Provident/Greenwoods Help Needed

nick282

Hi, new here so hope I can get some help on this.

I have several loans under my name and my wifes name.

Here are the amounts and repayment totals.

1539.98 @ 40 PW
816.23 @ 26 PW
523 @ 20 PW
639 @ 13 PW
676.80 @20 PW
518 @ 10 PW

I have written to them on numerous occasions to reduce the debt with official letters and budget sheets and not got any reply what so ever.

I called head office and they referred it to the local manager who reduced one for 4 weeks but it just isn't enough.

I am having to take on loans to keep myself afloat and it is digging me deeper.

I am on benefits, namely income support and my wife is disabled and she gets disability living allowance.

I have done an accurate budget sheet and the total disposable income without any housekeeping or anything extra leaves me with £40 per week.

Can anyone advise me what to do because I have tried to reason with the collector, the manager and head office and they just don't seem to understand.

I can't carry on paying off £129 per week because it is killing me and my families life and this has been going on for 2 years.

I know most of you will say, well you shouldn't have taken them on etc etc but that has gone now and I want to find a reasonable way of taking them on and being debt free again.

McKneff

You say you are on benefits, are you job hunting.

Could you sell on ebay, do car boot sales, etc to try and pay some of the debt off.

nick282

We have done that in the past but we have sold pretty much everything we have extra that we could sell.

I care for my disabled wife and so long term work is not an option but I did sign up to a carers work scheme that would get me 16 hours a week work but after 12 months the Job Centre have been pretty much useless despite me having good qualifications and currently studying at home with the OU.

beanielou

Hi nick.

Welcome to MSE.
You will get lots of help here.

You really need to contact your local CAB & they will negotiate with them on your behalf.Or contact payplan or CCCS.
If you havent got the money then you cant pay them.
DO NOT take out further ;loans to pay them.
If you have a local credit union look at starting to save with them.
Even £1 a week is a start & the credit unions offer low cost loans.
I hope you can get things sorted out.

Hannah_10

Nick you're suffering from a bad case of being too nice mate. Wherever there's a nice person who really wants to be helpful in this world there is a school playground style bully ready to capitalise on that.

Benefits are the minimum amount the law says you need to live on. That means you can't afford £10 a month, let alone £560.54 a callendar month!!!! No way, they are bullying you, this is disgusting!!!

I'm guessing you're a pretty compliant, helpful sort so you may not feel too totally confident about sending them letters to say "you can get stuffed, you're on £1 a month as of now"... The CCCS, the CAB, CAP and National Debtline however have no such qualms!

It's time to bring in reinforcements mate, get some big hairy friends... Namely the big 4 debt charities. Here's Martin Lewis talking about them and all the links so you can get in touch...

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/debt-help-plan#help

NorthernLas

Here is a link for phone numbers and websites of organisations who can help https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2077631

Contact CAB, CCCS, CAP or NDL.
You have your budget sheet done, you cannot pay them what you don't have.

babymoo

If your not working and your wife is in receipt of DLA then you can claim carers allowance. I couldn't tell you what the rates are but its sure to help a little bit?!

nick282

Hannah_10 wrote: »

Nick you're suffering from a bad case of being too nice mate. Wherever there's a nice person who really wants to be helpful in this world there is a school playground style bully ready to capitalise on that.

Benefits are the minimum amount the law says you need to live on. That means you can't afford £10 a month, let alone £560.54 a callendar month!!!! No way, they are bullying you, this is disgusting!!!

I'm guessing you're a pretty compliant, helpful sort so you may not feel too totally confident about sending them letters to say "you can get stuffed, you're on £1 a month as of now"... The CCCS, the CAB, CAP and National Debtline however have no such qualms!

It's time to bring in reinforcements mate, get some big hairy friends... Namely the big 4 debt charities. Here's Martin Lewis talking about them and all the links so you can get in touch...

That actually made me laugh lol

I got in touch with National Debtline and they are sending me half the Amazon rainforest in the post.

They took all my details and worked out that I had less than £100 but because I had cut back on vital things such as going out, buying clothes cutting back on food etc etc. I was just scraping to meet them.

I am going to make a few more phone calls but you are right. I am nice and the Provident agents etc are nice too but I am sure that will all change once I throw him a £1 coin :rotfl:

I just want to do it smart and correct

The National Debtline didn't exactly fill me with confidence.

She was on about DRO's, Administration Orders, Bankruptcy etc etc.....

I just thought a DMP would be perfect...

nick282

Thanks to everyone for the kind help, I will look into this and post how I get on.

Thanks again, isn't the internet wonderful lol

Hannah_10

She was covering all bases mate, a DRO or AO might be worth a look, bankruptcy is another possibility you have, they know an awful lot about debt there and they try to make sure you know your full spectrum of choices. You've got protection from harassment for 30 days as of today because the Credit Services Association (the bods who run the industry) grant that to anyone seeking help with a charity. You are now such a person- you're seeking National Debtlines help. So no lobbing quid coins about just yet!

Have a read of that pack, it might melt your mind a little to start with as there is one heck a learning curve involved in getting out of debt on benefits, but it can be done (I'm on Inc. Supt and DLA myself as it happens). What's more it can be done without crippling yourself and living in rags in the cold winter coz you can't afford a coat, let alone a gas bill! I have coats! I also use the gas! I also go to McDonalds/Subway when I like, keep a dog and a cat, go to the hairdressers, buy make up and go on holidays... And I have some very short words for any creditor that thinks I'm going to pay it at the expense of having any life at all! (I'm in a self-managed DMP).

But anyway back to the point, the point is, they will take what they're blummin well given when you're living at the legal definaition of the breadline. £1 a month is token payments, beyond that you might have a few more quid with which you can sort out a DMP, don't discount DRO's AO's etc till you've read up on them.

There are other options too, outside of the charities usual remit. Things like unenforcibility, which means you don't have to pay up (only applies to credit debts older than 2007) or reduced full and final (or F&F for short) settlement offers, which means you might get them to take something tiny like 25% of the debt.

Like I said, there is a learning curve! The more you put your mind to it the faster and cheaper you'll get out of debt. That's faster and cheaper *without* living in rags and watching your breath freeze in the living room.

NorthernLas

National debtline have some great factsheets. This one is a summary of all of the debt options, so you can look up DMP/DRO etc. http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/page.php?page=35_options_for_dealing_with_your_debts.