I am alsmost suicidal with worry... re debt agencies..

[BABYHOLLIE]

Firstly I have to tell you soem background as need help. I have posted somewhere else on here but not sure if in the correct place.

 

I have had a horrible year and i mean horrible as my daughter has been very ill and in and out of hospital. This all made be depressed and hence got behind with my bills.

 

Yesterday I had a pre bailiff visit as not paid one of my accounts and I had forgotten. It was on behalf of cl finance???

 

Before I got in this mess I had a good job, earned good money and goood live comfortable.

 

Now I do ot have hardly any money to live off. I cannot afford to run my 04 car as cannot afford the tax or insurance.

 

Well you have to magine I was very depressed soemthing I though was not a serious illness but honestly I could not be botehred to pay anything at all. I knew I had to do something so went to the cccs which were fine but i missed acouple of months as just could not be bothered so they sent me all the detaisl to deal with my creditors direct.

 

Well to cut a long story I work part time and i decided i had to try and claer some debt and my crditers were being terrible and hence my mum got my tax crdits/working tax credits every week and has been paying them off for the last 4 months.. the thing is i never know where the next penny is coming from although what i do know is the debts are going down.

 

Most my debts are with agencies now like wescoot, howard Cowen and couiple of more. I am about £7,000 in debt altogther.

 

I ahve been reading through threads and it seems i just be dealing with the people themselves rather than the debt agencies. Please could sombody point me in the correct direction.

 

 

I also am scared stiff of the re bailiff man coming back as i know him as my daughter went to school with his.. what shall I do about this. I ahve no money for Christams either as i got behind with my abbey mortgage and it went to court and have to pay my normal amount of £800 plus an extra £150 on top.. they have said (eversheds that they willl do this for 6 months then the capital will be added to end of loan) and be back with the abbey.

 

I have had 3 hours sleep all night with worry and just do not know what to do or where to turn.

 

I put in my other thread i have complained about the abbey as after 8 weeks they still ahve not decided if i can have my bank charges back as living in hardship. There letter of reply we still have not finsidhed our investigations and if i wish to complain to the finacial omnisbun then do. I hgae the complaint form now so need to know what shall I include in it.

 

I appreciate anybody at all that can elp me.

 

Thanks so so much maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel.

[moving on..]

Good morning Babyhollie,

I just wanted to offer my support!..CAG is life-changing and empowering...there is light at the end of the tunnel...so chin up..!

There will be lots of excellent help and advice along soon....in the meantime read read read...and realise you are not alone...

wishing you well

moving on....

[Guest Jules_69]

Hi Babyhollie

 

Welcome to CAG Glad you have come here - as moving on has said - there is light at the end of the tunnel and you have made the first steps towards it

 

Regarding Abbey - yes go for it with the Financial Ombudsman - your other thread will concentrate on this.

 

 

I knew I had to do something so went to the cccs which were fine but i missed acouple of months as just could not be bothered so they sent me all the detaisl to deal with my creditors direct.

 

CCCS have really helped me - I go through the cannot be bothered bits - I have one standing order going to CCCS each month for £178. My debts are about £14k. I have the payment leave my account the same day as my mortgage - directly after money enters the account. If you are paid benefits weekly you can pay them by standing order weekly on the day you receive the benefits. Honestly please go back to them and complete the paperwork - it is one payment per month and one form to complete and return. Writing to all your individual creditor will be a lot lot harder, and if you are like me you will have a wee spurt of sorting things out then not bother following it up until it all builds up on you again.

 

Please give them a call back and pick up where you left off. Take control of your finances back from your mum too.

 

I cannot advise with regards to the bailliffs but there are many people on here who will help you with that side.

 

Once you have CCCS working for you - then you can look at doing CCA requests and things - but I think at the moment you need the weight lifting from your shoulders and the calls and letters to stop.

 

With regards to your mortgage - did you go to court ? with financial statements etc - or was the judgement passed in your absence.

 

I will help you all I can as will everyone else on here.

 

Try and smile - I know its hard but we can get through this Honestly.

 

xxx

[PriorityOne]

Firstly, can you explain what you mean by a "pre-bailiff visit ?".... as this sounds like the standard bowlarks that Debt Collectors come out with from time to time. As far as I'm aware there are no pre-bailiff visits as such.... which means you've been visited by a nerdy little debt collector on a power trip; trying to get money by intimidating the heck out of you.

 

Can you please list who your debts are with ?

Which companies ?.... how much is owing ?... how they are chasing you ?... if you have any CCJs (County Court Judgements ) ? Are any debts secured on property ?

 

Loads of questions.... but all will be clearer soon.

