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StepChange_Pavan

FrugleFlossie wrote: »

My husband had a car on finance back in 2009 and unfortunately he struggled to make some of the payments. He was told that he could end the contract as it was over three quarters of the way through the finance agreement and he handed the car back. We can't remember the date exactly, but it was early 2009. We have no paperwork to support this except for the log book receipt to say it is no longer in our possession.

Then in April 2011 we had a "Final Charging Order" letter come in the post from Watford County Court to say that he has been ordered to pay the sum of £2678.10 plus interest and £266, the cost for the application.

My husband, the way he is ignored this, burying his head in the sand as he does until a man knocked at the door last year. We thought he was a bailiff at first, but he was surprisingly nice, and on our side. He sat down with my husband and worked out our expenditure plan and agreed a sum that we could comfortably afford to pay back, much less than we had agreed to pay in the first place. This was £85.

We paid this for a few months until we had a letter from another company stating that they required a higher repayment per month, which turned out to be £150. We tried so hard to make the payments, but having a young family and problems with work, we missed a few payments and a bailiff knocked on the door. He set up another payment plan of £150, even though we couldn't afford it and has used our current car as a forteit for missed payments. W
We've missed more payments and he continues to knock on the door. To be fair to the guy, he is really nice and has told us that he goes back to the office and tells them that we wern't in, even though we were, but he can't keep this up and he's told us that we really need to pay up soon.

Just before Christmas he left a letter saying that the amount is now due in full (£3608.41) with a note at the bottom saying they now want more than £150 a month.

I have been to see my accountant who has asked me to ask them for confirmation in writing:

· What was the auction valuation for the vehicle that was sold?
· What is the current interest rate on the vehicle?
· How much has been paid by us so far?

And also for a copy of the finance agreement since we do not have one. We don't have any paperwork relating to this case other than the court order and the bailiff letters. No letters prior to the court letter to say they were taking us to court!!

Obviously I want this sorting out now and have taken the matter out of DH's hands since he won't deal with it himself. I am just wondering what our options are now. I have written them a letter asking for the above information and also with a proposal to pay £85 instead of £150 or more. We can't afford that really, but I can't see them agreeing to any less.

What do I do if they refuse this amount?? Please help me as I can't stand another sleepless night over this

Hi FrugleFlossie and thank you for your post.

You’re right in asking the questions that you’ve written to them about, especially because you thought the debt didn’t exist in the first place.

It does seem strange that you never received any court paperwork before the debt went to bailiffs. Are you sure that it isn’t a debt collection agent?

I’d recommend that you wait for them to answer your letter. If they can prove the debt, you can only offer them an amount that you can afford. If you need help with working this out, you can come to us for advice.

I hope this helps.

Kid regards,
Pavan

emmaking1987

Thanks for the advice about a dro.

With a debt management plan, i know alot of factors will affect their decision, but are the creditors normally quite willing to freeze the interest. Because if not then i will just be going round in circles with only affording a small amount to split between all 3. Also i think i was told that you can possibly postpone the payments for 6 months, again i know there are certain factors that will affect this but is this normally pretty easy to put in place aswell?

Finally, this will be the first month where i cannot pay any of my creditors, will this affect their decision in agreeing the dmp and/or freezing the interest?
Thanks.

Edit: With a dmp are u able to open a savings account. or is this a big no no as any spare cash should go straight towards the dmp? thanks.

proudmumof1

CCCS_Pavan wrote: »

Hi proudmumof1 and thanks for your post.

HH has already given you some really useful advice and I’d certainly back up what they have said and recommend that you visit our debt advice service Debt Remedy to help you look at your options.

You’re right that your mortgage and council tax are priorities but you can only pay your credit cards if you have anything left over after paying these. It’s a good idea to send a copy of your income and expenditure with any offers of repayment to back up your situation.

If you’d prefer you can call our free helpline and we can look at your situation in detail and discuss your options with you. You can call us on 0800 138 1111 and we’re open Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Pavan

Thanks pavan for coming back to me. I have spoken to the Mortgage company and agreed an interest only option for this month as hubby had already paid credit cards and left next to nothing for mortgage!!??!!.

I have written to them with a budget sheet so they can see the situation is now in hand with them being placed top of the payment list (with council tax) and the credit cards at the bottom!

The next couple of months are a huge nightmare due to the deficit that has to be covered with the council tax ( £400 pm). Then back to normal council tax payments (170pm). Then the ongoing slightly smaller nighmare begins!

I had written to all credit cards asking for 28 days to allow me time to get this sorted with the mortgage and council tax.
Next step is to send the same budget sheet to the credit card companies and cross fingers!

