Just an update and need a bit more advice if possible... I sent off my CCA requests (including the do not make doorstep visits request) yesterday (Friday) by Recorded Delivery so they should get them Monday. In the meantime I've just got a letter from Power2Contact saying they will call at my house if I don't contact The Halifax within 3 working days. After their last very unpleasant call for a different account last week, I don't want a repeat. I've no confidence that my letter to the Halifax will prevent this in time. Should I email power2contact with the same "no doorstep visits template", just as backup? I can't get to the Post Office again till next Thursday. Any advice welcome

Hello Sickofthis, I really do feel for you in this, I'm a retired nurse and you really don't deserve to be put under such duress in your pregnancy. I'm quite a new member at a similar stage to you, I've just sent off 7 CCA requests and 1 Subject Access. It is very daunting but the people on here are absolutely brilliant so hang in there. I was getting loads of calls, sometimes every hour. What I did was sign up for a voip phone account (there are some free ones), got a local number which I then supplied as my new number wherever possible. If they call, I don't physically have a voip phone set up, so it goes staight to voicemail accessed online. I can choose to pick them up..or not! Its a good record, with proof, of how frequently they call though! The other thing I did is set up number blocking with my phone company, most do it, to get rid of the DCAs..just block the last call. I don't answer unknown numbers, just screen the call then type the number into Google-if its a DCA I block it. Might not be what everyone would advise..I'm new to all this..but it's stopped unwanted calls and removed a lot of my stress. Best of luck.

Well I think the more DCA's employed with the strong ethics, knowledge and desire to actually HELP people that Gyzmo has, the better!! Oh, I'm a woman too, sorry if I spoke out of turn. Best go make hubbys breakfast and polish his shoes...

I have a cockateil who says "hello mate" over and over every time the phone rings. Now if I could teach him to say a fake postcode I could really have some fun!

Thankyou MrMT, Forewarned is forearmed now, I'll be sending out the letters today and if anyone else calls in the meantime I'll just say "and you are?" without giving my name, ask if they have a card (so I know who to complain about) then say thankyou and goodnight and close the door. I have 2 German Shepherds so at least I know no one will try to force their way in!!

I'll get these bank letters sorted then I'll chase that up. Thanks once again

Best compliment I've had all day! The pension I was on was "NHS Permanent Injury Benefit" supposedly guaranteeing an income for life of 75% of my final salary, plus inflation. They seem to be a law unto themselves. They used to have a forum for "pensioners" to air their views but as soon as they started getting any flack the forum magically disappeared! I will bear that in mind about the Union though.

Also thanks to Cerberusalert for your detailed and very valuable reply. I will certainly do as you suggest, and will also tackle the Egg Loan in the same way. I did try to reduce my outgoings a few months ago by asking then for a new loan covering only what was still owed, as I had paid off more than half, but was turned down..apparently the computer said "no"..and ridiculously concluded that I could afford to make the existing monthly amount of £350, which I had never missed, but not the new amount which would have been considerably less. Maybe its a good job in the long run, if it proves to be unenforceable! Don't feel so isolated any more, thanks again for your input.

Hi, Many thanks for your replies. It's so long ago I'm no longer in the Union, and since I remarried I don't think I qualify for pension credits due to my husband's wage, which is taken up by the mortgage and all the priority household bills, but at least they are covered at the moment. The thing is, we borrowed in line with our pre-pension-loss joint income, even though most of these debts are just in my name. Ironically my husband's job is also now at risk due to the credit crunch caused by...HBOS & Co.

Hi Everyone, This is my first tentative post, encouraged by the warmth and support of your forum members. By way of intro...I'm 58, female ex nurse, retired after works injury in 92. Was given an NHS Pension "guaranteed for life". So watertight it was accepted as income by my mortgage and loan companies. (!) Have been disabled and on Incapacity Benefit plus my pension since then. Just over a year ago I was informed that the Pensions Agency had made longstanding errors in interpreting pension rules, ie rather than the pension being adjusted each time my benefits changed, it should have stayed the same as it was when I was first awarded it.. ie NIL because at that time I had increases in benefit for 2 children, now grown up, and my late husband who had terminal cancer. The good news was they kindly weren't going to reclaim what I'd been paid. This affected thousands of NHS pensioners, not just me. The pension was stopped, with a months notice. Since then I have struggled to keep up with loan and credit card payments, getting into a mess, until just before Christmas when I realised if I didn't prioritise I'd be living on fresh air. Meanwhile the Halifax suddenly seemed very keen to impose charges even for slight overlimits and I got a sudden massive domino effect whereby charges took me over the limit, dd's weren't paid..more charges...I'm sure you know the scenario. Got them to waive a few but it went on and in the end I panicked, opened a Citibank Account and moved my Benefits payments, just to be able to eat. I'm now being chased by HBOS for 3 credit cards and my overdraft..although Ive left £60 superan monthly going into the account to try and reduce this, even so their charges keep escalating. I also have an Egg Loan taken out in 2002. Dear me, I didn't mean this to be so long winded! I have written to the Halifax asking for time to sort things out, explaining I am ill, but yesterday I had a visit from a woman who said at first she was from the Halifax, asking to come in. I refused politely and told her I was dealing with this by letter and wasn't prepared to either let her in or discuss my private finances at the door. She tried a different tack and said could she come in to use phone.I said no, sorry. Then she produced a mobile phone and said would I have a quick word with the Halifax to confirm she was there, so that I wouldn't get charged for the visit. I said that my circumstances were too complicated to discuss on the phone and that in any event it was the incompetence of the Halifax and the Government that had put me in this position. She then said she wasn't actually with The Halifax and pretended to sympathise. Meanwhile she rang HBOS and handed me the phone, saying all you need to do is confirm your identity, then hand me the phone back. I did that, then she said, right they want to talk to you. At this stage, I was shaking and agitated. I said that I'd already told her I wouldn't do that, and asked her to leave. She carried on trying to get me on the phone, so I just told her again to leave my property. I was visibly distressed and finally she went. I have no idea which of my Halifax accounts she was here about.She showed no ID. I thought I heard her say she was from something like "Close Contact" on the phone to the Halifax. Please, does anyone know this company, and do I have grounds for complaint? Sorry this is so long but I've been churning it round in my head all night. Any advice appreciated. PS After reading another post I'm beginning to wonder if I misheard and that it might possibly have been "Power to Contact"?