Help Needed: Dealing with Debt Settlements and Uncooperative Creditors

Grumpelstiltskin

Forget CCJs at the moment, they do have to contact you by snail mail if they are considering taking court action, CCJs don't just appear out of thin air.

nublue1

Grumpelstiltskin said:

Forget CCJs at the moment, they do have to contact you by snail mail if they are considering taking court action, CCJs don't just appear out of thin air.

Thanks so much for your help.  I'd like to ask more if I can, I just want to be sure I make the right decisions in terms of my actions, 

In terms of my new non-UK address, Payplan have put this address on the Payplan account.  I've also already sent my new address info to Tesco credit card because they were asking me to update to my new surname (I never did whilst in the UK - oops).   I've actually been living outside of the UK for about 18 months now, but have had my head in the sand over the debt stuff.  I can only continue my Royal Mail redirection from my (ex) UK address for just over 2 years.  After that I won't be able to see any CCJ's or other information that comes to that address. 

I'm not sure whether my address information will be shared amongst the creditors somehow, or if I'm worrying over nothing.  Or whether them having my overseas address even matters.  I'm pretty far away and so pretty sure the they won't be able to do much to me here.  I do have the MSE credit club but having checked today I can't see any of the credit accounts that I owe to showing on my report.  Not sure if this is something to do with the changes at the credit club, or that my accounts have disappeared because they re all defaulted,  

Lastly, because I may want to come back to the UK in a couple of years, and because I'm by nature a worrier, my preference would be to see if I can get partial settlements.  My thoughts were that if they find out I'm abroad, and have no prospect of paying them any time soon (Payplan estimates I'll have paid it all off in 2079!) they might be more amenable to a low offer? 

Does any of this make a difference to your advice, or am I worrying over nothing?  

Thanks again. 

nublue1

DjangoUnchained said:

payplan are a bunch of useless c%$£"! funded by the credit industry. Nobody should have anything to do with them

I had no idea, I feel really betrayed by that because I've spoken fairly freely about my situation (and was encouraged to do so).  Makes me more determined to deal with things myself even if it's a bit more stressful. 

Grumpelstiltskin

Right can you list who you owe money to and how much, no creditors will go for a CCJ for a relatively small amount of money as it would cost the more than it is worth.

We might then be able to give you an idea of if it is worth you making offers to any of them.

sourcrates

If your not resident in the UK, you won`t be chased for these debts should you choose to not pay them.

If you come back to the UK in a few years time, you may pop up on some debt collectors radar, but its unlikely.

You could use the time to save a settlement fund, then on the off chance you are contacted about any of these debts, you would have the means to settle them.

nublue1

Grumpelstiltskin said:

Right can you list who you owe money to and how much, no creditors will go for a CCJ for a relatively small amount of money as it would cost the more than it is worth.

We might then be able to give you an idea of if it is worth you making offers to any of them.

OK it's a long and embarrassing list, but reading it makes me wonder why they let me get so overstretched - my business most years didn't earn me enough to consistently pay income tax (I was a sole trader). 

1. Barclays business Bounceback loan - 6700,
2. Barclays Business overdraft - 5700,
3. Barclaycard business (now azzurro associates/solaris) 1800

4. HSBC overdraft - 1100
5.Moorcroft 2600
6.NCO 3500
7.Next 900
8.PRA (Lloyds overdraft) 1900

9.PRA (Hali C/C) 4800

10.PRA (Lloyds C/C) 1400

11.Tesco credit card 1 - 5000

12.Tesco credit card 2 - 3000

13. Westcot - 2600

I hated writing all of that out, it makes me feel sick!  But I know that facing it with your help will be better in the long run! 

nublue1

sourcrates said:

If your not resident in the UK, you won`t be chased for these debts should you choose to not pay them.

If you come back to the UK in a few years time, you may pop up on some debt collectors radar, but its unlikely.

You could use the time to save a settlement fund, then on the off chance you are contacted about any of these debts, you would have the means to settle them.

Thanks, that's good to know.  I have a tenancy to feel like they will chase me to the ends of the earth for all eternity.  So it's a good idea that I tell them my new overseas address?  It will feel good to have a pot of money I can use to settle if I need to at any point.  

Grumpelstiltskin

I agree with Sourcrates about telling your  creditors your current address.

I hope you have stopped your payments to Payplan

A lot of your debts are too small for the creditors to apply for bankruptcy especially when they know you are living abroad.

Save what you can and wait and see what letters you receive once they know your address.

Ignore any threatening E Mails, they mean nothing and keep coming back if you have any problems and worries

nublue1

Grumpelstiltskin said:

I agree with Sourcrates about telling your  creditors your current address.

I hope you have stopped your payments to Payplan

A lot of your debts are too small for the creditors to apply for bankruptcy especially when they know you are living abroad.

Save what you can and wait and see what letters you receive once they know your address.

Ignore any threatening E Mails, they mean nothing and keep coming back if you have any problems and worries

Thanks so much.  Just to check, you said too small for bankruptcy - did you mean to say CCJ.  Hadn’t even considered forced bankruptcy as a possibility…

sourcrates

nublue1 said:

Grumpelstiltskin said:

I agree with Sourcrates about telling your  creditors your current address.

I hope you have stopped your payments to Payplan

A lot of your debts are too small for the creditors to apply for bankruptcy especially when they know you are living abroad.

Save what you can and wait and see what letters you receive once they know your address.

Ignore any threatening E Mails, they mean nothing and keep coming back if you have any problems and worries

Thanks so much.  Just to check, you said too small for bankruptcy - did you mean to say CCJ.  Hadn’t even considered forced bankruptcy as a possibility…

It isn`t, I think they meant CCJ.

Forced bankruptcy costs a creditor on average £1800 or more, and no sane person will initiate such a response to someone who`s assets are unknown, and does not even reside in this country.

There`s more chance of me winning the lotto, Euro millions and setforlife, all in the same week, whilst been wined and dined by Taylor Swift at the Hollywood bowl.