Hoping this is the correct forum so apologise if not. After a good two years being ill I managed to get a job starting last January at a local SEN school as a Teaching Assistant. Upon calling me with the news the Head told me not to get too excited as it was only until July. A few days after I started I was conversing with the HR Head about something else when I mentioned to her about this Fixed Term Contract. She told me that I was on a Permanent Contract so I assumed that the 6 months the Head was talking about was the 3 then 6 months probation. Got through 3 months fine but today I was called into a conversation with the Assistant Head and was told my contract was not being renewed because next years student numbers have dropped and the student that I was partially one to one with is no longer classed as one to one. For clarification I was helping many students as I was told that one to one is in name only and I was working in the class with all. However I mentioned to the Asst Head that I was a tad confused as HR had told me I was on a Permanent Contract. The Asst looked a tad confused themselves and said they would look into it and mentioned that if I was on a Fixed Contract they would not have done any probation which confused me again because it was this Assistant Head that received my Line Managers 3 month probation form so you would have expected it to have flagged up a possible contract error. A massive kick in the teeth is that I also received a staff email later on that says they are recruiting for Teaching Assistants for next year and yet I am told I am surplus to requirements because they don't need any more TA's despite at the meeting being told that all feedback on my efforts are positive and that my contract isn't being renewed purely down to numbers not being required?! If I am honest I have never got on with this particular Assistant Head. They belittle many people and are generally disliked by a larger proportion of the staff and from day one I could tell that she had a problem with me for whatever reason. So I wouldn't be surprised if they just want me out. However if they have had a breakdown in communication and whilst I was originally meant to be on a Fixed Term Contract but HR accidently put me on a Permanent One what are my rights here? I have gone through the contract with a fine toothcomb and I cannot fond anywhere where it says it's Fixed Term and whilst there is a commencement date there is not expiry date. If they have made an error they may try another excuse but if I have been already told that the only reason for my dismissal is that they do not require me next year then what can I do if another excuse/reason is put forward in another meeting? I love the job and obviously feedback on my performance is positive and whilst I would love to stay this is an incredibly awkward situation for both sides but if I am correct and I am on a Permanent Contract and they have made an error what if any rights do I have? Most appreciated.

Hello. New to the forums and have been browsing the internet to find a decent support forum and ended up here. After being made redundant last year (I am a van driver) I fell ill with Vertigo which is extremely debilitating and although various tests have come back clear (MRI etc) the Doctors are unsure as to what the problem is although my consultant believes it is either Menieres Disease or Migraine Assisted Vertigo. The only test they can do to find out what the problem is is invasive and can by all accounts damage your hearing and being partially deaf anyway I am unwilling to take that risk. Not long after the vertigo began I also started to experience severe Insomnia to the point that I would not be getting any sleep at all. Again various tests have been performed and after lengthy waits I have finally been cleared of Sleep Apnoea which was the first port of call. Again my consultant is not sure as to what is going on so I am back to square one with getting a diagnosis. I am on long term sleeping tablets for the Insomnia and whilst they do knock me out from time to time I have extreme daytime fatigue and headaches on top of the Vertigo. The consultant believes that this is a combination of the tablets (drowsiness side effects) and the fact that I have not slept naturally for 6 odd months. So a bit of a quandary considering I get no sleep without the tablets but I am still exhausted taking them!! My Vertigo attacks have diminished to an extent but that is down to the fact that my horizontal balance mechanism is basically gone and it will take some time to repair if at all. This leaves me in a state where every movement I make, when I walk, everything in front of my eyes wobbles. It's as though I am not looking through my own eyes but a film camera being held by a cameraman moving. When an attack happens I get no warning. Everything just spins and all I can do is sit down and wait it out. Not long after my vertigo started and whilst I was awaiting a GP appointment I went to two interviews to get back into work. At the first I had a vertigo attack and was bouncing off the walls as I was led to the interview room. Needless to say the interview didn't last long! The second I was honest about my condition and was turned down immediately for the job. The interviewer said that I couldn't be employed due to my vertigo because of a Health and Safety issue. Basically he argued that if I had an attack and fell down the stairs who would be at fault, me for taking the job aware of my restrictions or the company for employing me?! I could see his point considering a health and safety lawsuit was not particularly appealing to him. And it throws in an interesting legal question on what legal risks the DWP are taking by forcing people declared "not fit to work" back into work. It was after this that I was signed off as unfit for work by my Doctor and I have fit notes ongoing since October. I claimed both ESA and PIP after advice and was awarded ESA at the starting rate. I was turned down for PIP after a medical assessment. Last week I received a letter stating I was to attend a Work Focused Interview at the Job Centre. After looking up advice I rang the DWP and explained that nothing had changed since a first "chat" at the Job Centre back in January and did that mean I had to attend the latest meeting. I was told it was voluntary and it would not affect my benefit if I did not attend. So I didn't. This week I have received a letter now informing me that I have to attend a medical assessment for ESA. I assume that this would have come through regardless as to whether I had attended the Work Focused Interview or not? The thing that concerns me is that from what I have read the medical assessments for both PIP and ESA seem very similar and if you can dress yourself, get out of bed unaided and make yourself a sandwich you seem to be deemed fit to work?! It doesn't seem to take into account the massive difference between being able to look after yourself to performing a full time job and also does not take into account the fact that if I am honest at any interviews the chances that someone would employ me at this present time are slim to say the least. Certainly my usual occupation of driving a van will be somewhat difficult to achieve if the road ahead of me constantly wobbles or disappears into a merry go round like spin!! That's not taking into account that I would also be driving a van on zero hours sleep!! So if I can walk 200 metres (although not currently in a straight line) or do my shoe laces up (whilst trying not to fall over) are deemed not severe enough then I assume I will score 0 points like many others and lose my benefit? Then from what I have read you have to then claim JSA although with not much in the way of work in the last 10 months or so I doubt I will qualify for contributions based. But despite being continuously being signed off work by my GP does applying for JSA actually mean that you are now declaring yourself fit for work not taking into account the fact that I am pretty much unemployable right now!! Does this then mean you leave yourself open to an interesting legal predicament? I hasten to add here that I do not want to be on benefits. I want to be back at work but if I am unemployable ESA is my only option and if I lose that I have no idea what I am going to do. I really don't know what to do at the moment and was wondering if anyone had been in a similar situation and how they dealt with it and what they did? Thank you.

