Hi all, I'm totally new to all this and have had a situation develop over the last 6-8 months where I was unable to pay my credit card bills. My credit was 12k, I ignored it for a few months while dealing with some family issues. I got in contact with them in January and set up a plan to catch up over a 3 month period at £600 a month, I made the first payment but failed in February when I had to take weeks off dealing with my older brother (45) passing away and needing to help my mother through that process. When I called to tell them they told me the card was now cancelled and they were going to pass me on to a debt agency. At that point, I said I'd prefer to deal with them if possible and have every intention of catching up and paying the card off asap, they gave me 30 days to contact them again. I am approaching the end of that period and have made very little progress. There is good news that I've interviewed for 3-4 diff engineering positions and should soon be back earning 5-6k a month. I guess my questions are in my position what is the optimal approach to clearing this debt, my instincts of guilt say deal with Barclaycard and plan on paying the full amount back. I also fear the debt being sold and some horror story of dealing with that. Is that logical? Would I actually be better off having them pass it to a third party? All in all, I'm just a bit overwhelmed by it all and want to have it sorted. I should have started looking for work sooner, I've been self-employed remotely in a weird industry for the last 10 years that's shrinking and I tried to hold on too long. Through old military friends, I feel very very confident I will be working soon. Any help on how to approach my next call to Barclaycard would be very welcome! Sorry for the long ramble, I am just super clueless with all this and never expected to be in this position.

just seen this on BBC news, but for some reason won't allow me to post a link.

Hii everyone, Is there anyone who could give me some advice or point me in the right direction to get some help about CRAR I can't seem to find out any answers on google. Thanks in advance

Hi – just wondering if anyone can offer me some advice. I’ll outline my situation. Between 2008 and 2011 I claimed Housing Benefit. I was out of work, had no savings, and I didn’t claim Jobseekers Allowance. I ‘got by’ on a day-to-day basis by (a) selling the few possessions I had, and (b) receiving food parcels from my parents. I had been ‘homeless’ (without a fixed or permanent place of residence) from late 2006 to late 2008. I moved around a lot, staying with various friends and family – often for about a week at one place, before moving on. In December 2008, I moved into accommodation rented to me by an old friend. He’d agreed to rent me the accommodation if he received rent. AsI knew I was entitled to Housing Benefit, I asked him if this was suitable –and he agreed. As I didn’t have (and still don’t have) a bank account, the benefit was paid directly to my landlord. I was renting part of a large property. As such, it was a shared property with my landlord – although I lived entirely separately. I had my own bedroom, living room, dining area, toilet, etc.. My old friend, who I’d known for several years, married my sister. So, in effect, my landlord became my ‘brother-in-law’. I knew that a claimant could receive benefit while renting from family – as I’d previously claimed (back in the 1990’s) while renting accommodation from my grandparents, living in a part of their property. I made the decision to rent the accommodation because, as I was homeless, I needed a place to live. I was, at the time, suffering from mental health problems. I was diagnosed – at the time of my claim – by my GP as severely depressed and suicidal. Additionally, I suffer from an anxiety disorder – which makes me incapable of interaction with others if they are in a position of authority. It was because of my anxiety disorder that I was not claiming Jobseekers Allowance. To do so would require me to attend interviews –and I simply can’t attend any sort of formal interview. I suffer an anxiety attack, and either freeze-up or harm myself. For this reason, I was – and continue to be – out of work, as I can’t attend normal job interviews. The local council sent out a rent officer to view the accommodation that I was renting, and they decided that I was residing separately from the other occupants of the property. A couple of years into the claim, another rent officer visited the property – doing so without an appointment – and again decided that everything was legitimate and that I was residing separately. I had, at the start of the claim, asked the local council if they could find me a council property to rent (rather than the accommodation I was renting from my friend), and if possible do so near my parents home – so thatI could be close to them, and they could help support me. But the council never responded to my request. I voluntarily ended my claim in mid 2011. I had experienced too many bad times – in terms of my suicidal feelings – while living there, and I wanted to move on, even though I had nowhere to actually go. I left, ending my claim, and once again became homeless. My mental health problems are ongoing. I have relapses every so often, during which time I get severely depressed and suicidal. I experienced such a relapse last year, and am now receiving mental health counselling (as well as strong anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds). The relapse was caused by the chronic neuropathic pain I suffer from, in my spine, which makes me bed-ridden for weeks on end. Anyway, in September of last year the council got in touch with me saying that because my landlord was my brother-in-law so they suspected me of benefit fraud. I explained that this wasn’t something I’d deliberately hidden from them – as it was rather obvious we were ‘related’ due to our identical surnames (he had, strangely, taken my sister’s surname). But, because in my original letter to the council I described him as “an old friend” so they think I was purposefully deceiving them. I tried my best to explain that my circumstances were genuine, that I apologised if I made a mistake in not informing them of what they wanted to know (and that even if I made a mistake, I possessed an underlying entitlement), and that I because I resided separately so I was nonetheless entitled to benefit. I pointed out that the ‘Housing Benefit / Council Tax Benefit Adjudication and Operations Circular A1/1999’ and clause 3.238 of the ‘Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit guidance: Part A3’ document (part of the ‘Housing BenefitGuidance Manual 2009’) state that a claimant is entitled to rent from close family, so long as they are not residing with them. They requested a formal interview with me, under caution, but I refused – citing my medical condition. Eventually, I agreed to an informal interview. Still, the meeting was on my mind so much that – prior to thedate – I cut myself several times on my wrists. I attended the meeting, but once they saw my wrists the meeting ended. Since then, my former landlord – my brother-in-law – has received an invoice for the full amount of benefit, saying that it was an overpayment of £8,500. I have received an email (not a letter, as I don’t have an address) saying that it was an overpayment (due to Regulation 9, i.e. that I rented from family) but my former landlord is responsible for paying it back. Now, as it happens, my brother-in-law is about to make himself voluntarily bankrupt (due to his own financial problems). He’s now cited the overpayment on his bankruptcy documents and it will commence in about 6 weeks. Until then, he’s repaying about £10 a week. Then the full debt will, in effect, be written off. But I’ve heard nothing more. It’s been 6 weeks since I received the email saying there was an overpayment. I responded, saying I disagreed but – due to my health – was not challenging the decision. Yet the council’s note says that they may take criminal proceedings. I am aware that, in cases such as this, my circumstances ought to make criminal proceedings statutory time-barred (in accordance with the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Circular F1/2011). The regulations say that cases of suspected benefit fraud under £20,000 should be dealt with as summary offences, and proceedings must be issued within 12 months of date of representation (that is, when the claim form was completed) or within 12 months of end of the offending period (usually the end of the overpayment). If I am suspected of false representation, then this occurred some 6 years ago; if I am suspected of overpayment, this ended over 3 years ago. Only in exceptional circumstances can a local authority pursue a case after it has become time-barred. And this requires the issuing of a S116 certificate in an effort to ‘save’ the case. If a S116 certificate has been issued issued, then – on the basis of point 16 of this circular – this means that the investigators have only 3 months from the date on which sufficient evidence to justify a prosecution came to light (not the date the certificate was issued or signed) to commence court proceedings. The local council concluded their investigation in late last year, and have had no ‘new’evidence’ since then. But they’re not contacting me – and I’m left worrying. Given these details, is it likely that the local authority will instigate criminal proceedings for fraud? Many thanks for reading the details of this case.