 

[Allwood]

Yesterday I received a letter from ScotCall saying that they are going to visit me. I know that the debt that they are talking about is statue barred. Debt collectors who have the power (what I mean is all the necessary documents from the lender to collect the debt(s). My debt has been passed on from Thames Credit to BCW to Scottcall now why would a DCA passed on debt to another organization if they can collect it them selves, they have no authority to collect it and will resort to threating letter doorstep callers and never ending phone calls to try and get you to conceded to them, as they have no other legal way of collecting the debt.

 

So do not let them get to you they are bullies but as mentioned below please give more details of the debts that you are worried about no **** bag debt collector can make peoples live in fear of them they are not worth it.

[PriorityOne]

Am just going through your post and picked put some points....

 

Yesterday I had a pre bailiff visit as not paid one of my accounts and I had forgotten. It was on behalf of cl finance??? Pre-bailiff visit my *rse...!

 

Well you have to magine I was very depressed soemthing I though was not a serious illness but honestly I could not be botehred to pay anything at all. I knew I had to do something so went to the cccs which were fine but i missed acouple of months as just could not be bothered so they sent me all the detaisl to deal with my creditors direct.

 

You can deal with all your creditors directly... this is not a problem, providing you keep a strong focus on what you're doing. If you ignore anything, it could create a loophole for them to climb through. I can appreciate what you've been through, but you really need to take control of this now. We will help you to do that.

 

Well to cut a long story I work part time and i decided i had to try and claer some debt and my crditers were being terrible and hence my mum got my tax crdits/working tax credits every week and has been paying them off for the last 4 months.. the thing is i never know where the next penny is coming from although what i do know is the debts are going down.

 

You are payng far too much.... Tax credits are not awarded for paying debts, no matter what these guys may have told you. If all you can genuinely afford is £1 a month, then that's all they can have. Please DO NOT HAVE ANY FURTHER CONTACT WITH THEM OVER THE 'PHONE....or they will try and get you to believe all sorts.

 

Most my debts are with agencies now like wescoot, howard Cowen and couiple of more. I am about £7,000 in debt altogther.

 

If that's the case, they should be fairly easy to deal with providing there are no CCJs.

 

I ahve been reading through threads and it seems i just be dealing with the people themselves rather than the debt agencies. Please could sombody point me in the correct direction.

 

You need to deal with whoever is pursuing you for payments... so if it's debt collectors, we need to deal with them first.

 

I also am scared stiff of the re bailiff man coming back as i know him as my daughter went to school with his.. what shall I do about this.

 

Tell him to leave to you will call the police and have him removed. He has no right to trespass on your property. If you're not strong enough to do this, then just don't answer the door. He has more to be ashamed of than you do.... doing a job like that. You have nothing to be ashamed of at all.

 

I ahve no money for Christams either as i got behind with my abbey mortgage and it went to court and have to pay my normal amount of £800 plus an extra £150 on top.. they have said (eversheds that they willl do this for 6 months then the capital will be added to end of loan) and be back with the abbey.

 

You mortgage is you priority.... so you need to keep to this one for now. There may be things we could look at later, but it's probably too much to take on all at once.

 

I have had 3 hours sleep all night with worry and just do not know what to do or where to turn.

 

Well.... welcome to CAG ! We will look after you now...

 

I put in my other thread i have complained about the abbey as after 8 weeks they still ahve not decided if i can have my bank charges back as living in hardship. There letter of reply we still have not finsidhed our investigations and if i wish to complain to the finacial omnisbun then do. I hgae the complaint form now so need to know what shall I include in it.

 

Leave this one on it's separate thread for now... I will try and take a look at some point.

 

I appreciate anybody at all that can elp me.

 

Thanks so so much maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[nelix]

Hello,

I only joined this wonderful site yesterday and have spent many hours reading. I think its a case of knowing you arent alone that helps.

Im pretty green when it comes to the practical advise, but I do know that Ive taken the bull by the horns and drafted out a letter on behalf of my partners debt and I feel so much better for doing it!

I hope Im not overstaking the mark here, but your sentence about almost feeling suicidal, crosses over into something I am involved with on the web. Id suggest this is taking a huge toll on you mentally, it becomes the only thing you feel able to focus on. This is a time you need a good support group, which I think you certainly have here, and maybe a time to consider popping along to your gp and explaining how you are feeling. these companies shouldnt have the right to push people into a state of panic. I doubt if there are any people who got into debt on purpose, its normally though illness or redundency, and lets face it it takes years to play catch up. I think we we be very shocked if we knew just how many people live from one paypacket to another.

