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This is a short introduction to what seems to be a very friendly and helpful forum. I won't go into too much detail at this early stage for fear of boring you all with my history of past and current debts .I suspect that I am like many of you in that an unexpected incident or series of events hit you for more than 6 and alk of a sudden you felt yourself drowning.In my case a number of things over a comparatively short period of time put me in a situation that in my worst dreams i had never faced. I have learned to control - to a significant extent - those excruciating panic attacks, where everything just seems to close in around you and, I don't mind admitting, sometimes lead you to the sort of thoughts that go something like "....I can't take this anymore....this is not a life but a living nightmare...."Fortunately, some close friends and a profound belief in that one day it will get better and I will look back and be able to laugh is what gets me through on a day to day basis.
I realise that my own situation is most probably nowhere near to the problems many of you have had and are still having.
Even now though I cannot allow myself to go back to that time where financial issues/problems did not feature. A well paid job [a very well paid job] in what is normaly considered as safe as you can get [I had a senior management post in the public sector], a career path that seemed to have just one direction - up. [And a job that I actually enjoyed.]And the future at age 60 which would give me a pension based on final salary. I sometimes cannot believe that I literally had more money than I could spend!! [well, without being really stupid which at times I was].But in addition to having the solid security of a "gold plated pension" I was able to save about £400 per month into various savings schemes - 2 of which turned out to be totally disastrous and losing me at least £20K. I have two great passions - music and literature.Over a period of 30 years I built up a music collection of vinyl and CDs that was almost 2000 in number. And, of course, I had a system [or rather a main set-up] that cost as much as the music collection. At today's prices the average cost of each disc was approximately £10-12 so you can easily see what the value of that passion was worth. It almost seems unbelievable - I even had the luxury of having a "music room". Then my books. I graduated in english a long long time ago - almost 35 years ago and if I had a large number of discs that figure was dwarfed by the number of books. I just loved the feel of them and they were certainly not something of decorative value. Indeed, the majority were paperbacks which only cost a couple of pound and been read at least once but most more times.However, in replacement value - what the acquisition cost was - I would estimate a figure not that far different from the cost of my musical indulgences.I had it too easy and I did not realise that fact. But, more importantly I did not realise how fragile all this was. I have always been aware of many of my weaknesses [which in many scenarios and settings are seen as strengths]. The first is that I used to have a total belief that I could do it - whatever it was - by myself. I didn't need anyone else. I thought I was so b..... clever. And if there was one thing I was terrible at was accepting advice [a very common human failing?]. But I did always saw having to ask for help as a weakness.Again, that "quality" of self-realiance is often viewed as a strength. I have learned the hard way that there is a time when you do need help. I think I have developed to a limited extent the skill or the awareness of when I need to seek help from those that have the experience, the knowledge and the ability and willingness to impart it to others.
Through my own fault - stubboirness I suppose - I did things that I should not have done, and did not do things that I should have done [such as giving in to threats and intimidation/not making use of organisations such as the FOS/continuing to make payments on debts when I should not have done. The list goes on and on and on.]. At the moment I have disputes with lloydtsb/mbna/capital one/westcott financial services/welsh water/E.on/my previous employers/my local authority - too numerous to mention. The financial significance of some of these may be quite limited.Indeed, I imagine that "they" can do it because Regulation 6, Paragraph 232, [as amended]*sub-section 12, clause 4, sub-clause (i) says that [see our document available by writing to......*the amended version applies if you are.....in all other cases your original terms&conditions apply etc...
The fact remains that many of these issues remain unresolved. For a range of reasons they were not pursued because of the amount of work involved and the feeling that the institutionalised bureaucracy - whatever the organisation - is designed to make things as difficult as possible.However, the feeling of elation when you get even a little victory, however small perhaps not even financial, can spur you on. :carolers:I apologise for a rather long intro. It was meant to be short but I digressed.
I hope that 2011 is as good for you as I intend it to be for me.
