Struggling with debt? Ask a debt advisor a question

pennyjohnson01

Hello Friends,

Really Nice post. I am new here

3Dogs

Spammer Kent Hamel reported

budg

Hi,
I was contacted last Friday by Westcot's Debt collection people.
It seems they have a debt of some £1850.00 from the RBS on an old credit card. The card was opened in 1995 and closed in 2003
It seems that I opened the credit card with my wife as 2nd card holder.
The issue is that I was diviorced with a clean break settlement in about 1999. I was unaware the card was still open.
I have been told that correspondance has been sent to my old address - as far as I am aware my ex-wife lives there with her new husband. I was also told that there was a payment towards this debt of £5 made in January and that was the last contact. Westcots say because I took the card out the debt is mine - I knew absolutely nothing about this until last week.
I have written to my ex asking her to contact Westcots but I don't hold out much hope - I don't even know if she still lives at the old address for sure.
Where do I stand & what are my options - any advice gratefully received, many thanks.

Ethereal_Gaz

Hi CCCS advisers,
I was out of work for 4 months last year and the visas and company corporation tax went a bit awry.

I owe 13k to MBNA and 6K to Capital One (plus 10k corporation tax but that's not dealt with here is it?).

I spoke to both companies to explain the situation and had the interest frozen for 6 months, then they set the DCA's on me.

I again spoke to both companies to try to arrange a pro-rata agreement, Capital One weren't interested (they wanted loads more paperwork) but MBNA agreed to £140 a month. I gave them all my bank details and authorised them to take a monthly payment. They took the first payment then nothing more and set the DCA on me again. I've now been through the whole process of sending letters to check the DCA own the debt and it's enforcable. They do and it is.

What happens next? Do I need to go through the same process of sending budget sheets to the DCA or just tell them I'll pay the £140 I agreed with MBNA?

Does anyone else think, with all this debt, bankruptcy may be a better option for me?

CCCS_Sue

AmberSW wrote: »

I wrote just over a week ago to all the DCAs I owe money to asking them to stop action on my accounts while I sort out my budget and payplan however NCO Europe are continuing to telephone me 5+ times a day and have just sent a 72 hour notice letter to get things sorted despite me writing to them which has sent me into a panic. I'm trying to keep as calm as I can and deal with it all as the increased stress level makes me ill and I was wondering what the best next step is in dealing with these as they seem very heavy handed Thanks in advance

Hi AmberSW,

Thank you for your message.

The creditors will contact you to try and see if they can more money from you, but they should not be harassing you. You can ask them to correspond with you in writing only and remove you from their telephone database. I do have a sample letter you can use. If you send me a message at [EMAIL="contactus@cccs.co.uk"]contactus@cccs.co.uk[/EMAIL], I will email you a copy.

They will need to see a copy of your budget and list of creditors. You also need to make an offer of payment. Do not be pressured into paying more than you can realistically afford.

If you need help with this, then you can call our free telephone helpline on 0800 138 1111. Alternatively you can visit our online debt advice facility called Debt Remedy. Debt Remedy would assist you in completing a financial statement and you would be provided with tailored advice on the best way to deal with your situation. This link will take you directly to Debt Remedy www.cccs.co.uk/ref/drcu


Above all, try not to worry as you’re doing everything that you can.


Regards
Sue

CCCS_Sue

LauraLou1985 wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm supposed to be making my first payment to CCCS by the first of July but I've had to pay soemthing out unexpectedly this month- bloody unexpected car repairs totalling nearly £100.00!

Would I be able to just pay CCCS a reduced amount to what they say it should be? I should be paying £124.00 but this won't be possible.

I will be calling them later when I get in from work but I just wanted to know if this is a possibility or if I'm going to have to find the £124.00 from somewhere?!

Hi LauraLou1985,

Thank you for your message.

You need to contact our Client Support team who will advise you further. If you explain the situation, and because it is a priority bill, it shouldn’t be a problem. It may mean you starting your plan from August instead of July.