My final thought is, is there anyone you can sit down and talk this over with? my partner kept it from me, until I could see what it was doing to him, since Ive taken it over and researched it, its lightened the burden, to be able to discuss it alould and talk about moving forward somehow makes you feel like you are going to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Good luck.

n

[Rosie_123]

Hi Hollie, I just wanted to come here to add my support to you. I am fairly new to this site. Like you I was feeling stressed and depressed caused by debt problems when I was made redundant from my job. All I can say, is please be strong and things will get better. The people here are great, very knowledgable and very supportive. They will help you through all this. For my own part, I went to PayPlan to look after my debt problems. They don't charge anything and have been great. I personally found it easier to put everything together and make only one payment each month to one organisation, but obviously that is your choice. So far only one creditor has refused to deal with PayPlan. Most important things are your health and that of your daughter. Take care.

[tiglet]

Hi Hollie

 

I think the advice about going to your GP is a good one.

 

Give us as much info as you can on your debts and you'll get lots of good advice on how to tackle each and every one in a way that will empower you and lower your stress levels.

[Allwood]

These DCA should not have the power to put people into such a state, the are acting illegally because they have not got any doucmentation to collect a debt they resort to sending out harassing letters to people in the hope that they will scare them into paying them money which they have no right to collect. We are these people allowed to operate in the 21st century's.

[Slartibartfast]

Greetings Babyhollie

 

There is a great deal more to this site and its 'occupants' than meet the eye. Take as much in as possible and allow yourself to voice any worries you may have. You need to look after yourself and taking control, you will have much help, as already said, will transform what once seemed like a hopeless situation. I have the T-Shirt! Good wishes.

[diskmandave]

Yesterday I had a pre bailiff visit as not paid one of my accounts and I had forgotten. It was on behalf of cl finance???

As has already been most eloquently stated by PriorityOne.....

Pre-bailiff visit my *rse...!

Bailiffs are only used in the worst cases of non-payment of a CCJ, this was most like a debt collector on a power trip, as has already been said.

 

Furthermore they are not allowed to just turn up out of the blue, they MUST make an appointment and you have the right to tell them to sod right off. They have no more legal rights than your paperboy does.

 

Here is an excerpt from the OFT Debt Collection Guidance;

Debt collection visits

2.11 Those visiting debtors must not act in an unclear or threatening manner.

2.12 Examples of unfair practices are:

a. not making the purpose of any proposed visit clear, for example, merely

stating that collectors or field agents will call is not sufficient

b. visiting a debtor when it is known they are vulnerable, for example, when

a doctor's certificate has been provided stating that the debtor is ill

c. continuing with a visit when it becomes apparent that the debtor is

distressed or otherwise vulnerable, for example, it becomes apparent that

the debtor has mental health problems

d. entering a property uninvited

e. not leaving a property when asked to

f. visiting or threatening to visit debtors without prior agreement when the

debt is deadlocked or disputed

g. not giving adequate notice of the time and date of a visit

h visiting debtors, unless requested, at inappropriate locations such as work

or hospital.

The full text can be found here;

http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/business_leaflets/consumer_credit/oft664.pdf

 

Good luck, Dave.

 

If my post was helpful don't forget to click the scales!

Advice is offered freely, without liability and without prejudice.

If in any doubt professional advice should be sought.

 

I do not profess to be in any way legally trained, I am a big

oily wagon driver and all I know has been learned within the

Debt Action Group.

 

FAQ's

http://www.consumeractiongroup.c o....se-read-these/

 

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[sosumi]

 

Well you have to magine I was very depressed soemthing I though was not a serious illness but honestly I could not be botehred to pay anything at all. I knew I had to do something so went to the cccs which were fine but i missed acouple of months as just could not be bothered so they sent me all the detaisl to deal with my creditors direct.

 

Depression can be a very serious illness BH. As others here have said, it's important to talk to your doctor about how this is making you feel. I understand what 'not being bothered' means. It's a big signal to talk to your GP. It's very hard to think when you're struggling with everything in life, and it sounds like you've had a very rough time. So, top of the list, see your GP and talk it through. xx

 

Thanks so so much maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Yes there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes we all need help to get to it, but it doesn't ever go away.

You are in good company now. And some top people here are already helping. Hang in there! xx

[Under Siege]

Babyhollie,

 

Lots of the posters on here have been in exactly the same situation as your self and believe me it DOES get better!

 

take advice from PriorityOne.

 

Send this to the company threatening a pre-bailiff visit -

 

Dear Sirs

 

Account Ref xxxx

 

Please be advised that I will only communicate with you in writing

 

Should it be your intention to arrange a “doorstep call”, please be advised that under OFT rules, you can only visit me at my home if you make an appointment and I have no wish to make an appointment with you.There is only an implied license under English Common Law for people to be able to visit me on my property without express permission; the postman and people asking for directions etc (Armstrong v. Sheppard and Short Ltd [1959] 2 Q.B. per Lord Evershed M.R.). Therefore take note that I revoke license under Common Law for you, or your representatives to visit me at my property and if you do so, then you will be liable to damages for a tort of trespass and action will be taken, including but not limited to, police attendance.

