You CAN do it! If you are at the end of your tether with debt and suffering - read this! Advice also wanted please.

[sillygirl1]

I've had a house reposessed, but am recovering. I still get phone calls and this year have twice fended off a company threatening to make me bankrupt. The second time they tried to put a charging order on my dads house, but I haven't lived there for 20 odd years and was able to prove from council tax records I had no 'interest' in the property.

 

I've had support from family and friends I have made on this site and try and help others make the mistakes I once made - that is my 'return' to a society which tries to reject me because I do not fit into a 'social box'.

 

It is society which needs to change and the people who run the DCAS who need to realise that not everybody is a 'Rankine' or a 'Won't pay' but a 'can't pay at the moment'.

 

I now have a lot more money available to me which I've paid towards PROVEN debts using the snowballing method, no way am I going to be bulldozed into paying 'he who shouts loudest' ever again... those get put into a pot and paid a pittance. Funny now how many of them (three at the last count) have offered me 'one time final reductions' with the promise 'they' wouldn't chase me. I've written back asking that if they amend it to 'they, the original creditor AND any other third party won't chase me' then I will pay them...

[Consumer dude]

I've had a house reposessed, but am recovering. I still get phone calls and this year have twice fended off a company threatening to make me bankrupt. The second time they tried to put a charging order on my dads house, but I haven't lived there for 20 odd years and was able to prove from council tax records I had no 'interest' in the property.

 

I've had support from family and friends I have made on this site and try and help others make the mistakes I once made - that is my 'return' to a society which tries to reject me because I do not fit into a 'social box'.

 

It is society which needs to change and the people who run the DCAS who need to realise that not everybody is a 'Rankine' or a 'Won't pay' but a 'can't pay at the moment'.

 

I now have a lot more money available to me which I've paid towards PROVEN debts using the snowballing method, no way am I going to be bulldozed into paying 'he who shouts loudest' ever again... those get put into a pot and paid a pittance. Funny now how many of them (three at the last count) have offered me 'one time final reductions' with the promise 'they' wouldn't chase me. I've written back asking that if they amend it to 'they, the original creditor AND any other third party won't chase me' then I will pay them...

 

I like your style and it was good to meet you on Birmingam meet..

[phoenix11]

I now have a lot more money available to me which I've paid towards PROVEN debts using the snowballing method, no way am I going to be bulldozed into paying 'he who shouts loudest' ever again... those get put into a pot and paid a pittance. Funny now how many of them (three at the last count) have offered me 'one time final reductions' with the promise 'they' wouldn't chase me. I've written back asking that if they amend it to 'they, the original creditor AND any other third party won't chase me' then I will pay them...

 

Out of interest, what is the snowballing method and how does it work with debts? (Not that I'm in a position to try any method right now - but I have aspirations!!)

 

And that's a good point about amending it to catch all the likely debt chasers if you're paying off the debt.

 

Well done, SillyGirl - good for you!!

[sillygirl1]

How the snowballing method works is as follows.

 

I was lucky enough toi have £160 'spare' to pay off debts with, so I listed my debts, smallest to largest and offered to pay off the smallest first by payments of £150 per month for 2 months, the rest paid a 'token' payment. After two months one proven debt was paid off, then I did the next and so on. In each case you have to tell them that you have many debts, you are not preapared to reval the names of the creditors but others have accepted minimum payments of £1.00 (0r £5.00).

 

If they don't play ball then ignore them, if court papers turn up you can prove you made a good deal to them and the game is over....

 

Consumer Dude it was good to meet you to, please PM me if you want, I'm over your way next week...

[phoenix11]

Ahhh - so the key is to have some money to pay off a small debt first.

 

Hmmmmmm - I rather fall down on the first two points there, and then my creditors already know about each other because that was how the CAB worked when they helped me last year.

 

But - it's still something I may be able to use in some way later - I like the idea of getting one debt paid off first so it's out of the way, and you have sense of completion.

 

Many thanks for the explanation.

 

[thcwefh]

Thanksfor good advice!

[bigpaddy1754]

hi all, i have to admit that as of today i have given up fighting, i have been fighting jd williams,reliable collections for nearly 7 months, and i have had enough, i am going to start paying them, not what they want but what i can afford. my son has told me not to do it, but i am afraid that it will make him ill, he wrote to s.beat at jdw and asked for them to send all mail in my wifes name, so she could divert it to my son, s beat,(solicitor) agreed to do this, but like the rest of these parasites, the threatening letters still came in my name. i think that if i dont give in, these people will be the death of me, i am on the edge, i thought that i could see this through but it will kill me in the end. bigpaddy

[Sea Gull]

Big Paddy

you have to do what is right for you - end of day it is you who is getting the letters and calls, one word of advice if I may - do not offer anymore than you can really afford and if at all possible go for the lowest amount I assume this debt could be statute barred? if so please read the sections on the Stat Barred and you will realise these people have little power.

On the paying back front every 6mths they try to force and increase - this is what happened to me, and even though you are paying it never really goes away. If I had realised back then that 2 of my debts were stat barred I would have fought all the way!

