First step Finance - **BANNED DIRECTORS STOLE +£6M**

[lord_tiger_putin]

Quick bump, I'm keen to hear about any dealings with this firm. Feel free to drop me a line!

 

Seq.

 

sequenci,

 

Thanks for keeping this thread alive, it is of the utmost importance that people are informed about this “company”!!!

 

I have realised that the best way, by far, to deal with these clowns is legal action! The courts, however, do expect that you explore all other options before reverting to legal action. This fact, combined with the sheer time and effort necessary to clean up the mess this “company” has created, let me decided to first refer them to the FOS. I also made a complaint to the ICO, for all their Data Protection breaches. After these 2 organisations have completed their investigations I will decide on which range of legal actions to take.

 

After sending all my information to the FOS I received a range of strange “documents” from these clowns containing veiled threats and some fabricated “letters” amongst it, which they have apparently have send to the FOS as well.

 

When I originally cancelled my agreement with them they tried their utmost best to treat it as a complaint while it was extremely clear that it was a cancellation! They are still trying to portray it as such! Now they say I have made “another complaint” to them and the incomprehensible letter states that they have concluded their investigation, that I cancelled the complaint, what they would have done to investigate the “complaint”, what they going to do to investigate this “complaint” and if I am unhappy with their response, then I can refer it to the FOS. Really a lot of nonsense that is very hard to decipher but the matter of the fact is that I complaint to the FOS and haven’t send this circus outfit any documentation for a significant period of time (and I didn’t intended to!).

 

To sum up: I send my complaint to the FOS (nothing to them!) and they send me a letter as response with veiled threats and statements that I have made a new complaint to them and they also included fabricated letters that they have allegedly send months ago! Very disturbing and something that I am going to report to the FOS as well.

 

They will probable argue that they did send these fabricated “letters” back then as portrayed by the “dates” on them but there are enough discrepancies and irregularities to prove that they didn’t send it back then. Furthermore, in their response to my Data Subject Access request they failed to include them (because they didn’t exist back then!).

 

They also came up with a “Summary of Events”. Something they failed to include in the DSAR response, another Data Protection failure. This shows how incompetent and ridiculous they are!! It is riddled with inaccuracies, nonsense and plain rubbish (adding to their encyclopaedia of inaccuracies and irregularities and utter nonsense in their correspondence)! It is also very revealing. Stating that my verbal complaint about their service is crap!! Also that I received weird advice from CAG – I informed them that I believe one should deal with invalid Default Notices, that it constitutes unlawful rescission if a creditor terminates an agreement on the back of an invalid DN and that they are then only entitled to collect the arrears. What they put down is on this “Summary of Events” is such rubbish, I can only assume that they could not comprehend what I have said and just put down any nonsense!!

 

The bottom line is that it is sending shivers down my spine to think that I entrusted these people with my finances!!! Luckily I put a halt to it!!!

[bobqq]

sequenci,

 

Thanks for keeping this thread alive, it is of the utmost importance that people are informed about this “company”!!!

 

I have realised that the best way, by far, to deal with these clowns is legal action! The courts, however, do expect that you explore all other options before reverting to legal action. This fact, combined with the sheer time and effort necessary to clean up the mess this “company” has created, let me decided to first refer them to the FOS. I also made a complaint to the ICO, for all their Data Protection breaches. After these 2 organisations have completed their investigations I will decide on which range of legal actions to take.

 

After sending all my information to the FOS I received a range of strange “documents” from these clowns containing veiled threats and some fabricated “letters” amongst it, which they have apparently have send to the FOS as well.

 

When I originally cancelled my agreement with them they tried their utmost best to treat it as a complaint while it was extremely clear that it was a cancellation! They are still trying to portray it as such! Now they say I have made “another complaint” to them and the incomprehensible letter states that they have concluded their investigation, that I cancelled the complaint, what they would have done to investigate the “complaint”, what they going to do to investigate this “complaint” and if I am unhappy with their response, then I can refer it to the FOS. Really a lot of nonsense that is very hard to decipher but the matter of the fact is that I complaint to the FOS and haven’t send this circus outfit any documentation for a significant period of time (and I didn’t intended to!).

