What can happen?

[yflad]

Hello,

 

I am new here and wanted to write for advice as I am extremely worried about my debts.

 

I owe Natwest £10k on a loan, plus £2.5k on a credit card and another £2k on an overdraft. I had a business 2 years ago, but I lost all my work because I became ill (was diagnosed with schizophrenia).

 

Am now on benefits and living elsewhere, but still gets phone calls by the DCAs. The bank don't know my address and the DCAs only phone through my mobile.

 

I don't quite know what to do. I have payment protection on my loan if I was ill, but because of the nature of my illness, I stopped communicating with them when I moved house.

 

What should I do?

 

Can I be forced into bankruptcy?

[studentatou]

How old are the debts? Are they attached to your business?

 

Let someone on here know then you may be able to get more help

[yflad]

Hi,

 

Thank you for your response.

 

All the debts are about 2 years old, and they are all personal debts, not attached to my business.

 

I took them all out between October 2005 and March 2006, but I lost my entire business overnight (I simply got up one day and could not work).

 

Of course I want to do something about my loans, but the medication for schizophrenia leaves me very tired and I cannot think properly half the time. My only source of income now is Housing Benefit and Incapacity Benefit, and it's certainly just enough to live on and will not clear these loans.

 

Various debt collections have been pursuing me but by telephone only as they do not know my new address and I don't want to tell them it.

 

I feel extremely unwell most of the time due to my illness, but I have been getting the most awful phone calls from a company called Allied International in Glasgow.

 

If I was well enough, I could probably accept what they are saying, but their phone calls just fill me with horror. Most of the other debt collection agencies are courteous and reasonably nice, but these people have to be the most horrid people I have ever spoken to. Their staff don't seem to want to help me with my debt, but simply want to rub my nose in it. Most of their phone calls start along the lines "So Mr XXXX, are you going to try and evade me today. It's very clear that you can hear me, even though you keep saying the line is bad and you can't hear me." (my mobilephone signal in my house is genuinely quite poor and I have difficulty accepting calls)

 

Every single time this person phones, his manner is very abrupt and aggressive and he says all these things that aren't even relevant. My friend answered my phone the other day, and he started shouting at him down the phone "what right do you have to answer Mr XXXX's phone?"

 

Allied International have threatened me with enforced bankruptcy. I don't really understand this and how it can be done.

 

I think if I was well, I could live with being contacted by this agency, but because I am not well, I am finding it very difficult to pull myself together.

 

I don't know what to do and can't see any solution.

 

Does anyone please have any ideas about whether I can be forced into bankruptcy, or what possible options I have given everything I have said here?

 

I don't want to hide away from my debts, but I genuinely feel so ill because of my health problems.

 

Thank you.

[studentatou]

To be honest I think you would get more help if you moved your thread to the Debt Industry forum rather than on the general.

 

Also, I know its not what you want to hear but hiding away is not going to help. I'm sure that there is something about when someone is ill and/ or on benefit you can get help with agreeing payments. I myself am on benefits and the hardest thing was agreeing a low payment. One company refused and I felt forced to pay more than I could afford but that was before I came across this site. Now I feel I have the power rather than them.

[Monty2007]

Hi Yflad

I am sorry to hear about your troubles, you don't needs this given you are not well and it will not help your rebuild your life. The good news is that you have come to the right place for advice.

 

My suggestion would be for you to request the agreements for the loan and credit card and post them here with the personal details removed, we will then be able to see if they are enforceable. You should read around the many other threads, use the search facility.

 

It is not in their interest to make you bankrupt since they would get zilch, they are trying to frighten you.

 

What are the charges that have been made against the loan, card and overdraft, you will be able to claim these back which will help reduce the amount. You will need to do a Subject Access Request to get all the information and this letter is in the template section.

 

Don't let them get to you, their objective is to intimidate, bully and humiliate you. If possible either bar their calls or get a new mobile number as I did years ago. The alternative is to write to them requesting that all contact is in writing ONLY. Again, you need to read around and see the process others have followed. We have all been hounded by these people and most of us came from the same position as you, not knowing what our legal rights were and feeling as low as possible. Believe me, you will feel a lot better when you have read some of the threads on CAG and seen what can be done.

 

Good luck and hope you are feeling better.

[sillygirl1]

There is a letter in the templates you can send to Allied International - telling them not to call - when they do just tell them "Do not call" over and over again.

 

You could also read Mr Ton's excellent thread "Cheekiness towards a DCA" and get some ideas on how to confuse them - it really is quite satisfying when they end the call in frustration rather than the other way round.

 

As your income is all benefits there are other letters you can use to get these people off your backs, more people will be along with help and advice soon.