Hi dx. Thank you for your response. I will investigate the library for any and all appropriate letters. I wonder if you could provide a link to the relevant ones? The debts are quite old. Perhaps going back to the 90s. They are a combination of expenditure whilst being unemployed (three times over six years) holiday expenditure etc. We were banking with RBS and had been for over forty years in its various guises. But had credit cards with HBOS, HTC Bank MBNA and Amex. We consolidated them all the outstanding balances into an RBS one. We had a major falling out with RBS over the transfer of ISA's and closed the account. Moving everything to Santander when we moved house. I transferred the consolidated account to MBNA about three years ago to take advantage of the 0% offer they had at the time. We have used a CMC to investigate PPI and they have been successful in some cases so I am assuming that they will have checked if any outstanding PPI issues are still relevant. Hope this gives you more of an idea as to the situation?

Hello, I hope this is the right forum and that someone can advise me on the best way to deal with my problem. I have an outstanding unsecured credit card balance with MBNA that I now can no longer settle. The sum is £8000 and was a consolidation of a number of debts into one some years ago. It was originally with RBS but I transferred it to MBNA on the basis of 0% interest. This was some three years ago and we have been paying it off at £350 per month. Unfortunately, the part-time job I had which helped the repayment process ended in September last year. As we are both pensioners and on a fixed income we can no longer afford the repayments. Our savings have dwindled to nothing so there is not a lot left! There is little or no chance of finding a job, there is no support mechanism where we live as the CAB closed and the local authority closed its 'rights office' locally. The property we live in is almost mortgage free and the property has been left to our children in our wills. I have considered cancelling the direct debit and waiting to see what the response would be. Also as the debt is in my name and not jointly with my wife I have thought about bankruptcy as at 68 I am not really bothered about my credit ratings and the issues around loans etc. I am really becoming desperate now and need some sound advice on how to resolve this problem. Many thanks in anticipation.

Good afternoon fellow Caggers. I need some advice please. My wife and I have two instant cash isa's with RBS. In march this year we decided to transfer them to Santader as the interest rate was (marginally) better. We signed all the relevant paperwork in our local Santander Branch. We do not have a local RBS branch. We received letters confirming that the transfer was being dealt with and all the new details were sent to us by post. On-line banking facility cards etc. So we assumed that everything was in order. We then received a letter from Santander saying the isa's couldn't be transfered as the account(s) were closed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We then went into the local Santander Branch and told them that this was in effect inncorrect and instructed them to proceed with the transfer. We have had numerous telephone conversations with Santander and RBS who confirmed the isa's were ther and could be withdrawn anytime we wanted. Santander then rang us following a conversation they had had with RBS isa team who told us 1. My wifes isa had been transfered or blocked!!!! 2. The terms of my isa had been 'breached' and was not available for transfer. WHAT IS THAT ALL ABOUT??? Our isa's are instant access accounts. What are RBS playing at and what is my immediate recourse? Santander want our business, have assured us we will not lose out on any interest payable. I am awaiting a call back from RBS. Any advice, assistance etc would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks

Thanks for your responses. I received JSA CB from July 2011. Admitted to hospital 31/12/2011. Moved onto ESA CB January 2012. ESA CB terminated 01/01/2013. Signed on for JSA CB 07/01/2013. The rest is as above. I doubt that I would be eligible for ESA again although I have a current note from the doctor and still under the care of the cardiologist at the hospital. Looks like we will have to survive until my pension starts in June. Many thanks for your advice.

Thanks Scott.

Thank you Scott.

Morning all. Here are my queries. There are posts on here that give a background to my 'problems' relating to JSA/ESA etc. I haven't signed yet off JSA. I haven't signed on either. Let me explain - briefly. Two weeks ago I signed on after being kicked off ESA CB as I had exhausted my allocation of 365 days (albeit still under the cardiac consultant and a note signing me off until March 2013). I received a letter from DWP that said my JSA CB would commence on the 7/01/2013 but they couldn't pay anything from the 19/01/2013 as my entitlement based on class 1 NI contributions has run out. When I queried this at the job centre all I got was a shrug of the shoulders and told to inquire about Pension Credit. A raft of paperwork to fill in if I was to 'sign off' JSA. Loads of phone calls later it transpires that our meager savings plus my (small local government pension - taken early) plus wife's state pension takes our weekly 'income' £20 per week over the threshold. So, no benefits of any kind - nothing. I have taken the view and had it confirmed by JC+ staff that I have more than enough contributions (nearly 50 years this year) in hand to qualify for a full pension in June 2013 that I am no longer going to incur expenses in travelling to the job centre to sign on. DWP can sanction me as many times as they want (I quite like the idea of 'civil disobedience'). I will not help them fiddle the figures any more than they are doing at present. Not sure whether this is the right route but I am totally sickened by the way this morally corrupt government is treating those its supposed to be supporting. If any-one on the forum has any suggestions I will gladly take them on board. Thanks for reading. DavidN