Not sure if this is the correct forum so apologies if not but I was wondering what others would do/if anything, with regard to a complaint I made recently about a JCP Advisor. I have been on JSA now for over a year but have been suffering from a vertigo condition (saga is in another thread!!) so I am limited as to what jobs I can apply for. Those that I have applied for and there are over 300 of them, I have been unsuccessful. I had a pretty good advisor to be honest who appreciated my limitations but suddenly out of the blue I was moved to another advisor who was as far as I know newly qualified. On my first meeting with the new advisor I knew I had a problem. I am partially deaf and the advisor had a foreign accent of which I found it difficult to understand. He also looked down continuously when talking thus I could not even lip read him. I kept mentioning my difficulty but he didn't make any effort his end. He was having a nightmare, getting dates for the next signing wrong, being unable to work out when I had last signed and he even went on to criticise my CV at one point so I explained to him that the gentleman who had written my CV was sitting three desks away as he was employed by the DWP as their Careers Advisor so if he had any concerns the Advisor was the best person to talk to. I doubt this went down too well!!! I asked if it was possible to see my old advisor in the future and this gentleman said he would book me in with her the following week so all's well ends well........ Not. The following week I was back again with this new advisor. I politely asked as to why I was back with him and he mentioned that I was with him, end of story. I then stated, once again politely, that because of his accent I struggled to hear him due to my hearing impairment. He then replied "That's not my problem, it is YOUR problem". I'm not easily upset but that I have to be honest rocked me, I was stunned. Maybe it was the stress but moments later I had a vertigo attack and had to sit down for 45 minutes. I wasn't going to do anything about it but thought how can they speak to anyone like that, let alone about a disability, so I wrote to the DWP to complain because I think too often we all just accept the shambolic way they treat claimants. Unsurprisingly they have replied and this fella has denied making such a comment, of course I didn't really expect anything else although if he had said that he had made the comment and apologised I would have accepted that. So I am now not sure what to do. Leave it because I guess it's just my word against his or continue with the complaint? Fortunately they have moved me to a new advisor anyway, although not my original, and she was as nice as pie when I saw her so maybe someone has had a word, although I doubt it. So I guess I will not see this chap again, although he will certainly be in the same office. Half of me says leave it, but the other half says carry on and don't accept their denial. So I was just wondering what others would do? I have attached their letter. Have removed personal information and names. Apologies for the coffee stains, I suspect I spluttered it out when reading the letter!!!! Complaint 1 001.pdf Complaint 2 001.pdf

