Ive made a stupid mistake

[annie4567]

Daniella, thanks for reply, no I didnt take out PPI.....I pay the minimum payment on them, which I know isnt ideal, if I do have any spare money, I try and pay a little extra off. One thing I do pay is a credit card that I got behind with, they in the end threatened me with nasty letters, and I had to do an expenditure form, and I ended up with about 170.00 deposible income, I didnt take everything into consideration like I probably should of done, repairs for car, kids trips at school etc,which was my silly error and they said out of the 170 i had spare they calculated that I had to pay 121 a month to them, till it is paid, when i rang them and I said what the hell am I meant to live on, they said well you did the form, and from your own calculations you can afford that amount, I have been paying that back for a year now, and still have a 1000 pound to pay...yes I have been an idiot in the past with credit cards etc, but at one point i was living off credit cards....now I dont have them as they took them off me cos I kept making late payments, so now I try my best to keep up with payments. my credit cards are with barclay, egg, and smile.

[annie4567]

On the plus side, I do have a loan finishing this year, again it was taken out in desperation, this will make me 72 a month better off, so at least that could be put towards the overpayment figure. I am sure I am not the only one in my situation and know there are people worse off the me, at least thats what I tell myself.....

[terriersaregreat]

it seems like you are starting to think now and getting results.

[Desperate Daniella]

I just shrieked so loudly when I read your post that my daughter (who should be asleep) heard me from upstairs and called down to see what was the matter.

 

There is NO WAY they can take 2/3 of your disposable income. B**tards. Mind you, before I found CAG I had someone from Mercers demanding I gave them £50 out of the £53 I had in my account or they said they would send someone round within the next two days. All lies.

 

I don't know too much about egg or smile, but I do know about barclaycard. Which one is demanding the £121 per month? If you go to CCCS or National Debtline they should be able to get them to freeze the interest at the very least. Or we may be able to tell you here how to deal with them.

[annie4567]

Well terrier....I think sometimes taking a step back and thinking can help. My thinking is, I paid my own rent for 10 month after my partner left, it was very hard, and I did have some help off my mum, in the end it did become too much and I claimed housing benefit.

To be honest and not being silly in my thinking, I would rather pay my own rent then have to deal with housing benefit....although at the moment all I can do is wait for the outcome, from what Erika said, it sounds like I will receive nothing anyway.

[annie4567]

I just shrieked so loudly when I read your post that my daughter (who should be asleep) heard me from upstairs and called down to see what was the matter.

 

There is NO WAY they can take 2/3 of your disposable income. B**tards. Mind you, before I found CAG I had someone from Mercers demanding I gave them £50 out of the £53 I had in my account or they said they would send someone round within the next two days. All lies.

 

I don't know too much about egg or smile, but I do know about barclaycard. Which one is demanding the £121 per month? If you go to CCCS or National Debtline they should be able to get them to freeze the interest at the very least. Or we may be able to tell you here how to deal with them.

 

It is smile who demanded I pay them 121....I tried to reason with them, and eventually got any interest frozen on the account...so at least no more interest occured. Aww Daniella sorry I made you screech....x

[terriersaregreat]

You obviously have had to deal with a lot of probs, poor you..... but you also seem to be very sensible and already thinking on your feet. Well done you!

 

DD offers some great help too and I think you will survive this 'cos you,re a fighter.

 

Can only read and offer support but hope that someone reading your posts helps.

[Desperate Daniella]

Okay, I don't know too much about smile but there will be others on the site who do know how to deal with them. Do a search and see how people are doing.

 

I think you should contact them immediately and say that you no longer have housing benefit, can't pay them £120 and can only afford £20. They'll yell and scream a bit but really they have no choice, and if you are not paying interest that won't make it worse for you.

 

You have already had nasty letters, and when you have been on CAG for a bit you'll realise that they make a lot of noise but don't do much. They almost certainly won't take you to Court for what is, to them, a very small amount of money.

[annie4567]

Thank you Terrier....I will keep this post updated on the outcome, as many I have read, never post the outcome, suppose as Martin said, people worry and stress so much they are glad when its all over, this is just starting for me, and I only hope that by me coming clean to the benefit people, it will help with my case.

