Just after some advice really... My Grandmother has had a Grattan book for as long as we can remember. A couple of weeks ago she asked me to have a look at her statements as there was something on there she didn't understand, it's something called "Complete Care" and currently it's on the last 6 month's worth of statements at roughly £50 a pop. She rang Grattan and they said it was to protect her if she ever fell ill and went into hospital. My Grandmother is 79. She has always been a housewife and hasn't worked since she was in her 30's... She currently receives several benefits including Pension Credit and DLA. Anyway I emailed them on her behalf asking exactly what it was, how much she had paid over the years and if they had any proof. They simply told me what they had told her. I then asked when she had apparently signed such an agreement... they didn't reply. Today my Nan tells me she received a phonecall yesterday from Grattan saying that they are prepared to offer her £700 and that she has been paying this percentage since 1995, when it was just £3.30 a month. They asked if she remembers singing anything, she told them no and she also told them to shove their £700. Today they rang again, this time offering £1000 as a final offer.... BUT the £1000 won't be cash it will be off of her balance. I think her balance is around £2800... Obviously these people realise they owe her a lot of money. Can anyone offer any advice on what I should do next? She has turned down their offer of £1000...... Do I simply send an SAR and take the official route? Any advice would be grateful! Thank you.

I do believe that one was last year (Very) and Additions was the year before - is there any point in sending a CCA really?

Okay, do you have a link to the one I'd need to use? Would I have to change anything on it as it's a catalogue agreement? Also, I haven't been in contact with them to tell them I am having difficulty, do I simply just send the CCA and wait? I believe I signed up for both of them online.

A CCA is the same as I would have sent a credit card company isn't it?? Sorry, it's been a while since I needed to log in here! I assumed a catalogue would be different somehow....

I have only ever had dealings with credit card companies and banks in the past, but since I lost my job and have been surviving on JSA things have gotten a little more tricky financially to say the least, especially as I am now 20 weeks pregnant and trying to buy things for a baby in between all this. I have been keeping up with the payments (Additions Direct and Very) and was okay until November time, when I started getting into a bit of a pickle what with Christmas etc. I owe roughly £450 on each catalogue and now with me being in arrears and them slapping on all the charges they can get their hands on they are wanting immediate payments followed by another payment a week later to bring my account up to date and I just do not have the funds at the moment. I seem to remember Additions being less than helpful a few yeards ago when I got into a pickle with them and they rang me, they were not willing to accept less than £14 a month - well this time around I am thinking of offering them about a fiver!!! They will not be happy!!! I understand that catalogues are going to be different to a credit card company with how I handle them to try and get the best deal for me - do I simply write to them and offer them a sum? Or do I write to them telling them about my situation? On JSA, about to be a single Mum etc and then offer them some money? If any of you could offer me any tips as to what to do/say I would be very grateful, only this situation is starting to give me sleepless nights, which is something I can well do without at the mo! Thanks.

That's the problem, I did go there an awful lot but unfortunately the communal gardens are all around the back and that's where half of the problem is!

All done and dusted! Taking the keys back tomorrow and will return to the housing list. They have said they will try and sort out the antisocial behavior there too... I feel sorry for whoever they give that flat to.

