Try Martin Lewis for help, he's always really good with debt advice.

And I think theres ways that you can bundle it together and pay in manageable amounts, but I can't for the life of my remember how.

Could also try national debt line.

What you need to do is to consolidate all your debts into one and pay off the lone over time.... without the fines the repayments will be manageable.

Make a appointment to see someone about this at your current bank.

This is assuming your debt is over a number of cards vet.

Maybe opening the bank account effected the credit rating too?

I would give national debt line a call and see if they can help in any way.

Banks even over here (US) are often unwilling to help their account owners with paying off old debt. Mainly because you have to pay more to them over time and they don't want to lose that profit. You were wise to leave that bank and go to another.

I saw the trap of the banking system and credit cards when I was a teenager. I have refused debt and ANY form of credit. Your situation is a testimony as to the reason why.

There are variations of doing this. You cannot look to the same financial institutions that has you enslaved, for the solution.

Find someone or a group of "someones" who would be willing to help you pay off at least one of your credit lines.... To which you will close that line, destroy that card and never return.

For those willing to hear, the Good Word says this when it come to borrowing money:
"The borrower is slave to the lender." That's a fact.

A person can live and survive being broke BUT you can't do that when you're in debt...with intrest-bearing charges.

People complain they don't make enough at their jobs but in reality, if they weren't enslaved to debt, what little they're paid turns out to be an incredible amount.

Fractional reserve lending is evil, but that's what they do.
If I could force every person they ever brainwashed to stop using credit, I would. Every person should look at credit as something beneath them - because it is.

Try like he!! to get your debts paid off.

There is no such thing as "responsible" credit or debt. People who think "they've got this," are kidding themselves and toying with fire - period. If what they claim is true, then they should manage all of their basic costs without debt or credit to begin with.

What would you prefer? To go without certain things for a time while you save your earnings, OR deliver the full sum of your financial life to the corporate banking system?
There's no in between.

https://youtu.be/mII9NZ8MMVM

https://youtu.be/Sboh-_w43W8

Actually, I disagree with this to a degree. There ARE ways to responsibly handle credit/debt.

For example, if you take out a loan to replace the HVAC system in your house, which is currently running heavy and using WAY more energy than necessary- it's a loan, but you're actually saving more money than the interest on the loan, as long as you make reasonable payments. (i.e., responsible debt management.)

Another case is "buying" a house. Yes, it's a HUGE amount of debt, but now you save a ton of money by skipping the middle man (a renter/landlord, which is essentially a lender). Paying off a mortgage is MUCH cheaper than paying rent. (Because your landlord is paying the mortgage, AND they want a little extra for pocket change/insurance in case the renter fails to make payments or trashes the house...)

And finally, the last case is debt consolidation. Like Sophie said- having a little bit of debt in many many places is recipe for disaster. Not only do you have to financially manage all of this, but mentally having to juggle all of those places is difficult. Even if you're paying small amounts in each place, which feels better than a large sum dropping from your bank account- the small amounts add up FAST. Plus, if you aren't able to pay each place- you now suffer a fee from every collector on top of the interest. If all of your debt is in one company- even if you can't make the minimum payment, the fee is generally a flat rate and won't hurt as much as the fees from multiple places.

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All of that said, you might think it's better to avoid all debt in general, but life is full of surprises. You can't always be prepared for every situation. Building up a credit score will give you a softer cushion when the unexpected happens. So by putting yourself into "responsible" debt, you build up that cushion.

Responsible debt basically means you utilize credit cards and loans and such, but you never spend money you don't have. It's not something you can/should do if you're already IN debt- it's a way for a paycheck-to-paycheck person to build up credit and get that cushion. Somebody that's in debt already needs to follow the debt-consolidation and pay it down as much as possible, even if it means living a more than broke lifestyle.

I DO agree that banks and lending/collecting institutions are harsh and enforce harsher than necessary fees and such that essentially prey on making the weak weaker, but credit itself is essential for survival in a world that revolves around money. (Which I hate and wish we could change, but the fact is that's the world we live in.)

I think I would send a letter to the CEO of the bank, telling him that his underlings are guilty of usury, and that you are going to get the media involved. Tell them you plan to picket their bank.

These tactics work. I have used them myself. Nothing stops bad behaviour like the threat of being exposed. They will cave quickly!

This may sound simple, but do you have credit unions over there? They are usually willing to help out the 'little guy' more so than the bigger banks.

And you might set up a gofundme site. They seem to work!

(- record scratch -)
Financial planning and savings pays for the same system in cold hard cash. When bought, it's a done deal and there is no security greater than that. There is no promise you will wake up to a paying job tomorrow. By accepting a loan you become slave to the lender.

