New user Pip saying "Hello!" and with overview of my situation before setting up diary

[Pip]

Re: New user Pip saying "Hello!" and with overview of my situation before setting up diary

I still haven't given up hope

Your finger-crossing and hoping has worked though -- she's turned up here on the site in the form of a new user with that name!

[PlanB]

Re: New user Pip saying "Hello!" and with overview of my situation before setting up diary

Hello PlanB!
I just came across that bloke's website the other day, and the one about "Could you design me a poster for my lost cat?" had me laughing more than I've done for a very long time!
(Link to "Missing Missy" -- poster for a lost cat)

I've only read about four of them so there are a lot more to look forward to reading!

I still haven't given up hope

[Numpty Monkey]

Re: New user Pip saying "Hello!" and with overview of my situation before setting up diary

And all the while I've been obediently shoving them this dosh, I've been buying reduced-to-clear bread and turning down offers to join friends to have Sunday dinner down the pub once a month, and put off having a bloody knackered wisdom tooth out cos I didn't have enough money to pay the dentist!! As Dennis Skinner MP said to Cameron in parliament last month, What a plonker!

I'm extremely glad though that you have all helped me see the light and how ludicrous the situation has been up to now!

Get the tooth sorted first,
then go to the pub

[PlanB]

Re: New user Pip saying "Hello!" and with overview of my situation before setting up diary

You're as bad as that bloke in her office. its MISSY

Does that really matter now that she's probably been gobbled up by a crocodile

[oscar]

Re: New user Pip saying "Hello!" and with overview of my situation before setting up diary

Pip. If you do get to holiday in the US soon would you keep your eye out for a missing black & white cat called Missey please

You're as bad as that bloke in her office. its MISSY

[Pip]

Re: New user Pip saying "Hello!" and with overview of my situation before setting up diary

Pip. If you do get to holiday in the US soon would you keep your eye out for a missing black & white cat called Missey please

No, that cat went missing in Australia! I've been there once, but wouldn't hurry back. You go all that way, and once you get there you think: Why did I bother? The koalas and kangaroos were interesting though!

[PlanB]

Re: New user Pip saying "Hello!" and with overview of my situation before setting up diary

!)

I could have spent £3,500 on a bloody luxury holiday (which I doubt I would ever do, spend so much on a holiday, but a trip to the U.S. might have been nice)

Pip. If you do get to holiday in the US soon would you keep your eye out for a missing black & white cat called Missey please

[Pip]

Re: New user Pip saying "Hello!" and with overview of my situation before setting up diary

Well I was up late last night reading through lots of people's UE diaries. All fascinating reading and a really amazing resource to be able to learn from others' experiences (while realising that creditors can be whimsical and pull fast ones from time to time!)

One of the main things that stuck out for me as quite surprising is that my most detested creditor out of a bad bunch, Lloyds TSB isn't all that hard to deal with once the UE process starts rolling (as far as realistic litigation threats go). However, while trying to sort out a DMP, and even a year on from the start of the DMP being in place, they were by far the nastiest -- their robot letter churning-out machine is by far the most full-on and merciless, and the interest that they have piled on since my initial default (i.e. not paying the full minimum payment) has been obscene. To ever pay the twats off through a DMP or any other genuine attempt to get out of debt is simply impossible because of the astronomically huge interest and relentless charges. Their in-house B*L*S*** Collections have been the first off the mark to send a letter saying I haven't paid them enough last month (although I did pay them something, but won't do so again).

Compared to some others whose stories I've read here, I probably got off lightly, but instead of having shoved £7,000 down the bottomless Debt Management Plughole in 18 months (ouch, that's painful to see how much it is), I could have spent £3,500 on a bloody luxury holiday (which I doubt I would ever do, spend so much on a holiday, but a trip to the U.S. might have been nice) and stashed the other half down my pants to keep in reserve for eventual F&Fs. And all the while I've been obediently shoving them this dosh, I've been buying reduced-to-clear bread and turning down offers to join friends to have Sunday dinner down the pub once a month, and put off having a bloody knackered wisdom tooth out cos I didn't have enough money to pay the dentist!! As Dennis Skinner MP said to Cameron in parliament last month, What a plonker!

I'm extremely glad though that you have all helped me see the light and how ludicrous the situation has been up to now!

[helmsman]

Re: New user Pip saying "Hello!" and with overview of my situation before setting up diary

Welcome to the forum Pip. Think a few of us had similar experiences with DMP's. I always thought they were our debts accrued through our own stupidity so it was our duty to repay them. We owed £30,000+ and if i'm honest i haven't got a clue where it went cos we've got nothing to show for it. Started with a credit card application filled in at the airport on our way to honeymoon(paid for by family),ran a debt up on that, couldn't pay it,got a loan and the rest is history. We went on the dmp with CCCS in 2003 and did 8 years of our 18 year sentence,and that's only with good behaviour, without missing a payment. Circumstances changed due to ill health and we thought BR was our only option. Like you a pm directed us over here and so far it,s the best thing we've ever done. Long way to go but enjoying the journey. GOOD LUCK

Hi Pip,
As above was with cccs 3 years paying £1000 pm still received ccj threats ect then could not afford the payment due to loss of earnings payed half for a few months then found this site since 2010 have only paid enforceable debts no % or charges, the unenforceable debts get nothing but niddys templates no cash, have had a second ccj enforceable cca only have to pay £10pm. So life is good again no more looking for cheapest groceries almost out of date ect, enjoying life again no credit just cash or debit card all thanks to this forum.
Good Luck.

[PlanB]

Re: New user Pip saying "Hello!" and with overview of my situation before setting up diary

Time to stop paying and pursue UE -- you've all given me such a lot of encouragement (tempered with words of caution) to give this a go. The light-hearted, friendly, supportive atmosphere on this forum is also very rare and quite wonderful!

Light-hearted ? I haven't slept a wink all night worrying about that poor missing cat I've email your link to all my contacts in North America and one in Costa Rica (cats are known to have a wanderlust). Here's hoping

[mk_chatham]

Re: New user Pip saying "Hello!" and with overview of my situation before setting up diary

Time to stop paying and pursue UE -- you've all given me such a lot of encouragement (tempered with words of caution) to give this a go. The light-hearted, friendly, supportive atmosphere on this forum is also very rare and quite wonderful!

LloydsTSB - For the (UE) journey !!

Good luck

MK

[Pip]

Re: New user Pip saying "Hello!" and with overview of my situation before setting up diary

In reality UE should be the FIRST thing to consider, i.e. first find out what sort of paperwork your creditors have, in some cases they have NOTHING AT ALL!

Indeed. Yet it's only by luck (including the luck of someone guiding them here ) that many people found this site! There's a lot of propaganda whenever debt is discussed in newspapers and on the now ghastly BBC ...

Just to think I could have carried on paying MBNA at least £200/mth over the past couple of years, that would have been nearly £5k literally flushed down the toilet as they were charging 36% interest! Balance wouldn't have gone down at all!!!

Tell me about it. Enough of this shoving money down the toilet. I've paid over £1000 in the past year to @*#$! Lloyds TSB, and lo and behold, the balance has gone UP by about £1000, despite having been in a DMP with CCCS. It's all la-la land figures now, and it's TIME TO STOP PAYING THE ****S! [pick your own rude word]

That's why I'm sooooo against the crap 'advice' being dished out these days, intended to keep lining the pockets of those who got us all in this me$$ in the first place at the expense of the little guys who apparently shouldn't have holidays, insure their pets or eat at lunchtime! While the fat cats get fatter and fatter with their bonu$e$!

Good grief, that really puts it in perspective. You can have half a bag of crisps and a Mars Bar for lunch while they dine at Claridge's. Like I mentioned before, it's like a casino (it IS a casino) where the profits are private but if they make a loss, WE all pay. It all seems strangely coordinated and choreographed that suddenly all of Europe and North America have to make massive cuts in public spending, all at the same time. I'm digressing though ...

