Help Needed

tom1987_2

Ok this will be a long one!

Basically i'm writting this here for two reasons. 1) so i can see for myself how much i owe and it will spur me on to sort it, and 2) some advice on some things.

My story is this; I'm a Scottish student currently studying in England. I went to a Uni in Glasgow but dropped out after a year and a half without telling anyone, just stopped going. I applied for 2 years support through this and am having problems with funding at uni now. I had a bad time of it up north so this is my fresh start and i'm doing really well in my new course. However the debt issue is still hanging over my shoulders. I have printed off a withdrawl form for my scottish uni and have sent it away with the date i left (2 years ago) im coming to the end of my first year in England.

I spoke to the finance officer in my new uni as i was threatened with eviction from halls as i have an outstanding balance. Its now sorted that i can stay and pay off the debt over the remaning 2 years of my course as it's better than owing a private landlord.

My debts are this.....

1) £1600 overdraft with RBS from my previous studies. This is account is due to finish in June 09....What happens from here because i will definately not be able to pay this off by June.

2) £600 RBS credit card which i defaulted on....this has been transferred to a debt collector...i dont know who as ive moved house 3 times since this debt arose and havent personally seen the collection letters.

3) £500 overdraft with Llyods TSB however i went 2 pounds over this in December, they charged me £75 as i didnt receive the letters untill i went back to uni after xmas. I paid this but for the 5 days this was outstanding i was charged £105 which needs to be paid before April i was told. Previously I went £2 over my limit and was charged £80, i complained and they waived it as 'good will' but can only do this once a year apparently.

4) £270 + to BT. I refuse to pay this but im beginning to fear i may owe more now. The thing here is in one of my flats we got SKY. We paid them for a BT installation fee however BT said this wouldnt count, so they charged us £130 to get BT installed. Someone came but nothing was installed for a month. I repeatedly complained but either got cut off or ended up holding for hours. They eventually came but we moved out a month later. Im happy to pay for that months line rental but refuse to pay for 3 months line rental we didnt have and an unfair installation charge. I tried to get in contact but was often cut off or passed from department to department. The debt was passed onto an agency but ive since moved to England. I now think this has left me with a terrible credit score.

5) I owe a friend £200 in rent although he is relaxed about this, i want to pay him so as not to have it hanging. I left alot of stuff in the flat that i couldnt bring as insurance for him (my suggestion).

6) Student debt....this ones complicated (not inc the student overdrafts).

SAAS are saying that they will not pay tuition fees untill my 3rd year. Until then they will only give me a student loan but nothing else. My uni finance manager has said i should receive everything from next year. In my 3rd year i should be entitled to a loan for living costs, maintainance loan and student outside scotland bursary. The uni would then also give me a bursary and a grant. This would pretty much clear any student debt from this time around if i leave it in a high interest account.

I get £200 from my parents which is and will be enough to live off each month, especially if i also get a part time job and full time job in the summer.

This means at the moment i owe £3145 in tuition fees for this year and £2000 rent - although i will probably be able to pay this off next year. I asked for a repayable loan from saas for the fees, they said yes but when i phoned again today they said no, so im up that creek without a paddle.

I'm not worried about student loans because i dont need to pay that back until im earning 15,000 a year and even then its only £37.50 a month.


Current income - £200 parental contribution, cant get a job for love nor money round her.

Current expenditure - Going to stop frittering away on things like junk food and bottle of juice, will be better for my health aswell as my wallet. Get food provided monday - friday so only need food for the weekends and about £10 a week on travel. Looking for a summer job. Was thinking about working abroad during the summer

Basically im wanting to get rid of my current overdrafts, especially my RBS one. Im not a fan of llyods so looking to pay that back and go with someone better. Also wanting to sort out this debt collectors issue, so looking for as much advise as possible.

Can i transfer banks with an overdraft?
How do i find out who i owe money to?
What do i do about the BT situation?

Thanks alot

Tom

Merlinexcalibur

We paid them for a BT installation fee however BT said this wouldnt count, so they charged us £130 to get BT installed.

Clarify, please. Because having had Sky for nearly 10 years now I wasn't aware that BT needed to get involved to instal Sky at anyone's home. As it comes through a dish not phone line/cable. Or are you saying you did NOT have BT there but now have it because you got Sky installed, thus needed the phone line for the 12 month contractural terms? Sky's normaly installation is around £60 for example.

2) £600 RBS credit card which i defaulted on....this has been transferred to a debt collector...i dont know who as ive moved house 3 times since this debt arose and havent personally seen the collection letters.