 

To sum up: I send my complaint to the FOS (nothing to them!) and they send me a letter as response with veiled threats and statements that I have made a new complaint to them and they also included fabricated letters that they have allegedly send months ago! Very disturbing and something that I am going to report to the FOS as well.

 

They will probable argue that they did send these fabricated “letters” back then as portrayed by the “dates” on them but there are enough discrepancies and irregularities to prove that they didn’t send it back then. Furthermore, in their response to my Data Subject Access request they failed to include them (because they didn’t exist back then!).

 

They also came up with a “Summary of Events”. Something they failed to include in the DSAR response, another Data Protection failure. This shows how incompetent and ridiculous they are!! It is riddled with inaccuracies, nonsense and plain rubbish (adding to their encyclopaedia of inaccuracies and irregularities and utter nonsense in their correspondence)! It is also very revealing. Stating that my verbal complaint about their service is crap!! Also that I received weird advice from CAG – I informed them that I believe one should deal with invalid Default Notices, that it constitutes unlawful rescission if a creditor terminates an agreement on the back of an invalid DN and that they are then only entitled to collect the arrears. What they put down is on this “Summary of Events” is such rubbish, I can only assume that they could not comprehend what I have said and just put down any nonsense!!

 

The bottom line is that it is sending shivers down my spine to think that I entrusted these people with my finances!!! Luckily I put a halt to it!!!

 

Hello,

 

We have just signed up with first step and are concerned a little by this statement!before signing up we actually spoke with 2 clients who live local to us and have been with them for some time, both have had some joy with write offs and couldn't speak highly enough of first step, so we are on board, lord putin having read your previous posts they are a lttle confusing, you have stated the contract is rubbish in your opinion yet your solicitor said it was fine! Why did you sign it? You mention adding debts on then complain you were charged did you expect it to be foc? If your agreement said 500 pounds why did you pay more? These comments really freaked us but having spoken with the company today about these quotes and the fees our mind was put at rest the fees are as they said and as on the agreement.

 

They did advise that if anybody has a problem to call them.

 

Sorry that your siyuation is ongoing, dosent make sense it has dragged on since july!!

 

Bob

[lord_tiger_putin]

Hello,

 

before signing up we actually spoke with 2 clients who live local to us and have been with them for some time, both have had some joy with write offs and couldn't speak highly enough of first step, so we are on board,

Sorry to be a bit sceptical, but FSF are known for pretending to be consumers and posting on here praising "themselves", aka Prima, Prima1, craft-y-nan and therefore a first post could be in doubt but I believe you are who you say are.

 

lord putin having read your previous posts they are a lttle confusing, you have stated the contract is rubbish in your opinion yet your solicitor said it was fine! Why did you sign it?

I signed the contract in good faith like anyone at that stage but when I looked at it recently I realised that they did not counter sign it and it looked a bit strange, therefore I asked a solicitor too clarify this for me who said that it is not too serious and they didn't do it.

 

You mention adding debts on then complain you were charged did you expect it to be foc?

I did not complain about the charge, I complain because it took them 6 weeks after making the payment to get it added!! I had to make numerous phone calls, send a number of faxes and had to mail the details a couple of times before it was added, this is something that is completely unacceptable to me!

 

If your agreement said 500 pounds why did you pay more?

They made another charge for the second set of debts, they do have a statement on the agreement that it will add the same fee when you add additional debts and the only way to interpreted it so that it make makes sense is to intrepeted it as the same percentage, an umbigious statement but the agreement states that it is for the duration of the agreement, therefore on early termination they should take only a pro rata amount.

These comments really freaked us but having spoken with the company today about these quotes and the fees our mind was put at rest the fees are as they said and as on the agreement.

The problem comes in on early termination, should you decide you had enough and want to cancel, they say they will send an itemised statement, charged for their "work" done so far, this was their own words to me and it seems to be the experience of other posters here but they did not try it when I cancelled. If you run the agreement the whole 5 years or more years then they will not be able to take any more fees. Off course, given they calculate it correctly, in my case they took about 57% instead of the 15% on the contract for pro rata/token payments, they refused to refund the remainder or to explain why they took that much! One of the reasons why I referred them to the FOS.