We live in world that has blurred the definition between what is "bought" and what is "loaned."
The only thing you're buying when it comes to taking out a loan to buy a house, is a payment that is usually spread out over a 30 year period. So now, you're not only a slave to the lender, you're a devoted slave, rendering decades of your life, and the house still isn't yours until you have paid it off.
Now, I will agree that these terms are somewhat better than renting (as you say avoiding the middle man), but in the big scheme of things, those who lease space aren't the real middle man - the bankers are. Sadly, the real reason for the inflation of housing cost are realitors who collect commissions for their services (which the cost is included in the next sale ad infintium).
Everyone is capable of managing their own transactions but don't do it. When you remit your abilities to a service, you inheritly give it the power to control a market you depend on.
And this is how the tail now wags the dog.

Having lived on paid off property has allowed me build my house out of pocket. There's a few things left undone but my work for it was finished decades ago. Now, things about the property itself have become the focus (like curb appeal and such).

That’s all great if you’ve got the money in the bank to forward for house upgrades, or truly own the property you live on. But when you live paycheck to paycheck, you can’t afford to drop ANY sum of cash on an upgrade- even those that will save you money in the long run. So loans can help in those situations, but it all comes down to handling it responsibly. Don’t take a loan you know you won’t be able to pay back or make payments on. Don’t spend money on a credit card that you don’t and won’t have, etc. the problem with credit is that people struggle to use it properly. The point of credit cards is to build interest and burn you- but that system is easily abusable to work in your favor. You play the system like they try to play you and you win. Find the 0% APR cards, charge them up and pay it off before the intro comes in. Then let sit and do a small charge every couple of months on it so that it doesn’t cancel and pay it off immediately. No interest accrues when you pay it off before the next cycle. Having multiple lines of credit builds your score quickly. Which, like most scores, is a game. You can play it if you’re careful, but there is definitely a risk that you have to be careful with.

I'm so sorry this is happening to you. I don't know what to tell you other than to maybe contact a credit counseling service....

I know once when I was in debt badly and couldn't pay, I contacted the credit card company directly and they put me on a payment plan and lowered the interest.....

You know what really makes my blood boil? It's financial institutions that keep kicking someone when they're down! You have people trying to pay off debts, but they are hit with late payment fees, penalties, extra interest charges--you name it! And the lenders so often do not want to be reasonable!

The underlings you have dealt with don't want to go to their bosses and ask for a better deal. They just want to keep sticking it to you. I would write a letter to the CEO and tell him to either work with you--or you will go to the media with the sordid tale of his company's dealings!

I guarantee you that if you had the media there while picketing and handing out flyers, they would settle fast!

You know, kid, what you have right now is a replay of Charles Dickens' England.

The time has come to consult a bankruptcy attorney.

And there is no shame in it. You have been bled dry over the years by high interest payments and immoral fees.

Get a bankruptcy judgment and wipe the slate clean. There are many billionaires in the US who have declared bankruptcy multiple times in the past.

You have labour laws in the UK that should protect you from losing your job over a bankruptcy.

See that attorney and shove those payments up their dorsal orifices!

How is it they can legally discriminate like that?

Usually in a job where you could be open to blackmail. Like high security places and military etc.

Before bankruptcy I would seriously consider the helpline. They will be able to the best advice before you do anything.

Bankruptcy doesn't have the stigma it used to. When you declare bankruptcy, virtually all debts are erased, so there's really no longer a basis for blackmailing or extorting a person.

But contact the helpline in your country. You should also try "pro bono" legal services. Surely there is a legal aid society there that provides free legal advice and services. Quite often a letter from a lawyer is enough to stop some outfit from persecuting you.

Once you become someone that it costs them to mess with, they stop messing with you.

It may not seem like it Joe but there is a reason you are going through this period in your life. There is a lesson to be learned although you may not see the exit to this at this time. Focus. Seek strong advice and don't just dismiss someone's answers because of personal feelings.

My considered opinion os that God does not screw with us. People screw with us.

God takes bad things--caused by people--and works to make them work out in the end.

Talk to a pro bono lawyer, too!

im paying off my debts .. thank god i never went on a spending spree eh a small one maybe. i know a friend who did, filed bankruptcy.. a big debt was erased. +50k took 2-5 yrs before his credit was back on track.. only thing is on a major loan .. your bk is on record. so if its gonna be forever after you are dead to pay off it.. seek the other option.

Hopefully the new bank will give you a low interest rate and a decent time span to get the loan paid off (and whenever you have extra money, put it toward that debt to get it paid off faster)

Debt management is a good option, too, though.

You just need to compare the terms between the two programs carefully (interest rates; length of time to repay; late payment clauses; balloon payments; prepayment penalties; any other penalties; etc)

Then you can get back on track and it will feel great to be debt free.

We actually have a ****shit ton of debt right now, too. It sucks.....

Hang in there --- better times are just around the corner!

I think you should really consider bankruptcy. Do not assume any consequences; get the facts.