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Danish_26 wrote: »

Hi, first time on here so sorry if this sounds off, rather upset as i'm typing. The last few months have been difficult with losing my job, my son being born and having to cope with the grossly inefficient Department for Work and Pensions. for 2 of those months, my partner and myself were messed about, being told that our documents were being lost, faxed copies were not being recieved due to no paper in the machine, and even at one point that we were not eligible for the income support we were trying to claim.
They finally began paying us, while i was searching for work. To date, the backdated payments for the 2 months they messed us about have not arrived, and i have been relying on part of this money to pay a credit agreement with my bank. with less than 24 possible hours left until i am in breach of this agreement, the money has not arrived. Is there anything i can do against DWP to speed this money up, and what do i do about the bank? I have never been in a position like this before, so i'm a little bit lost and a lot angry and frustrated. :mad:

Hi Danish 26 and welcome to the forum.

It sounds like you would benefit from some free and impartial advice.

We can’t help with the speed of Department for Work and Pension but if you are struggling financially and have credit debts that are becoming a problem we can assist you.

We also have a Welfare Benefits department that can double check you are receiving all the help you are entitled to.

The first thing to do is visit our online debt advice service Debt Remedy (http://www.cccs.co.uk/ref/drcu) to help you find a solution to your debt problem quickly.

Debt Remedy will assist you in completing a financial statement with information on your household, employment, income, expenditure and debts. From this the service will automatically determine your options.

To help you fill in the form, it’s best to gather together information about:
• Your income
• Your expenditure
• The creditors you owe money to

You’ll receive a downloadable advice booklet providing a tailored solution for you based on your current circumstances and advice on ways you may be able to improve your situation.

If you’re not confident with computers or would like to speak to an advisor then you’re welcome to ring our free Helpline on 0800 138 1111. We’re open Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm.

If you phone us 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.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Mat

Michael111

I have managed to secure a settlement figure from MBNA in part payment of my son's debt, which they assure me won't affect his future credit, even though they have put a black mark on his credit rating. Is this true? and how can I get the black mark removed for him as he is in business and needs to use credit for suppliers.

I hope you can help. Thank you.

cobon

I use to be in uni and had a part time job to help pay my bills until I began getting bullied at work then dropped out of uni this was 2008-2009 but I have recived a debt collection letter for £1250.00 for not paying fees I did not attend uni as I became a recluse and to scared to leave the house what can I do to prove I did not attend uni as we did not take a register

cobon

I use to be in uni and had a part time job to help pay my bills until I began getting bullied at work then dropped out of uni this was 2008-2009 but I have recived a debt collection letter for £1250.00 for not paying fees I did not attend uni as I became a recluse and to scared to leave the house what can I do to prove I did not attend uni as we did not take a register

Mrshaworth2b

Hello, I am wondering if you an help me.. I've had my head in the sand about this situaton but now because me and my partner are wanting to move in together, I am worried about my credit score and know this will affect it so I have until March next year to sort it.

Basically, I opened a student account in 2008 when I was going to study in Leeds, I went into my overdraft £1250, and havent paid much back (I've been putting in £2 a week now I have a job) I quit uni after a year as my mum died and I went on the dole, now I have a job and want to start paying it back, but I'm scared to look at the balance. Will there have been interest added on? If so, how am I ever going to clear it because I'm on a low income and don't have friends or family with that money

StepChange_Pavan

Michael111 wrote: »

I have managed to secure a settlement figure from MBNA in part payment of my son's debt, which they assure me won't affect his future credit, even though they have put a black mark on his credit rating. Is this true? and how can I get the black mark removed for him as he is in business and needs to use credit for suppliers.

I hope you can help. Thank you.

Hi Michael111 and thanks for your post.

If he’s already defaulted, it could be difficult to get this removed, depending on how long ago it was. You would also need written confirmation that they will not sell the remaining debt on to another company and the debt is completely settled.

This credit explained booklet gives you more information on how to remove information from your file.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

cobon wrote: »

I use to be in uni and had a part time job to help pay my bills until I began getting bullied at work then dropped out of uni this was 2008-2009 but I have recived a debt collection letter for £1250.00 for not paying fees I did not attend uni as I became a recluse and to scared to leave the house what can I do to prove I did not attend uni as we did not take a register

Hi cobon and thanks for your post.

It’s difficult to say whether or not you’re liable without knowing more information.

I’d recommend that you call the university and ask them advice on what to do. They should have a student welfare/finance department who should be able to advise you.

Kind regards,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

Mrshaworth2b wrote: »

Hello, I am wondering if you an help me.. I've had my head in the sand about this situaton but now because me and my partner are wanting to move in together, I am worried about my credit score and know this will affect it so I have until March next year to sort it.

Basically, I opened a student account in 2008 when I was going to study in Leeds, I went into my overdraft £1250, and havent paid much back (I've been putting in £2 a week now I have a job) I quit uni after a year as my mum died and I went on the dole, now I have a job and want to start paying it back, but I'm scared to look at the balance. Will there have been interest added on? If so, how am I ever going to clear it because I'm on a low income and don't have friends or family with that money

Hi Mrshaworth2b and thanks for your post.

Firstly, well done on taking your head out of the sand - that's usually the hardest step. It’s likely that they will have added interest, but you can only pay it back at a rate that you can afford.

I’d recommend that you contact them to find out exactly how much you owe and come to an arrangement to repay a realistic amount each month.

If you’d like us to help you to put together a budget you can use our online debt advice service Debt Remedy (http://www.cccs.co.uk/ref/drcu) or call our helpline on 0800 138 1111.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Pavan

DotNetter

Hi there,

We've been on a DMP for 2 years in January.

We started with around £60k of unsecured debt and that is now down to approximately £54k after 2 years of payments!

Many of our creditors have stopped charging interest or have lowered it. We tried reducing our monthly spend to increase our payments but apart from struggling we found that some creditors actually started charging full interest again!

Anyhow, even though my DMP suggests that we will be debt free in 8 years I am guessing based on the above that this will be far from true.

So, I'm now considering an IVA.

We are home owners. Our mortgage and secured loan is work £130k approx and our home is currently worth approx £150k (based on a 2 independent validations of £145k 2 years ago).

I understand most of how an IVA works in terms of 70% of the value of creditors needing to agree etc and that it's a formal agreement that can last 5 years (please correct me if I'm wrong) however I don't understand how/if there is a risk to us loosing our home?

Obviously 5 years of debt compared to what could be 15years is preferable.

Can you provide any advice?

Hightower13

Requesting Info on my account
Hi,

I wrote to argos asking for info on my PPI I have with them, as I have no information for my records.

I haven't heard back from them and it has been about 6 weeks. I sent the letter recorded delivery.

Do I need to send a cheque for £1 for the info, as I saw it on a template letter that to do this??!

Thanks