Keeping up appearances.......

Boomfloom

HappyNow, I complain about absolutely everything (including my bills being late) and am successful most of the time. It is worth writing a letter stating exactly what happened (including dates and names), what you expected to happen and how you want them to rectify it. I do not mean to patronise you but often people don't say what they want and thus don't get it.

The bank first basically stole your money and now is taking its sweet time about giving it back. I would be livid.

Good luck!

HappyNow

chevalier wrote: »

Hi Happy
Sorry to have been missing in action. too much RL going on.

Wow to that much available credit, that is a scary amount. Erm I take it all of the cards have balances on them, so you can't just close any of them?
But yeah to not having to borrow more before the pay day.

Sorry to hear about Mr Happy, hope that the op is sorted.
chev

Hi Chev, good to see you back . Out of the ten cards, eight have balances on . I had wondered about closing the empty two, but I'm worried that if ever MBNA/Virgin stop offering me their rolling '0% for 12 months' deal I could be in deep doodoo and need to look at balance transfers to the empty cards, because MBNA/Virgin have ridiculous standard rates. They will never be used other than that - spending on credit holds literally NO appeal to me nowadays

I will pop along to your diary and see if you've done us an update x

Honey_Bear wrote: »

Availability of easy credit - or what used to be known as debt. Isn't it interesting how using a different word doesn't actually change the meaning, just our attitude to it? Hmm.

I have one credit card that I took out with my bank because I was going to America a few years ago, and it seems you can't function over there without one. Although I had travel insurance, what really worried me was the possibility of needing medical treatment and not being able to get it. So, I have a credit card and I set up a DD that pays it off every month, and as I got it for emergencies, that is the only time it gets used. I love my bank. I had a letter from them last week to say they're reducing the limit to £1,500, because I haven't used it in quite a while and doing so will help prevent fraud. I'm fine with that. They also say they're happy to put the limit back up when I want to start using it again.

I walked away from L1oyds about seven years ago because every time I went in there to bank a cheque, the cashier held on to my paying in book and asked if I needed to review my finances, when the house or car insurance was due, or that my annual review was due. (That turned out to be them expecting me to tell them how and where I was insured.) When I took out the mortgage on this house, they wanted me to take their 'in house' insurance policy, so I asked for a breakdown. Of the 20 or so categories, 17 did not apply to me - life assurance with husband or kids as beneficiaries, etc etc. I also happened to know that they could not insist on me using it, but they were incredibly aggressive. I loathe L1oyds and it is hardly surprising they have been whacked for mis-selling. Good luck to anyone and everyone who takes them on.

When I emigrated to the bank I chose instead, I made it very clear that if they ever tried to sell me anything I would close the account and put any money I had under the mattress, and they have been as good as gold.

I can't understand why some of the banks were allowed to get away with what they did for so long.

I struggled with debts for about 10 years and finally about 17 years ago I cleared them. I am never, never, never going back to that place and I wish you, Happy Now, and all of your Diary readers the absolute best of luck - healthy horses, animals, cars, boilers and houses - while you tackle the problem.

Thanks Honey Bear. I've had no experience of Lloyds other than admiring the black horse that used to feature in their adverts . I've been with Barclays for over twenty years now and I maybe should look around, but I'm kind of tied to them at the minute due to my £5K overdraft and the fact that my account literally never goes into credit . I am deliberately leaving the overdraft until last to clear because it's the one debt that I might run a risk of re-using. The account fee is £17.50 per month, and although most of the 'perks' aren't of any use to me (except phone insurance and breakdown cover) the interest rate on my £5K debt is low so I don't feel as exploited as I otherwise might. And they do tend to leave me alone, which is exactly how I like it!

Thanks for the good wishes. Like you, once I am debt free I will never, ever go back there. Ever.

HappyNow

haybel19 wrote: »

How did the competition entering go? I love it - its very addictive.. won a small prize today- a pedometer... OH pleased as on a health kick and has been wanting one. :j

Wow, well done on the pedometer .

Ooh well, I have entered LOADS! It was more complicated than I thought - not so much the actual entering, more the organising of the boards - but there is a good beginners guide post on there. So, I have downloaded Roboform, discovered how to put the comps into a workable order, set up a new email address just for comps, and I now have a new hobby! I've even set up a seperate MSE username so I can log into the comp board without risking Mr Happy seeing this diary :rotfl:!! Lets hope it is a profitable hobby for both of us!

HappyNow

grannyx2 wrote: »

Pooh with regards to the applying for credit, sometimes if you apply more than once in a six month period that can also affect your credit score so be careful of that. I got caught in that trap just after my mini LBM in 2007 and ended up where I find myself today. I did think that you meant your current cards were reducing the amount of your limits rather than that you couldn't get credit though and that too happened to OH and I before my LBM. Slowly but surely, as I reduced a balance the card suppliers started reducing the limits, they gave little reason other than they had reviewed our finances. It was sensible but crippling at the time as I had got used to shifting things around to take advantage of low rates so our debt was at least going down. All of a sudden I found myself unable to move anything and that is when the real trouble started as then the payments we were making were only covering the interest. I'm glad it happened now, hence my warning to you, as it could have got a lot worse before it got better and its bad enough as it is.