Thanks again PM x

cherrypopaloona

Hi, I recently changed bank accounts to the Clydesdale but I have had more overdrawn charges in 2 months than I had in 8 years with Lloyds TSB. I am now switching back to the TSB but can I close my account with Clydesdale if I have outstanding charges. I feel so ripped off by this bank!!! Thanks

StepChange_Pavan

**STRESSED** wrote: »

I've been on a DMP with CCCS for nearly 8 years now and my debt free date is allocated to be July 2014 ... even though I've managed to pay quite a lump sum on the DMP I kinda feel a little disheartened and like I'm failing coz i'm not debt free yet. I got into this situation after being in a terrible relationship, having to private rent and only having one income. I realised the error of my ways and got in contact with the CCCS who have been brillant, supportive and I would defo recommend to anyone! but they are the only people aware of my situation. I feel really stupid for getting into this situation and although I only have just over 2 years left, I feel like I'm not doing enough. I struggle on bare minimum and very rarely treat myself to anything nice ... i just wondered if anyone else has been in this situation or felt the same?

Hi there and thanks for your post.

You’re certainly not alone and you shouldn’t feel like you’ve failed – being on a DMP for 8 years and being so close to your debt free date is a great achievement.

We usually answer debt questions on this forum thread but there are lots of support threads on here too. I’m sure you’ll find lots of people that are in the same situation.

If you ever feel like it’s too much of a struggle or you want to discuss your circumstances, just give our support team a call and they’ll be more than happy to help.

Kind regards,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

alfie2011 wrote: »

Hi I wonder if anybody can help me,i have 2 credit cards which have a £20,000 limit on them and 1 loan of £6,000 which i have used to pay off my ex wife off with (i know it was stupid) but now i cant get any other credit card to take this on at 0% or get a consolidation loan.The banks say i have to much in the way of loans as it is,I have enough money in my salary to pay £1,000 a month off but no one seems to want to help.can anybody advise me on what to do next

Thanks

Hi alfie2011 and welcome to the forum.

We’d need to look at your situation in a bit more detail to be able to advise you thoroughly.

I’d recommend that you 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,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

this_cant_go_on wrote: »

hi, im currently on a dmp with the cccs and have been on it for the last 6 months, i received a £2000 bonus from work and planned to split it between my creditors for £200 each, ive made a blunder and paid the 1st creditor 2000 by mistake, is there anyway of getting this reversed?

Hi there and thanks for your post.

You may be able to get this reversed but you would need to contact the creditor to explain. I’d also recommend that you call our support team so we can update your balances and we may also be able to help contact the creditor.

Kind regards,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

emmaking1987 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice about a dro.

With a debt management plan, i know alot of factors will affect their decision, but are the creditors normally quite willing to freeze the interest. Because if not then i will just be going round in circles with only affording a small amount to split between all 3. Also i think i was told that you can possibly postpone the payments for 6 months, again i know there are certain factors that will affect this but is this normally pretty easy to put in place aswell?

Finally, this will be the first month where i cannot pay any of my creditors, will this affect their decision in agreeing the dmp and/or freezing the interest?
Thanks.

Edit: With a dmp are u able to open a savings account. or is this a big no no as any spare cash should go straight towards the dmp? thanks.

Hi again,

There’s no guarantee that your creditors will agree to freezing the interest and charges on a DMP because it’s an informal agreement.

If you couldn’t afford to pay your creditors anything, you can offer them token payments of £1 per month – this could be what you mean by postponing the payments. This is a gesture of goodwill and only a short term solution until your circumstances change.

You should be able to have a savings account but you should only be putting aside amounts for expenditure that isn’t monthly to help you budget – such as car tax or MOT for example. You’re right that any surplus money should be used toward repaying your debts.

I’d really recommend that you give us a call so that we can look at your situation in more detail and recommend the best course of action for you. You can call our free helpline on 0800 138 1111 and we’re open Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

cherrypopaloona wrote: »

Hi, I recently changed bank accounts to the Clydesdale but I have had more overdrawn charges in 2 months than I had in 8 years with Lloyds TSB. I am now switching back to the TSB but can I close my account with Clydesdale if I have outstanding charges. I feel so ripped off by this bank!!! Thanks

Hi cherrypopaloona and welcome to the forum.

It’s unlikely that they’ll let you close the account with charges outstanding. I’d recommend that you contact them and see what they say.

It’s always best to bank away from any existing debts so you should chose a different bank if you also have debts with Lloyds TSB.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Pavan

goodmorningsunshine

Hi, not sure if this is the correct thread ?? but here goes.

I have a major problem with my council tax (they never sent me any bills/paperwork for the last 20 years, so in short - have never paid any) but they have now sent me 20 years or so worth of bills all in one go. :eek:

This is the only debt I have,:( as I am very careful - if I can't afford - I don't get. I don't have a flat screen tv, freezer, carpet in my hall, the list goes on and still on my 1st fridge and washing machine (both around 20 years old - actually more as I bought them both 2nd hand) I have even been without a proper cooker for 3 years (I only had a microwave) then managed to get one off ebay and had to wait 8 months before I could afford to get the gas pipe moved and cooker installed/connected.

My question is - I have a few bank accounts with a few pounds in each of them, can they arrest/claim/freeze them, even if they are not registered to me at my current address and never have been?

When I left home, I never contacted the bank to inform them of my new address, so my statements still get sent to my mums address and could they arrest/claim my wages, even if my work does not have my current address?

I would be grateful for any advice/information you could give.