 

Yours faithfully

 

Send everything by recorded delivery and keep a copy on file

 

 

Creditors cannot send bailiffs without a court order !

 

Good luck

[diskmandave]

The Consumer Credit Counselling Service which was mentioned in an earlier reply is a registered charity and is the UK's leading debt counselling service.

 

Their website and free service can be found here;

CCCS - Free Debt Advice from the UK's Leading Debt Charity

[babybear39]

*BB turns the light on*

 

Good luck, best wishes and *hugs*...

[BABYHOLLIE]

Hello there I just thought I would let you know my mum is dealing with my debts and I will be going to house in the morning to go through them all. I am paying too much as all my tax credits are going on debt but that includes my car laon that I am paying the full amount to black horse and that is all up to date.

 

I have not hd time to read through all replies in depth but I intend to do so this eveing.

 

All my debts are with either debt collecter agaencies or with the compnay. I have pais alot off already buit still owe alot too. Ony one of the debts has gone to to court and give me a ccg and that was my mothercare account with Howard Cohan.

 

I have paid this months mortgage plus what I ahve to pay extra alreday and know I have to do this or will loose the house.

 

I would also like to add this place is so good as I feel better already knowing you are all here to support me and give me help which means alot to me.

 

I appreciate everything.

 

In the morning/afternoon I will post all debt that I have and see what you folks can do. My halifax laon and my mortgage are with Eversheds.

 

Thanks so much.

[tiglet]

Don't worry - you are right to concentrate on your mortgage - you'll get lots of help with the rest.

[nelix]

I think its brilliant your mum is supporting you though this. I think the feeling of being alone, is a huge issue. Once you have someone there to voice outlould what is going on and how you deal with it, it takes you to a different level altogether.

Your mum is a star; be as honest as you possibly can with her and fight the fight together!

N

[tomterm8]

Just for future reference.

 

 

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A DEBT PROBLEM THAT CAN'T BE SOLVED

Right, now we've said the obvious, we'll need to get down to business. i assume at this stage you have considered contacting either national debt line, or the Citizens Advice Bureau.

 

This is a good starting place.

 

What you need to do right from the start is realise that there are debts which are important - mortgage, council tax, car (if necessary for work), utility bills etc.

 

And there are debts that DCA's will tell you are important - unsecured loans, credit cards etc.

 

At this stage, with any of the "unimportant debts" you should be pauing no more than £1 a month.

 

With the priority debts, you should be seeking - if possible - to repay them via the minimum payments. that's the first step. Remember, 90% of the threats of DCA's simply are not as bad at they try to make it sounds.

 

Once you've done that, and called the people who can help, you do need to read other threads on this forum. What you will find out is that very many debts are unenforceable for various reasons, and with the enforceable ones then court generally, for public policy reasons, will not force you to pay mlore than you can afford.

 

You can, latter on, look at reclaiming any penalty charges, improperly sold PPI etc.

 

it can be a long road to solving debt problems, but you should be under no doubt whatsoever - every debt problem CAN be solved, and CAN be solved in such a way as to allow you to fulfill your basic needs.

[popeye1]

Folling this site IT WILL get better and lower your streess levels

[zazen.warrior]

BABYHOLLIE

 

Just to add my welcome too, I'm new here also, had I not received a letter threatening a Stat Demand from Con-artistes I would never have found my way here, that letter made me feel almost suicidal for a couple of hours (and I didn't think anything could make me feel that way) then I pulled myself together and did some research which brought me here.

 

Con-artistes have now backed off after receiving a CCA letter - still waiting for the agreeement - and I'm now very quietly waiting for a shot accross my decks from First Credit.

 

Chin up, we're all here to help each other!!

[Mamie]

 

I would also like to add this place is so good as I feel better already knowing you are all here to support me and give me help which means alot to me.

 

 

 

glad you are feeling a bit better and yes you are right you will get all the help and support here.

 

I wish you the very best of luck

 

mamie

[Tau]

Hi Babyhollie

You are in the best place to get help now. As said before many people here have had the same problems that you are going through now.

The amount of knowledge and information available here is Phenominal. Now is the time to sit down with your mum and have a cuppa(sound like bloody Pauline fowler off eastenders now ) and start to sort out and prioritise your creditors.

Now you will need to put a bit of money aside, as all correspondence you send will need to be by recorded/registered post.

You will also need to find £1.00 odd for each postal order for any CCA requests that you send.

 

Could you let us know who all your creditors are and how much you owe each of them and how far they have gone eg whos being the biggest pain in the a$$.

 

Good luck and you are in good hands now.

 

 

 

 

Geoff.

[mrsc]

Hi Babyhollie,

 

You have come to the right place,you will receive all the help you need and support to get you through this tough time.

 

Number one priority look after yourself,and your daughter,everything else can be sorted out.

 

Take care:) Mrsc