Killed by my Debt

[droopsnoot]

joema said:

Then the bailiffs removed his only way of paying it back. He really needed help. Seemed totally avoidable.

I didn't watch the programme for various reasons, however I've seen and heard it advertised, and heard this part.

Just to focus on that specific point, isn't it the case that bailiffs aren't allowed to remove someone's means of earning a living and/or paying back the debt? I seem to recall it came up in one of the other threads about the programmes featuring the other side of these situations, where a bailiff or sheriff had threatened to seize a plumbers van, or a taxi or similar, and couldn't for that reason. Or did I make that up in my head? Or did the programme cover why that wasn't the case here?

[Zammy]

A superb but also heart-breaking programme from the BBC. Agree with other posters this should be shown at schools / colleges.

The actual footage of the debt collectors body-cam at the very end was just haunting.

[The Mad Monk]

Zammy said:

A superb but also heart-breaking programme from the BBC. Agree with other posters this should be shown at schools / colleges.

The actual footage of the debt collectors body-cam at the very end was just haunting.

Yes, but instead of showing the gloom and doom, what about showing:-

1. How not to get into this situation in the first place.

2. How best to get out of it if, despite everything, one does get into this situation.

[Efbe]

The Mad Monk said:

Yes, but instead of showing the gloom and doom, what about showing:-

1. How not to get into this situation in the first place.

2. How best to get out of it if, despite everything, one does get into this situation.

I think the point you may be missing is that it's not always possible to stop getting in this situation, and it's not always possible to get out of it.

[The Mad Monk]

Efbe said:

The Mad Monk said:

Yes, but instead of showing the gloom and doom, what about showing:-

1. How not to get into this situation in the first place.

2. How best to get out of it if, despite everything, one does get into this situation.

I think the point you may be missing is that it's not always possible to stop getting in this situation, and it's not always possible to get out of it.

So what do we do?

[soad]

GregK2 said:

This was shown a while ago, or was on iplayer first. I'm glad it was shown again, sobering viewing. Agree it would be good to be shown in schools.

Yes, watched it a while ago.

[Efbe]

The Mad Monk said:

Efbe said:

The Mad Monk said:

Yes, but instead of showing the gloom and doom, what about showing:-

1. How not to get into this situation in the first place.

2. How best to get out of it if, despite everything, one does get into this situation.

I think the point you may be missing is that it's not always possible to stop getting in this situation, and it's not always possible to get out of it.

So what do we do?

get rid of zero hour contracts.
teach kids how to get jobs.
increase the amount of work experience at schools.
bring local companies into schools to tout for students, especially for the more manual type jobs.
teach kids about money, debt, what to do and their rights etc.

would be 5 ideas from the top of my head. haven't thought any through tbh though

[untakenname]

How could they take his bike if it was on finance?
I'm in a dispute at the moment about a Dartford crossing charge it's now to the point where the fine is in the hundreds but they won't listen so need to wait till a CCJ is taken out against me so I can contest it which may have an effect on my credit rating

[Shuvi McTupya]

untakenname said:

How could they take his bike if it was on finance?
I'm in a dispute at the moment about a Dartford crossing charge it's now to the point where the fine is in the hundreds but they won't listen so need to wait till a CCJ is taken out against me so I can contest it which may have an effect on my credit rating

The fact that credit ratings exist and are so important is a good example of what life is all about..

They want us to be in debt. Many years ago i wanted a phone contract but couldn't get one as my credit was bad. My credit was bad because i have never had any! I went to my bank and borrowed some money and paid it back the next week with a bit of interest and that improved my rating enough to get a phone..

[nikaiyo2]

Efbe said:

at the point of the fine, phone and phone, complain to the bank immediately. See if you can get this first charge removed.

But really, this is already too late. What is really needed is the nigh on impossible task of saving into a savings fund from day1 of work. Problem is that if everyone did this it would probably crash the country, and given how rubbish many people's wages are would be impossible anyhow.

other than that, second job I guess.

I thought these were council fines? So nothing to do with banks at all.

[Efbe]

nikaiyo2 said:

Efbe said:

at the point of the fine, phone and phone, complain to the bank immediately. See if you can get this first charge removed.

But really, this is already too late. What is really needed is the nigh on impossible task of saving into a savings fund from day1 of work. Problem is that if everyone did this it would probably crash the country, and given how rubbish many people's wages are would be impossible anyhow.

other than that, second job I guess.

I thought these were council fines? So nothing to do with banks at all.

I'm talking more generally about how people should deal with situation, for which mostly will start with a bank overdraft fine. (or whatever it's called)

[Donbot]

How successful has Martin form moneysavingexpert been to get this into schools? He had a long campaign about it, but I've heard nothing from it.

I had almost zero financial education when I was at school (about 15 years ago). I am from Yorkshire though, so they would probably be best to tell us to spend more money

[Cfnteabag]

I watched this with my wife and we had several questions.

Although he put the clamp on the bike could he even have taken it as it was on finance and that finance was in his stepdads name? When you watch the sherriff/baliff programs as soon as they make a phone call and finance is mentioned the clamps get removed.

What would have happened if at the first increase to £130ish he had rang the council could something have been done at that point?

Although they touched on him going to payday loan companies they didn't show how that can snowball with the interest rates, should they have done even though it may not have been relevant to the true story?

[KAgantua]

Efbe said:

The Mad Monk said:

No.

Honestly, they were not.

I can guarantee that they were not bleeding you dry.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/englis...

you sir are a complete bellend!

Genuine question, MAd MOnk , are you autisitc?

[wjb]

Just watched this, was pretty tough to see a young lad get into this kind of trouble.

Yes there are things he could've done in hindsight, but that isn't the point.

Sad story.

[Efbe]

Cfnteabag said:

I watched this with my wife and we had several questions.

Although he put the clamp on the bike could he even have taken it as it was on finance and that finance was in his stepdads name? When you watch the sherriff/baliff programs as soon as they make a phone call and finance is mentioned the clamps get removed.

What would have happened if at the first increase to £130ish he had rang the council could something have been done at that point?

Although they touched on him going to payday loan companies they didn't show how that can snowball with the interest rates, should they have done even though it may not have been relevant to the true story?

I wonder if that's a good way out of this a little.

Bailiffs turn up, debtor says TV, sofa, laptop, phone, white goods are all on finance/leased.

[technodup]

bazza white said:

debt collection agencies should be handing out details of debt help agencies to the debtor the same as gambling sites now offer contacts for thos with gambling issues.

They do, every time you speak to them.

Debt help places can't pay the debt though, so aiui they're limited to helping you deal with lenders, which if you have any sense at all you can do yourself.

I think people worry about credit scores too much. You'd think having a debt problem would wean you off credit altogether, not have you thinking about the next time you want to borrow. (I realise it's not ALL about borrowing, but you'd have to be really bad not to get a phone contract or whatever).

[vsonix]

untakenname said:

How could they take his bike if it was on finance?
I'm in a dispute at the moment about a Dartford crossing charge it's now to the point where the fine is in the hundreds but they won't listen so need to wait till a CCJ is taken out against me so I can contest it which may have an effect on my credit rating

From my understanding CCJs pertaining to unpaid fines, congestion charge, parking etc don't affect your credit record in the same way that defaulting on bills or credit does. I may be wrong but I recently had some issues with the congestion charge people (made a u-turn before entering the zone, they say I drove in it anyway but can't prove it, yet they refused to waive the fine) - I mentioned I was upset with them ruining my credit over nothing and they said that their system doesn't feed into credit checks at all).
Maybe don't take that as gospel until someone else can confirm it for you, as I don't really trust them lol.