I had to give up my own career prospect after graduating from university to help out in my family takeaway business due to their health problems. Working long hours for very little money, if I did not still live with my parents rent free, I would not have survived. This went on for 10 years until 4 years ago, I became a small partner in the business with the plan for me to learn all the ropes of running the takeaway when my parents retire but business has been falling to the point that my father now wants to sell the business. I have a couple of questions concerning JSA while I look for work. 1. If the business is sold, when could I claim? If for example, the business been sold with the handover at the end of the month but we decided to cease trading 10 days before, could I claim JSA the day after we cease trading or would I have to wait will after the handover has been complete? 2. When it refers to household income, does this mean myself who is single,no partner/girlfriend or children living with me still living with my parents and my 2 working brothers or does it refer to all of us? 3. When I go to the first interview, what should I take part from forms of ID like passport, birth certificates, or utility bills? Hopefully I find a job without needing JSA.

Hiya All I have a very Basic Question concerning Policies/Procedures. If a Employer has acted under various policies and procedures [in a way that targetted/excluded individuals/groups] which turn out not to exist - how would that affect a potential employment tribunal case? How would you explain the non-existance to a Judge? I am sure there will be some in interesting replies so fire away people. Cheers

Hi everyone I need some valued help please I have a credit card debt that is soon to be removed from my credit file in a few months due to it being 6 years from the default date. My question is this, originally I wrote and made a settlement offer to the original credit card company in around 2007 , due to them being un coperative the debt was sold/transfered to First ( worst) Credit , I CCA`d them with no repsonse and eventually had a Statutory demand overturned and I won costs! My defense was for them to prove the debt which they didnt/couldnt at that time. Since then I have heard nothing from them , when does the Statute of Limitations come into effect if at all? Many thanks T

Last Thursday/ Friday I drove down to Portsmouth from 40 Miles west of Glasgow for a Veterans Reunion. The main event was on the Friday Night. Whilst getting my car ready for the return journey doing the usual checks Iwater, oil etc I noticed that in amongst my documentation I could not find myAA card. I went online shortly afterwards to right down the details in case I required them later. I discovered I had not renewed my breakdown cover so I renewed it there and then. We set of at 0900 on the way to Scotland. We were detouring through Lincoln dropping a comrade off who was picked up on the way down. On the M4O one mileshort of Cherwell Valley Services the car started to lose power and eventually stopped. Thinking how fortunate I renewed my AA breakdown the previous day, that’s when the problems started. I called the AA who promptly came out and diagnosed Cylinder head gasket gone. The mechanic towed us to the services and arranged to have the relay sorted. 26 phone calls and 5 hours later we were on our way for 50 miles and then onto pick up a hire car which we had to organise ourselves. This all came about because of timings. If I had renewed my breakdown cover on Saturday morning instead of evening I would have been entitled to a Relay all the way home. Because I broke down less than 24 hrs after the transaction took place I was only entitled to 50 miles relay any millage after that would be 2.5 pence per mile which the quoted me @ £800. That wasn't the last because I was inside the 24 Hours an additional £79 would have to be paid. If I was pulling a fast one we could have waited till the oil in the car cooled down drove into the services waited 4 hours and then phoned the breakdown in. Unfortunately I am honest, I also believe in loyalty unlike The AA I surmise. After a few phone calls today the AA would offer me no goodwill so I offered none back, I no longer have the 4 policies with them , House, Car,Breakdown and Emergency House call out. Please read the small print as there are no sums mentioned and the wording is a bit ambiguous at best.