After a long absence from benefits I'll be starting a new claim for Universal Credit in the next few days. Just a brief history: I was on the old Work Programme with Ingeus for the full 2 years - towards the end I was placed on the ESA assessment phase having been on JSA only and didn't have to attend the office anymore... Shortly after I ended the claim to pursue a new opportunity and that's where I've been for over a year and a bit. Now having to go back to relying on benefits is a difficult thought and I have no idea what's changed. I have no clue if my local office is still open, I know most claims are now dealt with by phone only... I think that's right? I've heard DWP offices are closing down all over the country so what does this mean for a claimant and how do they check your doing all you can to find work? Can anyone fill me in on what's changed and what'll happen when I sign up... very nervous about it as I never actually thought I'd go back into the system... I was on antidepressants before and looking for job didn't help much with my mental health. Having not worried about work strictly speaking for over a year I am quite anxious regarding all these changes and what it could mean for my family.

Hi All I'm new to the forum and this is my first post. Today, I have decided to take action with 2 old Liverpool Victoria debts, one was a personal loan taken out in the end of 1999 or early 2000 for 10k over 5 years. This was defaulted on around 2002 and payment arrangements made with Liverpool Victoria, then sold to Capquest July 2009. I have been paying £12.00 per month by direct debit for years at least since before the debt was sold Capquest have been adding on large sums of interest and charges, my debt continues to grow. I believe that I read somewhere on this forum that interest and charges can't be added after the length of the original agreement. The second was for a LiverPool Victoria Credit Card, same story as above but the debt when sold was £2945.27. I'm not sure that PPI was claimed for the credit card i know that it wasn't taken out for the loan - should i send a PPI request to Liverpool Victoria to start with? I haven't received an annual statement from Capquest since October 2012 and have had no dealings with them since the debt was sold and the direct debit was set up. They haven't even bothered to ask for an increase and now I'm inclined to think that's because they don't want to rock the boat., I am scared of dealing with them as they added a second default for the same debt to my credit file years ago and despite sending off the evidence off the the Credit companies and the Ombudsman it wasn't removed and my credit file is perfect now. I now that it's not statue barred as I have been making payments, surely they can't me to court for a 17 year old debt, after spending the afternoon reading some threads on here, i'm beginning to think there is no paperwork to back up these debts and the loan was agreed over the telephone, I do remember that. I'm assuming I CCA request Capquest first have only been learning information from the site today, any help and advice would be appreciated on these two debts. Thanks for reading, i hope it's all clear.

Hello. Newbies 1st post. July 2014 I went abroad for a year and a tenant was in my house for that period. I was up until then using Cooperative Energy for both gas & electricity. I was paying £130 every month. I gave final readings on changeover day. A year later, tenant moved out and I moved back in. Again I contacted Cooperative Energy to transfer it back to my name. I was amazed - and double checked - when they said it will be £72 per month for both. Wow I thought prices have dropped! 3 months later and 3 payments of £72 made I receive a letter saying I have arrears of £462! Naturally I called them to advise there must be an error - to be told no, it was outstanding from when I lived here before! I asked how? And said this isn't possible. And where was the bill? They said they sent it - 9 months after I went abroad! I told them I genuinely had not received any bill and that I fail to see how this can be right. The (un)friendly woman just snapped "well its correct and you'll have to pay it as it can't be written off". I then requested a copy of the bill. It never arrived. Just another threatening letter. I called again. I asked how come it took them 9 months to send a bill and why send it somewhere that I wasn't living? Also, when I made contact on my return to the UK why wasn't I informed of this alledged outstanding amount then? I again requested a copy if the bill which never arrived. I did however, Ewelme a letter from Search UK Limited saying they now own this debt. Not sure how to proceed so advice /action recommendations would be gratefully received. Thank you. Apologies it was 2015 I went abroad not 2014!

Hi, I'd appreciate any help/advice about my situation and what I should do next. I got into a lot of debt back in 2006. I have 10 debts ranging from £250 to £12k. Around £42k in total. When I got into this debt I panicked slightly and took out a debt management plan with a fee paying company, paying £310 a month, which includes a fee to them of approx £65. I have paid this payment faithfully for the last 10 years. The DMP company contacted me recently to raise their fees and it was at this point I realised why was I paying them £65 a month? I have now cancelled my denit payment with them and if necessary will deal with each company myself. I also received some PPI money back, around £6k and was going to utilise this to write Full and Final Payments letters to some or all of the companies I owe money too. My questions are, is this the best way for me to proceed or should I be doing something else ? Thanks in advance

Hi, Cabot/shoosmiths have sent me a small claims court summons .... original debt is an overdraft with BOS. £1468.49 What is the difference between written application to pay by instalments? and apply for a time order?

