Struggling with debt? Ask a debt advisor a question

sj1977

Spoken to Citizens Advice but they want my wife to call into see them as she is the HP owner, but she is is ill at moment with pnuemonia and high blood pressure which this is not helping.

laudan2008

Hello,

I am really struggling with my debts since returning to work part-time after maternity leave. I have used budgeting tools on this site and my overspend each month is £208.

I currently have a Welcome finance loan which i pay £108 pm,
a car finance - £111 pm
childcare - £471 pm
Credit cards £80pm


I have an overdraft of £1700 which I live in and have no idea how I will ever clear!!

This month i had to use a pay day loan to cover my outgoings - this was last resort and I never want to use this option again.

I am very lucky in that my partner pays all the rent and most household bills but despite this and him helping where he can I still struggle.

I am trying to negotiate a pay rise at the moment and have considered returning to work full time but this would have a massive impact on childcare costs so I am not sure it is an option.

Do you have any suggestions as to how I can reduce my monthly outgoings?

Thanks for your help!

gilz

hello !!!
ive got 2 credit cards both balance transfers and egg which has £2500 odd on it and a virgin that has £6000 on it, the egg hasnt been touched since the transfer , ... but the virgin has been used since the transfer .....we pay off the minimum on both and the virgin is around £100 a month but £50 is interest, ive applied for a card@ own bank abbey but have been declined twice in this year ... ive had an account with them for 15 years. ive got a mortgage of £1300 a month at a fixed 7% rate..., (im on the electoral roll) .... for another 3 years come feb, a car loan for £140 a month and food bills of £100-140 a week plus council tax of £150 a month ive two kids and have to pay my own diesel to get to work etc etc mob phone bill of £50 a month i earn £2800 a month, average gas and eleccy bills to boot.... i know its wrong but i do smoke around 12 a day, but i have a problem opening my credit card statements as it makes me sick looking and seeing that i owe £6000 knowing that i can never repay them in the next 2 years is a horrid thought ... i also never open my bank statements as this makes me sick aswell ... i know roughly whats in there ...when im in the red and when in the black, i just need help to sort these credit cards out as like ive said ive tried for the abbey .. now santander but dont want to keep getting knock backs that affect my credit rating, any takers for a bit of help ?? lol
thanks

ineedsumadvice

hi im looking for some advice...i was working full time until about 2 months ago i had to go down to part time as i found out i was pregnant(we already have 2 older children) and my health has been really bad.until i went part time i was earning enough to pay the bills that have been coming in but now im finding it really hard to make my monthly payments,i have cut up my credit/store cards.im due to go on mat leave in 4 weeks time and i so worried that im going to loose everything as im only going to be getting mat pay.me and my husband(he works full time) own our own home and the mortgage is always paid its just my own personal debt im struggling with..
i pay credit card £95 pm
loan £340 pm
store card £30 pm
store card #2 £85 pm
i have had a look online at dmp and iva....i just dont know where to turn,or which would be the best...i dont want to loose my home and everything ive worked so hard for....
please any advise would be great.

CCCS_Sue

sj1977 wrote: »

Hi CCS_Sue, having a few issues with money owed to Welcome finance. have a vehicle that is on HP and have arrears of £1400, I asked for them to put in writing and I will contact them, as I don't wish to deal over telephone. They said they will only send out standard letters asking to ring them, even though I said that won't be suitable to me. I asked about timescale of repaying arrears (they said no timescales) so I said can I pay and additional £10 for next few month until back on feet. I was told no and as a favour if I pay the £1400 by December they will halt reposession. I asked for this in writing and was told no. I know the £10 additional will take 12years to repay but I don't intend to leave it that low. I also received a letter stating we've paid £3700 of the loan, and in the credit agreement it says if I pay £3400 car cannot be recovered without Court Order , which they do not have. I was told that figure on the agreement didn't take into account other figures? I said this is not mentioned and said that contrdicts what I have in writing. I asked if they could see that and I was told they could see what I was reading but would not confirm what I said.

At moment recovery firm turned up at 10pm and tried to recover car off my drive which I refused and called Police, they suggested to me leave them clamp car instead of taking, I wasn't hapy with theis seeing as the car firm had no right as far as I was concerned. They even blocked of my cul-de-sac with the lorry.

The police officer wasn't sure what to do and said that the clamp was best method until resolved with Welcome. who also said they wont remove clamp until all arrears paid.

help?

edit. I also asked why not received letters saying coming for car, they said 8 cards posted, which none received, they have also tunred up at home unannounced and continue to ring even though we had written to them to stop and deal only in letter, I was asked is there a reason why not dealing on phone so I said yes. as people can get confused.

there was a soem sort of repo order made in April which was stopped and extra paym,ents made but we overstretced ourselves so I was told they just re-initialted the repo order with no letter.

