When credit card collections can't find you?

staindude

I apologise in advance for this huge back story

Last year I had 3 credit cards that I possibly missed one or two payments of but otherwise making okay. Now despite having failed to pay off my debt first as intended I decided to still go ahead with moving 200 miles away and going to uni. I moved in August, somewhere along the line I must have defaulted too much as the larger of the three were constantly calling my mobile and my previous address (my Mum's house) to get their payments.

So I dealt with them and explained my situation of not working and money being tight (I was suffering badly with not getting paid money I was owed). They set up an agreement where I could pay £10 a month for a few months and also changed my address and phone number to my new details.

I had a huge breakdown, realised I couldn't afford to go through with uni and moved back to my Mum's house. I never contacted the credit card to update my details and stopped being able to even pay the £10 a month. This wasn't to purposely avoid them, I was hiding from every part of life during this time and barely existing.

A month ago they phoned my Mum to look for me and she told them that I was no longer living at the address they had down but wasn't with her either. This was true at the time, I'd moved temporarily but am now back.

Now, I'm back in the land of the living and for the first time in 2 years about to start a proper job and be a real person. When you come out of the other side of depression you feel like you're clearing up somebody elses mess.

Of course I'd like to sort all this out but would like advice on the best way to go about it and am not sure what kind of debt will be waiting for me. Will it be the same one I left behind or will they have added loads on? I'm certain it hasn't been passed to another company as they still go through phases of calling my now old mobile number.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

mizzbiz

I sympathise with your situation a lot as I found myself in exactly the same situation a few years back whilst I was at university. In my case, I actually left the country to 'hide', it was too much for me. Then I realised I was halfway through a degree and could never get a job in the country I was staying, so I had to come back and finish uni etc.

In that time I have not contacted my creditors as they hounded me into such a state that I had a breakdown. It's not always as simple as borrow, spend, don't pay back. Sometimes this can almost ruin your life, with bounced cheques, charges, fines, way out of proportion to the 'crime'.

I am now a graduate professional on a good wage, but only four years have passed since it all kicked off. In that time I have not registered on electoral role, applied for any credit, been able to buy a house, let a flat through an agent, had a credit card, been able to get a landline etc. I pay in cash for everything, I don't even dare apply for a normal bank account! But I get by.

The logical thing to do (which I won't out of principal), is to call up the creditors and try and sort out the mess. It will help your credit file and you won't always be looking over your shoulder.

Good luck with whatever you do and don't worry, i've come to realise their bark is far, far worse than their bite. With regard to DCA's, there is some fantastic help on here. Once they catch up with me, I imagine i'll be using some of the more imaginative help!