Just a thought my friend

[bigpaddy1754]

thanks seagull, i am going to offer the least possible, i can only afford this money because hutchison 3g, retired my accounts after sending a letter off my doctor about my illnesses. i cant go on with the slimy letters, they just wind me up. so i think for my health i will offer a small payment via a standing order. i will let you know how i get on. take care my friend. paddy

[DoubleU]

I suffer with major tonic and petit mal epilepsy and asthma I found that following a seizure, if I opened a letter from a DCA I would panic (usually bringing on an asthma attack) because I was confused about what it referred to. So I would always telephone, try to explain only to have the 'represetative' read their script to me and try to pressure me into making arrangements. As a result my health deteriorated, my seizures became extremely serious and unpredictable. I was being hassled with phone calls every day, sometimes up until 11pm. I got an answer machine and at one point it had recorded 200 messages - most of them blank. During a particularly lucid period, I decided to change my phone number and make sure it was ex-directory. Once the phones calls ceased I was able to breathe and look into ways of helping myself out with the debts that have accumulated. Im just at the beginning and hope I can get some useful help here at CAG. I did make the mistake of phoning one DCA following a letter I received after I changed my phone number. He insisted that I provide my telephone number and I insisted that I wouldnt and put the phone down.

 

My seizures are still pretty bad but they are not as severe. I feel better about taking charge of the situation and that has helped my health; even though a lot of the time Im not well enough to deal with something I still know that I have the upper hand at least under the harrassment act 1997!

 

 

Hi Summanotre,

The wonderful part of this forum is that it is all anonymous. In the past, I also suffered from Petit Mal epilepsy attacks. After a prolonged special diet and many years on a whole range of vile pills, they went. I also understand the stygma that goes along with epilepsy. And the only reason why I can admit to it on this forum, is because it is anonymous. Although I do not suffer from attacks anymore, I know that is is important that you are not put under pressure, specifically the type of pressure that is caused by people systematically locking all the doors on you, untill there is no way out and you feel suffocated and totally trapped. Those are the very actions often experienced from Debt collecting 'agencies and callcentres'. The stupidity of this is that no one realises that these calls and letters have a totally debilitating effect and very often paralize the victims. It all falls under the heading "We are trying to help you by giving you the opportunity to make an arrangement" Their 'helping' actually has the opposite effect and under the pressure of their insistence, you succumb and make another useless pledge to pay monies in that you already know you don't have. Even when you tell them you will honestly do everything you can, but cannot give a set amount, they keep the pressure on. In the end, just like so many others, I ended up sitting in my front room, in a stupor. I simply could not answer the phone anymore. I also simply could not bear to open any envelopes, especially brown ones, just in case there was another demand for payment and money. If breaking the house down, with my bare hands, brick by brick would have offered a solution, I would have gladly done it. I was mentally totally paralized for many months and was incapable of doing nothing else, but watch telly (to escape from reality) and wait for my retirement. My wife suffered, 'cause all the responsibilities were squarely put on her shoulders and my kids suffered, because 'Dad' was good for nothing and interested in nothing. I was too much of a coward to do myself in, and hated that part of me as well. Many a night I was in tears for hours. I simply do not drink alcohol, and have actually never been drunk in my life. In desparation one night, I drank half a bottle of whiskey, threw it all up again and sank to the floor realising that apart from all my other failures, I was even incapable of getting drunk, something that other people do on a regular basis. Many times I contemplated how I could finnish my life, but never actually did. My world was blacker than the deepest black and all I was interested in was getting out of this world. It is a bad position to be in. Time and patience, and endless, endless hours of talk with my wife eventually got me out of the depression. Slowly but surely, I was slowly moving back to making very careful and considered suggestions as to what we should do. I climbed the ladder ever so slowly, whilst being firmly supported by my wife. And only now, can I begin to think that I am coming out of this. So, I can still wobble at times. I am still tearful at times, for no reason at all, but I am getting out of this and with the help of this bunch of incredible caggers I can even begin to address my debts. So, patience is the key. Support is the Key, understanding is the key. If you can get that type of support, you WILL get through this. You will become stronger. You WILL be able to deal with stresses of daily life, and you Will get on top of it. If a plonker like I can do it, I know that you can. (no pressure) Just take your time and work on it. If necessary, hour by hour. Then day by day, and then Week by week. Slowly and easy does it!!

 

DoubleU

[sharktooth]

This is only the second time I've been on this forum, and I was only minded to say firstly how brave all you forum contributors are in facing adversity through debt and ill health... I'm amazed at your strength and fortitude!

 

I've been in debt for a good 15 years, but thankfully never so bad that I've been completely unable to cope... though a couple of times things were hugely stressful and scary.

 

Secondly though, I'm just disgusted that people, human beings, all deserved of fair treatment and a peaceful existence are bombarded and threatened by companies in the pursuit of debt repayments. This country, the system that we are slaves to, the poor education provided to young people about finance and debt are all to blame. The hype of consumerism and ease of obtaining credit make more and more people fall into this trap.... me especially!

 

Love and luck to all those battling with these problems... I wish you all the very best x