Struggling with debt? Ask a debt advisor a question

barnstormer365

Hi,

This is my 1st post so apologies if it doesn't make an awful lot of sense.

I've been very dense with money for some considerable time, and when I was at Uni in 2003, I got an overdraft with Natwest. It's been maxed out since about 2007, and they write to me every 6 months or so asking me to take action about account dormancy etc. I normally do so, but this year there's been a lot of bad stuff in my life etc and I didn't do it.

They've passed my debt on to Mackenzie Hall, who like most other DCC's are making the usual blustering threats of Court Action etc.

What should I do? I've been told in the past not to telephone them as they'll demand I go through my financial circumstances and try to force me to set up a payment plan to pay £100's a month (I'm happy to pay £50ish a month).

Any help Appreciated!

B365.

CCCS_Sue

Rochdale_Guy wrote: »

Thanks Pavan,

Sorry I meant the debt remedy.

I now only have whats left of today and tomorrow (as at meetings on Monday at work) to decide if I am gonna try for a consolidation loan as no net access at home

If I went for £7,500 that would cover the MBNA and EGG balances at a much lower rate APR than what I'm paying. I probably wouldnt even get accepted and know theres no point applying for a £15k loan to pay off it all (nearly).

Any final tips please re: a new low rate loan v new fixed low rate credit card application?

As said earlier, I last applied for credit in June 2010 and was turned down for that fixed low rate Halifax c/card....

P.S. Does being say a week behind with your council flat rent affect your credit status? My flat rent is due every Monday but sometimes I can't pay it until say the next Monday? I never thought this may somehow alter peoples decisions? Does it?

Sorry to cross post, but my original plea for help is below, thank you:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2509367=

Hi Rochdale Guy

Taking out extra credit to pay off existing debt is not always the best solution.
You could end up in a much worse situation, especially as you are not dealing with the whole situation. By borrowing just £7500 you would still have another £7500 outstanding if you owe £15k +

As you say you are struggling to pay your rent every week, the first thing you seriously need to look at is your income and expenditure.
Priority bills such as rent, council tax, utility bills, and food costs are much more important than trying to clear your non priority debts such as your credit cards, unsecured loans etc.
You should work out a budget making sure you have enough to pay all your priorities and any arrears.
Whatever is left is what you can realistically afford to pay your creditors. If there isn’t enough then you may have to offer reduced payments until your situation improves.
If you wish to discuss your Debt Remedy options further with a counsellor you call us free on 0800 138 1111.

Kind Regards
Sue

CCCS_Sue

kier333 wrote: »

I received a final notice from Bryan Carter Solicitors and also one from Fredrickson International just before Christmas for an outstanding debt from 2007 to o2 for the sum of £288.30. I contacted Bryan Carter's in January and agreed a full and final settlement with them for the debt at £145.

I received a letter dated 12th Jan 2011 stating:

Proposed settlement £145 for full and final settlement on the above account...

Payment to be made no later than 31st Jan 2011

However having spoke with Lowell who the debt stands with they inform me that they pulled the debt back on the 24th Jan and that if i make a payment to Bryan Carter then i will sill owe them the remainder of the balance.

I have since spoke to Bryan Carter who say as i have a F&F offer providing i make the payment then there is nothing Lowell can do and they will issue a receipt showing the o2 account balance at £0.00

Can you please advise as to my position and what i should do, as i had planned to make this payment to Bryan Carter's on the 31st.

I just don't want to owe Lowell money also?

Hi kier333 and thanks for your message


I can see why you are feeling confused about this!

You need to make your F&F to whoever owns the debt. You should have had communication explaining who the debt has been passed to.

Have you checked your credit file?

They could be in breach of the OFT Debt Collection Guidelines which states ‘using more than one debt collection business at the same time resulting in repetitive and/or frequent contact by different parties’ is harassment.
I have attached a link for you to the guidelines. Page 5 section 2.6 c, d and e gives further information. http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/business_leaflets/consumer_credit/oft664.pdf
You could contact Consumer Direct for further advice regarding this.
I have attached a link for you
http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/
Consumer Direct is the government-funded telephone and online service offering information and advice on consumer issues. They are funded by the Office of Fair Trading and delivered in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Services.
With regard to the F&F settlement, do not part with any money until you have it in writing that they accept your offer in full and final settlement of the debt and not part settlement and that they mark your credit file accordingly. If you require further help with this you can contact us on 0800 138 1111.


Kind regards
Sue

moofychops

Hi,
If the CCCS works out that I now have £350 left each month to pau unsecured debts, will they want all that or will a little less be asked, so that I can buy grandshildren present/xmas etc or meet any unforseen emergencies.
Ron

B17c

Hi there, i'm starting a DMP with the CCCS on 1st of Feb and i have set up a new bank account as i have a loan and overdraft with my current bank ( firstdirect)... do i need to have cancelled my firstdirect bank account before my DMP starts? Wages will not be going into that account anymore but could firstdirect still take money from it anyway for my loan repayment, (although i HAVE cancelled the direct debit,) making me overdrawn over my limit and then charging me for it?? Or do i not cancel any accounts and just let CCCS and creditors come to arrangements?
Many Thanks!

nissan25

Hi i have a friend who is in about 25k unsecured debt with several companies. He will be contacting CCCS very soon for assistance with a DMP.