They did advise that if anybody has a problem to call them.

I can only suggest that you do that as regular and as often as what you deem necessary and to ensure you do get a proper action and result when calling them in any situation that you think is necessay.

 

Sorry that your siyuation is ongoing, dosent make sense it has dragged on since july!!

 

Bob

The cancellation was "completed" a while ago but with the many inaccuracies and things that were not right and their refusal to either put it right or to proper explain that I decided to referred them to both the FOS and the ICO for investigation. The FOS would have contact them and it seems that after they received that contact they send me the junk and try to threaten me and send copies of the "documents" they have send to the FOS that includes two fabricated "letters" sandwhiched between the real letters they have send to me. It seems to be an act of desperation and the easiest for them would simply have been to at least try to do the right thing.

 

 

One thing is confusing me though, you say you just signed up and that you spoke to other people who are involved with them, how is it that you end up on this forum?

[bobqq]

Sorry to be a bit sceptical, but FSF are known for pretending to be consumers and posting on here praising "themselves", aka Prima, Prima1, craft-y-nan and therefore a first post could be in doubt but I believe you are who you say are.

 

I signed the contract in good faith like anyone at that stage but when I looked at it recently I realised that they did not counter sign it and it looked a bit strange, therefore I asked a solicitor too clarify this for me who said that it is not too serious and they didn't do it.

 

I did not complain about the charge, I complain because it took them 6 weeks after making the payment to get it added!! I had to make numerous phone calls, send a number of faxes and had to mail the details a couple of times before it was added, this is something that is completely unacceptable to me!

They made another charge for the second set of debts, they do have a statement on the agreement that it will add the same fee when you add additional debts and the only way to interpreted it so that it make makes sense is to intrepeted it as the same percentage, an umbigious statement but the agreement states that it is for the duration of the agreement, therefore on early termination they should take only a pro rata amount.

The problem comes in on early termination, should you decide you had enough and want to cancel, they say they will send an itemised statement, charged for their "work" done so far, this was their own words to me and it seems to be the experience of other posters here but they did not try it when I cancelled. If you run the agreement the whole 5 years or more years then they will not be able to take any more fees. Off course, given they calculate it correctly, in my case they took about 57% instead of the 15% on the contract for pro rata/token payments, they refused to refund the remainder or to explain why they took that much! One of the reasons why I referred them to the FOS.

I can only suggest that you do that as regular and as often as what you deem necessary and to ensure you do get a proper action and result when calling them in any situation that you think is necessay.

 

The cancellation was "completed" a while ago but with the many inaccuracies and things that were not right and their refusal to either put it right or to proper explain that I decided to referred them to both the FOS and the ICO for investigation. The FOS would have contact them and it seems that after they received that contact they send me the junk and try to threaten me and send copies of the "documents" they have send to the FOS that includes two fabricated "letters" sandwhiched between the real letters they have send to me. It seems to be an act of desperation and the easiest for them would simply have been to at least try to do the right thing.

 

 

One thing is confusing me though, you say you just signed up and that you spoke to other people who are involved with them, how is it that you end up on this forum?

 

Hello,

 

To answer your question, a collector advised us of this forum, said a lot of people unhappy with first step

, after reading many of the quotes my opinion is either they have not communicated efficiently or people have not listend, some state the reason they are unhappy is no payments to creitors, some state we are not debt free after 9 months or so,we understand no one will get anything until the debt is proved by the creditor, we also have a best and worst case estimate on the time it could take to get us debt free. We hopefully won't have any problems with first step, our debt is not massive and after 15 months or so with one of the large debt management companys our debt had not reduced at all.

 

We have not made a payment yet and plan to speak with them on wednesday to ask a couple of questions others have asked on this forum, once I have them I will post again, although not my strong point typing.

 

We hope to stay with first step just need to know the answers to these questions.

