contact us" is an extremely sound suggestion.

Can I just confirm that all advice given is totally free, impartial, independent and confidential. Most CAB's will reopen on the 3rd January to continue serving the community.

1313

royboy1 wrote:

"If you need extra advice.....contact us" is an extremely sound suggestion.

Oh yes a very sound suggestion, providing you know who to contact, which as I said is not clear when you read through the booklet.

1313

royboy1 wrote:

Any booklet would merely be used as backup or background reading.


Can I just confirm that all advice given is totally free, impartial, independent and confidential. Most CAB's will reopen on the 3rd January to continue serving the community.

Surely no booklet should be given out if it is not impartial?

Or at least have a disclaimer on it.

royboy1

Booklets come and go and I am afraid I am not familiar with the ones you have. They do not however form the basis of the advice giving process.
They may contain extra information that may be useful to the client.
Some are supported by banks but would not be used AT ALL if they were deemed to be offering unsound advice or pushing products.
They would categorically not qualify as a "sponsored by horror story"

Without seeing it could not "If you need extra advice.....contact us" be taken as suggesting the reader contacts whichever bank they are indebted to?

The bottom line is whether or not you received satisfactory advice on how to handle your debt problems?

Turning_into_scrooge

If you're not happy with CAB then try

https://www.cccs.co.uk

https://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk

who are both supported by loan company's and credit card company's.

IN_LIKE_EVERYONE_ELSE!

RoyBoy, Who's side are you on? Did you work in a bank?

royboy1

IN_LIKE_EVERYONE_ELSE! wrote:

RoyBoy, Who's side are you on? Did you work in a bank?

Whooooaaaa steady there.That's not nice!!!

Where did sides come into it? I am merely trying to find out whether the thread starter got good advice for his problems. As I've stated a couple of times booklets are not really what the CAB is about.

1313

Turning_into_scrooge wrote:

If you're not happy with CAB then try

https://www.cccs.co.uk

https://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk

who are both supported by loan company's and credit card company's.

Are you seriously saying that they are supported by the credit card and loan company's? Is this another avenue to squeeze every last penny out of anyone it "helps"?

So now I feel as though if I am looking for help, the only free and impartial place is here.