This is a short introduction to what seems to be a very friendly and helpful forum. I won't go into too much detail at this early stage for fear of boring you all with my history of past and current debts .I suspect that I am like many of you in that an unexpected incident or series of events hit you for more than 6 and alk of a sudden you felt yourself drowning.In my case a number of things over a comparatively short period of time put me in a situation that in my worst dreams i had never faced. I have learned to control - to a significant extent - those excruciating panic attacks, where everything just seems to close in around you and, I don't mind admitting, sometimes lead you to the sort of thoughts that go something like "....I can't take this anymore....this is not a life but a living nightmare...."Fortunately, some close friends and a profound belief in that one day it will get better and I will look back and be able to laugh is what gets me through on a day to day basis.
I realise that my own situation is most probably nowhere near to the problems many of you have had and are still having.
Even now though I cannot allow myself to go back to that time where financial issues/problems did not feature. A well paid job [a very well paid job] in what is normaly considered as safe as you can get [I had a senior management post in the public sector], a career path that seemed to have just one direction - up. [And a job that I actually enjoyed.]And the future at age 60 which would give me a pension based on final salary. I sometimes cannot believe that I literally had more money than I could spend!! [well, without being really stupid which at times I was].But in addition to having the solid security of a "gold plated pension" I was able to save about £400 per month into various savings schemes - 2 of which turned out to be totally disastrous and losing me at least £20K. I have two great passions - music and literature.Over a period of 30 years I built up a music collection of vinyl and CDs that was almost 2000 in number. And, of course, I had a system [or rather a main set-up] that cost as much as the music collection. At today's prices the average cost of each disc was approximately £10-12 so you can easily see what the value of that passion was worth. It almost seems unbelievable - I even had the luxury of having a "music room". Then my books. I graduated in english a long long time ago - almost 35 years ago and if I had a large number of discs that figure was dwarfed by the number of books. I just loved the feel of them and they were certainly not something of decorative value. Indeed, the majority were paperbacks which only cost a couple of pound and been read at least once but most more times.However, in replacement value - what the acquisition cost was - I would estimate a figure not that far different from the cost of my musical indulgences.I had it too easy and I did not realise that fact. But, more importantly I did not realise how fragile all this was. I have always been aware of many of my weaknesses [which in many scenarios and settings are seen as strengths]. The first is that I used to have a total belief that I could do it - whatever it was - by myself. I didn't need anyone else. I thought I was so b..... clever. And if there was one thing I was terrible at was accepting advice [a very common human failing?]. But I did always saw having to ask for help as a weakness.Again, that "quality" of self-realiance is often viewed as a strength. I have learned the hard way that there is a time when you do need help. I think I have developed to a limited extent the skill or the awareness of when I need to seek help from those that have the experience, the knowledge and the ability and willingness to impart it to others.
Through my own fault - stubboirness I suppose - I did things that I should not have done, and did not do things that I should have done [such as giving in to threats and intimidation/not making use of organisations such as the FOS/continuing to make payments on debts when I should not have done. The list goes on and on and on.]. At the moment I have disputes with lloydtsb/mbna/capital one/westcott financial services/welsh water/E.on/my previous employers/my local authority - too numerous to mention. The financial significance of some of these may be quite limited.Indeed, I imagine that "they" can do it because Regulation 6, Paragraph 232, [as amended]*sub-section 12, clause 4, sub-clause (i) says that [see our document available by writing to......*the amended version applies if you are.....in all other cases your original terms&conditions apply etc...
The fact remains that many of these issues remain unresolved. For a range of reasons they were not pursued because of the amount of work involved and the feeling that the institutionalised bureaucracy - whatever the organisation - is designed to make things as difficult as possible.However, the feeling of elation when you get even a little victory, however small perhaps not even financial, can spur you on. :carolers:I apologise for a rather long intro. It was meant to be short but I digressed.
I hope that 2011 is as good for you as I intend it to be for me.
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