A Morbid Tale of Debt

[pt2537]

Hi Fairbank,

just to add to the great advice youve already been given,

 

try to avoid sending a cheque for CCA Requests, if you can send postal orders with each CCA request as cheques contain your signature if they are from your account. the last thing you want to do is give them your signature as it has been alleged that some DCAs have scanned signatures off documents sent onto credit agreements. if you dont give them your signature they cant do that

 

 

regards

paul

[fairbank]

Right. I have now completed the ccas and complaint to Allied. Thanks Lula just the push I needed. Will send them off tomorrow.

 

Just to make my day the only piece of work that I had left, the company have just decided to pull out.

 

No work whatsoever in the pipeline now! Not a great feeling at all

[Lula]

Ahh its Wednesday the post offices close early today.

 

I am so sorry to hear of the work situation, have you tried Agency work at all? just a thought, although i dont know what it is you do lol

 

Well ok, tomorrow is another day, get the stuff all sent and then you can get on with what you need to do, we are all behind you fairbank!!

[fairbank]

Not much work out there at the moment for Research I'm afraid but agency work is worth a try. Thanks for that.

 

My problem is that my cv, and it is difficult to change shows very senior management posts in the past 15 years and the comment is always why would I want to do that piece of work!

[robcag]

Ahh its Wednesday the post offices close early today.

 

I am so sorry to hear of the work situation, have you tried Agency work at all? just a thought, although i dont know what it is you do lol

 

Well ok, tomorrow is another day, get the stuff all sent and then you can get on with what you need to do, we are all behind you fairbank!!

Don't try and delay things after we've all tried so hard to give fairbank the (friendly) kick up the backside that he needed!

 

Surely only sub-post offices will be closed early not main post offices?

 

Rob

[robcag]

Not much work out there at the moment for Research I'm afraid but agency work is worth a try. Thanks for that.

I think someone already mentioned in this thread that you might be entitled to claim some sort of benefits. Mortgage Interest and Council Tax Benefits spring to mind, apart from actual Income benefits such as Job Seekers Allowance or similar. I'm no expert, but it would be worth enquiring about your entitlements IMHO. You wouldn't necessarily have to ask the Benefits Agency/DWP, you could enquire somewhere like CAB for example.

 

Rob

[fairbank]

Only one post office where I lived and it is closed

 

I will send them in the morning. Believe me this is not easy for me at the moment, and I am trying hard to do what I can. My head is screwed up and I am trying to remain focussed but it is hard.

 

Benefits etc on Friday, I have to take a very ill person to a hospital appointment on Thursday

 

I value the advice given, honestly I do.

[Hopeful1]

DCAs will make lots of threats, but few have the law behind them to action any of them.

 

When i joined this site, the stress was really getting to me. I couldn't sleep and felt so ill and down all the time. I was intimidated by the endless letters threatening court and so forth.

 

The first thing i did was to send out CCA letters (several of them!). What i found with this was that it gave me breathing space. I then focused on just 1 or 2 at a time. I set up new payments with those that provided the correct credit agreement (only one) and started reclaiming charges from bank acc., credit cards and catalogues. All the money i have recouped so far has been used to reduced balances and pay off mortgage arrears (just in time to prevent court action :o ).

 

If you send out CCA requests and they don't comply within the 12+2 days, you can lawfully withhold payment until / if they provide it. This in itself gives you time to sort yourself out and deal with the more pressing issues.

 

The letter writing can be time consuming, but really is worth it. After the initial flurry it does start to settle.

 

Keep going, we're all here to help.

 

Best wishes

[fairbank]

ccas all sent.

 

Good news from the hospital. Parent going to be okay!

 

Now looking for work but slim cahnce before christmas time. It's going to a very long five weeks I think but trying to stay positive at the moment but the worry won't go away. Virtually no cash at all with secured payments coming up at the end of the month and not sure what to but have to keep battling on

[Slartibartfast]

Good news indeed.

 

I ran out of cash and resources in about June - July, don't know how I've lasted but I have. The challenge is not to survive but to keep the spirits up. I've certainly failed to do this some of the time but if you're strong enough to face the onset of temporary hardship then you've already conquored it in my book.

[fairbank]

Update:

 

Monday morning and the roller coaster continues. On Friday, I felt a glimmer of hope having got a DCA payment reduced from £127 per month to £4 per month! Black Horse called and were very polite and understanding about my situation. I speak to them again this week.

 

Also on Friday I applied for two temporary jobs at £6 per hour but at least it will keep some money coming in for a few weeks.The jobs are way underneath me and just hope that somebody can see through my cv and know what they are getting for not a lot.

 

So my spirits were up a little until saturday when Allied have threatened me with a home visit. How dare they threaten me in such a way. I had offered to pay them $30 per month ages ago but they would not listen, now they are unlikely to get anything and most certainly nothing for a couple of months.

 

A very sad and tearful saturday night when I broke down in front of my wife telling her about the horrible thoughts that I have been having. She was shocked and in no uncertain manner told me a thing or two. Relationship is strained but we are starting to work through it together.

