Hypno's kick up the backside debt diary....

hypno06 · 12 March 2007 at 11:44AM

So, the sun is shining and it is a beautiful day and then.....

Egg sent me a letter :mad: It says:

"At egg, we treat customers as individuals. In line with this we are now personalising the interest rates on your egg card based on how you have maintained your account and our assessment of how you've managed your finances"

They then go on to tell me that my interest rate will be 25.9% with effect from 21st March :eek:

So I rang them up and asked them how on earth they can justify this. In the past 12 months, we have reduced our total credit card debt by over £50k, I have reduced my egg limit, not been late with payments, made overpayments, not been over my limit etc etc and yet they are increasing my interest rate by almost a third "based on how I have maintained my account and their assessment on how I have managed my finances" :mad:

Of course, the girl I spoke to couldn't give me an answer, she couldn't see any reason why as she could confirm that I was not a bad payer etc but of course she couldn't do anything about the new rate!

I am now waiting for someone else to get back to me to justify this.

My Egg card is the smallest of our debts at £2500 and I had set myself a challenge of paying this off within 12 months by using my matched betting profits.

It may well be that this spurs me on to reduce it even quicker. No way am I paying 25.9% for any longer than absolutely necessary. Apart from anything else it mucks up my snowball calculator.

So, rant over. Off to put the kettle on and find the next matched bet to do.....

hypno06 · 13 March 2007 at 3:24PM

Well, today the brick wall is still there, waiting for my head to be bashed against it!

In January I was due to do an exhibition but that week fell quite ill and couldn't manage to do it. The lady running the exhibition saw how ill I was and said don't worry about it, I didn't have to make a decision about whether to attend until nearer the time.

I didn't feel up to doing the exhibition (2 days on my feet which would have been very difficult at that time) so told her that I couldn't attend. However, she still banked my cheque and now that I have asked for it back, she has said no.

So I am a bit narked - had I known that I would lose my money I would have dragged myself to that exhibition however ill I felt, in the hope that I might have got a little interest from potential clients to offset the cost of the stand.

As it is, I have lost almost £300 so :mad:

On the brighter side of life - went to see a client last week and her toddler threw up all over me! Not that I like children being sick over me but today when I saw her she gave me some yum thorntons chocs as an apology!!

Today I have been accepted for a cahoot savings account so for depositing £1, I have £25 tracked in quidco :T

Also, have done a little matched betting today, so hope to get a little more towards my "get rid of EGG" target.....

hypno06 · 14 March 2007 at 12:44PM

Well, £37.38 as a result of yesterday's matched betting so happy there

I am a little short of this week's £50 target but hopefully will make that up by the end of the week. I have updated my signature accordingly which always makes me feel good and now have £300 matched betting money that will eventually go off the evil Egg card!

Today the sun is shining and I don't have clients this morning so have been doing a bit of flylady housework. Unfortunately my house is SO messy that it will take more than a flick of a duster and a quick hoover, but I have made a good start and my kitchen is starting to gleam instead of grime.

Tonight marks the next phase of my claim against barclays for bank charges.

Having acknowledged my claim at the 11th hour through moneyclaim online, they have until midnight tonight to put in a defence and going by past info, I am sure they will put in said defence at the last minute, just to wind me up. I am very happy to go all the way to court, though so......

Well, better get on with some more housework :A

Karmacat · 14 March 2007 at 1:18PM

Sounds like you're doing great, in spite of setbacks like the exhibition woman and toddler sick (!). Wish I didn't already have a cahoot account so I could do what you've just done... and I really like your comment about getting round the site slowly. There are several things I know I should do, but haven't done them yet (got a really fierce cold at the mo, but def. on the mend now, so there's a list for next week).

Good luck to you - you and your dad have supported each other, I bet he'd be so proud of you. Have a great holiday

EagerLearner · 14 March 2007 at 10:36PM

Hiya Hypno, seen your posts about and you are def deserving of a break as between Egg and computers going wrong / Barclays etc you need something good to happen - so sending (((((vibes)))))) your way! Good on ya for getting into the Matched betting - if I wasn't so (scared) bad at maths I prob would (be too scared to) give it a go... Have you a little savings piggy near your front door? That's where my 2 live to remind me each day to try and fill 'em... Maybe my Frills spreadsheet will help you as it has a Debt Buster chart within it? Then again the snowball you mention may be just all you need - take a peek though you never know ;o)

Best of luck and hope the sun keeps shining - jealous of your garden!

LookingAhead · 14 March 2007 at 11:02PM

Well done on your progress hypno!

I opened a Cahoot account too via QuidCo but my £25 didn't track :mad:

I made an enquiry and it was successful :T but it says "unknown" as to when they will pay out.

What does yours say? Have you got to wait long?

benbenandme · 15 March 2007 at 8:48AM

I did the Cahoot account thing and it didnt track so raised an enquiry in July lat year ... and still haven't heard anything

wishing you better luck!!;)

hypno06 · 15 March 2007 at 9:07AM

Morning all :hello:

My cahoot quidco thing tracked really quickly - I think I set up the account online on Sunday, and it was showing as tracked by Tuesday, maybe even earlier. So don't give up!

Mind you, I have some stuff that I did through Uswitch that should be £32 tracked that I have had an enquiry in for months.

Quidco is a bit hit and miss but I am working on the principal that I would generally be spending that money anyway, so any cash back is a bonus - my car insurance I did on Sunday through Prudential has tracked - £130 so that will be one I keep a close eye on :cool:

Midnight came and went overnight (as it has a habit of doing, I gather) but I was sat poised at my laptop ready to enter judgement against barclays who have failed to put in a defence against my claim for bank charges.

Now, having read the threads on this board I know that Barclays may put in a late defence which the court are likely to accept, so I am not counting my chickens just yet but it does feel as though I am getting there.

it does bug me that the court sets time limits and then the banks can still get away with submitting a late defence. Surely that is a bit like me saying to Barclays

"sorry, I didn't have enough money in my account on the date that my mortgage was due, so you didn't pay it, but a couple of days later there was money there, so can you just backdate the payment without penalty....."

Would they do it

Don't think so! But then it is Big Bank v little hypno......

hypno06 · 15 March 2007 at 9:08AM

EagerLearner wrote: »

Hiya Hypno, seen your posts about and you are def deserving of a break as between Egg and computers going wrong / Barclays etc you need something good to happen - so sending (((((vibes)))))) your way! Good on ya for getting into the Matched betting - if I wasn't so (scared) bad at maths I prob would (be too scared to) give it a go... Have you a little savings piggy near your front door? That's where my 2 live to remind me each day to try and fill 'em... Maybe my Frills spreadsheet will help you as it has a Debt Buster chart within it? Then again the snowball you mention may be just all you need - take a peek though you never know ;o)

Best of luck and hope the sun keeps shining - jealous of your garden!

Ooh, forgot to say EL that I am already using your debt pot spreadsheet - it is fab!

Thanks x

hypno06 · 15 March 2007 at 9:12PM

Ok, so as expected Barclays came back with a late defence so now await the infamous allocation questionnair and a court date.....:mad:

However, today was not all bad - got 2 last minute clients in so extra money on an otherwise quiet day, made about £55 matched betting and could have made more if I had given it the time, plus £30 tracked in quidco for using one of the bookies with them

All helps in the "pay Egg off" game.....

Plus, the sun has been shining again and a friend of mine made up a fab planter for me with lovely spring flowers in which just looks beautiful outside in my garden.

So all in all, a day that could have been worse!

Hypno's kick up the backside debt diary....

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