[Desperate Daniella]

Thank you, tag.

 

I'm no expert, but I've been on CAG for two and a half years now and have enough letters from credit card companies to paper three bedrooms, but nothing has happened at all. It's not a good place to be, as Annie knows, but I'm sorting things out on my own terms, and not being bullied by all these dreadful companies.

 

Annie, good luck with the benefit people.

[annie4567]

Daniella I shall do that, when I know the full facts on the housing benefit problem. I really appreciate your help and advice.

 

I think I best get off my computer for now, been on this site all night....reading up on all sorts. I will keep my post updated...and as I replied to terrier, will post the outcome of everything as and when I know more.

 

Thanks again Daniella...what a lovely person you are! x

[Desperate Daniella]

And just remember, you are too!

[Desperate Daniella]

By the way, when I said "contact" them, I should have said that you must write to them. Don't speak to them on the phone any more. If they call you, just say that anything they want to say to you must be put in writing and hang up. If you speak to them they come up with all sorts of rubbish which is designed to intimidate you and make you pay more than you can afford.

[ErikaPNP]

Annie - you need to express all of this in your letter to housing benefit. In some cases, they can take these sort of things into consideration when deciding whether to take any action against you. They will look more sympathetically on a person who does it out of desperation rather than someone who does it to live lavishly. Not everyone who overclaims does it out of greed, but they won't know that you did this because you felt you had no other choice, unless you tell them. Difficult though it will be to tell of your personal issues, it may just be helpful to your case. It won't reduce the overpayment but it may prevent or reduce any additional action.

[Desperate Daniella]

Erika is absolutely right. You must tell them all the circumstances.

[annie4567]

Well I havent heard anything yet, I sent in all my daughters wage slips. But now I have thought of something else, I think I have overclaimed on my childcare, well I know I have, after sitting down and working out what I told housing benefit I pay for childcare, I now realise I have estimated the wrong amount and now assume they will look into everything in my claim, and if so, I am in deeper than I thought, its hard for me to calculate my child care and its not an excuse, wouldnt mind half the time I really cannot afford to put the children in childcare and struggle with getting time off work, my life is a total mess. My question is I gave a figure to them, which \i gave tax credits, so now think oh my god they will now inform tax credits if they do investigate all my claim, and realise the childcare figure is incorrect I am now stressing more than ever, am not sleeping right or eating right, just wish I had never had to get into the benefits system, I go to work and am finding it harder and harder to concentrate, I imagine a court case and all other nasty things like prison, what would happen to my kids, I worry about my job....I have got myself into a right mess, and yes because I was desperate. I know this is all my fault and know I should of estimated my childcare more throughly than I did, but I havent and on thinking about things this week, I realised that no way am I going to beable to manage financially in this house, its way too expensive for me to run, I barely manage now....I look at my kids and my son keeps asking if I am ok..putting on a brave face but its hard to keep myself together....my childcare is up and down, depending on whether my ex husband offers to help, which is hit and miss, gosh I really do not know what I am going to do.....the council dont want to rehouse me, housing associations have nothing for me, what the heck am I meant to do, I took this house on, with 2 wages coming in..its not feasible to live here on my wage plus the help i do get, which I am grateful for, but the rent is high, the bills are ridiculously high, plus with debts, I live hand to mouth all the time, robbing peter to pay paul, ..I cannot private rent as my credit record is shot, due to my ex partner, I even starting thinking stupid thoughts, like just running away, what a mad thought, where the heck would I even go? I have no-one to talk to about this, I fear being judged by people, none of this was done for any kind of greed, I had to survive somehow, and now I know the hole is getting deeper and I am just going to get swallowed up, and end up in even more debt....I am a mess today, this is all I can thinking about.

[terriersaregreat]

Please try not to panic. Could you explain what you have overclaimed for?

[Desperate Daniella]

Annie,

 

I really do understand how you are feeling right now, and so many of us on this forum will too.

 

Did you have any luck with telling the DCA you will only pay them £20 a month?

 

I'm sorry if you have already told us, but how many children do you have at home?