I haven't signed off JSA. I haven't signed on either. Let me explain - briefly. Two weeks ago I signed on after being kicked off ESA CB as I had exhausted my allocation of 365 days (albeit still under the consultant and a note until March). I received a letter from DWP that said my JSA CB would commence on the 7/01/2013 but they couldn't pay from the 19/01/2013 as my entitlement based on class 1 NI contributions has run out. When I queried this at the job centre all I got was a shrug of the shoulder s and told to inquire about Pension Credit. Loads of phone calls later it transpires that our meager savings plus my (small local government pension - taken early) plus wife's state pension takes our 'income' £20 per week over the threshold. So, no benefits of any kind. I have taken the view that I have more than enough contributions (nearly 50 years this year) in hand to qualify for a full pension in June 2013 that DWP can sanction me as many times as they want. I will not help them fiddle the figures any more than they are doing at present. Not sure whether this is the right route but I am totally sickened by the way this morally corrupt government is treating those its supposed to be supporting.

Thanx dx. I was a bit concerned when I received the email. Obviously monitoring the site!!! Where on the forum site will I find any template letters? The letters I originated last year obviously didn't say the right things as I got no-where with the banks/societies and finance institutions. Waiting in anticipation DavidN

Ohhh my reply seems to have disappeared? Thank you dx, but I wasn't referring to 'powers' in my post but 'resources'. The request was about if any-one on the forum has had any experience of the company ....)?? I personally seem to have hit the wall in trying to get any information out of the banks regarding any PPI i may be entitled to claim back. They seem to be closing ranks in order to protect their ill gotten gains. Thanks in advance. David

Hi All. I received a text from ,,,,,,which turns out to be ,,,,,,,in Ashby de la Zouch. The text read "Records passed to us show you are entitled to a refund of approximately £**** in compensation from mis-selling PPI etc............ Ummmmmm records passed! My records, and who passed them to ABC? My questions are: 1 Has any-one on the forum come accross this outfit before and if so what's there track record. 2. I am actually TRYING to get to the bottom of PPI and if I'm entitled to recover any. Big issues with RBS, Nationwide, Household Bank etc. 3. ... apparently work on a 'no win - no fee' basis BUT if they do recover anything they want 25% plus 20% VAT PLUS £99 admin fee. Any information on this lot would be greatly appreciated. They want to set up a'face to face' meeting with one of their 'consultants! :!:Also, whether I can 'successfully' pursue the people who sold me PPI myself? (I have read numerous posts on the form). I have requested all the information from RBS. They sent me 300 pages of photocopied statements none of which contain any reference numbers whatsoever!:mad2: As I previously said - ANY information would be greatfully received. Cheers David

Sorry, I have just come across your post. You have probably not taken the risk, this is for others who may be tempted. DON'T DO IT. IT'S A [problem]. I was targeted by this last year. The company then called itself Click-N-Art. Selling Russian art throughout the world but my transactions were in the Ukraine. Funds arrived in our account, I did the transfer as instructed then the bank removed the 'deposit' from our account and sent it back to HSBC as it was considered a 'fraudulent transaction'. Before I withdrew the money I asked the bank representative whether it was in the account and could I withdraw it. He confirmed it was all OK so I carried out the transaction.It took me over 12 months to get my money back from RBS. Salutary lesson as stated above. If it seems to good to be true - it probably is. I informed ALL the relevant authorities, Police, Action Fraud etc. I also had a go at Jobs Boards that have my CV on line to let them know!

Many thanks to all. I thought that would be the case. I will ring JCP today and ask about JSA.

Sorry this is in the wrong place. I did try to post it under ESA but couldn't for the life of me find how to do it!!! Having finally received the ESA3 form from DWP, my question is, do I need to complete both mine and 'my partner' sections? My ESA runs out at the end of December and I am now wondering (and worrying) what to do next. We will not qualify for income based as my wife has a small 'inheritance' from her late mothers estate which takes us over the £16K threshold. I was thinking of applying for JSA - again? I am 65 in June next and JCP have virtually written me off insomuch that they have told me that interviews with an adviser are 'voluntary' at my age. Basically they don't want to know and they don't really give a s**t that you don't have the means to live. I am 'officially' still under the care of the hospital having suffered a major heart attack last New Years Eve. Whilst the medication I am now on (after several attempts) seems to be working now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. David

Hi All, I have an update on my situation that I would like clarification on please. On the 8th October I received a letter from JCP stating that I had been put in WRAG and from 11/04'2012 my ESA would be £**.** and that they cannot pay ESA from 1st January 2013. Yesterday I received another letter stating that my contributions based ESA will end on 31st December 2012. Quoting "This is because you will have received a total of 365 days contribution-based ESA which the law says is the maximum number of days you can receive this benefit for, unless you are in the support group. It goes on to say " Based on the information held on your current award of benefit, when your contributions-based ESA ends you will not receive any money. We will continue to credit you with NI contributions......................you may be required to provide medical evidence or attend Work Capability Assessments. We will tell you if you need to do this. I rang DWP yesterday for an explanation and they were as helpful as a chocolate fireguard! The lady appologised for the 'confusion' and said she would send a form (forgot the number) out in the post so that I can be assessed for income-related ESA etc. Our problem is on the means tested area. Eighteen months ago my wife (of 42 years) inherited a small amount from her deceased mothers estate. Not much, but enough to take our savings!! and 'investments' over the £16K threshold. We have been steadily eating into that for the last eight months or so and we are about £10K over. I think the same applies for Pension Credit which I think I qualify for. I should add that we owe RBS £10K on a credit card which we have been paying of the minimum amount every month whilst trying to get back our PPI which they are dragging on and on. My question is can I stay on ESA post Christmas or can I re-register for JSA OR are there any other alternative routes I can explore. Quite clearly I am not going to secure further employment and I don't qualify for my state pension until June 2013. Any assistance in this would be very much appreciated. Many thanks in anticipation.

