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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

I need help, I’m in a mess and I can’t extricate myself

198 replies

hidinginabubble · 19/02/2019 09:10

I’m in a complete and utter financial mess and have been for a long time. This is despite earning an excellent salary.

I know the usual advice is to contact stepchange etc but they can’t seem to help, I need someone who can.

I have acquired things like parking tickets which I’ve ignored and had a head in the sand approach to, easy as I’ve worked abroad for a while. So haven’t received letters etc.

Every month I am having hundreds taken off me by bailiffs. This isn’t step changes remit, that’s more cc/loan debt. Although I have those too.

My credit file is shocking or else I’d take a loan and sort it that way. Basically I owe a lot of people a lot of money.

I can’t seem to get advice anywhere. I was speaking to one company this morning but he couldn’t help as I earned too much. (So this isn’t a begging thread, I admit this is my fault but if I’m ever going to sort it I need help.)

Anyone legal about at all?

OP posts:
LIZS · 19/02/2019 10:18

Presumably these have all gone to court. When the next one comes up go to hearing and explain your obligations and offer a repayment plan. If you have missed hearings contact the Court Clerk office for details. Go through all your paperwork with CAB or similar.

How can these randomly be coming up still? How far back are they if you were abroad?

stopitandtidyupp · 19/02/2019 10:18

If you post an SOA of income and expenditure people will be able to advise better.

Original poster
hidinginabubble · 19/02/2019 10:19

I did this morning stop it. So basically I should have £700 ‘free.’

In practice I don’t because of massive debts.

OP posts:
PurpleDaisies · 19/02/2019 10:19

You have £700 a month to pay off debts?

Debruary · 19/02/2019 10:20

So you have £700 to throw at debts, you now need to know what your total debt is.

You mentioned the £5000 on the credit file- are you currently repaying any of this, ie it’s already being included in the £1300?

PurpleDaisies · 19/02/2019 10:20

I’m really confused. Does that figure include minimum payments to essential debts or not?

Original poster
hidinginabubble · 19/02/2019 10:21

I have £700 ‘free’ money a month.

I am getting fines from old debts all the time

It’s like a nightmare I can’t wake up from, I want to put it right but I can’t and no one can help.

I should be ok but I’m not.

OP posts:
SaveKevin · 19/02/2019 10:23

Have you binned the letters? So your fire fighting each bailiff as they knock?

MadameJosephine · 19/02/2019 10:23

Whether you’re ill or not, it is not your sole responsibility to ensure your child has clean clothes. You’re probably both a bit fed up and didn’t handle the situation very well but at the crux of it is the idea that he is absolving himself of responsibility when this child has 2 parents and that’s unacceptable

Springisallaround · 19/02/2019 10:24

I am not sure what legal advice would extricate you from this. I'm surprised both the CAB and StepChange sent you away with a flea in your ear, usually both are very sympathetic and will help you with paperwork/contacting the organizations.

It sounds to me like you don't know the extent of the debt/where it all is, so perhaps the CAB/StepChange were not able to help as you weren't able to say where the debt was or who to contact?

Their advice you dont' need to answer the door to bailiffs is correct- but I'm pretty sure they would advise you to ring them/aim to get a payment plan in place.

They can even advise on bankruptcy although for £5000 odd I don't think it would be worth it.

Without detailed info on exactly what each debt is, and with which organization, no-one can help you, not even a lawyer, so I'd make that a priority. I know from personal experience this is the worst bit, it used to make me feel sick trying to gather that info, but no-one can advise you legally or otherwise without it as they don't know the nature of the debt or the organizations.

I'd get the info together, ring StepChange again, go to the CAB again. There isn't a magic lawyer which will be able to sort this out- but they may be able to intervene to get a stay on the debts giving you time to make some payments/arrange to pay the rest.

SaveKevin · 19/02/2019 10:24

Are these debts appearing from the historic debt department recently set up?

MadameJosephine · 19/02/2019 10:24

Oops wrong thread sorry

Original poster
hidinginabubble · 19/02/2019 10:24

Deb my debt in things like credit cards and loans and to utility companies is £5000

However when you do a credit search things like parking fines council tax arrears etc do not come up

I had a long period where I did not work and during this time I amassed ct debt, parking fines, other fines ... I’m not proud in fact I am very ashamed byr it is done now and I need help.

Then I went to work abroad and the letters about parking charges etc did not reach me and also I admit I was in denial really.