Hi and thank you for your message

If you fall behind with your payments, the creditor may be able to repossess the goods. Details will be written in the terms of the agreement in the box; ‘repossession: your rights’. This explains how much you need to have paid to stop the creditor taking the car.
When a third or more of the total amount has been paid the goods become ‘protected goods’ and the creditor must go to court for an order for their return, unless you give consent to the repossession. They cannot just come round and remove them.
I would recommend that you contact ‘Consumer Direct’ who may be able to give you further help and advice regarding your legal rights regarding this. Consumer Direct is the government-funded telephone and online service offering information and advice on consumer issues. Consumer Direct is funded by the Office of Fair Trading and delivered in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Services.
I have attached a link for you:
http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/

You could also call us for an appointment to speak to one of our debt counsellors about your situation. They will help you to prepare a budget which you can use and also explain all your options.
To book an appointment with one of our trained counsellors you would need to contact our helpline free on 0800 138 1111. Lines are open Monday to Friday 08:00-20:00.

Hope this helps

Kind regards
Sue

CCCS_Sue

sj1977 wrote: »

Spoken to Citizens Advice but they want my wife to call into see them as she is the HP owner, but she is is ill at moment with pnuemonia and high blood pressure which this is not helping.

Sorry to hear of your wife's illness.

She could give written authorisation for you to deal with her affairs whilst she is ill.

The CAB may then be able to speak to you on her behalf.

Alternatively, you can contact us as mentioned above.
Again, we would need written authorisation.

Regards
Sue

CCCS_Sue

laudan2008 wrote: »

Hello,

I am really struggling with my debts since returning to work part-time after maternity leave. I have used budgeting tools on this site and my overspend each month is £208.

I currently have a Welcome finance loan which i pay £108 pm,
a car finance - £111 pm
childcare - £471 pm
Credit cards £80pm


I have an overdraft of £1700 which I live in and have no idea how I will ever clear!!

This month i had to use a pay day loan to cover my outgoings - this was last resort and I never want to use this option again.

I am very lucky in that my partner pays all the rent and most household bills but despite this and him helping where he can I still struggle.

I am trying to negotiate a pay rise at the moment and have considered returning to work full time but this would have a massive impact on childcare costs so I am not sure it is an option.

Do you have any suggestions as to how I can reduce my monthly outgoings?

Thanks for your help!

Hi lauden 2008 and thank you for your message

Payday loans are best avoided if you are unable to pay off the full amount at the end of the month, as the interest can be ‘eye wateringly’ high!

In order for us to be able to provide you with advice on your financial situation and discuss reducing your monthly outgoings you would need to either use our online advice facility Debt Remedy, or ring our free Helpline to book a telephone appointment with a counsellor.

Debt Remedy will assist you in completing a financial statement which includes information on your household, employment, income, expenditure and debts. All this information is used as a basis to determine the options available to you to deal with your situation.

Once you’ve followed the process through and completed all the required information you will immediately be presented with an advice booklet, which will provide tailored advice for you based on your current circumstances. It will also provide advice on ways you may be able to improve your situation. If you would like to get immediate advice on your situation, follow the link to go directly to Debt Remedy: http://www.cccs.co.uk/ref/drcu

Alternatively if you would prefer to talk to a debt counsellor about your situation, you can book a telephone based appointment by calling our helpline free on 0800 138 1111. Lines are open Monday to Friday 08:00-20:00. If you do decide to call us, please have details ready regarding your income, expenditure and creditors, as this can help speed up the referral process. If you have all of the necessary information ready, it may be possible to refer you directly to a counsellor for immediate advice. Alternatively, we will arrange for an appointment to be booked at a time convenient for you.

Kind Regards

Sue

CCCS_Sue

gilz wrote: »

hello !!!
ive got 2 credit cards both balance transfers and egg which has £2500 odd on it and a virgin that has £6000 on it, the egg hasnt been touched since the transfer , ... but the virgin has been used since the transfer .....we pay off the minimum on both and the virgin is around £100 a month but £50 is interest, ive applied for a card@ own bank abbey but have been declined twice in this year ... ive had an account with them for 15 years. ive got a mortgage of £1300 a month at a fixed 7% rate..., (im on the electoral roll) .... for another 3 years come feb, a car loan for £140 a month and food bills of £100-140 a week plus council tax of £150 a month ive two kids and have to pay my own diesel to get to work etc etc mob phone bill of £50 a month i earn £2800 a month, average gas and eleccy bills to boot.... i know its wrong but i do smoke around 12 a day, but i have a problem opening my credit card statements as it makes me sick looking and seeing that i owe £6000 knowing that i can never repay them in the next 2 years is a horrid thought ... i also never open my bank statements as this makes me sick aswell ... i know roughly whats in there ...when im in the red and when in the black, i just need help to sort these credit cards out as like ive said ive tried for the abbey .. now santander but dont want to keep getting knock backs that affect my credit rating, any takers for a bit of help ?? lol
thanks