I think you, Flowerpower, must be one of the rare gutsy ones who saw through the smoke and mirrors right from the start and didn't let fear and panic cloud your judgement (like I did). It really is smoke and mirrors -- very much like the TV licence where they force compliance through threats and bluster. When you hear people say "You took the money, you pay it back", it's not like the money actually existed -- the bank magicked it into existence through numbers on their computers, and then they charge 36% interest on what in reality is bugger-all, but people's lives and health -- mental or otherwise -- suffer terribly from the whole stinking game.

Time to stop paying and pursue UE -- you've all given me such a lot of encouragement (tempered with words of caution) to give this a go. The light-hearted, friendly, supportive atmosphere on this forum is also very rare and quite wonderful!

[samsmum]

Re: New user Pip saying "Hello!" and with overview of my situation before setting up diary

Good morning Pip,
I went to CCCS to start with and your comments above echo the same experience I had. My DMP initially started to run over 30 years! I still have the BR option running as a last resort in case the UE route doesn't go as I hope, but it is a final one! I've come to realise why the banks fund these people, and others, as it gives the impression they're prepared to help, while keeping control. If you're paying a DMP, IVA or whatever at the very least it stops the statute barred clock ticking.

I think the greatest thing that has to be overcome when running into problems such as ours is the fear that it invokes at the start. UE is a great way of taking back control from those that think they can walk all over you.

Welcome to the forum Pip. Think a few of us had similar experiences with DMP's. I always thought they were our debts accrued through our own stupidity so it was our duty to repay them. We owed £30,000+ and if i'm honest i haven't got a clue where it went cos we've got nothing to show for it. Started with a credit card application filled in at the airport on our way to honeymoon(paid for by family),ran a debt up on that, couldn't pay it,got a loan and the rest is history. We went on the dmp with CCCS in 2003 and did 8 years of our 18 year sentence,and that's only with good behaviour, without missing a payment. Circumstances changed due to ill health and we thought BR was our only option. Like you a pm directed us over here and so far it,s the best thing we've ever done. Long way to go but enjoying the journey. GOOD LUCK

[LooLoo]

Re: New user Pip saying "Hello!" and with overview of my situation before setting up diary

I had seen that website you were all laughing about a while back - it is soooooooo funny........... he sounds like a complete nutcase!!!

Anyway..... Pip - when my debt became out of control I first looked at BR - and then I started my own DMP as CCCS said they could not help me and PayPlan were just terrible - apparently I wasn't allowed to include pet insurance...... so if one of my pets became ill how could I pay for treatment...! So unhelpful! I think someone else mentioned about taking your own luch to work - yep they told i could spend a £1 a day on lunch. So that is why I did my own......... now I kinda think I wasted a year o this and wish I had gone down the UE route a lot sooner............

As everyone has said this route is not right for everyone and it does have UPS and DOWNS but the main thing is you will have so much help and support from here and on days when you feel down you know where you can come and vent or just moan - as I said before the good thing is that nearly all of us have sat where you are now.

LL
x

[oldyboy]

Re: New user Pip saying "Hello!" and with overview of my situation before setting up diary

After reading all of the above about CCCS it's quite an eye-opener. I can thank them though for having been there in my initial ignorant Aaagh! What the hell can I do?!!! stage, but then they were still pretty much on the side of the banks, as in: "They're under no obligation to stop interest or charges". I so wish I knew three years ago what I know now (don't we all) -- but even if someone came to this forum as their first port of call when on the brink of being unable to keep covering minimum payments, they would still need time (and gain experience and check other avenues and make mistakes) before they would be able to recognise and understand UE as a feasible (and pretty much the most sensible) option to go for ...

Good morning Pip,
I went to CCCS to start with and your comments above echo the same experience I had. My DMP initially started to run over 30 years! I still have the BR option running as a last resort in case the UE route doesn't go as I hope, but it is a final one! I've come to realise why the banks fund these people, and others, as it gives the impression they're prepared to help, while keeping control. If you're paying a DMP, IVA or whatever at the very least it stops the statute barred clock ticking.

I think the greatest thing that has to be overcome when running into problems such as ours is the fear that it invokes at the start. UE is a great way of taking back control from those that think they can walk all over you.