Payplan or National Debtline??? Advice and opinion please.

NUFCnutter

Basically which should I go to with my debt. Payplan have sent me an email and it seems too good to be true, and I am a bit sceptical. I haven't yet phoned national debtline. Any advice, experiences etc would be canny.

A_fiend_for_life

I've gone for Consumer Credit Counselling Services and just received their summary of advice after a free telephone counselling session. This is only a short term fix though hopefully a month or two at the most when I am back in work. I was recommended to go to Payplan by my bank.

I've gone for CCCS though. I've found them to be really helpful and friendly. Beware though I have seen elsewhere that there is a dodgy result that comes up for CCCS on search engines. Their real url is www.cccs.co.uk. and is a registered charity.

Can't comment on Payplan I'm afraid.

On the point of Payplan though did you contact them initially? I initiated mine with a phone call to CCCS. Sorry just checking it is not unsolicited.

10past6

NUF!!!!ter wrote: »

Basically which should I go to with my debt. Payplan have sent me an email and it seems too good to be true, and I am a bit sceptical. I haven't yet phoned national debtline. Any advice, experiences etc would be canny.

I'm with Payplan, what's the details of the email?

NUFCnutter

I contacted them first. Maybe I am just wary as I am so unconvinced that I can get out of the stressful situation I am in in just a couple of phone calls.

Basically the email goes:

Hello Diane,

Thank you for contacting Payplan – I’ve looked through your details and I’m sure we can help you. We are an ethical organisation offering free, confidential and non-judgmental debt advice. Because we don’t advertise on TV, we won’t charge you a penny for our services. And because we have all the debt solutions under one roof, we’ll make sure you get the one that’s right for you, not the one that’s right for us!

I am a Payplan Case Officer and it’s my job to look after you from here and make the process of becoming debt-free as easy as possible. I’ve created free debt management plans for hundreds of people and most of them say that contacting us in the first place was by far the most difficult step. You’ve already made it past that so it should only get easier from now on.

I can work with you to organise a new repayment agreement that’s more affordable to you while still being acceptable to your creditors, so they call us instead of you from now on. If a Debt Management Plan or an Individual Voluntarily Agreement (IVA) is appropriate, I can set up and help you manage your own personal payment plan. Or if it’s just simple financial planning or budgeting advice you need to help you get back on track, I can do that too.

Some clients we’ve worked with have contacted us not realising just how much debt they have accumulated over a short period of time. Others have been suffering under the pressure of debt for many years. It doesn’t have to be that way. You can be debt-free. Just reply to this email and let me know when you would like to talk on the phone, or call me on 0800 917 7823, give your Case Reference number at the top of this letter and you’ll be transferred directly to me.

I look forward to talking with you soon and helping you towards a debt-free future.

Kind regards

Ryan Dooley
Web Team

10past6

I see nothing wrong with the email to make me suspicious, the telephone listed is correct, call them again, tbh, I've had no problems with them.

NUFCnutter

Thank you. Just call me a nervous pervis but I was slightly suspicious after all the day-time tv ads that you see.

Tigert

I'm with Payplan and they have been fantastic.

Always there with advice via email or phone. I'm now 4 months into my DMP and everything is going really well.

A_fiend_for_life

Telephone number checks out (as mentioned above) not surprised you thought it was too good to be true though as the wording made me think twice.

@tiggert and @10past6

just in case I end up needing the service is it a completely free service?

10past6

A_fiend_for_life wrote: »

@10past6

just in case I end up needing the service is it a completely free service?

Yes, take a look at my signature

Tigert

A_fiend_for_life wrote: »

Telephone number checks out (as mentioned above) not surprised you thought it was too good to be true though as the wording made me think twice.

@tiggert and @10past6

just in case I end up needing the service is it a completely free service?

Yes - Payplan provide any advice and set up of DMPs free. I believe there are charges for IVAs though.

A_fiend_for_life

Thanks folks and a red face to boot for not reading the signature.