**UPDATE** I received a letter from DWP on Monday 'inviting' me to a Personal Adviser Interview at my local jobcentre. Sods law, clashes with a hospital appointment same afternoon. I rang the Job Centre number as instructed in the letter and after 45 minutes finally got through to speak to a member of JCP staff. I explained about the 'problem and we went through the security stuff. Name; NI number; DoB etc. As soon as he realised that DoB was 06/1948 he said " no need to reschedule the interview as it was purely a voluntary appointment"!!! I reiterated what the letter said about attendance and he said "not to worry - some-one will be in touch". Does any-one on here know what the next procedure is? My sick note runs out at the end of October but as I am still awaiting follow-up appointments with the hospital I am sure that my GP will give me another one. Does the fact that I will be 'officially retiring' in 2013 influence how DWP deal with clients? Will DWP write to me regarding the WRAG or what? Sorry to be vague on this but trying to find/get information from DWP is like 'pulling teeth'

Thank you Margaret and HB. Perhaps it was because my assessment was done by a Doctor? AND the fact I didn't allow him to ask me stupid questions like boxes and buttons. Not to mention the 'imaginary' dog! I don't know? Anyway, had I not found this forum I don't think I would have achieved the same result. I have to say it's like dipping into the 'bank of Knowledge' surfing through the site. I will post future activity as and when it happens. Must now wait for further DWP instructions. Best David

Good morning all. The postie has just delivered two letters from DWP. I have been expecting some form of correspondence since the ATOS Assessment two weeks ago. On opening them my jaw dropped!!! First letter informs me that a sum of money relating to ESA has been paid into my bank account. I have just checked on-line and there it is in our account.The second letter is regarding the "Changes in the ESA Rates Payable" and states "we have looked at your claim again following a recent change" I can only assume that this is following the assessment. It follows on to say that "This is because of: a decision on your capability for work. You have been placed in the Work Related Activity Group. From 11 April 2012 will be £99:15 a week. We cannot pay you ESA from 1st January 21013 (Max 365 days). This increase has been backdated to April and I am assuming that that is the funding paid into our account. I wasn't expecting this at all. When do I get the results of my assessment? Can any-one shed any light on this. Have you had a similar experience? Also, after 1st January assuming I'm on the Group do I qualify for JSA - again? Sorry to be so nieve I'm sure you probably think me 'thick' but I wasn't expecting an increase in benefit - far from it.

Completed the ATOS Assessment yesterday. Actually conducted by a Doctor! Not recorded and No mention of cardboard boxes or pressing buttons!!!! I did tell him at the outset that I didn't ask to be placed on ESA that was done at DWP assistance (fiddling the figures - again). Before we got to the cardboard stuff I told him that I couldn't mow the lawn or dig the garden and that I had trouble walking beyond 500 mtrs without a sit down. I didn't need an 'imaginary dog'. I had a real one! and yes I did take her for walks albeit short ones. We did the exercise stuff which I am doing anyway twice a week as part of my cardio rehab. I also told him that I wasn't suffering from any mental illness or physical disability - just progressive heart disease and ageism (64 yo). We now await the DWP letter saying I'm fit for work. What happens after that? Is it back to JSA or do they have something else we can try?

Many thanks HB. I have downloaded the document and will go over it very carefully. I know now that I will fail the assessment but at 64 and suffering progressive heart decease who on earth is going to employ me? I know ESA is only £70. a week but that plus what 'savings' we have just about keeps the wolf from the door.

All, many thanks for the above. I may be coming across as 'a bit thick' here so please bear with me.As I said forum world is completely new to me. Can any-one point me in the direction of the above mentioned 'stickies' as I can;t seem to locate them. Ta in anticipation.

Many thanks to all of you for your constructive comments.

Hello. I am very new to this site and have been called for an ATOS interview next week. Not sure what to expect after reading some of the posts around and my case seems slightly different. Background In June 2011 I celebrated my 63rd birthday and the government rewarded me by removing the funding (Regional Development Agency) that supported my job! I registered as unemployed and received JSA. On New Years Eve Day 2011 I suffered a major heart attack at home. I was taken into hospital and had heart surgery. My wife notified JCP that I would not be able to attend my signing on session that week. After lengthy questioning JCP said that JSA was inappropriate and that I should apply for ESA. I am still under treatment and have a sick note from my GP. The questions on the ATOS form in no way reflect my symptoms so I am at a loss really as to what to say at the interview. Can any-one help me please?