The problem at the minute is he is being harassed every hour by telephone from these companies at home, mobile and sometimes even at work. He is now severely stressed and on edge every time the phone rings.

Each time he has advised that he is not in a position to make any payment and can only make small payments (less the minimum payments) on a specific day. However they still call and it is now constant harassment.

Can he write to each company and withdraw his consent for them to contact him only via post? Do the companies have to comply with his request?

mikon

nissan25 wrote: »

Hi i have a friend who is in about 25k unsecured debt with several companies. He will be contacting CCCS very soon for assistance with a DMP.

The problem at the minute is he is being harassed every hour by telephone from these companies at home, mobile and sometimes even at work. He is now severely stressed and on edge every time the phone rings.

Each time he has advised that he is not in a position to make any payment and can only make small payments (less the minimum payments) on a specific day. However they still call and it is now constant harassment.

Can he write to each company and withdraw his consent for them to contact him only via post? Do the companies have to comply with his request?

Creditors a breaking the law but continue to do this because they know people are ignorant to the fact that it is against the law.

They are breaching Section 40 Administration of Justice Act see the link below for full details. I wrote to my creditors and told them to remove my telephone number from their records and to correspond with me in writing and that they should be dealing with my appointed advisors who have full authority to act on my behalf.

I know its worrying in the beginning but things do get better and I am speaking from experience. Good Luck and do not give in stay strong.

http://www.insolvencyhelpline.co.uk/..._creditors.php

The text I used in my letters and which worked was the following.

I ask again that my telephone number be removed from my accounts/records. As other people answer the telephone who are not aware of my financial situation, ie, my children and I am unable to discuss this in the presence of my children. I would ask again that all correspondence between us be in writing. CCCS have advised me that I request that my telephone numbers be removed from my account/records. I have made this request several times both verbally and in writing and on each occasion I am told by your advisors that the system will be updated and my number removed. This apparently has not happened as I am continually receiving calls from you.

Paragraph 144 of the Lending Code November 2009 states “Where a customer requests that the subscriber deals with them in writing or e-mail (providing that facility is available)
rather than by telephone, they should do so as long as the customer remains co-operative and in regular dialogue.” Please remove my telephone number from my records and could all future correspondence be in writing.

I hope this helps your friend.

Good Luck

Mikon

StepChange_Pavan

runiu wrote: »

Hi,

I've recently had to take payday loans...and quite a lot of them...

In total I took £1760 and I've to repay £2200...I can't afford to repay it next month so I'll have to extend those loans...
I'll have to pay interest of £440 just to extend them...

I also have other debts but I'm handling them ok...

Can't take any more loans, credit cards and overdrafts...

I'm pretty much stuck...

Is there any help for me...

Thanks

Tom

Hi Tom and thanks for your post.

I’d really recommend that you give us a call so that we can look at your situation in more detail and advise you on all the options that are available to you.

It’s difficult to get out of this spiral without preparing an affective and sustainable budget which we can help you to do.

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.

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,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

barnstormer365 wrote: »

Hi,

This is my 1st post so apologies if it doesn't make an awful lot of sense.

I've been very dense with money for some considerable time, and when I was at Uni in 2003, I got an overdraft with Natwest. It's been maxed out since about 2007, and they write to me every 6 months or so asking me to take action about account dormancy etc. I normally do so, but this year there's been a lot of bad stuff in my life etc and I didn't do it.

They've passed my debt on to Mackenzie Hall, who like most other DCC's are making the usual blustering threats of Court Action etc.

What should I do? I've been told in the past not to telephone them as they'll demand I go through my financial circumstances and try to force me to set up a payment plan to pay £100's a month (I'm happy to pay £50ish a month).

Any help Appreciated!

B365.

Hi B365 and thanks for your post.

If you think that you’re able to afford around £50 a month, you need to create an income and expenditure to support this offer.

Sit down and write down how much you have coming in and how much you have going out on priority and essential expenditure (everything from your rent/mortgage and council tax to money for food, haircuts, travel etc.)

Send them a copy of this in writing, along with a covering letter to explain your circumstances and your offer of payment. It’s best to send everything in writing so that you have proof of everything you’ve sent – you don’t have to speak to them over the telephone if you don’t want to.

Don’t be pressurised into paying more than you can afford – your budget will show why you can only pay what you are doing so stick to this amount.

If you’d like help in preparing your budget you can use our online advice facility Debt Remedy Alternatively you can ring our free Helpline to book a telephone appointment with a counsellor on 0800 138 1111. Lines are open Monday to Friday 08:00-20:00.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

moofychops wrote: »

Hi,
If the CCCS works out that I now have £350 left each month to pau unsecured debts, will they want all that or will a little less be asked, so that I can buy grandshildren present/xmas etc or meet any unforseen emergencies.
Ron

Hi Ron and thank you for your post.

If your budget shows a £350 surplus, all of this will be used to pay towards your creditors. There should be an allocation in your budget for ‘birthdays/Christmas’ and ‘sundries & emergencies’ that should cover these outgoings.

If not, give us a call so that we can review your expenditure before the start of your DMP. It needs to be realistic so that you are able to sustain the payments.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Pavan