About time I posted!

[Under Siege]

Hi,

I have been reading these forums for a while, and I spread the word every where I go.

This place has been of great help to me and in a world full of selfishness it is heart warming to see so many experts who are prepared to sacrifice their time and help others.

I will probably be posting a lot on here.

Once upon a time I had a very high paid job and a great life style. then out of the blue I got made redundant. I decided to set up my own business, and although times have been really hard, I am starting to establish myself now and the future looks brighter. My big problem though is that I have around 60k worth of debts and whilst I have been struggling to pay these, I have missed the odd payment here and there which has tarnished my credit profile.

Now the nasty stuff has started. I seem to be getting threatening letters everyday, just this morning I have recieved a letter from a company telling me they will make me bankrupt if don't pay £900 in 3 days (see my other thread).

I am sure lots of you have been in this same position - Sleepless nights, Physically sick with worry etc. I also have a 2 yr old son who I hardly see because I am having to spend every hour working on my business, 7 days a week just to pay back my bloody credit cards.

Anyway; that's me. you will be seeing a lot more of me on here and if I can offer anybody else any help (my specialist subject is mortgages) then please don't hesitate to ask.

[MARTIN3030]

Welcome to the site.

You need to sit down and go though things step by step.

There is obviously a route for all your problems and looking at it as a whole can be daunting.Take each problem one by one and look at how to go about it.As you say there is much to learn on here and there are people who can help at every angle.

Your input within the mortgage forums will be welcome.

I have experienced the same as you so will know what you have been through albeit not on such a big scale.

I am sure with your positive attitude that you will get through the woods.

[Under Siege]

Thanks for the support Martin,

I know that I will get through this but it is such an uphill battle. I have worked so hard to build my business and it has the potential to become very successful, but I am NOT going to lose it because of unreasonable demands from DCA's!!!

[ScarletPimpernel]

I'm sure there are many here who will identify with the feelings you describe - which are absolutely normal in the circumstances. Indeed, it is precisely these feelings and emotions that DCAs seek to exploit.

 

One of the great things about CAG is that it puts you in control; it really is a truly liberating feeling, especially if you've felt weighed down by debt for a while. There is a huge sense of satisfaction not just in dealing with the problem, but also in knowing that creditors and DCAs must comply with the law and regulations, and not have it all their own way.

 

It does need a sense of purpose, and the ability to stick with it - but it odesn't sound as if either of these will be a problem for you. Good luck!

[42man]

Hey Undersiege....you are amongst friends...it would help if you can give us a basic idea or a list of the debts and what stage they are at, how long you have had them, and NO specific figures on how much you owe to each.....If they are all credit cards, there is obviously a chance that you can claim some charges back. But at this stage the CCA route would seem a good one...

[tiglet]

Hi undersiege.

 

Glad you are being positive about things.

 

Anything we can do to help, just let us know.

 

Don't let the barstewards grind you down - I know what I'm talking about (see my posts on DCA approach after 5 years..... )

 

It's very good advice to tackle one by one and also to list what's going on so we can see how we can help you to help yourself.

 

PS Make sure you get some time with your lovely 2 year old - you never get the time back.

 

PPS Are you being driven mad by "In the Night Garden" too ...?

 

Tigs x

[Goldlady]

Under Siege, I am in similar situation - I have 80K of debt from business as sole trader which took a nose dive a few years ago. I spent several months terrified to answer the phone as I just could not pay my cards any more. But I now realise they had lent me the money when clearly I could not afford it - for example credit limit increases of 2K when all I was making was the minimum payment, and that paid the staff wages for a week!!!

 

I have now CCA'd most of them, apart from the ones who have been helpful and frozen interest and accepted substantially reduced payments. And so far there are three who can't even find an agreement (£20K;)) and a few more who have sent only application forms. It is all on a spreadsheet and those who nosedive are marked in red. I have all their nasty letters in a file - it is a great feeling to file them away!!

 

With all I have learned from this site I now feel so much more confident - it is like a game almost - and I now look forward to the post to see what their next move will be. I have crawled out of a pit of despair ( I almost declared myself bankrupt a year ago) and am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

You just need to ask for advice on here and you will get it. You need to take charge of your life again.

 

Best of luck

Goldlady

still self employed!

[Ell-enn]

Under Seige, you will get the most tremendous help from the wonderful people on this site. They will give you so much confidence that you will soon begin to believe that you will come out of this situation once again in control of your life. Try to sleep easier tonight - you are in good hands. There is nothing that cannot be tackled - all the information you need you will get here. I can vouch for it!

[debtsurvivor]

Looks like we both landed on CAG planet around the same time, my circumstances follow some similar veins to the situation you describe about three year ago now, if I had discovered CAG then its possibl things could have been a bit different for me now.

 

I have had some quality help and advice already, I am sure you will find what you need here.

 

Best

 

DS

[Under Siege]

Thanks for all of your support. It is very encouraging to see that other people have been in the same situation as myself but are now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

[Ell-enn]

Hi UnderSeige, glad you're beginning to see the light. Hope you're feeling more relaxed about things now. Onwards and upwards as they say:D

[Curlyben]

Under Seige, Welcome to the FIRST day of the rest of your life and your latest hobby.

You will quickly become addicted to this whole thing and actually ENJOY reading the latest missive from the Threat-O-Matic 3000

[Goldlady]

Fighting DCAs is a bit like the game we played in the pub in the late 80's - I can't remember what the heck it was called but some people took it too seriously and started being their characters in real life as well as in the game. They used to ring me at work to plot our next move.

 

But it is great when it becomes a game and a challenge rather than something which is going to destroy your life.