So, how do you know then if you've moved, not seen the letters? Put putting aside that for one second. I think you need to contact EITHER your Student Union who will be a little more hands on the pulse with students in debt or the CCCS. Your situation seems to be very complicated. Finally, it's never a good idea to move and not give a forwarding address when in debt. Just mentioning that, because you do not mention if you have or not. Because, if any of that got to court ... well, I am assume you are intelligent enough being a uni student to figure out that one for yourself.

Current income - £200 parental contribution, cant get a job for love nor money round her.

Don't take this the wrong way, but some folk survive on a good deal less than that per month. So be lucky you have someone who can bail you out with that money per month.

So visit your Student Union. Surprised you haven't already going by what you've posted. It's what SU is there for.

Incidentally, I know of a BT department that deals with these sorts of problems. It's called 'The Chairman's Office' and is way above the call takers you speak to on the phone. It's an 0800 number, too. I can't give out details here I am afraid but I have used them before. They are very well hidden and I only found out by chance.

Incidentally, have you been editing your initial post because there now seems to be parts added that I never or was sure were not there before:

The debt was passed onto an agency but ive since moved to England. I now think this has left me with a terrible credit score.

tom1987_2

Thanks for replying. Yes its very complicated, which is why it just looks like a rabble. Im still trying to work it out myself.

BT - When we got Sky installed we paid £60. This included the box, the dish and a phone line which was to be provided by BT. We were told we would only need to pay monthly rental to BT, no connection fee or anything else as that was covered by Sky. However, BT said we had to pay over £100 for connection but they never actually connected anything until about a month before we left that flat. I was never off the phone to them but they didn't help one bit. It took a threat to go to OfCom to get them out. However they were still charging me line rental and a connection fee which we were told we didn't have to pay.


RBS - The credit card is no longer showing on my online banking and one of my old flatmates told me because he 'accidently' opened my mail after i'd left that premises.


I'm very lucky to have this contribution at the moment as its keeping me alive but i dont want to rely on this. I got myself into this mess and want to get out myself. I don't want to drag other people into it. Thought this would be the best place for advice.

tom1987_2

No I haven;t edited, you must have missed it

Merlinexcalibur

I don't want to drag other people into it. Thought this would be the best place for advice.

Quick reply. Just having connection trouble with my internet after reading this thread so might be why I missed it before. Just going to be brutal, but I am afraid you are going to have to drag others into it or you will not 'survive'.

Now, about the BT thing? You mentioned OFCOM, and that is how I came by the department I mentioned (your post reminded me how etc) and they were immensely helpful. As they are like a 'escalated customer care team'. None of the nonsense you get on the overseas call takers because they will always give you the run around no matter what.

But, surely, if they failed to maintain their end of the contract they are, also, in breach of that contract? So I can't see how they are not recognizing this/that? Apart from the obvious one they don't want to acknowledge it because it loses them money.

However, BT said we had to pay over £100 for connection but they never actually connected anything until about a month before we left that flat.

Oh, I see now. You must not have had a physical line running to your flat hence that charge? From a telephone line I mean. Happened to me once at a council flat, though BT told me there WAS a working line on checking before I moved to it. Turns out there wasn't so had to fork out for the fee or have no phone line.

Caroline73_2

tom1987 wrote: »

Current income - £200 parental contribution, cant get a job for love nor money round her.

Current expenditure - Going to stop frittering away on things like junk food and bottle of juice, will be better for my health aswell as my wallet. Get food provided monday - friday so only need food for the weekends and about £10 a week on travel. Looking for a summer job. Was thinking about working abroad during the summer

You need food for two days per week, and £10 for travel so you could easily manage on £80 a month, giving you £120 a month to throw at your debt.

You NEED to find a job, how are you job hunting and what are you looking for. Make sure you go to every shop, bar, restaurant, fast food place you can get to. Don't be proud and ask everyone. Look at the Up your income section.

Take the stuff you have at your mates as security and sell it, then give him the money you owe him. Is he seeing your stuff as security or as a clutter?

Have you spoken to your parents?

tom1987_2

Cheers for the replies guys,

Applying for anything I can at the minute and working when i go home, although this isn't very often but there isn't much going round here at all.

Not worried about the student loans as I said or so much about the Lloyds overdraft (although i would like to get rid of that and go with some one else - will banks take on an overdraft?)

More worried about this BT thing and finding out about the RBS credit card (i cant get in touch with anyone in that flat as the owner sold up).

As for the debt with the mate, he doesnt really see it as either, i left a tv and some kitchen stuff which is he is getting use out of, so that debt really isnt a priority either.