Sorry for hijacking your thread Happy

Granny x

Hijack away Granny . I've just posted above (in reply to Chev) that I have two cards with a seemingly endless '0% for 12 months' rolling offer, and that if that ever stops, or if they reduce my limits so I can't keep shuffling, I will be in a real mess. That's why I am prioritising those two cards, even though at the moment they are on 0%. They both have large balances (nearly £20K in total :eek::eek:) so if it happened they could turn into my worst nightmare - fingers crossed it doesn't happen

HappyNow

Boomfloom wrote: »

HappyNow, I complain about absolutely everything (including my bills being late) and am successful most of the time. It is worth writing a letter stating exactly what happened (including dates and names), what you expected to happen and how you want them to rectify it. I do not mean to patronise you but often people don't say what they want and thus don't get it.

The bank first basically stole your money and now is taking its sweet time about giving it back. I would be livid.

You're right. I will give it another week and ring again for an update. If there's still no progress I will complain in writing. To be honest, the PPI (or mortgage protection as it turns out) is a bit iffy anyway; it is way out of time and I don't have all the paperwork. But nevertheless I should have been given a decision ages ago instead of being constantly fobbed off for nine months. Maybe a complaint about their handling of it might be worth more than the actual mis-selling claim :rotfl:!

PinotGrigio41

Wow Happy you have been flying this week !!

I have been entering competitions since last week, but just enter random ones. I didnt realise that I could be as organised as you when it comes to entering them. What is Roboform ?

Re Mr Happys shoulder, Mr PG had his operated on in 2010. He had tried everything perviously as has Mr Happy, Cortisone etc. It has been a godsend although the 6 weeks off of work was a killer given the circumstances. He didnt actually take the 6 weeks in the end he couldnt afford to, but dont tell anyone !! Shhh ! He is so much better than he was just the odd click and crunch really.

Good luck with the PPi claim, I had the same issue with NW as you did with Ll0yds, sell sell sell, it drove me mad. x

NewLeaf_2

Happy Now well done on the comping hobby. We have won lots of stuff in the last 3 years including a trip to America (that was our big one) but we have won lots of books, dvd's etc xx

HappyNow

PinotGrigio41 wrote: »

Wow Happy you have been flying this week !!

I have been entering competitions since last week, but just enter random ones. I didnt realise that I could be as organised as you when it comes to entering them. What is Roboform ?

Re Mr Happys shoulder, Mr PG had his operated on in 2010. He had tried everything perviously as has Mr Happy, Cortisone etc. It has been a godsend although the 6 weeks off of work was a killer given the circumstances. He didnt actually take the 6 weeks in the end he couldnt afford to, but dont tell anyone !! Shhh ! He is so much better than he was just the odd click and crunch really.

Roboform is brilliant, lots of people on the comp board seem to use it. If you go to roboformdotcom and download the trial version it is free. You input all your details once, then everytime you open a competition it will enter all your details with just one click! Saves you typing your name, address, phone number, email, dob etc etc over and over, which I found very tedious. It does make mistakes so you still have to check each form through, but it gets about 80% right so saves ages. Good luck with the competitions - race you to a prize :rotfl:!

That's a co-incidence, both our hubbies needing shoulder ops. Was it his right one? That would be double-spooky . I doubt Mr H will manage a full 6 weeks off either, his employer has already offered to send a driver for him if he wants to go back before he can drive........

NewLeaf wrote: »

Happy Now well done on the comping hobby. We have won lots of stuff in the last 3 years including a trip to America (that was our big one) but we have won lots of books, dvd's etc xx

Oh wow, winning a trip to America (or anywhere really!) would be amazing, although I would be happy with anything. I've become a fanatical email checker now, ever hopeful!

Evcakes

Hi I read all your diary this morning and just wanted to say well done on your progress and completely understand why you don't want to your other half the extent of it.

Keep going x

haybel19

HappyNow wrote: »

Wow, well done on the pedometer .

Ooh well, I have entered LOADS! It was more complicated than I thought - not so much the actual entering, more the organising of the boards - but there is a good beginners guide post on there. So, I have downloaded Roboform, discovered how to put the comps into a workable order, set up a new email address just for comps, and I now have a new hobby! I've even set up a seperate MSE username so I can log into the comp board without risking Mr Happy seeing this diary :rotfl:!! Lets hope it is a profitable hobby for both of us!

Its so addictive! Are you on facebook? Ive had quite a few wins from there lately- try the e-cover uk clean machine one- ive won twice its instant win and clearning products are always handy. Ive been entering competitions for 12-13 years- its very addictive sometimes you enter loads and win nothing for months then get a lovely trickle all at once... hang in there... dont be disheartened if takes awhile for your first win... when you get it whatever it is it will be worth it. We have had some really lovely things, and certainly lots of things we would not otherwise have had. The only downside is that as prizes often turn up unannouced I get so excited when the postman/delivery driver/courier come that i swear they think I fancy them :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: