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Sundae · 01-12-2006, 03:50 AM

Firstly - you have my total sympathy, good luck with what you have to go through.

I don't think my advice would be very useful as I can only assume from the other posts that things are different in the US. But certainly Tonchi's advice seems to fit my experiences - you can make a deal if you open channels of communication. It's better than having the bailiffs at your door (if you even have those?)

Are there any charities or agencies that you could go to? I was helped enormously by a UK charity called Christians Against Poverty who dealt with all my creditors for me. I still paid off most of my debts (about 85% in the end) but it was much easier having someone else negotiate monthly payments on my behalf. Especially as my credit card company refused to make a deal with me - insisted I paid the full amount balance immediately because I'd defaulted on payments. CAP managed to negotiate a monthly payment that was actually lower than what I'd been paying initially because they got the interest frozen.

We also have the Citizens Advice Bureau that offers advice including sample letters to creditors, and an information pack on legal rights.

Obviously neither of these help you, but it's worth looking around to see if you have anything similar - as Tonchi says, no-one benefits if you don't pay, so someone somewhere should be prepared to offer you help.

Good luck.

01-12-2006, 03:50 AM	#11
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	Firstly - you have my total sympathy, good luck with what you have to go through. I don't think my advice would be very useful as I can only assume from the other posts that things are different in the US. But certainly Tonchi's advice seems to fit my experiences - you can make a deal if you open channels of communication. It's better than having the bailiffs at your door (if you even have those?) Are there any charities or agencies that you could go to? I was helped enormously by a UK charity called Christians Against Poverty who dealt with all my creditors for me. I still paid off most of my debts (about 85% in the end) but it was much easier having someone else negotiate monthly payments on my behalf. Especially as my credit card company refused to make a deal with me - insisted I paid the full amount balance immediately because I'd defaulted on payments. CAP managed to negotiate a monthly payment that was actually lower than what I'd been paying initially because they got the interest frozen. We also have the Citizens Advice Bureau that offers advice including sample letters to creditors, and an information pack on legal rights. Obviously neither of these help you, but it's worth looking around to see if you have anything similar - as Tonchi says, no-one benefits if you don't pay, so someone somewhere should be prepared to offer you help. Good luck. Last edited by Sundae; 01-12-2006 at 03:59 AM.