 

My on/off piece of consultancy is now definitely OFF this morning. NOthing happening until January. So as I write with £25 in my wallet there is nothing else unless I can get a weekly paid job tomorrow. I hope atht I will get a decent tax rebate as well if I get a job.

 

How do I feel at the moment? Mixed really. I know that if I can get one DCA down the others will likely follow. I have a big PPI claim in against paragon and if I win it will give me some extra money but more importantly the monthly payments will reduce by 30% or so. So I can see a way out of this without BR now but it all hinges on employment at the moment. I am not a patient person and having so much time on my hands all I can do is worry.

 

Final question can Paragon force a default on me if i am disputing the account with a missold PPI claim?

[ODC]

Keep your chin up. One DCA has been sensible and realised that they cannot get what you havent got to give. Get the CCA letters off to the rest of them ASAP. Never Speak to them on the phone as they will torment you with their demands.

[fairbank]

Thanks ODC. I got a recorded message from AIC this morning asking me to contact a person (different name this time). Think that will be ignored.

 

To anybody out there reading this thread. I was offered some good advice yesterdat in that dealing with things properly does give you time. Hard to believe it at the moment but true I suppose

[Slartibartfast]

I would not have believed in summer of this year that I would have reached December ( well, almost ) without paying a single penny to anyone. No income therefore no outgoings. I went from a hair tearing gut wrenching manic panic depression to an almost human condition with an optimism I had not imagined possible in the dark hours. Like so many in similar or worse situations I have a long way to go but definitely on the way!

 

Good to see you have positive too fairbank!

[fairbank]

Slartibartfast (!), you must obviously have no mortgage to worry about then!

 

I am not unduly worried about my unsecured debts because they can be dealt with at the right time, in a fair and sensible manner with my creditors. Sure there will be some kicking and screaming and not accepting any offers that I make but they cannot take my home from me. I can also buy time with them as well..........

 

My most immediate concern is to pay the mortgage in any way that i can so that each month I breathe a little easier for a while, but must also feed the kids and keep on top of the utilities. Something which is very difficult to do. Next payments due in 3 days and no money in the bank

 

When I first came on the site I was not able to prioritise my situation, now, with time I can. The worry is always there but it has to be dealt with, however it can be done.

[Slartibartfast]

Yes, no mortgage but I still have to pay rent. Benefits were a road I refused to travel at this juncture so its still hard scaping by hook or by crook every month, admmitedly rent being a whole lot less than a mortgage might be.

You are right about time providing space to prioritise. My first clash with those whose aim was to extract money was harrowing but I soon picked up enough to keep them at arms length and deal with them more on my own terms. I'm looking forward to being back in full time work now which seemed a long long way off a few weeks ago.

[jansus]

Have you actually contacted the BS to explain your situation?

 

They are supposed to offer you assistance.

 

One thing I would advise is if you have some income try not to miss whole payments in the future- there will always be more sympathy for someone who attempts to pay something however small.

 

They also will not be so anxious to take serious action if you have a fair amount of equity in the property.

 

Jan

[fairbank]

Good news today on the benefits front

 

Am entitled to income based Jobseekers which means major reduction in council tax (sod off bailiffs)

 

Also appears that we are entitled to £95 per week tax credits which could be backdated to 1st September 07

 

Great advice from CAG once again. Thanks folks

[Lula]

that is great news fairbank, it isnt much but the backdating of tax credits will see you nicely through christmas and it is a welcome break. Good for you

[fairbank]

Weekly update.

 

My wife was paid on Friday so some light relief for the next few days but it will disappear soon.

 

AIC trying to contact me all weekend and duly ignored.

 

NOw waiting for loads of forms to come in for Council Tax and Tax Credits. Should be about this time next week when I hear about Job Seekers allowance, so may have some money in a couple of weeks time.

 

Christmas is only three weeks away, and despite all the words of encouragement I do feel that I am shortchanging the kids and my wife at the moment, still I do have a first part job interview tomorrow afternoon and hopefully one or two more this month, but they will all be January starts no doubt.

 

Now need to find £300 to pay gas/electricity or else they will be cutting me off.

 

So a bit of a low this monday, but hope things will pick up during the week

[Lula]

Fairbank, it is all getting better isnt it, speak to the utilities companies and tell them what is happening, you can pay them something in a few weeks and they should be happy with that, you have at least one child dont you, so they wont cut you off.

[fairbank]

child is 17 (?) and they have sent the letter saying that they are sending somebody around.

 

Am sure they will carry on their actions

[Hopeful1]

With my last electric bill i had to pay half and then they set up a monthly budget plan for me. It's always worth ringing them to ask...sometimes more than once!!

[fairbank]

On a very low ebb today.

 

Found out the bank has processed a payment on my old debit card which they can't stop, so thats £100 down the swanny.

 

Just got my council tax claim form - gosh they want my life story

 

I really feel like its all now gong really wrong despite my best efforts of the last few weeks

 

Sigh............not sure what to do next. No benefits (assuming that I get them) for at least two or three weeks. So no money now at all

 

It's a dreadful situation at the moment, no its dire

[fairbank]

.........oh and I have a first stage interview at three this afternoon and to be honest in my current state of mind, I can't see myself doing very well at the moment..........but I have to go!