 

Bob

[lord_tiger_putin]

Hello,

 

To answer your question, a collector advised us of this forum, said a lot of people unhappy with first step

, after reading many of the quotes my opinion is either they have not communicated efficiently or people have not listend, some state the reason they are unhappy is no payments to creitors, some state we are not debt free after 9 months or so,we understand no one will get anything until the debt is proved by the creditor, we also have a best and worst case estimate on the time it could take to get us debt free. We hopefully won't have any problems with first step, our debt is not massive and after 15 months or so with one of the large debt management companys our debt had not reduced at all.

 

We have not made a payment yet and plan to speak with them on wednesday to ask a couple of questions others have asked on this forum, once I have them I will post again, although not my strong point typing.

 

We hope to stay with first step just need to know the answers to these questions.

 

Bob

 

 

My honest opinion is that if you have a small amount of debt ( or only a few debts), then it can work out with them. One of the biggest things (to me anyway) is that they are not open and honest beforehand what is going to happen over time with your situation. Each and every debt will end up as Defaulted and you will get harrassed by Debt Collectors for all of them and a few can even go to court (or close to it by them suddenly setting up an arrangement). As you mentioned a debt collector earlier, maybe you already advanced in that direction but you have to realised you are going to have a Credit File full of Defaults for 6 years (or you will have to struggle to get rid of them).

 

As long as you know these things beforehand and accept them, then it will be helpful but they do not tell you that.

 

Another thing which you will have to get them to answer is the fact of "debts been written off", to me it is a myth because an Uneforceable Credit Agreement IS NOT EQUAL TO a debt been written off, if you are intereted have a look at this thread:

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?269650-The-myth-that-debts-can-be-written-off

 

Let them explain what they consider under "a debt been written off", you need to know that beforehand.

 

Everything they do you can do better yourself with the advice on this forum, it will be much faster and YOU are in control. You will also get more money back, as well as the fact that if you add all their fees up, then you will realise that you do get back much less than what you would think. Doing it yourself may sound daunting but it actually isn't but I do accept the fact that not everyone is up for it or want to do it themselves.

 

To highlight a bit more about my statement that you will get more money back from Creditors than what they do (they didn't ask for interest on charges for example and certainly not the proper redress after PPI), you can have a look at this thread:

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?283603-Ensure-you-get-a-proper-account-redress-after-a-PPI-refund-including-over-limit-charges

 

Also, ask them what will happen if a creditor refused to refund the PPI and /or the charges. Creditors do refuse it!! and they do not have a magic wand to get them to do it. PPI you can refer to the FOS, what will they do? and they also have a generic claim for PPI, something that is far less effective than you yourself doing a detailed claim based what actually happened when you took out the PPI.

 

I just want to state the following, with the help here you CAN do the following yourself:

 

1. Determine whether a credit agreement is enforceable
   
2. Claim back charges
   
3. Claim back PPI
   
4. Set up a regular payment schedule which you can afford
   
5. Make full and final settlement offers to Creditors
   

They do no more!

 

As I said, not everyone wants to do that themselves but hopefully I could assist you somehow to give you some pointers to clarify with them before you sign up so that you are far better informed before you get involved.

[Poor-Credit Borrower]

My honest opinion is that if you have a small amount of debt ( or only a few debts), then it can work out with them. One of the biggest things (to me anyway) is that they are not open and honest beforehand what is going to happen over time with your situation. Each and every debt will end up as Defaulted and you will get harrassed by Debt Collectors for all of them and a few can even go to court (or close to it by them suddenly setting up an arrangement). As you mentioned a debt collector earlier, maybe you already advanced in that direction but you have to realised you are going to have a Credit File full of Defaults for 6 years (or you will have to struggle to get rid of them).

 

As long as you know these things beforehand and accept them, then it will be helpful but they do not tell you that.

 

Another thing which you will have to get them to answer is the fact of "debts been written off", to me it is a myth because an Uneforceable Credit Agreement IS NOT EQUAL TO a debt been written off, if you are intereted have a look at this thread:

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?269650-The-myth-that-debts-can-be-written-off

 

Let them explain what they consider under "a debt been written off", you need to know that beforehand.

 

Everything they do you can do better yourself with the advice on this forum, it will be much faster and YOU are in control. You will also get more money back, as well as the fact that if you add all their fees up, then you will realise that you do get back much less than what you would think. Doing it yourself may sound daunting but it actually isn't but I do accept the fact that not everyone is up for it or want to do it themselves.