 

Do not worry about keeping up the minimum payments on any credit cards. The most important thing is to keep the roof over your head. We can help you to deal with the card companies.

 

And do let off steam on here whenever you want.

 

DDxx

[ims21]

Hi Annie

 

I've just read your posts and although this is not an area with which I am familiar I want to offer my support.

 

Please be assured that no-one here is judging you and as bad as things seem, more often than not there is a way forward.

 

The guys and gals here will give you best advice and help you through this. As the pressure lifts you will start to feel better about things and start to get your life back. You are now among people who can help you.

 

I wish you all the best and will follow your progress on this thread.

 

Chin up

 

ims

[annie4567]

Hi

 

Thanks for the replies....I am trying not to panic, but feel in a way this is all I can think of....

 

I have 3 children. I havent rung anyone up, just dont feel I can face speaking to anyone right now, the credit cards I do make the minimum payment on one, and the smile one I have is the one I pay £121.00 a month to, the barclay card one I have, I pay 60 a month...but I seem to have got behind with that one now, and the charges that have been put on the barclay card are silly, but I got behind with payments, and every month, I think 24 pound was being put on for late payment and over the credit limit payment, so it was getting harder and harder for me to keep up with it, my credit card debts are in total about £5000....I have fought hard to pay them, and this all stems from when my marriage broke up 10 years ago....!

 

I just know that if I am told I have an overpayment which I know damn well I have, then paying that back on top of probably paying full rent, full council tax, as I am doubting from what Erika said I will receive any benefit towards my rent, I think well I dont think...I know I cannot manage...!

 

I am trying to stay strong, usually am such a strong person, but I feel defeated....anyone could say to me, well this is your fault and I take full blame, but thinking that I am going to have to find 700 a month to pay the rent, plus the council tax....then my wage is gone, I never wanted to stay here...but the choices i had were nil....I even thought about making myself homeless, but on speaking to the council about that they said it would be a mistake to do so, as they could just place me anywhere, my children are settled in schools, and to think that my kids would be uprooted , moved away from everything they know, stopped me, I would do anything to keep my kids happy and settled....our lives have been difficult enough over the years.

 

My mind is in a tangle, so many thoughts. I do appreciate your replies, Daniella, IMS and Terriers...believe me, reading them is about the only thing that makes sense anymore.

[honeybee13]

Hello Annie.

 

I've had a quick read of your thread and didn't notice CAB being mentioned. Is it worth going along there for a chat? It means you can speak to someone as well as talking on this forum. CAB have seen it all and I know they can help with debt management. They're good guys. There's the National Debt Helpline as well, isn't there guys? I've never spoken to them, but it might be worth a try.

 

I've done the head in the sand over debts myself and it doesn't help really, does it? If you can be brave enough to tell us the way you have, I'm sure you can deal with this and move on.

 

HB x

[rebel11]

Hi annie

 

How old are these Credit Cards?

 

Have you got charges that you can claim back with Interest?

 

Have you been mis-sold PPI on any of these cards?

 

Have you sent CCA Requests?

[jadeybags]

Not much help I know but any over payment you pay back to the council can be extremely low installments, & dont forget it'll be interest free, which will be less of a worry than credit cards. It's those you need to sort out for now, those people have the cheek of the devil to keep bunging interest on peoples payments, 10 years & 5k, they are out of order. CAB should be able to negotiate with them to stop that interest & they'll also negotiate with the over payment dept how much you can afford to pay back each week by getting you to fill out a, I forget what it's called, but all your living expenses form. And that repayment may end up being a very low amount each week, but that's that & they shouldn't take what you can't afford.

[annie4567]

Thanks for the support and the replies.

 

The credit cards are way over ten years old, oh yes got charges upon charges, I didnt take protection out on them, and unsure what CCA requests are...I would not have a clue where to start on anything, I just pay the cards and they dont seem to ever go down..!

[ims21]

If you take into account the interest on those card charges which you can claim in addition to the chrges themselves, you might find that the balances are wiped out.

 

Start a thread in the bank & finance forums for each card you want to claim back on and we can help you on those.

 

See? Not all bad is it?

 

ims