Help Baliffs!

[Sunnyb]

Another good & free debt consolidation group are The Consumer Credit Counselling Service (some other debt places charge you for their help). I used to work in the collections team at a bank & I'll be honest - most places will not accept a payment of £1.00. If the balances are high, they will normally want at least 1% payment per month. Working in the collections department was a proper eye opener! People have different priorities & what you see as essential expenditure, the people you owe money to certainly won't. There are nice to haves (like your scan & designer clothes etc for your baby). But if you can't afford it & makes your money situation harder, don't do it hun.
I know it's a once in a lifetime, but surely it's better to save money for more essential things once little one arrives?
It's all about will power & thinking ahead. If you save money now it'll put you in a stronger position later.
I have counselled so many people who ask for advice & slammed the phone down when you were honest with them, as the truth hurts sometimes. But they have called back later & apologised as they knew it was what needed doing.
Only you can decide what you spend your money on & if you consider it essential.
Hopefully Citizens Advice can give you good information, but if your situation is so bad, an IVA or Bankruptcy may be best way forward.

Again hope I'm not sounding harsh & really do hope it comes good for you.

Sunnyb xxx

 

[titch]

^^ yes I was gonna say WSS, if you choose to use a debt consolidation company do not use ones who charge you at all, use the free ones, theyre there to help you not take your money.

 

[xshauna_bazx]

Hi thanks hun, my mam is paying for the scan now as much as i don't want to but i think she really wants me to get it to. Your right though it isn't essential, even though she probably wouldn't take it back i could try give her it back when i am on my feet again. Yeah i think going bankrupt would be the best option definitely...just found out the man who called was from work and pensions? OH said he doesn't owe them money? xxx

 

[Froslass]

Hi thanks hun, my mam is paying for the scan now as much as i don't want to but i think she really wants me to get it to. Your right though it isn't essential, even though she probably wouldn't take it back i could try give her it back when i am on my feet again. Yeah i think going bankrupt would be the best option definitely...just found out the man who called was from work and pensions? OH said he doesn't owe them money? xxx

If OH had been to the Job centre or asked about Jobseekers, it's the dept of work and pensions that call xx

 

[Lander]

Go via CAB for DRO, they don't charge! My Aunt (she works in one) would do mine for me if I lived near her but as I don't I'll be doing my own in about six months once my HB overpayment (which the JSA people caused me, grrr) has cleared and my credit cards are my only debts (not spent anything on them for over two years), they are all on 'token' payment with interest stopped (which has made some difference in getting them paid).

I've kept my credit card people off my back by telling them that I'm applying for DRO, and getting them to agree to 'token' amounts as they want as much from me as possible before the DRO means they can't get anything more.....
Sending them a budget sheet, which CCCS have online, showing my debts, income and outgoings to prove how little I can pay was also a huge help!!!

Good luck hun
Lxx

 

[TiffanyJaynexo]

Simple.. Don't let them in But they do have warrants most of the time.
They are absolutely terrified of my mum so don't go knocking on her door any more.
I'm currently in debt myself, I owe the bank £111 from bank charges.. Basically I went 1p overdrawn and over time they've added all those charges! They've passed all my details onto a debt collector and the total debt I owe has now gone up to £211 because of court costs :S I rang the company up to offer a £1 a week or something but they said it was "too late" for me to do that, which apparently is bullshit. I'm not taking it any further, if they will accept £1 a week I'll gladly give it to them but there's no way I'm paying a full amount just like that.

I'd suggest for you to offer them a weekly payment, it's better than nothing and they should accept it.
Good luck! xx

 

[xshauna_bazx]

Housing benefit are always overpaying us then we ave to pay it back... typical! OH still insists he doesn't owe them anything!
Thats terrible 1p overdrawn and in £211 worth of debt because of it! They will be scared of me if they catch me on a hormonal day!
We'll see what CAB say or do tomorrow
xxx

 

[titch]

good luck at CAB today. You guys are doing the right thing facing up to the debts, the worst thingyou can do is ignore them, heres hoping your OH has learned his lesson now

 

[xshauna_bazx]

Thanks Tiny i am not going, just him...will let you know what they say xxx

 

[titch]

Ah thats good, make him deal with his own mess.

Men!!

 

[xshauna_bazx]

Lol yeah thats what i am doing. They have give him forms to fill in and everything so once we get them sent of i suppoose its a start. Don't know exactly what they said yet as he is not back but they told him not to worry as it is only to loan companies and that so it aint as bad xxx

 

[Lander]

Glad to hear it's getting sorted hun.

If there's one thing I hate, it's that I get so much crap even though I've been getting things done about mine for almost three years, I've taken responsibility for it yet I can't get any more help... Whinge over.

Lxx

 

[xshauna_bazx]

It is a joke i know what you mean hun. He has to fill forms out and they will have a look at our incomings and outgoings
and decide what is best to do xxx

 

[titch]

sounds good, bet you feel better now hes on the right track with it. Just had a thought last that that you might want to see if your parents would keep a box of your stuff at their place for a while, just incase your OH is a donut and lets the bailiffs in or if you forget to lock the doors and windows when you go out. That way you can put more expensive things in a safe place until youve sorted things with your OHs creditors.

 

[Vicxzy]

He needsto offer them all token payments of £1 per month Shauna, that is thre least he can pay to stop them taking him to court.
Does he have any assets or savings? If not he could apply for a debt relief order x

 

[xshauna_bazx]

I have thought about that Tiny but i don't think we have ALOT they would take apart from the 42" TV which i have a receipt for and is in my mam's name because i never had a TV licence when i bought it. Theres a few computers but there in bits and my laptop is now again too so don't think they would be interested in them. xx

Vicxzy no he has no savings or anything. I think thats probably what CAB are going to help with either that or going bankrupt. We will see what they say when he gets the appointment through for another meeting xx

 

[mumofmany]

Oh i hope this gets sorted soon for you, we had the bailifs knocking for us because of council tax, we didn;t even know we owed it, it was from when my husband signed on and off on and off when he had a days work here and there and then they adjusted the council tax of what we owed them, and we sorted out paying them monthly, we missed apayment on 28th dec just forgot it was my sons 1st birthday 27th then 4 out of my 5 kids got chicken pox and it just flew out of my head, they were really mean and said we had half an hour to pay them the rest of the bill and charges on top, i was so worried that they were going to take all my kids xmas presents i rang my mum sobbing and she payed it for me, i am now paying her back £20 a week, but i know everyone is not that lucky and i know what a state i was in, i really hope that CAB can sort it out for you, as i know how you feel and its horrible.

 

[xshauna_bazx]

Thanks hun...OMG thats awful how they treated you! I didn't know they could do that! Least you got it sorted It is very stressful at the time though xxx

 

[Vicxzy]

He doesnt need to go bankrupt hun, a DRO is his best bet.
a good alternative to CAB are http://www.cccs.co.uk/ A Government backed debt relief charity, they can sort u out online or over the phone x

 

[zaymisa]

make sure you dont let em in!!!