 

To highlight a bit more about my statement that you will get more money back from Creditors than what they do (they didn't ask for interest on charges for example and certainly not the proper redress after PPI), you can have a look at this thread:

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?283603-Ensure-you-get-a-proper-account-redress-after-a-PPI-refund-including-over-limit-charges

 

Also, ask them what will happen if a creditor refused to refund the PPI and /or the charges. Creditors do refuse it!! and they do not have a magic wand to get them to do it. PPI you can refer to the FOS, what will they do? and they also have a generic claim for PPI, something that is far less effective than you yourself doing a detailed claim based what actually happened when you took out the PPI.

 

I just want to state the following, with the help here you CAN do the following yourself:

 

1. Determine whether a credit agreement is enforceable
   
2. Claim back charges
   
3. Claim back PPI
   
4. Set up a regular payment schedule which you can afford
   
5. Make full and final settlement offers to Creditors
   

They do no more!

 

As I said, not everyone wants to do that themselves but hopefully I could assist you somehow to give you some pointers to clarify with them before you sign up so that you are far better informed before you get involved.

 

Some of what lord toger putin makes sense and especially about the debt being unenforceable not being the same as the alleged debt being written off. For the latter you need to get a letter in writing from the creditor. The charges from first step are invoked more if one has been with them for less than about 2 years. It is early cancellations that they don't like.

 

As you have said not everyone wants to do the correspondence with creditors and as I have quite a lot I thought I'd go to this company. But if one does take the trouble to look at other posts and really knows what one is doing then I suppose you can do all the 5 things you have mentioned by yourself.

 

I don't know what would be best for bobqq he just needs to weigh up the pros and cons. As I have said there is a very helpful Client Support Group at FSF, as back up. I don't think FSF or any similar company can predict what is going to happen over time as there are many variables and it depends to what extent each of the creditors plays ball. They send out a best and worst case scenario, on request, and also give monthly progress calls to clients (although there was a gap about a year ago when I didn't get any).

 

PCB

[igglepiglet]

@lord_tiger_putin I've tried to send you a message but your inbox is full

[Poor-Credit Borrower]

igglepiglet, is any of the message of relevance to other CAG users?

[bobqq]

Hello,

 

Thankyou pcb for your comments and lord putin.

We have spoken with first step at length again and asked the questions about writing off debts, to be fair that was the term used by the people we spoke to as the term used by first step is proven unenforceable.

They did advise re the potential of defaults.we have decide to proceed with our plan we will keep an eye on this forum and update as we proceed,

 

Thank you

 

Bob

[EMMA B9972]

Just had an unsolicited phone call from this company promising me to reduce my debt by half, they are not a debt management company but a debt reduction company.

They have 6 steps to reduce this including checking if the debtor has a copy of the signed credit agreement, getting late fees/interest charges refunded, getting PPi payments back and checking breach of contract as per the consumer credit act 1974. I asked Dan straight out, who pays for their fees - he couldn't give me a straight answer. I asked him if I give FSF £200.00 per month does it all go straight to the debtors - yes every penny he said.

I've dealt with a few of these companies and they all charge a fee, and make promises which I don't believe. I'm currently paying off £45k of debt, Natwest got a charging order on my house and I'm paying them £30 a month for next 35 years! but i'd rather do that and pay the money I admit I owe then pay one of these [causing problems] companies!!

if you're with FSF - good luck

[Poor-Credit Borrower]

Hello Emma, thanks for your recent post. It appears to be your first post on this forum, so welcome!

 

Sorry to hear you're in substantial debt (like many of us!) First of all, I don't think First Step are a "[causing problems]" company. It is correct that they are not a debt management but a debt reduction company. I don't know why Dan told you that every penny you'd pay goes to the creditors, as there *are* admin fees of 15% you pay for each company you owe money too and an 8% fee upfront (within the limit of what you can afford). If a debt is 'written off' completely, by proving that it is unenforceable, then they get 25%. I think if they can reduce your total debt by more than half, then it will cost you less than paying all of the debts yourself. But you'll have to think yourself whether it is worth it.

