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Beneficial finance
I have a mental illness and because of that I had to give up work and now I am waiting for my income support to sort out I have made token payments to my creditors until I get sorted.
I spoke to Beneficial finance about 3 weeks ago who did a financial statement and let me pay £5 token payment and they said they would hold my account until September.
But about 10 minutes ago I got phone call saying that I was £156 in areas and when I told them about the arangement the man I spoke to said 'that is not how it works and no-one in the company would have ever suggested it'.
Is there anything I can do about this? Are they even allowed to say one thing and take my money (I know it was only £5 but I made that payment in faith that like the person I spoke to said it would hold my account until September) and then change their minds?
I spoke to Beneficial finance about 3 weeks ago who did a financial statement and let me pay £5 token payment and they said they would hold my account until September.
But about 10 minutes ago I got phone call saying that I was £156 in areas and when I told them about the arangement the man I spoke to said 'that is not how it works and no-one in the company would have ever suggested it'.
Is there anything I can do about this? Are they even allowed to say one thing and take my money (I know it was only £5 but I made that payment in faith that like the person I spoke to said it would hold my account until September) and then change their minds?
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Comments
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Always take the name of the person you make an arrangment with.
Contact the CCCS for advice.Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud.0 -
Keep records, get names and always, always get it in writing!!
But yes, contact the CCCS!Original Mortgage Debt - £130,330.
Current Mortgage Debt - £116,605.
2010 O/Ps - £5,000. 2011 O/Ps - £1,978.42.
Original Loan Debt - £6,000. Current Loan Debt - £3,500.
Original HP Debt - £1,000. Current HP Debt - £240.0 -
You were naive in thinking you could pay just £5 a Month and suffer no penalties.
I would guess what they mean by holding your account until Sept, is that they will agree to reduced payments until Sept. After this time, they will expect you to start making inroads into your arrears as well as making the agreed payments.
I find it disturbing that you consider your meagre £5 a Month "in good faith" when you have humped them over by failing to repay at the rate you promised you would.0 -
You were naive in thinking you could pay just £5 a Month and suffer no penalties.
I would guess what they mean by holding your account until Sept, is that they will agree to reduced payments until Sept. After this time, they will expect you to start making inroads into your arrears as well as making the agreed payments.
I find it disturbing that you consider your meagre £5 a Month "in good faith" when you have humped them over by failing to repay at the rate you promised you would.
Apples2, this person has openly stated they have a mental illness and have had to give up work! Their circumstances have clearly changed.
OP - please contact CCCS. They can help you sort this out and can work out what you can now afford, contact your creditors and hopefully arrange payments with them all. You can also request that ALL communication is made in writing - they are not allowed to harrass you on the phone once that request is made. But if you go through someone like CCCS (which are free, and I've found so helpful) they deal with everything for you.
I hope you also have the GP care you need and they can help you.DMP Mutual Support Thread member 244
Quit smoking 13/05/2013
Joined Slimming World 02/12/13. Loss so far = 60lb in 28 weeks :j 18lb to go
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skintandscared wrote: »Apples2, this person has openly stated they have a mental illness and have had to give up work! Their circumstances have clearly changed.
I agree with you but sadly, contracts are black and white, there is no clause for sympathy. Some (most maybe) people have very good reasons for faltering, but it matters not one jot to the lender.0 -
I agree with you but sadly, contracts are black and white, there is no clause for sympathy. Some (most maybe) people have very good reasons for faltering, but it matters not one jot to the lender.
They may not be sympathetic and may not care, but nevertheless legislation exists to stop people being hounded or harassed - particularly mentally vulnerable people - and at the end of the day a creditor can't have any more than the debtor can afford!DMP Mutual Support Thread member 244
Quit smoking 13/05/2013
Joined Slimming World 02/12/13. Loss so far = 60lb in 28 weeks :j 18lb to go0 -
skintandscared wrote: »a creditor can't have more than the debtor can afford!
A motto for a generation?Hi, we’ve had to remove your signature. If you’re not sure why please read the forum rules or email the forum team if you’re still unsure - MSE ForumTeam0 -
Shame it doesn't say...
a debtor can't have any more than the debtor can afford!0 -
Shame it doesn't say...
a debtor can't have any more than the debtor can afford!
I totally agree, and I do think that these days lenders ARE being a lot more cautious about what they lend. But surely you can accept that people's circumstances change, often through no fault of their own? When the OP took out the loan/cards (s)he was working and able to meet the repayments. Circumstances have now changed and they can't. It is possible to make arrangements whereby people in this situation can pay EVERYTHING back, but over a longer period than anticipated. Should they really be humiliated and harrassed because of that?DMP Mutual Support Thread member 244
Quit smoking 13/05/2013
Joined Slimming World 02/12/13. Loss so far = 60lb in 28 weeks :j 18lb to go0 -
skintandscared wrote: »Should they really be humiliated and harrassed because of that?
Would you harras you employer if they could not pay you in full? Would you not mind if your ex decided they could not make the maintenance payments?
An ordered society relies on everyone acting in an orderly manner. It's this premise that gives us this type of society we all take for granted. If you want a free for all where people can alter thier promises then you need to live somewhere not as ordered such as Nigeria or Columbia. Imagine if we all broke our commitments - so the midwife just fails to trun up, the farmer cant milk the cow, the electricty station manager cant get to work to turn it on - soon we all have chaos, THATS why organisations must persue the promises people give no matter what.
At age 18 we all face choices. Choice 1 - we can borrow money, BUT, before this we should be saving so that when the INEVBITABLE bumps in the road hit us, we dont get behind and dont struggle. Its an age old concept known to early Humans - save some of your crop for the hard winters and dry summers - dont put yourself up against fate.
A hard message yes, but a truthful one known through the ages.0
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