Please help, so very scared

mildredalien

chloe1 wrote: »

I doubt they will accept £1 but will certainly try it. Thanks for the tips - really helpful.

If you can't afford to pay any more then they kind of have to accept it. They might not LIKE it (and might try and threaten court etc. as they already have done) but there are plenty of letter templates on this site for how to explain your situation clearly to them. The worst thing you can do is to avoid the situation - if you can show you have been trying to sort things out, and are willing to pay as much as you can, they will probably accept a payment plan of some sort.

*hugs* try not to be too hard on yourself, you've made some mistakes (and had some bad luck it seems) but there is plenty you can do now to start sorting things out.

I definitely second the advice already given about contacting CCCS or another debt advice charity, and making a token payment of £1 while you arrange things.

Good luck!

chloe1

Well what an idiot I am, I am sat in tears now after googling and finding that they can and do make people bankrupt.

My house is jointly owned and there is equity in it - because of this I am sure they will force me down the bankruptcy route.

I will make them the offer of £1 per month but am sure they will laugh at me with this. I will also make sure I keep notes of everything I have done to sort it out with them.

Is there a letter template that I can send to them? Sorry I am new to this and don't have a clue where to start with them.

Thank you all for not judging me and offering help, you really are helping me.

eyeopener2

Hi

Send the £1 with a covering letter, don't get into phone calls with them it's not worth the aggro, and this shows a willingness to pay.

Your NOT going to be made bankrupt tomorrow, if at all, but you may be taken to court in the near future but these things can take a few months and you will be back in work by then.

Call the Debt Charities TOMORROW MORNING, do not wait any longer. They will give you good solid advice.

E2

eyeopener2

Template letters here

http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/

Go to England and Wales, section 5 and choose the token payments letter.

Send it special delivery with a postal order for £1 - do not send by normal mail.

RING THE CHARITIES TOMORRW, you will feel so much better when you have the facts and not random internet stories.

chloe1

Thank you, I will send the letter and a postal order too. I also intend to call the charity tomorrow for some help.

If they take me to court in the near future how near is this likely to be? If I am working then and can offer to make payments will they accept this or will they just want to take the equity out of my house?

Thanks for the link to the templates letter, I use that one.

Honestly, how do you stay level headed in these situations, I honestly feel so bad at the moment. I have no job, no income and am terrified of these people taking away my home. I know it sounds silly and over the top but I really just want to run away and never come back, they are going to ruin me and the only thing I have.

andiej

I phoned the national debt line yesterday and they where very helpful and well worth the call.

Today I also went to my bank and explained my situation again, having been through my budget they are helping me reduce costs in certain areas, hopefully bringing down my overall monthly outgoings. Therefore meaning I can keep on top of my payments.

The guy at the bank said that as creditors they are duty bound to help you when a situation like this arises BUT not to just start cancelling payments.

Call the national debt line they have templete letters that you can send out and then go an speak to your bank.

I am by no means out of the woods but I have only been doing this for 2 days now and am in a considerably better position today, than I was on Monday!

Good luck,.

chloe1

that's great news Andiej, glad you are feeling a bit better about things.

I will speak to them tomorrow as a priority, I just hope I dont go to pieces on the phone to them. I feel so sick.

matbee

They cannot force you to go bankrupt. Bankruptcy is a solution only if, things like, "selling your house" would not cover the debt. Selling your house -would- cover the debt, and then some. If the worst thing you have to do is to sell your home, cover your debt, and in a couple years you can purchase another home

eyeopener2

chloe1 wrote: »

Honestly, how do you stay level headed in these situations, I honestly feel so bad at the moment. I have no job, no income and am terrified of these people taking away my home. I know it sounds silly and over the top but I really just want to run away and never come back, they are going to ruin me and the only thing I have.

The only option is to stay level headed and you realise that when you have experience of these matters. The problem is that the level headedness only comes with experience!

Your doing the right thing and on the right track now. Your main goal is now getting a job,not worrying about these clowns, so go for it.

dancingfairy

Hi Chloe- they may threaten this that and the other (as you've already found) but what they actually do is another matter entirely. Please don't worry about what they may do in the future - one step at a time.
Also while bankruptcy is technically a possibility I suspect that if you looked into the cases you have read about they will be vastly different to your situation - the banks wouldn't not be looked on favourbaly if they went around making everybody bankrupt that fell on hard times would they? the country would be in uproar. I think the chances of them making you bankrupt are so slim that they are virtually nill. Having been on here for I don't know how many years it is not something I have heard of happening. Yes o.k creditors have threated it to everybody and his wife but actually doing it is another matter entirely, besides it costs them money with no guarantee they will get the money back. .
Take Care
df