Struggling with debt? Ask a debt advisor a question

CCCS_Sue

lrmsmith wrote: »

Hi i need help i have no money coming in i start my new job on the 6th of sept but i have mine and my partners overdrafts to think about. I will be encouring charges soon but the debt in total is about £7,000 what would be best a loan or a credit card or something else please help me.

Hi Irmsmith,

I have replied to your message in post 712.
I would recommend that you call us as soon as possible so you that you can discuss this in more detail with one of our counsellors.

Regards
Sue

Unhappy_01

Thanks for the reply Sue, much apprecitated.

I called someone on your helpline yesterday and they advised me to complete the debt remedy calcualtor which I have now done. I am working through the steps contained within the .pdf I received after completing the remedy tool in terms of getting statements from these companies, a copy of my bank statement and trying to open a new bank account.

The .pdf I received mentions that I will recieve an email in the next 24 hours that details how to set-up the DMP, could you advise if this is something different to the document I have already recevied which I refered to above ?? The initial .pdf I got doesn't mention what I need to do once I have got together all the paperwork required.

CCCS_Sue

shelovestobuystuff wrote: »

I have a question for a CCCS councillor please.
A little background and a thanks first before I get to the point if thats okay.
I am on a DMP and CCCS have been very helpful in getting that sorted for me quickly.They are great to deal with,everyone I have spoken to over the phone have been exceptionally nice and considerate,very helpful in getting some of my debts interests frozen etc too.My debt will be clear in just under 5 years.Its going well.
So my situation just now is that I am not in paid employment,I volunteer in a charity shop and do some fundraising,just to keep active and keep my retail experience up to date.I have been thinking lately about going to college to get some more qualifications and have been accepted onto a course.I do not qualify for fee waiver for college and have in the past had fees paid for a higher level course(HNC) so dont qualify for that funding again.The only way to pay my fees would be to apply for a student loan from SAAS and pay my fees from that.Am I allowed to apply for a student loan while on a DMP?
I fully expect the answer is no but I just wanted to double check before I give up on college as it is a loan for education and not a traditional loan.
Oh just to add,I would of course rather not have to take a student loan but the funding rules state that I have to have applied for and if offered taken up any student loan offer first before I am allowed to apply for any other funding from the college such as local grants,bursary or EU grants for students childcare etc

Update-I managed to get someone from my local CCCS office on the phone and they said yes I can take a student loan but it will be classed as income for paying towards debts.I expect I will be able to add college fees and equipment to my DMP expenditure and then probably still have a lump sum of about £1,500 left over the year to throw at debt in extra payments to CCCS.Is it okay to make occassional extra payments to CCCS when theres money available?This should bring my repayment period down by about 8 months.

Hi shelovestobuystuff and thank you for your message

As you have already confirmed, a student loan would be classed as income and you would be able to add the fees and other related costs to your expenditure.
You would be able to add any extra payments when you have some spare money available.
You would need to ring our client support team and they will pro rata any additional payments to your creditors so they all get a fair share.
Hopefully, this will help to clear your debts much quicker.

And thank you for the kind feedback at the start of your message!:)

Regards
Sue

CCCS_Sue

shezza wrote: »

I have a question for the cccs counsellor,

I contacted the cccs a few months back and had my initial appointment however, due to trying to sort out other agencies that required payslips (csa etc) I have not been able to respond. Our circumstances have not changed and everything that was discussed at the appointment still stands, what I want to know is can I still send the information required in or will I have to have another appointment.

Many thanks

Hi Shezza

I would advise that you call to let us know that you intend to go ahead anyway, as it is a few months since we spoke to you.
If another appointment is necessary, the counsellor will advise you.

Regards
Sue

CCCS_Sue

Unhappy_01 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply Sue, much apprecitated.

I called someone on your helpline yesterday and they advised me to complete the debt remedy calcualtor which I have now done. I am working through the steps contained within the .pdf I received after completing the remedy tool in terms of getting statements from these companies, a copy of my bank statement and trying to open a new bank account.

The .pdf I received mentions that I will recieve an email in the next 24 hours that details how to set-up the DMP, could you advise if this is something different to the document I have already recevied which I refered to above ?? The initial .pdf I got doesn't mention what I need to do once I have got together all the paperwork required.

The email will contain the DMP agreement and a sample letter to send to your creditors to let them know you are going on a DMP.
It will also have instructions on how to proceed.

Regards
Sue

Unhappy_01

CCCS_Sue wrote: »

The email will contain the DMP agreement and a sample letter to send to your creditors to let them know you are going on a DMP.
It will also have instructions on how to proceed.

Regards
Sue

Thanks again....with regards to obtaining statements from these people.....I can obtain these online and take a screenshot (they have dates of due payments), would this suffice or do I actaully need to call them and have one sent to me ??

The reason I ask is that I am worried they will know why I am asking for one to be sent out when it's available online.

Homershairdo

Hi,

I have a question please. I am considering entering a DMP, and the wife is out of work so things are "tight". All the unsecured debt is in my name, so I'll be raising the dmp. However, one of our debts is with HSBC, whom we also have a joint account with, as well as individual sole accounts. I've read about "offsetting" - would they take money from either of the sole, or joint accounts? If I removed my name from the joint account, would they still try and use that?

Thanks!

Carosel_2

Hi Pavan
Thanks for your advice. I decided to wait and see what the next contact would be, instead of panicking! A credit management agency (Apex) contacted me and went through my income & expenditure and agreed to payments of £210 per month. They did first start off asking for the full amount or 3 months to pay but when I clearly explained how that would not be feasible, this new arrangement was organised. Your advice calmed me down because I was very stressed about the debt, but it also made me look at my situation more closely and work towards reducing all my outgoings.
Many thanks
Carosel

danuk

With a DMP with CCCS can i put all my creditcard debts on the DMP but i have a loan that i can continue to afford and would like to not include this on a DMP is this possible? How does remortgage time impact if you have a DMP?

THanks in advance

CCCS_Sue

Homershairdo wrote: »

Hi,

I have a question please. I am considering entering a DMP, and the wife is out of work so things are "tight". All the unsecured debt is in my name, so I'll be raising the dmp. However, one of our debts is with HSBC, whom we also have a joint account with, as well as individual sole accounts. I've read about "offsetting" - would they take money from either of the sole, or joint accounts? If I removed my name from the joint account, would they still try and use that?

Thanks!

Hi homershairdo and thank you for your message


When you owe money, including overdrafts, to the same bank where you have your income paid into, there is a risk of the bank taking money without your consent.
A bank can use their “right of offset” to take money from one account to pay a debt on a different account with the same company. This includes credit cards.
If a bank is concerned you may not be able to repay an overdraft they will often wait until a large credit is made, such as a wage payment, and then remove the limit on the account. This means that you may not have access to money needed for living costs.
To avoid the problems listed above it is advisable that you should change to a basic bank account with a bank you have no debts with. You could ask to remove your name from the joint account, but as you are both joint and severally liable, they would pursue your wife for any outstanding overdraft amount.
When your income is paid into the new account you will have control of your money again and can effectively prioritise. A basic bank account is easier to obtain than a current account and it is not possible to go into overdraft.
If you would like to discuss the options available for your debt situation, you can call free for an appointment on 0800 138 1111.

Regards
Sue