 

Can they touch a company that already has a charging order on your house? Perhaps that is something you should ask them. On the plus side, FSF did tell me that a client of theirs owed NatWest £33,000, but they in the end accepted about £3000 as Full and Final Settlement. I don't know how long the client had been with them. I have been with them nearly 22 months now, and whilst still having a bit of apprehension feel I'm in good hands at the moment...

 

It has to be what feels right for you. Anyway, good luck.

[EMMA B9972]

I asked him specifically about the full amount I pay them going to the creditors as having dealt with similar companies I know they charge admin fees etc. He clearly stated every penny I paid went to the creditors. He did not at this opportunity tell me about any fees they may charge.

Unless my creditors are very stupid, they will have copies of the agreements I signed. I haven't taken any PPI out. Never incurred late fees as we made arrangements before that happened. I have no idea how the breach of contract works - I broke the contract not them!

I don't see how he can guarantee to cut my debt by 50% without checking all this stuff out first.

In 2 years, with national debtline's help, I have cleared 2 debts - interest frozen, no fees charged - I have another one ending in 6 months and then I have 3 big ones to rearrange payments with which will be cleared within 4 years. NatWest will have to wait for theirs.

 

does FSF give you a monthly/yearly report on how much debt you've cleared?

 

I keep in touch with my creditors and know to the month when its all gonna end!!

[sequenci]

I don't see how he can guarantee to cut my debt by 50% without checking all this stuff out first.

 

He simply cannot. It's impossible. I bet they wouldn't put that in writing.

[victoria_siempre]

Hi guys

 

Seq's comment is spot on. Why pay somebody for promises?

 

Emma's comments are good; National Debtline provide sound advice.

 

Then come back to CAG and DIY.

 

love

 

vic

[beeper5]

!!STEER CLEAR OF THIS FIRM!! Please don't believe a word they say.

[Poor-Credit Borrower]

Emma,

 

does FSF give you a monthly/yearly report on how much debt you've cleared? [unquote]

 

They gave me a yearly report on how much debt I had cleared, but that might have been because I initially informed them of my intention to cancel the arrangement with FSF. I'm back with them and, in the last eight months, they have given me a monthly 'update' on my finances and have been reliable about calling me, and will answer any queries I have. They basically go through each debt that they have deemed enforceable and is 'set up to pay' (a nominal amount of £1 a month in most cases) and each debt they have deemed as unenforecable. I agree with sequenci that they can't possibly guarantee the client/debtor only paying 50% of their debts.

As Victoria has implied, if you have been with National Debtline it is best to stick with them...

 

PCB

[Poor-Credit Borrower]

PS - the yearly report was in writing and the monthly update is by telephone.

[lord_tiger_putin]

They are IGNORANT and ARROGANT, an explosive combination!!

[In too DEEP]

Hi All,

 

I am new to this site, so please forgive me for all the questions I am about to ask. I have been with CCCS for a number of months and although I find them very helpful most of my creditors are still charging interest. How can I get them to stop the interest, secondly I have been called by FSF who said I could pay my debts of in half the time, but from what I have been reading it's not such a good idea. Should I try and challange the debts myself or should I stick with CCCS, I am willing to pay my debts but from what FST have said it could take me years with CCCS and I don't feel I should be paying all the intrest fees. Any help would be greatly received.

[sequenci]

Hi there.

 

a) you need to get on to CCCS to continue putting pressure on your creditors to freeze the interest and charges

 

b) First Step cannot promise to do anything of the sort, I bet you couldn't get them to confirm that in writing.

[Desperate Daniella]

Hi In too DEEP, and welcome to CAG.

 

CCCS are very good at agreeing repayment plans with creditors which usually gets rid of all the nasty stuff - letters and calls from DCAs. However, they are financed by the various card companies and banks and will want you to continue to make repayments, usually to pay off all the debts and sometimes continuing interest. You can always ask the companies to stop charging interest - some will agree but others won't. CCCS should actually have asked them to do this, but some people who work there are obviously better than others. You could ask them to do this for you.