I have two credit card debts, one of which is the subject of a CCJ some 9 years ago. I have been making payments in accordance with the CCJ and voluntary payments in respect of the other. Both defaults are over 6 years old and no longer appear on my credit reports. The DCA have offered to do a deal and accept less than is outstanding in full and final BUT if I agree does this deal appear on my credit report (as of the date of the full and final payment for a lesser figure) or, as the date of default is over 6 years ago, will my credit history be unaffected if I choose to pay a lump sum in full and final? Thank you.

HI, I'm new to this site and after some advice please. Recently been refused credit so checked credit file. I have a CCJ from severn trent water -from 2014 (I knew about the CCJ and paid it with a week of receiving it - so according to the information I received because it was paid within 1 month it wouldn't show on my record. So roll forward 2 years - My credit record has this CCJ showing as unsettled from Sept 24th 2014, they have now sent me a letter I dated 11th Oct 2014, confirming my payment of the CCJ on 3rd Oct 2014. I have spoken to severn trent who say it was my responsibility to tell the court I'd paid the CCJ and as I hadn't - it would stay on my record! Can someone give me some guidance please on what to do next please? I have read somewhere I can fill out a form and send it to the court to get this removed but cannot find what this form is (looked on HM Justice website under guidance for EX50 but this just gives a fee and not a link to the form?)

Hi all. A few years ago, I got myself into a mess with various payday loans and have spent the last couple of years paying them all off. Earlier this week I received an email from a company called "kapama credit" stating an account of mine had been passed onto them from Opos. The loan in question is from minicredit. A loan for £100 of which I only received £80. Due to being in the midst of my payday loan mess, this wasn't paid back.. As my head was firmly stuck in the sand, I did nothing. I was in touch with opos back in 2012 and at one point was offered the chance to pay a settlement of £150 which ended up not paying. The email i received this week states I owe over £700. In a panic, I offered them the £150 again, which they refused, stating the minimum they can accept is £392!! I then asked them for a breakdown of the account and this is their response: Principle - £59.89 Interest - £69 Attepmted payment fees - £555.50 Debt collection fee - £100 I want this sorted asap but not sure of my next steps. How much of this do I technically owe?

Hi First of all, I apologies in advance with regards hash and tag and other advanced features like this because I am not sure. I would appreciate straightforward advice as I thought all this was behind me. Five years ago, I had severe money problems and defaulted on 7 credit cards. Two banks took me to court. Both messed up proceedings and I think I surprised the court by admitting I owe it I will pay it, even though the failure to implement correct procedures could have possibly gone in my favour. Both had Charging orders made against my house should I not pay. I had no problem with this. The Court also put on the Order that I pay one £75 pm and another £44. These were nothing to do with each other by the way. The bigger one, I pay by online banking religiously every month. no DD no SO Card Payment nothing. I pay it as a bill. I have never once defaulted. The other five, I have arrangements with and I have done this all myself. No problems. I have made full payments every month to my mortgage although I have arrears but they cannot take extra because of my monthly outgoings, again , there is no pressure from them because I keep them informed and I pay full every month. Now the other jokers, the £44 per month. They are a firm of "Solicitors" featured here on a very regular basis. My agreement with them was to take £44 pm, by continuous card payment, which they have done. Several times over the years they have left me answer phone messages or sent me Statement of Means forms to disclose my financial situation. I have largely ignored them as the Court Order said £44 per month, so as far as I was concerned that was it. Last week, I had a letter out of the blue from Court stating I have failed to pay as ordered, and I have to fill in the Attachment of Earnings Order I was horrified. It turns out, no payments have been taken since December 2014. I really must emphasise I had absolutely no idea they had stopped taking money. I know you hear this constantly but I did not. I have 22 DDs SOs and the only physical payment I have to do is the one I religiously pay £75 for. In January, I spoke to someone at the Solicitors who was trying to pressure me into completing the Statement of Means form with the promise of looking to reduce my 44. i told her i did NOT want to as the Court Order set that amount. She kept on and on until to get her off the phone, I agreed to her sending me the form. When I got it weeks later, i changed my mind and left it as the Court had stated. It appears no payment was taken from then onwards. They said they left me an answer phone message end of Jan and admitted no other contact attempts had been made. This is totally their doing and I am extremely upset. One of their agents told me the other day, to not return the court papers until i had spoken to someone else who would phone me back. Nobody did, i eventually contacted someone else, asked what to do re court papers and she said she didn't know what I was talking about!!! I am devastated, being threatened with employers being contacted, or Bailiffs being sent round when I have left everything in their hands. I have told them I want a copy of my file and especially the phone call in Jan and they said they couldn't. I informed them I could and so have sent the admin fee to them for this.. I also paid the £44 immediately. What do I do,? It comes across as if I have deliberately disobeyed a Court Order, they have piled their admin fee on. Is this their ploy of getting their Statement Of Means/Income/ Expenditure? I WILL send the papers to the Court but I am determined they will not get away with this.. so can I request a hearing. ? I will very gladly pay the Court fee because they are nasty extortioners and now I for myself and any others, am prepared to do battle with this. I am so sorry about the length of this and thank you very much for your time x

