Some Advice Please

evertoncal

Hi all, hope all is well with everyone.

Could someone give me some advice please?

I have a debt of around 6,000 with 2 credit cards (Natwest and Sygma Bank). I recently lost my job in January and have only been working temporary. Anyway, I have told them both I cannot pay the minimum payments or keep up any sort of regular payment over my minimum payment. I got some advice off payplan and tried to set up a DMP myself. Natwest have just come back to me and kind of accepted an offer but have said they will continue to add interest at their usual rate.

Sygma on the other hand are not replying to any letters (I have sent 3, one in January, one in Febuary with the one in Jan and one in March with both from Jan and Feb). They kept on phoning me and telling me I was in arrears etc and I kept telling them that I had sent letters to inform them of my situation but to this date, not actual reply to my letters! I have phoned them and told them this and they apoligise but still haven't got back to me apart from issuing me letters claiming I am not willing to pay them back (I have made 2 payments over the phone to keep them quiet, only small payments which I can afford!).

I'm just not sure what to do. I've got an offer from CCCS to start a DMP but I'm not sure if it will help things or not really? I have done a SOA and they have got me on a plan but if Sygma aren't responding and are threatening court action and Natwest not stopping interest and also threatening things, what do I do?

Can anyone help please??

bottleofred

Hi Evertoncal,

If you do the dmp with the cccs it will make it more difficult for them to say you don't want to pay. You can send the letter below to stop the phonecalls. My advice would be to go to the cccs and see how it goes from there. I'd also try to get the interest stopped as well though.

Good luck

Red

Dear Sirs,

Account No: XXXXXXXX

I am writing in relation to the quantity and frequency of telephone calls that I have received from your company, which I deem to be personally harassing. I have verbally requested that these stop, but I am still receiving calls and I now require all further correspondence from your company to be made in writing only. I am of the view that your continued harassment of me by telephone puts you in breach of Section 40 of the Administration of Justice Act 1970, and the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

If you continue to harass me by telephone, you will also be in breach of the Communications Act (2003) s.127 and I will report you to OFCOM, Trading Standards and The Office of Fair Trading, meaning that you will be liable to a substantial fine. Be advised that any further telephone calls from your company may be recorded and used in evidence and I expect this harassment to cease immediately.

Yours faithfully

evertoncal

Thank you very much mate, means alot to be honest to get some advice.

I have told them that they should stop all phone calls but they blame it on an automatic service they used. I keep getting letters off them telling me that I am unwilling to pay, when I've sent them numerous letters explaining that I AM willing to pay but they never respond via writing!

I am gonna do a plan with CCCS but I have already sort of set up my own DMP with Natwest, would you still suggest I start one with CCCS even though Natwest have already 'kind of' agreed to my financial situation payments?

Thank you.

Jesthar

I'm not an expert on this, but talk to CCCS about the Natwest arrangement, they may be able to just take it over 'as is', and Natwest shouldn't mind if the payments are coming from another source as long as they get them. You never know, CCCS might even be able to persuade them to stop interest etc. for you, but that's not guaranteed.

The other advantage of a DMP is that CCCS will deal with the organisations on your behalf, so you don't have to worry about dealing with pushy letters and phone calls, just direct them to CCCS.

You do have to accept that your credit rating will be rock bottom for several years, but it's better than things getting further out of control, yes?

~Jes

CH27

Talk over the whole situation with the CCCS & see what they advise.
Good luck:)

evertoncal

Thanks for the advice. I'll talk to CCCS.

What would people suggest with regards to Sygma who aren't responding to my letters and such like? They are sending letters claiming I'm not willing to pay them but I have told them that they are. I say this on the phone to them but they just apoligise for not reading the letters and they say they will try and get to the bottom of it etc. It's all !!!!!!!! at the end of the day to be honest from them.

dlb

Contact cccs...i myself am with Payplan but both are free dmp companys, they will tak over all your creditors including natwest, and once cccs/payplan are involved they cant say you are not willing to pay.
Also if you tell them you are seeking debt advise from a dmp company they have to by law stop any harrasment for 1 month giving you some breathing room to sort things out.
With the dmp they will split payment pro rata between all your creditors so the are all getting treated equally and you have more chance of getting interest charged ect stopped with cccs/payplan, they take the hard work of setting things up out your hands.
Good luck