 

Now you have joined CAG you don't need to join a debt management company, because if you persevere here you'll be able to do everything for yourself and it won't cost you a penny. To start with it's all going to be very, very confusing, but if you join threads relating to your creditors you'll see how other members are coping with them, and the debt collection agencies they employ, and how to deal with them. You can do it.!!

 

FSF can't possibly say they can reduce your debts or by how much because they haven't seen your agreements!!!

 

You can challenge your agreements (if the companies actually have them). If they fail to provide the agreement then the account becomes 'in dispute' and they can no longer charge interest, although some companies will try it on.

 

Firstly, write to all the companies asking for a copy of your alleged agreement.

 

Then, as you get the replies, start a separate thread for each company, and make sure you put the name of the company in the title, as this will attract the attention of others dealing with the same company.

 

Some companies will have agreements which comply with the regulations of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. These are likely to be more recent agreements. Others will either not have an agreement, have one but not provide it because they know it is not CCA compliant, or provide one which is obviously not CCA compliant. On the basis of what they provide you can plan your next step. If they do not have an agreement or a non-compliant one you should be able to stop the interest, and maybe agree a reduced full and final figure.

 

If you do challenge them, they can set DCAs on you, but I think the members of CAG have seen of all of them between us!!

 

DD

[sequenci]

However, they are financed by the various card companies and banks and will want you to continue to make repayments, usually to pay off all the debts and sometimes continuing interest. You can always ask the companies to stop charging interest - some will agree but others won't. CCCS should actually have asked them to do this, but some people who work there are obviously better than others. You could ask them to do this for you.

 

Just to add, CCCS ARE a registered charity, and just becuase they are funded by the big lenders doesn't mean that they are there to work in favour of them.

 

Now you have joined CAG you don't need to join a debt management company, because if you persevere here you'll be able to do everything for yourself and it won't cost you a penny. To start with it's all going to be very, very confusing, but if you join threads relating to your creditors you'll see how other members are coping with them, and the debt collection agencies they employ, and how to deal with them. You can do it.!!

 

Absolutely!

FSF can't possibly say they can reduce your debts or by how much because they haven't seen your agreements!!!

100% agree with this too!

[Desperate Daniella]

Hi Sequenci,

 

They are of course a registered charity, and everyone I came across, albeit briefly because I found CAG , was incredibly nice and helpful. I called them on a day when I'd had my first, absolutely terrifying, call from AIC and was totally hysterical after listening to their threats, and they were just wonderful, and assured me that AIC were speaking utter rot. I don't think they work in favour of the card companies, but they didn't mention the possibility of asking for my agreements, and seeing if I could use this method of maybe getting a vastly reduced final settlement. That would have been very helpful.

 

DD x

[lord_tiger_putin]

Hi All,

 

I am new to this site, so please forgive me for all the questions I am about to ask. I have been with CCCS for a number of months and although I find them very helpful most of my creditors are still charging interest. How can I get them to stop the interest, secondly I have been called by FSF who said I could pay my debts of in half the time, but from what I have been reading it's not such a good idea. Should I try and challange the debts myself or should I stick with CCCS, I am willing to pay my debts but from what FST have said it could take me years with CCCS and I don't feel I should be paying all the intrest fees. Any help would be greatly received.

 

Since I got rid of the Stockport Circus my circumstances improved drastically and in a very short time. With what I have learned here and from the web in general I was able to challenge most of my debts as a result of the mis-sold PPI. Not everyone will benefit that much from PPI but it is by far the best to challenge your debtors yourself with the information you can gather from here and it is not that difficult, you will be surprised!

 

The Stockport Circus, aka First Crap Finance (FCF) has one AND ONLY one goal, to make money out of your situation! Should you benefit in the process (very doubtful!!), then good, if not, they could not care less!!

 

The advice in this thread is clear, stay clear form these clowns! I could not agree more!

[MK44]

Hello out there.

 

Has anyone used First step Finance ltd

 

I am looking at using them and would be gratful for any comments

 

Regards

 

Mike:-|

 

First Step Finance Ltd a Debt Resolution Forum member based in Stockport is under threat of losing their CCL registration as having been issued with a ‘Minded to Revoke’ statement by the OFT.