I have recently been given a lovely little flat from my housing association. They don't work on points, they work on priority bands and registration dates, all very 2010! lol I signed the shorthold (starter tennancy agreement) with the housing assosciation last Wednesday, the agreement is for the tennancy to start on Monday, 19th April. I received the keys when I signed, and have been in the flat the past few days cleaning and decorating (not moved in yet). Well, to say that I am worried is an understatement!!! It seems that my downstairs neigbour is a lover of very loud rock music, that my neighbour to my right is a lover of very loud R n' B music and that my neighbour to my left is a lover of extremely loud house and techno music. The noise has been deafening whilst I have been in there and has been driving me insane, but i kept on saying to myself that as I am a new tennant and am on a 'starter tennancy' that as soon as my year is up I will put in for a transfer.... Anyway I was there today showing my family the place and it turns out that my downtairs neighbour is also a lover of Special Brew. He sits out in the communal garden areas, drinks it and then tosses the cans on the floor - nice. I was showing my dad the flowers that I have planted on my balcony when suddenly there was a lot of shouting and banging, all of a sudden some young lad ran off down the road and the drunk neighbour from downstairs was running after him saying 'come back you nonce, you c*nt, come back here you mother f*cker'.... etc...etc... another neighbour then followed and laughed up to me on my balcony 'it'll be fun and games here tonight, lots of police!' and sniggered and walked away. Now I am not a snob, but to say I was shocked is putting it lightly. I lived in London for 24 years up until 4 years ago and even this would have shocked me there. The music still continued on - it was deafening and has been for the past three days. A bit later after a little more decorating I was putting the kettle on, looked out of my kitchen window and saw the said drunk downstairs peeing up the side of the flats!!! On top of that one of the doors downstairs seems to have been kicked in overnight too, and has been boarded up. I have never lived on my own and am totally worried sick for my safety and my sanity. Is there any way that I can get out of this 'starter tennancy' that apparently starts on the 19th April and go back onto the housing list on my previous priority band? I am worried that the housing association will say that I have accepted it, take it or leave it, and that if I leave it I will have made myself homeless and they will have no obligation to help me now.... I am on anti-depressants already due to depression and honestly do feel that if I were to move there I would become a jibbering wreck, not to mention the fact that my family are now really concerned about me being safe there. If anyone could offer any advice I would be so very grateful. I am wondering if there is any way I can get out of it not only because of the above reasona, but because my tennancy doesn't actually start until tomorrow? Thank you.

I have been on long term sick since September, I am now wanting to hand in my notice (4 weeks). What happens with regard to sick pay/money owed/wages etc? I have never handed my notice in whilst being off sick before. My GP will still be writing me sick notes whilst my notice period is going on, so will I still receive SSP or will I have to work my notice period?! Any advice will be very much appreciated, thank you.

I have been with my company since May. I am not on any kind of probabtionary period and am on a full contract with private healcare entitlements etc. In this time period I have been given some extra responsibility and was given a ncie pay rise. I also received a bonus (as did all employees) after a couple of months (they dish them out quarterly).. Anyway I have ben off sick for the past four weeks. Work have seen how ill and poorly I have been. I am being signed off sick by my GP and am under a private Consultant with our work healthcare scheme. I am due to have some 'investigative tests' later this month. I have kept in touch with my boss at work and also the HR lady, keeping them informed as to what is happening, they also know that because of all of this I have been feeling very low and down. I thought something was wrong when I stopped hearing from my boss (a friend) and my work colleagues (a team of women) I would email/text to no reply, and if they had to send a reply to me because I had asked them something specifiic I would get a one word answer. When I had my second 'welfare phone call' from HR I was told that they were getting 'niggly and funny' because on my Facebook I had written that I was having a can of Guiness and a piece of chocolate cake. I told her that as I said on my status my GP had told me about the Guiness as my iron levels are very low, hence why I am also feeling giddy/faint a lot of the time! I explained to her that it doesn't matter what I eat I still feel ill anyway. She said to be careful etc and in all honesty I was gobsmacked at their childish tittle-tattle behaviour. Anyway I don't know who said it but I can imagine the context in which it was said (I work in a VERY bitchy office) and was quite upset about it as they have seen the pain I am in daily. I emailed my boss, told her what was happening with appts etc and also said that I wasn't happy about comments that had been made and explained the circumstances to her. I said that until I was told otherwise I would eat/drink what I liked! I received a reply saying that it wasn't meant in a nasty way etc. After this the one word text messages ontinued and one of the girls I am really close to at work wouldn't answer my calls/texts which I found odd as we were very close. I can't think why they are being funny, would they like to be sat at home in pain, awaiting horrible tests and earning £80 a week?? Last week I discovered that my boss/friend had deleted me on Facebook, I asked her why - no reply. The next day I find an email from another colleague asking for the dvd's back that she had loaned me. That same day I find my job advertised in the paper - I text my close friend asking if it's my position - guess what??? No reply! This morning I have emailed HR. They have a right to tell me, surely? They did this to another girl about 3 months ago. She has been off sick for the past year on and off. Our boss would braodcast what was happening with her across the office and laugh/bitch about it. Any email this poor girl would send in would be forwarded to our little team for us to then comment/bitch about. This girl used to be part time, then went full time. They decided to advertise her job and they found someone to replace her. They have said they are going to reduce her hours down and move her to a different area of the office doing something menial where it doesn't matter if she comes in or not. I have always been full time, and after seeing my job in the paper last week I have a feeling they are planning on doing the same with me . I guess what I am asking you is if they are allowed to do this? It just seems so very unfair. I am at home not well, stressed, worried about what these tests might find and I don't need the added stress of office bitches/tittle tattle either, let alone the stress of knowing my job is gone!! If any of you could be of any help I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