Help appreciated from wiser heads on here than mine will ever be . . . At the beginning of last month, June 2015, a friend of mine purchased a 37-month-old Ford Focus 1.6 diesel from one of the Northeast branches of the Evans Halshaw group. He px'd his existing car and paid a cash difference of several £000s. The Focus being a month out of manufacturer's warranty wasn't particularly troubling as the car came with a full service history and Evans Halshaw's 3-month parts and labour guarantee. At completion of the transaction, my friend drove his newly acquired Focus the 60-odd miles to his home. Next morning, he drove the car a short distance for an equally short time before it broke down. He contacted the dealership and it arranged to come and take the Focus away for repair. The car was collected next day. No word was heard from the dealership in the following week and it was only when my friend telephoned to find out how the repair was going that he was told 'we haven't had time to look at your car yet.' So much for week 1. The week after that -- 2 weeks after the transaction -- he was told the fault was a fuel filter which had now been fixed. His car was ready for him to collect. He pointed out that he had no car to go the 60 miles to the dealership so asked for his car to be returned to him. The dealership was manifestly reluctant to do so but three days later, brought the car back. Next morning, my friend drove the Focus for a short time and over a short distance and it broke down again. The car was taken back by Evans Halshaw to be repaired again. My friend was told that a part was awaited. It's now 3 weeks after the date of transaction. My friend told Evans Halshaw it was his belief that he had been sold a product not fit for purpose and should have his money back. He had given the dealership the opportunity to fix the car but it had failed to do so. He was incurring extra costs and going to no little effort and inconvenience as a result. Evans Halshaw told him it wouldn't take long to fix the Focus and they would provide him with a loan car for a few days. This turned out to be a 3-cylinder Vauxhall Corsa, significantly smaller than his own former vehicle as well as the vehicle he had purchased but was unable to use. With the Focus still unrepaired by Evans Halshaw, my friend complained to the dealership last week -- that is, 4 weeks after the date of transaction --about its refusal to refund his money and its failure to repair his car. He pointed out that he has a longstanding booking of a fortnight's family holiday in Cornwall, commencing next week. The Corsa is entirely unable to accommodate himself, his family and his luggage and seems hopelessly underpowered for a round trip of 600 miles or more. Today, Tuesday July 7 2015 is now 5 weeks from the date of the purchase transaction. The Ford Focus is still not repaired. Evans Halshaw is making great play of the fact that it isn't actually charging my friend a penny for the work (work that failed in the first place; work that hasn't even been done since then.) It is steadfastly refusing to refund his money, that is, to restore him to the financial state he was in prior to purchasing the car. Evans Halshaw continues to be unable to repair the car, saying it is *still* waiting for a part to come in. It seems markedly disinclined to even discuss the issue of the 3-cylinder Corsa loan car. Question 1: what rights under consumer protection legislation might my friend specifically exercise by way of bringing pressure to bear on this dealership to give him his money back / return him to the financial state he was in prior to the transaction? (NOTE: the dealership claims it sold his PX the day after the transaction. Presumably, it went into the trade. It seems highly likely to have been retailed out in so short a time.) Question 2: what complaint process should my friend be following here? He has lost all faith in this dealership so should he be taking it up at a higher corporate level at Evans Halshaw?(Not sure where to start with that one though.) Question 3: is there a 'professional body' to whom he can file a complaint about what has happened / is happening here? In summary: it is now 5 weeks since the transaction occurred and he does not have the car he purchased, does not want the loan car the dealership persuaded him into accepting, and having given the dealership every opportunity to repair what is, after all, just a Ford motor car, not some exotic beastie for which spare parts are hard to get, believes he is entitled to say that the car he was sold was not fit for purpose then, is self-evidently not fit for purpose even now, and he should have his money back. Now. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Hi everyone. I'd really appreciate your input on this issue. My parents recently bought an 06 plate Vectra Estate for £4k from a local dealer. The car drove well on the test drive so a deposit was paid on the condition that some paintwork was sorted before picking the car up and it would be serviced and MOT'd. However, after driving the car home a week later, the gearbox has developed a pronounced whining noise. On investigation this appears to be a shortcoming of the M32 gearbox used in these and plenty of other cars. The car itself has only done 57,000 miles. We've now had our trusted mechanic (a Vauxhall Technician) drive the car to his garage and he's confirmed that at least one bearing needs replacing as it's a fault that will eventually break the gearbox (as confirmed by the huge thread on the VXR owners forum). He's also said that there were some brand new screws/bolts on the gearbox casing and it looks like someone has already had a look to see what's wrong. My suspicion is that they've decided it's an expensive fix and shifted the car on. It was probably the previous owner but either way the fault was there at the point of sale. The dealer has already replaced the crank oil seal that left a puddle on the garage floor but he was initially unwilling to fix the bearings in the gearbox as it will come to £500-£600, suggesting an additive to quieten it down. This was put in (without our say so) when the oil seal was replaced in an effort to mask the noise but if anything it is now even worse. The 3 month warranty that the car was sold with explicitly states that "All internal (gearbox) components including - Bearings" are covered. This warranty not 3rd party but in the name of the dealership so I assume it is basically an extension to statutory rights under the sales of good act. The dealer has said that all he needs to do is offer a 2nd hand gearbox regarless of the mileage it has covered. I'd say that a 2nd hand gearbox would be ok but as my parents paid for a car that's only done 57K miles, they shouldn't have to accept a higher mileage replacement. The dealer doesn't have the facilities to fix/replace cars on site so it would be sent to another garage anyway. Ideally we would like our mechanic to fix it and for the dealer to reimburse the cost. The dealer hasn't been good at doing basic things that have been asked of him. The paintwork wasn't sorted on time so the car had to be taken back and even then it wasn't done as agreed. He hasn't provided documentation of the work carried out (oil seal and additive) despite multiple requests and saying he would. The dealer is currently offering either a 2nd hand replacement gearbox (any mileage) or for my parents to pay £250 and get the bearings replaced (with him covering the difference). I don't think either of these is acceptable for a fault that was present at sale, on a part that should last the life of the car. Any advice on our rights or the next step to take would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading!

