Basic Help Please

MakeAChange_2

Hi all,

I have recently began using this site and have found the inspiration to finally sit down and face the big mess i am in, basically i had a good job and was able to pay all my bills, i was made redundant and then struggled to find work, in that time everything got messed up and i didnt know what to do, then depression crept in and i have ignored it all for such a long time. I now have a job and have the depression under control but daily i am faced with debt letters and i just want them to stop. i cannot afford to make the large repayments in one go, i also have other debts which i think are classed as priority, ie. elec & gas -(i have set up payment plans with these ones)

ok so first things first i am printing my credit report off !

But my question is ,,,,, then what?

I know i should contact them and try to sort it out but which ones, and how can i not get stuck agreeing to big amounts that i cant afford. i tried to call them a few before but they were really rude to me and was demanding large amounts so this set my confidence back to the beginning again and i ignored them.

i have been using resolver for experien and credit expert because when i tried to sort things out before i set these up and they just kept taking my money even though i cancelled, so i have made a case on the resolver app which i found on here and i am hoping to get some money back to help with other debts. i am disabled and have learning difficulties and it is all very confusing and sometimes too much. i want to pay them but i dont know how i can organise it and not get hounded by them.

this may sound all very basic to some people and i am sure lots have been in this position, so if someone could just advise me, where do i start? that will be great

thank you

lee111s

Fill out a statement of affairs. You can find this by searching on google, fill it in and paste the results here. Then people can assess your situation and advise on where you can perhaps save money from to be able to put towards your debts.

pmlindyloo

In view of your difficulties/disabilities I suggest that you get some help with this.

Google for: Christians against Poverty. Step change. Citizens Advice Bureau.

They all offer free advice with debts. They can help you manage your finances and do all the paperwork for you.

MakeAChange_2

Thank you for the quick replies, i have never heard of 'statement of affairs' so i will look at that

And i will also contact the charitys,

Its so daunting at the moment but i work really hard and i now have a good steady wage again so i know i can sort this mess out if i get some help initially to organise the payments, like what ones first, avoiding further charges etc.

I am also convinced i have ppi and misold claims to make for numerous different things so i am looking into that too and hopefully i can get some refunds which i can put straight to the debts!

This site is amazing i just keep reading and trying to learn the basics from you all. Realising im not the only one and that there is a way out!

sourcrates

Hi OP,

One thing that we always recommend, is never to enter into phone conversations with any of these companies, if you must contact them, do it by email, or in writing.

Just a few questions to better understand your situation.

Can I ask you, is anyone chasing you for these debts ?

How long is it since you made a payment to any of the accounts ?

What accounts were they, loans, cards, bank accounts ?

SC

rockm87

http://www.stoozing.com/calculator/soa.php here you go!

MakeAChange_2

Hi sourcrates,

I had bank accounts, credit cards, catalogues, a couple of store cards and a phone bill.

I havent paid them in at least 2 and a half years. some of them are ridiculous, for example on one catalogue i had a credit limit of £14,000 and i owed about £300. When i called them to explain the situation they said they would give me some time but then i couldnt sort out benefits and i missed the next months too, when i did eventually sort out benefits i didnt have enough to pay any of it because all my other main bills were now behind, and i had to spend any extra on the rent and on my car because without the car i couldnt get my kids to school (i live in the middle of nowhere and school is 5miles away) so eventually i just ended up with lots of outstanding debts. all my credit limits were taken away and none of the companies were very understanding by the time it had got to that stage. but none of my cards or catalogues were maxed out.

I receive letters almost daily but nobody has ever knocked on the door yet !

now i am earning good money again i know i can pay them off , i mean i have one thing for £70 which sounds stupid but i just did not have a penny. i just dont know how to arrange it all and how to not get stuck being asked for big one off payments all in one go.

but i had packaged accounts that were no good to me, ppi to cover me for such events which didnt, halifax kept on putting my overdraft up and up even though i had no wages and benefits began going into it, so i was trying to use that to pay other credit off but of course that didnt help.

eventually it was just all one big mess !

sourcrates

Ok,
Once you have sorted out how much you can afford to put towards these debts every month, you should write to whoever is writing to you, and make your offer of payment, stay off the phone, do everything in writing.

Debt collection agencies, and creditors in general, now have to take affordability into account, so you should not get the same hassle as you did before.

If some accounts have only a small balance, you could possibly look in to offering an amount to settle these, there is a good template letter on the National Debtline website for this purpose.

Never offer more than you can afford.

You should also look into making a complaint to the original bank about the packaged bank accounts, this is a recognised mis-selling case, highlighted on this site, so a written complaint may bear fruit.

MakeAChange_2

Thank you so much sourcrates, and all of you!

I shall spend the next few days getting it all into order and reading lots on here, plus getting information from the places you guys have suggested!

Once i have actual figures of whats what i shall update on here my progress, feel better already, i am ready to get started on nailing this! it is suprising how a little bit of help can make such a difference but i guess thats why you are already valued members with sooooo many posts lol!

MakeAChange_2

ok so quick update, i have contacted experian and paid for the £2 credit report because noddle seems quite limited of what i can actually see on there, so i am awaiting that at the moment, i have also managed to claim back a total of £170 from experian and my equifax claim is in the process, all done though the MSE Revolver app so im well pleased with myself

But since i last posted i have started getting letters from lowell offering to slash my debts in half, are these genuine or is it a trick? how can they offer to half them !

i want to see my credit report before i respond but is it worth doing it this way?

fruitisbad

Often a company will give up on the debt thinking they can't collect it so will sell it to a collections agency at a fraction of the original value. That is how collection companies can offer for you to pay back less than you owe.