I have recently started a new job after being on JSA for the past few months. I have not told my new job I was on JSA as I didn't want them to know I had been unemployed all that time - never looks good on a CV does it. Anyway I have a P46 to fill in and give back to them - but what I want to know is are they going to find out via the tax code that comes back that I was claiming JSA etc? I am a single person and was always on a single person's tax code before when I was working. If someone could shed any light I'd be grateful, I am worrying now!

I cancelled my card the minute after I knew they had done it, I am not asking advice about any of that, I am asking advice as to what happens now BC have said I cannot deal with them as the debt was passed to CSL. Because of what CSL have done I do not want anything to do with them, yet I still owe this money.....

It says above what happened.... That my bank got the money back. No DD or SO they took it from my card when they weren't meant to be holding my card details. I just need to know what to do now.

Hi there Some of you may remember this thread... http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/debt-collection-industry/181501-help-dca-taken-money.html Well today I finally got a reply back from Barclaycard today, very apologetic letter but basically saying that as they have some passed the debt on they can't do anything to help me as they now have nothing to do with the debt. They advised me to contact Citizens Advice and the FOS - I have contacted the latter but haven't heard anything from them, so am a little suspicious as to whether they have received my complaint against CSL. Anyway, BC aside I have heard nothing from CSL. NOTHING! My bank retreived the money back from them, so a small *yay* for HSBC there. They took the money on 2nd February I think. No phone calls, no letters from them. It's odd don't you think? Anyway I just wanted to know what you guys think I should do now? Should I write to CSL (bearing in mind I vowed I would have nowt to do with them) or should I leave it for them to suddenly contact me and get very nasty perhaps? I really don't know what to do now, wasn't expecting that reply from BC to be honest, thought I would be able to now deal with them!

My nan has been in a bit of bother with MBNA recently, I have sent CCA requests and default letters on her behalf. They have sent a hotch potch CCA to her which is when I then sent the default. They are now getting very nasty and my nan is worried so pleaded with me to write them a letter offering them reduced payments of £65 a month. I wrote to them and did this for her under protest! Anyway yesterday they rang her (I have sent telephone harrassment forms and they haven't rung for weeks so she thought it was safe to pick up the phone) and said that they wanted to come to some kind of agreement. My nan then said that it was me and her daughter that were dealing with it and MBNA asked if either me or my mum could speak to them. Well my mum spoke to them today and they said that they would be prepared to come to an arrangement with her but first of all they would need all income and expenditure details. My nan does not want them to see these details - she can afford more than £65 a month but wants to be able to live comfortably so obviously wants some money for herself (she is on income support). My mum said that she thought only a judge could insist on seeing I&E forms and that we wouldn't be sending any. MBNA said that they can insist and so can banks as it's special cirumstances. Can they insist in I&E forms?? Also, when my mum said no to sending them they then said that they would be passing the matter on to their litigation department. Now, it this just two blokes sat in a different corner of the MBNA office? or is it more serious than that? What would your advice be? My nan just wants this over and done with, she has said there is no way she will step into a court room, she is too frightened. I have been waiting for them to pass it on to a DCA as I know they will take the £65, but MBNA seem to be persistant blighters!