Hi everyone, This is my first post here, and I wondered if anyone could help. I have been in a DMP for about 4 years, after making a total mess of my finances with Payday Loans. I was reviewing the remaining creditor amounts this morning, and I wondered if I am being stupid by paying all the interest and charges that the Payday loan companies levied on my initial loan amount when I defaulted. It may be that I should suck it up – it was a mess of my own making after all. But I thought I would check what people with more knowledge than me thought. The payday loan charges make up a third of my remaining amount, so it would be good to know what people think. Thank you for any help. Kate

When hubby and I met almost 10 years ago I knew he came with a little baggage which was in the shape of some outstanding debt he had relating to a property he'd had repossessed. This included a £7k shortfall following the sale and an outstanding secured (against the house) loan with WFS (from memory he seems to think it was around £8k) We've had a few letters on and off over the time then a couple of CCJs during what was a very difficult time. I know an attachment of earning order was set up and he was paying direct from his wages for about a year during 2012/2013 maybe (I can't remember exactly) then he changed job and we failed to notify and have never heard anything since. We are currently working with StepChange to get things resolved and upon checking the credit report TWO CCJs appear - one for £46k issued March 2009 and one for £35k issued February 2009 both for WFS. I've initially requested copies of the CCJs but don't have any clue what to do from here. Thank you in advance

Can anyone help/advise me please? I have severe anxiety and depression and this sudden out of nowhere scenario is taking me to the edge. .. (I've had to increase my medication..) I won't waffle about my life story.. ., but it's a roller coaster one.. but I suppose aren't they all? I have received a claim form from northampton county court. The claimant is a DCA. I have till 21/10/14 to decide what to do (including the 5 days after issue date). Today is 19/10/14. The claim form seems real (blue with claim number top right and court symbol top left). It is electronically signed by Solicitors. I have checked my credit report and the default date is 5 years from being dropped off. The amount is for £2000 and is a credit card. But it looks like DCA has purchased it. I am not a homeowner nor employed. I have been homeless in past. Is it too late to make a final settlement with debt agency/solicitor if I gave them 10%? (my sister has offered to help) or has the county court process already started? Should I just ignore? But I don't wan't a CCJ marked on my credit file as trying to fix my life. Should I challenge? Any help, advice, guidance much much appreciated.. Again Thank You

