Just had a call from Egg asking why I have cancelled the direct debit. I told them I didn't know it had been cancelled. The payment isn't even due until 6th April. Oh well, they should receive a letter from me soon telling them about my situation.
Just tell them what is happening and leave it at that. Don't get into an argument with them, they will only try and intimidate and bully you.
Sharing from experiences of dealing with debt
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
Bob Marley. http://kallis3.blogs.iva.co.uk
Other options would be to screen your calls, change your number on the online banking section, or change your phone number, or unplug the phone, or just hang up when they call.
We're willing to wipe the slate clean, give you a fresh start. All that we're asking in return is your cooperation.
All of those, and refuse to confirm the security questions when they ask them.
Sharing from experiences of dealing with debt
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
Bob Marley. http://kallis3.blogs.iva.co.uk
Normally we don't bother answering the house phone because we know it is usually people trying to sell something. I had just used it to ring my missis because I didn't have any signal on my mobile. The phone rang a few seconds after I hung up I thought it was my missis calling back. The first thing she said on the phone was a very friendly "hi is that Ben". I am going to unplug it now anyway. I can't have my mobile with me at work for safety reasons so they won't be able to get me until after 6 anyway. I think I'll just ignore them.
I dont know if this helps, but I just used to say 'I' wasnt in - they cant discuss anything with you until you tell them who you are, and confirm that you are the account holder - I used to say - "who is calling please?", they asked if 'I' was 'me' and I said "no", and again, "who is calling please?" - they couldnt even tell me what they wanted at this point for data protection would catch them out. It does mean you can answer your calls and never have to discuss anything with them - youre just not in - you lead a busy life - they are stuck!
But Im afraid to say you need to be resilient, because this does go on for absolutely ages and they dont give in. They try everything - none of which is in any way effective if you dont let them intimidate you - stay strong, stay resolute and just try and get through it wothout getting depressed.
Well my home phone is never plugged in. I only use the phone for my broadband connection, so will not get bothered that way.
My mobile has an answer phone facility, but is almost always switched off, and in any case, I never answer calls unless I recognise the number. That's something I've always done....
If someone wants me badly enough, they'll leave a message on my mobile....
So in theory I could ignore every single phone call I get. (Or change my mobile number to something that doesn't exist on all my credit agreements). I don't intend to be bullied by these people. At the end of the day, I'm trying to do something about it, and therefore they can say what they like.
Ooh hark at me...it sounds like I'm ready for a fight! [}:)]
Sharing from experiences of dealing with debt
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
Bob Marley. http://kallis3.blogs.iva.co.uk
Been getting loads of calls now as about 2 months behind at mo.
Unplugged house phone now and put my mobile on silent and today had 18 missed calls. They have all been sent letters about my situation but they just dont give in!
All our payments were up to date as of the end of February, and letters were sent out to our creditors from ourselves and Mel’s team at the beginning of March.
We fully expected to hear from our creditors as soon as they were aware of our intentions, but this has not been the case.
Instead of cancelling our direct debits en masse at the beginning of March, we decided to cancel them three to four days before they were due, and this seems to have worked well, as we found that the phone calls only started after payments were missed.
So far we have only received phone calls from three of our creditors, the others are yet to contact us, but we are fully expecting the phone calls to increase as time passes.
We have spoken to the creditors that have rung and explained the situation, they have persisted in calling us but we have told them that we have already informed them of our situation and will not speak to them until we have an update.
If they call again and we recognise the number calling we just ignore it or unplug the phone, especially if the children are at home.
Hopefully our proposal is not to far away, and we will have our creditors meeting within the next month or so, before the phone calls and letters from our creditors reach Defcon 1 status.
I have got sick of all the calls. When i have spoke to them they have been very friendly. Four hours later they call back for an update.
So, i now have set my phone to forward all calls to voice-mail - peace from my phone at last but can still receive text messages from friends and family etc. If anyone important calls they can leave a message (creditors rarely do)!
The only one who ever left a message for me, on both home and mobile, was Mercers and it was just to ask me to phone them. Not that I ever did!
Sharing from experiences of dealing with debt
The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.
Bob Marley. http://kallis3.blogs.iva.co.uk
Egg were very persistent with me but once I explained the situation, I wasn't and haven't been bothered by them since.
In fact they tried to offer my an alternative route to take by offering me a loan to cover my debts at the time, I'm sure that they would have accepted a 60k unsecured proposal....yeh right[;)]
