Help Needed

[ScabHunter]

Re: Help Needed

Many tasks which seem overwhelming when you look at the whole issue can be handled a lot more easily if you break them down into their component parts and tackle them one by one.

The first priority is banking. You must make sure that you have a safe bank account into which any wages or benefits can be paid. This applies whether you go down the UE route or not. Get that done first and you'll feel a lot calmer about tackling the rest of it.

Also, it makes sense to get everything you need set up as quickly as possible before much of the trouble starts. If you don't intend to move house in the near future, find out the cheapest electricity tariff and get on it now. You may well not need to change for another ten years or more.

Get as many things as you can set up before the defaults start flooding in, and then they won't seem so scary. Remember also that there is an alternative to everything. If supplier A doesn't want your money, supplier B will. We've lived with the negative side of extreme capitalism, we may as well take advantage of the positive side as well.

SH

[Susie]

Re: Help Needed

Before I found the last of the posts by Niddy on MSE and started to think differently I was very worried about defaults to the point where I was borrowing money to pay the minimum on the cards because they said that being less than 3 months in arrears was the only thing that would stop them defaulting my account. I would have been over £1.2k better off if I had seen Niddys posts earlier and stopped paying earlier. Most of my defaults are nearly 2 years now, sadly I carried on paying a couple while I could but ended up with the choice of food or getting phone calls from OC/DCA's and food won. Then I saw the Niddy posts and it was as you say like a breath of fresh air, I am here now, alive and eating! My bank account has no overdraft facility and I have a little bit left at the end of each month, I don't use credit cards and I doubt very much if I will again and my credit report will show my mortgage and the loan relating to it as green and nice, the old mobile account was green (now payg) so in about 18 months I would be able to change utility suppliers if I wanted to you will find that the 3 years after default will go quickly and if you are like me you will learn that its possible to live within your means and how to save a little bit for emergencies as well. So, put aside what you were paying on cards etc and if you want new sofas you will have the funds there to pay for them, no credit needed once you stop the vicious circle.

[Treadingwater]

Re: Help Needed

Safer to keep clear of the halifax/bos. Get a joint/sole accounts elsewhere. Just quickly looking at who you owe to you're best going to the cooperative. You can operate this through a local post office, pay in cheques, withdraw cash plus you can get online banking.

Hi Swanny,

Thanks for this- I have actually got a Co-op account already open....had forgotten about would this be ok to use? The only reason I ask is that I have noticed on an MBNA statement it shows them as banking with Co-Op??

Many tasks which seem overwhelming when you look at the whole issue can be handled a lot more easily if you break them down into their component parts and tackle them one by one.

The first priority is banking. You must make sure that you have a safe bank account into which any wages or benefits can be paid. This applies whether you go down the UE route or not. Get that done first and you'll feel a lot calmer about tackling the rest of it.

Also, it makes sense to get everything you need set up as quickly as possible before much of the trouble starts. If you don't intend to move house in the near future, find out the cheapest electricity tariff and get on it now. You may well not need to change for another ten years or more.


Get as many things as you can set up before the defaults start flooding in, and then they won't seem so scary. Remember also that there is an alternative to everything. If supplier A doesn't want your money, supplier B will. We've lived with the negative side of extreme capitalism, we may as well take advantage of the positive side as well.

SH

Just to let you know my own personal experience - I've never tried to buy sofas or anything else on credit so I wouldn't know about that, but I changed electricity suppliers to the cheapest tariff after the defaults started. I've also chaged telephone/broadband suppliers twice without any trouble. I've never had a cell phone contract, I suspect that might be a bit more challenging.



Also on this one - I got my Co-op account opened after my file was trashed. They always try to get you the full account so you go through that pantomime until the Experian codes come up on the screen, and then they just send you the Cashminder stuff through the post.

I can't guarantee it will be the same for you, but I've not had any problems.

SH

Hi SH,

Thanks for this- good points. As per my message to Swanny- I have Co-op account but little unsure about this now as it seems that MBNA bank with Co-Op?

Does anyone else know anything about this- is it ok to use Co-op current account if MBNA banks with Co-op?

Made a start and sent 8 cca requests at weekend- will start a diary thread shortly. Thanks again guys!

[MrsD]

Re: Help Needed

as long as you have no debts with co-op it'll be fine
MBNA is just another co-op customer and wouldn't be able to take money out of your account.

it'll be fine

[Treadingwater]

Re: Help Needed

Ok, thats good.

Thanks for your quick response.