So for example every month I might think okay great I have £500 to save, £100 to put towards debt and £100 fun money. Then I get a letter saying I owe money and bam it’s gone. At first I thought iwas was a one off it obviously isn’t.

OP posts:
Original poster
hidinginabubble · 19/02/2019 10:26

Spring it’s because on paper I have enough money to manage my debts. That’s because the bailiff charges don’t appear on a credit search. They didn’t send me away with a flea in my ear, just couldn’t help I suppose

OP posts:
GaryWilmottsTeeth · 19/02/2019 10:26

OP you seem very convinced that CAB can't help, but that is not the experience of myself and many other posters on this thread. When you went before, did you have all the information/paperwork you needed with you? Or were you just telling them a jumbled story like you are here and didn't know what you owed to who?

My very strong suggestion is to give them another go. Take everything you can with you, if you get the same person you spoke to last time, and you feel like they aren't helping, maybe ask if someone else is free or come back at a different time. Please don't dismiss them out of hand, they are such a good resource.

PurpleDaisies · 19/02/2019 10:26

When you’re getting fines from old debts, that must come with paperwork, surely?

Houseonahill · 19/02/2019 10:27

If you could actually break down what you earn and what you pay so

Rent
Council tax
Gas and electric
Water
Phone
Internet
Credit cards
Loans
Bailiffs
Anything else I have forgotten

People might actually be able to help or At least point you in the right direction but your unwillingness to do so when lots of people have asked and you claiming you have £700 to pay debts just makes me think you are squandering money on shit like expensive hair appointments and eating out (for example) and don't want to admit that

Debruary · 19/02/2019 10:27

I too just wonder if the agencies so far can’t help because you don’t know what your debts actually are, and they’re ‘cropping’ up month on month. (Well done for looking at your credit file btw, that can be a nasty shock and takes a bit of gumption if you already know it’s not gonna be pretty)

SaveKevin · 19/02/2019 10:27

I had some appear from the historic debt department (they were over 10 years old) It took three court visits and a fucking lot of stress to sort out Flowers but it did get sorted Flowers

PurpleDaisies · 19/02/2019 10:28

So for example every month I might think okay great I have £500 to save, £100 to put towards debt and £100 fun money. Then I get a letter saying I owe money and bam it’s gone. At first I thought iwas was a one off it obviously isn’t.

You’d be mad to be saving now. Throw all that money at paying off the debt you know about.

BinaryStar · 19/02/2019 10:28

Op I’m rather confused why you dont know the extend of what bailiffs are after you? Where is all the paperwork? Do you have it and need to open it?

Either way you can search your county court judgments which bailiffs will be acting off. Noddle does this for free, there are other paid providers but some do free trials. Your credit report also show who you owe credit to and whether it is up to date.

This won’t necessarily be comprehensive as wont cover money owed to a non credit supplier who has not taken you to court but should capture most things.

Original poster
hidinginabubble · 19/02/2019 10:29

Yes ok that is just an example how I should be ok but am not.

I don’t have any paperwork. I just have a photo of the bailiffs letter someone sent me.

OP posts:
PurpleDaisies · 19/02/2019 10:29

A letter is paperwork. Confused

PurpleDaisies · 19/02/2019 10:30

How much are these unexpected fines?

Springisallaround · 19/02/2019 10:30

Ok, so one concrete thing you could do today is to list all the debts and who they are to- council tax X amount, parking X and so on.

Your account of this is very chaotic and if you don't list this very carefully, no-one, not even a lawyer can help you- so get that list written.

Second- today you can ring the council tax department and explain what you have explained here. You have CT debt, you have some money not that much and you need to set up a repayment plan. You can go to prison for CT debt, not so much other types of debt, so this is one that has to be sorted out. They are usually extremely nice and not looking to make you very poor, so you will be able to agree a plan to pay back a bit per month.

This will also tell you how much you owe on CT. Same on other priority bills like heating/electricity/water.

This clarifies what advice CAB/StepChange or other organizations can give you- as you have to pay these priority debts first. The thing is the bailiffs are noisier and nastier on purpose to get you to shell out precisely because theirs are not the priority debts.

Please go back to the CAB with an actual list of debts amounts and creditors all written out which can be dealt with one by one (or start doing this yourself).

Going bankrupt is another option but may not fully remove all of your debts and you do need legal advice on this- again go to the CAB as a starting point and they may refer.