Regards
Sue

CCCS_Sue

pennyjohnson01 wrote: »

Hello Friends,

Really Nice post. I am new here

Hi Pennyjohnson01,

Welcome to the forum! If you have any questions, we are here to help.:)

Regards
Sue

CCCS_Sue

budg wrote: »

Hi,
I was contacted last Friday by Westcot's Debt collection people.
It seems they have a debt of some £1850.00 from the RBS on an old credit card. The card was opened in 1995 and closed in 2003
It seems that I opened the credit card with my wife as 2nd card holder.
The issue is that I was diviorced with a clean break settlement in about 1999. I was unaware the card was still open.
I have been told that correspondance has been sent to my old address - as far as I am aware my ex-wife lives there with her new husband. I was also told that there was a payment towards this debt of £5 made in January and that was the last contact. Westcots say because I took the card out the debt is mine - I knew absolutely nothing about this until last week.
I have written to my ex asking her to contact Westcots but I don't hold out much hope - I don't even know if she still lives at the old address for sure.
Where do I stand & what are my options - any advice gratefully received, many thanks.

Hi budg,

Thank you for your message,

Unfortunately, as the card was taken out in your name, you are liable for any outstanding debt.

You could try and ask your ex wife for the money, but legally she doesn’t have to pay anything. I would recommend that you check to make sure that the account is now closed to prevent further use.

You need to come to some arrangement with Westcot to repay this. If you can’t pay the amount in full, you will need to offer them a monthly payment that you can realistically afford along with a budget to support this. If you require any help with this you can call our free telephone helpline on 0800 138 1111. Alternatively you can visit our online debt advice facility called Debt Remedy. Debt Remedy would assist you in completing a financial statement and you would be provided with tailored advice on the best way to deal with your situation. This link will take you directly to Debt Remedy www.cccs.co.uk/ref/drcu

Regards
Sue

nick1974

Hi,

Your help would be much appreciated on this question.

I have had a number of defaults on my credit history over the last few years. Most of them have now been removed as are over 6 years old. I have 2 left from Cahoot (a loan, and a credit card). They are both 6 years old in February 2011. I dont remember ever receiving a default notice from this company, and have written several letters to them asking them for a copy of it. I was referred to Santander, and eventually received confirmation last week that they dont have a copy, and they are not obligated to keep copies of these letters. Instead they just sent me copy of a template letter that they say was sent to me in 2005. They say this is the final stage of the complaints process and there is no further recourse for me. The default is hindering me in getting a mortgage, and I would like to know what my next course of action could be. Should I take this to a solicitor on my behalf, or is there something else I can do. If there was a defualt on this account, then it would have been earlier than this anyway, which is why I think it is incorrect. I had an IVA in April 2004 and defaulted on several accounts around this time. The fact that they have recorded a default in February 2005 is definitely not accurate, and they are not able to prove this.

I am willing to do anything I can to have this default removed as at the moment it is unsubstantiated. Are they legally obliged to remove it as they cant prove it?
Many thanks,

Nick

CCCS_Sue

Ethereal_Gaz wrote: »

Hi CCCS advisers,
I was out of work for 4 months last year and the visas and company corporation tax went a bit awry.

I owe 13k to MBNA and 6K to Capital One (plus 10k corporation tax but that's not dealt with here is it?).

I spoke to both companies to explain the situation and had the interest frozen for 6 months, then they set the DCA's on me.

I again spoke to both companies to try to arrange a pro-rata agreement, Capital One weren't interested (they wanted loads more paperwork) but MBNA agreed to £140 a month. I gave them all my bank details and authorised them to take a monthly payment. They took the first payment then nothing more and set the DCA on me again. I've now been through the whole process of sending letters to check the DCA own the debt and it's enforcable. They do and it is.

What happens next? Do I need to go through the same process of sending budget sheets to the DCA or just tell them I'll pay the £140 I agreed with MBNA?

Does anyone else think, with all this debt, bankruptcy may be a better option for me?

Hi Ethereal_Gaz,

Thank you for your message.

You do need to send the DCA a copy of your income and expenditure as this will support your offer of payment.

With regards to bankruptcy, without knowing your full financial situation, I am not able to give you advice on whether this would be your best option. I have attached a link to our CCCS website if you want to read more about bankruptcy. http://www.cccs.co.uk/InfoCentre/EnglandandWales/Debtsolutions/Bankruptcy.aspx
If you would like to discuss this with one of our debt counsellors, you can ring our free telephone helpline on 0800 138 1111. Alternatively you can visit our online debt advice facility called Debt Remedy. Debt Remedy would assist you in completing a financial statement and you would be provided with tailored advice on the best way to deal with your situation. This link will take you directly to Debt Remedy www.cccs.co.uk/ref/drcu

If you need advice on your business debts, you can contact Business Debtline. I have attached a link for you. http://www.bdl.org.uk/englandandwales.asp

Regards,
Sue