Struggling with debt? Ask a debt advisor a question

fatbelly

newmuma12 wrote: »

i have recently had a call from my claims expert.co.uk, asking if im struggling with debt. and i am.
i have become a mom this year and so have had some time to look at bank statements etc. my claims expert say they can talk to my bank and card company and get them to freeze my charges and interest, i would then make all my payments through them, with them taking a fee of £25. at first i was happy someone was willing to listen and help, to take away some of the stress, but now im not feeling great about it. i have however not had any help or support from the bank, who say that they cant do anything. should i go with my claims expert to help clear my debt through them.?? my gut says somethings not right. but what options do i have if my bank just keeps saying No or im not eligiable for X,Y and Z? someone please help me.

I'm going to answer this so no one can accuse CCCS of bias. The basic rule is 'when you're in debt, the last thing you need is someone else to pay money to'. All the organisations listed in this article will help you without charging you a fee. CCCS are one of them. Claims expert isn't

StepChange_Pavan

newmuma12 wrote: »

i have recently had a call from my claims expert.co.uk, asking if im struggling with debt. and i am.
i have become a mom this year and so have had some time to look at bank statements etc. my claims expert say they can talk to my bank and card company and get them to freeze my charges and interest, i would then make all my payments through them, with them taking a fee of £25. at first i was happy someone was willing to listen and help, to take away some of the stress, but now im not feeling great about it. i have however not had any help or support from the bank, who say that they cant do anything. should i go with my claims expert to help clear my debt through them.?? my gut says somethings not right. but what options do i have if my bank just keeps saying No or im not eligiable for X,Y and Z? someone please help me.

Hi newmuma12 and thanks for your question.

I couldn’t have answered your question any better than fatbelly already has! Let us know if you have any further questions.

Kind regards,
Pavan

carter2005

In a bit of a dilemma, my husband has managed to get 3 loans a credit card and a mortgage from rbs bank, should all this be aloud from a bank that you have been with for years and they know what comes in and out of your account, we are paying around £615 a month on these loans and is crippling us, we have also asked them to help and consolidate, but they say hey can't, anyone help

lizzy23

Hello i have today done the Debt remedy information through the CCCS and have asked for a application pack, however i am scared on a few level levels i have not budgeted anything in my outgoings for emergencies ie if my car goes kaput, or the boiler blows up as an example, these are the sorts of things that i would have put on a credit card in the past, can i change my commitments to include these? and i find the thought of changing my bank account terrifying, changing all those direct debits i really don't know where to start, please help, i have spent my entire adult live in debt, consolidating and consolidating till i can't do it anymore, i am determined to do this

murratsm

Hi all,
My story in brief is that I owe £45,000 to 7 creditors and took out a DMP with CCCS and made my first payment in dec of £1017 a month. However at this point there are still 4 of my creditors that have not reduced or frozen interest rates. This means that of my monthly payment £400+ is still going on interest rate charges plus as I am over limit on 3 cards I am continuing to get over limit fees. What can I do? At this rate I will be on this DMP forever. Contacted CCCS and their response is to hold on and wait to my debt has been passed to a debt agency.

Help please

StepChange_Pavan

carter2005 wrote: »

In a bit of a dilemma, my husband has managed to get 3 loans a credit card and a mortgage from rbs bank, should all this be aloud from a bank that you have been with for years and they know what comes in and out of your account, we are paying around £615 a month on these loans and is crippling us, we have also asked them to help and consolidate, but they say hey can't, anyone help

Hi carter2005 and thanks for your question.

It’s difficult to say whether they should have agreed to lend him the money or not, because he will have signed the agreement too. It could be worth writing a letter of complaint to the bank and if they don’t reply with a satisfactory response you can take it up with the Financial Ombudsman.

It could be a good thing that they can’t consolidate the debts as this could make your situation worse in the long term – especially if those payments are unaffordable too.

We can look at your situation in more detail to see what options are available to you. You can 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 Helpline on 0800 138 1111 (free including from mobiles). We’re open Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm and Saturdays 9am – 3pm.

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

lizzy23 wrote: »

Hello i have today done the Debt remedy information through the CCCS and have asked for a application pack, however i am scared on a few level levels i have not budgeted anything in my outgoings for emergencies ie if my car goes kaput, or the boiler blows up as an example, these are the sorts of things that i would have put on a credit card in the past, can i change my commitments to include these? and i find the thought of changing my bank account terrifying, changing all those direct debits i really don't know where to start, please help, i have spent my entire adult live in debt, consolidating and consolidating till i can't do it anymore, i am determined to do this

Hi lizzy23 and welcome to the forum.

Don’t worry, you can get in touch with us to make any changes. There should be a reference number and our contact details in your advice booklet so just get in touch and we can amend your budget where it’s needed.

Also remember that a DMP is flexible, so if the worst should happen and your boiler breaks down you could amend your DMP payments until you’re back on track. The most important thing is that you’re not taking out any further credit so always get in touch with us if anything changes.

Unfortunately there’s no way around not changing your bank account as it’s to protect your money. You can go into a bank where you don’t have any existing debts and ask them for a basic bank account. They should be able to help you if you have any questions around setting up direct debits.

It’s also important that you arrange for any income to be paid into the new account once it’s set up, and cancel any payments going out from the old account.

If you have any more questions, just let us know.

Kind regards,
Pavan

lizzy23

Thanks very much i have had an online chat with a nice man this morning and i feel a bit better, was panicking last night, i want to get this right from the start

StepChange_Pavan

murratsm wrote: »

Hi all,
My story in brief is that I owe £45,000 to 7 creditors and took out a DMP with CCCS and made my first payment in dec of £1017 a month. However at this point there are still 4 of my creditors that have not reduced or frozen interest rates. This means that of my monthly payment £400+ is still going on interest rate charges plus as I am over limit on 3 cards I am continuing to get over limit fees. What can I do? At this rate I will be on this DMP forever. Contacted CCCS and their response is to hold on and wait to my debt has been passed to a debt agency.

Help please

Hi murratsm and thanks for your question.

I can understand this must be really frustrating and although we do our best, unfortunately there’s never any guarantee that creditors will agree to stopping interest and charges on a DMP (no matter which provider you're with).

Have you discussed other options with us, as there could be a more appropriate solution available to you at this stage?

If you’d like, you can send us your client reference number in a private message (CCCS Private Messages) and I can arrange for someone to look at your situation and get in touch with you.

Kind regards,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

lizzy23 wrote: »

Thanks very much i have had an online chat with a nice man this morning and i feel a bit better, was panicking last night, i want to get this right from the start

That's great, I'm glad you got it sorted and thanks for updating us

Kind regards,
Pavan