Hi gilz and thank you for your message

It is good to see that you are taking the first steps to getting back in control of your situation

I understand it can be pretty scary wondering what you are going to be faced with when you open your statements from the bank and your creditors, but by ignoring them, your situation can only get worse.

You need to sit down and put together a budget showing all your income and expenditure.
Whatever is left after paying all your priorities such as mortgage, council tax, utility bills and food is the amount you can realistically afford to offer to repay your creditors. Send a copy of your budget with an offer of payment to each creditor. If they refuse to accept your offer, send it anyway. You cannot pay them money you do not have!

If you have an overdraft or debts with your current bank account, then change to a basic bank account elsewhere and have your money paid into this account. This puts you back in charge of your finances and stops the bank taking money from your account without your permission.

If you would like further help and support with your financial situation, you can

either use our online advice facility Debt Remedy, or ring our free Helpline to book a telephone appointment with a counsellor.

Debt Remedy will assist you in completing a financial statement which includes information on your household, employment, income, expenditure and debts. All this information is used as a basis to determine the options available to you to deal with your situation.

Once you’ve followed the process through and completed all the required information you will immediately be presented with an advice booklet, which will provide tailored advice for you based on your current circumstances. It will also provide advice on ways you may be able to improve your situation. If you would like to get immediate advice on your situation, follow the link to go directly to Debt Remedy: http://www.cccs.co.uk/ref/drcu

Alternatively if you would prefer to talk to a debt counsellor about your situation, you can book a telephone based appointment by calling our helpline free on 0800 138 1111. Lines are open Monday to Friday 08:00-20:00.

Kind Regards,

Sue

CCCS_Sue

ineedsumadvice wrote: »

hi im looking for some advice...i was working full time until about 2 months ago i had to go down to part time as i found out i was pregnant(we already have 2 older children) and my health has been really bad.until i went part time i was earning enough to pay the bills that have been coming in but now im finding it really hard to make my monthly payments,i have cut up my credit/store cards.im due to go on mat leave in 4 weeks time and i so worried that im going to loose everything as im only going to be getting mat pay.me and my husband(he works full time) own our own home and the mortgage is always paid its just my own personal debt im struggling with..
i pay credit card £95 pm
loan £340 pm
store card £30 pm
store card #2 £85 pm
i have had a look online at dmp and iva....i just dont know where to turn,or which would be the best...i dont want to loose my home and everything ive worked so hard for....
please any advise would be great.

Hi ineedsumadvice and thank you for your message

Have you completed our online Debt Remedy facility, or have you just been searching online for different debt solutions?

Debt Remedy assists you in completing a financial statement which includes information on your household, employment, income, expenditure and debts. All this information is used as a basis to determine the options available to you to deal with your situation.

Once you’ve followed the process through and completed all the required information you will immediately be presented with an advice booklet, which will provide tailored advice for you based on your current circumstances. It will also provide advice on ways you may be able to improve your situation. If you would like to get immediate advice on your situation, follow the link to go directly to Debt Remedy: http://www.cccs.co.uk/ref/drcu

If you have already completed Debt Remedy and a DMP and IVA have been recommended as your best options, but you need a bit more help and assistance to decide, you can call us free on the helpline number to speak to one of our counsellors.

If you need the telephone number, send me a PM and I will forward it to you.

Hope this helps

Kind Regards

Sue

chunkey101

Hi

I am about to enter the third year of my DMP with CCCS, everything has been going very well apart from one creditor. Last year Barclaycard advised that they had started to charge interest to my account, I wrote to them and explained that non of my other creditors were adding interest and that they were not being very helpful in helping me pay of my debts. They basically replied sying tough luck and that it was still at a lower rate than normal and they could start to charge full interest ant time they felt like it. I decided to live with and felt I would have to a couple of extra payments at the end of my DMP. Yesterday I received another letter saying that they are goint to increase the interest rate again. My question "Is there anything CCS or I can do to stop them charging interest ? do I ask them to take me to court and let a judge decide if they are being unreasonable and unfailr ?"

They are one of my smaller creditors and all others have been excellent.

Thanks in advance

Chunkey