Hi, My contract with TalkTalk ends in Feb 2015. Ive been advised that I can cancel before that it ends bygiving 30 days notice, and would cost me £46 but they told me I can NOT cancel in writing or email. It has to be by phone? Surely this CANT be right? Please help.

Hello New to the forum but i have been trying to read up as much info as possible I'm just starting to get really confused. I have a CCJ claim form been issued 23/10 and i have acknowledged the claim online which will be processed today 7/11 and have disputed the claim. I believe the vast majority of the claim are charges and interest that Lloyds continued to apply to my account over a two year default period. My credit file shows the account defaulted 03/2009. The debt has been sold to Capquest who have used drydens solicitors to process the claim. I intent to submit a CPR 31.14 request for the information in the paticulars of the claim. The paticulars of the claim mentions a credit agreement, the default notice and the sale of agrement between Lloyds and Capquest (the claimant) I'm not sure I'm following the correct procedure here or if I am missing anything important like can i ask for a breakdown of the actual debt and what is made up of interest and charges etc. and does the credit agreement have any relavance here for an overdraft. Some help and guidance would be greatly appreciated Thanks Clive D

Hi everyone So i've had a letter to go to an Atos 1 on 1 assessment. This is the 1st i've asked to go to, even though my medical issue (anxiety) has been an issue for over 10 years. Just a few questions that i'd appreciate help with. 1. I've always sent in letters from my G.P when filling in forms, letters that a doctor writes to say i'm unfit for work, so how is it that i have to attend an Atos 1 on 1?. I see that they are supposed to be health care professionals, but not Dr's so are they undermining what a Dr says? 2. Atos's contract with the government is stopping. Is it because of issues they have had with patients, or have they admitted that they aren't good at what they do? If so may appeals are won, there surely is a problem with the initial 1 on 1.? 3. Are they qualified to over rule a Dr & how can this be when their contracted has been terminated. I hear that it comes into practice next year, but surely they shouldn't be examining people now!.. I am looking through the threads to find info, is there a list of questions that i can expect? Many thanks & regards to you all.

Had never heard of this company until today. Never had any run-ins with any debt companies at all. Today I received a letter from bpo on behalf of motormile finance stating that I owed almost £900 for an obviously unstated reason. The letter stated that both companies had been contacting me without reply ( untrue, had no prior communication with them until today) and threatened doorstep visits if I do not pay. I have never taken out a loan in my life......I owe no money to any kind of club or organisation...... They even got my gender wrong on the letter!! I genuinely have no idea where this has come from at all...... Could it be mistaken identity? Should I just ignore it and see what happens next? Any advice or help appreciated, many thanks

Hi All, I'm having a very hard time in getting a loan to purchase a car. I did have one previous loan for £1000, which I was to repay over 1 year. I ended up missing 4 payments on this due to going out of work, but immediately after finding work, I contacted the underwriters and agreed to pay extra each month so that the loan was paid back in full, on time. Which it was. I was ignorant to how much it would have a knock on effect to my credit score and now I'm badly stuck. I applied then for a second loan from my bank (Bank of Ireland), which was rejected. That was pretty much straight after I had repaid the first loan. They advised me to try again in 4 months time, which would have been October '13. A few weeks ago I then seen a car I liked and applied for finance through a dealership, which came back as rejected. I then went into the bank and applied there, with a guarantor, which was also turned down (6 months after originally applying). I then obtained a copy of my credit report from Experian. It's now showing 11 late payments? Last week it showed 10. Now I have no direct debits or standing orders from that account and my working wage is paid in each month. I took this to the bank to question them about it, to which they said that I went into an overdraft in February '13. when I purchased an item from Argos, I had credit. The payment didn't come out till a few days later (I assumed it was instantly withdrawn) and in this time I had spent more money, meaning when the payment was eventually taken out, it knocked me into an overdraft. I argued that I didn't have an overdraft facility on my account and she said it's up to me to manage my finances. Each time this occurred I was also charged £40. The same happened next month with Sainsburys and in total I think I had 4 months of this in a row. I assumed the total amount was instantaneously withdrawn from the account. It also shows I have no settled credit. I obtained a copy of my payment/loan history with the underwriters to ensure the balance on the loan was nil and that it was repaid in full and on time, which was confirmed via letter from them. I have no idea what these other late payments are that keep being added, the bank are simply washing their hands with me and to be honest I have no great understanding of my report and where I stand so any advice or input would be hugely appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this. KR, Ciaran

Hello all I am looking into making a claim against HSBC for mis-selling insurance when I took out my mortgage but am unsure if I have a case or how to start. I took out a 100% mortgage with HSBC in July 2006. When I went in to sign the paperwork I was told that their insurance plan which would offer payment if I was sick or injured and life assurance were a compulsory part of the mortgage and I needed to sign up for this too. In November 2010 whilst talking to a colleague in work I was told that this was a waste of money as my employer provides a death in service grant which would cover the mortgage and sickness cover for a year too! I promptly cancelled the cover deeming it unnecessary. I interestingly did not hear from the bank telling me the compulsory cover was no longer in place! My complaints are 1) the advisor made it clear it was compulsory when I now know that this is not the case. It was made clear at the time that the mortgage would not happen without the cover. 2) the advisor did not mention I could shop elsewhere for this cover. 3) the advisor did not check to see if the cover was necessary due to my employment. I do not have any of the original paper work (stupid I know) apart from the bank statements showing payment to HSBC LIFE UK for payments of approx £45 a month Could you offer your thoughts please of if I can / should claim and if so perhaps how I would go about this? If you have had a similar (and successful!) experience with this then any letters you have used would be great if you do not mind sharing! Thank you in advance. Naith

Some time ago the DWP were moving single mums who were sick onto incapacity benefit.The forms were sent and returned and I got a reply I had filled in the wrong form.Apparently they had changed the form due to new rules. Anyway whilst about to do this the advisor told me to hold on as the new change for my circumstances was that I would be classed as on incapacity but as a 'clerical case' I phone a few times over issues and there were problems re where my case was being handled but each time was confirmed technically on incapacity but income support would pay the money and dont worry,eventually would be moved to ESA claim and would receive pack. Nothing happened and my claim stayed income support and although dreading,expected to be told had moved to ESA when catchment area covered me. I am ot of the ESA catchment areas at the mo for the new further changes to universal credit, which is what I was told would be the change to expect. Today received letter informing me that my daughter is 16 in december and as such not entitled to income support on basis of single parent and I am confused. I was supposed to be clerical incapacity case and it seems rather than transfer me as expected they are dumping me off benefits for me altogether and telling me to apply ESA or Job Seekers. Sorry if niave but had expected due to out of catchment area for universal credit for the transfer from supposed incapacity to such to be at least a little while longer, rather than find they dont class me as incapacity at all, when I had applied for it shortly prior to its discontinuation and therefore classed as incapacity benefit. I will be honest I dont know if I will stand the stress of ATOS as often suicidal due to clinical major depression and also neurological disorder along with mental helath problems. Just very stressful and all I can do is cry, due to what they told me I was status wise seems up in the air. Does anyonw know what they should be doing with clerical incapacity cases paid by income support, or is it litteraly make a claim for ESA from now. I know many are going through this and if its ESA so be it, but I will be honest I know what ATOS are doing, but I can hardly leave house due to agraphobia on top of illnesses and just dont know if can cope. I feel my suicidal thoughts will eventually make me one of the number adding up of disabled deaths as holding off ending it is a battle as it is. Any advice appreciated as you see I have two arms and two legs but my brain does not allow me to use them very often and ATOS unless drop in front of them will I am sure see I have four limbs Thanks, even talking on here is an outlet I may need desperately later!

Thanks for reading! Briefly: - I developed serious chronic incurable illness over last few years and got deep into unsecured debt on various cards - Barclaycard debt nearly into five figures - haven't used the card for years - got to stage where couldn't make payments - card originally taken out in year 2000 - MKDP taken over from Barclaycard - CCA request sent on 22/05/13 - MKDP reply 4/6/13 saying unable to comply but will be liaising with original creditor to request documentation - the claimed amount does appear on my credit file Questions: 1. Will Barclayscard have documents going back to year 2000? 2. Is there any point in sending a SAR to either Barclaycard or MKDP? 3. Would it be best to let sleeping dogs lie re charges etc whilst they can't enforce? Many thanks in advance.