Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)

Money is great, while you are earning it, spending and generally enjoying it. However when the money dries up, the memories of enjoying the hard earned cash are more than distant. Especially when you take into consideration the sleepless nights, the fear that cripples your body every time you answer the phone or open a letter or the bank calls because yet another cheque has bounced. As you can probably fathom by now, I have experienced like many ...
...you can't see a way out, ever. Many people had suggestion joining a debt management programme, pay plan for instance but seeing as at the time I worked in the finance industry, a lot of stigma and bad press is associated with such schemes and I was put off. They promise the world with slogans like" We will slash your debts by 30% and all you have to do is make one small manageable money payment". Sounds too good to be true doesn't it and it is. They ...

jjllss 16.11.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)

I have had poor credit for the past 3 years, i have 4 credit cards and in total my balance for these bloody things totalled almost £9,000! It got to the point where i had filled all 4 credit cards up, was spending more on trying to pay the creditors off than i was actually earning and all i wanted to do was bankrupt myself! I am only just turned 22! I started to ignore the bills and demanding nasty letters coming through the door threatening me ...
...me, they were just words which sounded scarey and the ony thing i could do with them was put them in the shredder and try to forget about them, hoping they would go away! Deep down i knew they were still there and i knew ignoring the problem could get me into allsorts of trouble, so as the birth of my first child neared i contacted one of these companys which claim to get you out of debt by paying off all your bills for you and then you pay them ...

sallyslater 27.12.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)

...in touch then with the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) and told me that I could have exactly the same type of agreement without paying for the service!! Too good to be true?? ================== The Consumer Credit Counselling Service and What They Do: ================================================== Right, well in basic terms they are a debt consolidation business but they are also a charity! They do not charge for their service ...
...a way that still allows you to live! (You do need to be in current employment although they will offer advise if you are not). My initial phone call to them basically involved giving my brief details (name, address, etc) and them giving me a six digit reference number. I was then told that they would send me a couple of forms in the post for me to fill in and send back as soon as possible. In the mean time, I was to give my reference number to any ...

polgara1979 07.04.2003 (28.04.2004) · Read full review
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Review of Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)

...aims of the CCCS** The Consumer Credit people are a charity to help people who are are in "financial difficulty by providing free, independent, impartial and realistic advice. " **What happens after the first call.** It's quite some time ago, but I seem to recall I was offered a callback just a few days later. This was to give me time to gather all statements (from banks and creditors), wage slips, Child Benefit books and suchlike. **How much ...
...total income - expenditure = the money CCCS take. Total Income is everything, Child Benefit, Tax credits, Wages, Maintainance, Lodge etc.... Expenditure.... Everything you buy needs to be accounted for, from toothpaste to Council Tax, Tampons to Phone bills. All presents, birthday and otherwise need to be accounted for too. CCCS literally take everything else. But they do make sure you have enough to live on, otherwise they suggest other options ...

mizz_behaves 24.02.2005 (05.10.2005) · Read full review
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Review of Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)

I had heard about the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) from my boss, he was having a bad time with his finances after getting married so had contacted them for help. During one of our regular chats at work I mentioned that things financially were starting to get a bit tight for us. He advised me to have a word with CCCS as they had helped him out in a similar situation and they could do the same for us. Well I wasn't keen on telling the ...
...get better and I kept saying just a few more weeks on benefits and things will be ok. I was only working as a volunteer and was sure that a job was around the corner. Well let's just say things didn't work out like that it wasn't a few more weeks on benefits and to make sure that the kids had clothes and the things they needed I would put more and more on the credit card and then applying for another card to help pay my other cards off. Things were ...

btco 02.12.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)

Hopefully you would have read the other 7 reviews in respect of the CCCS so I do not need to go over what they do and how you set up a DMP with them. So now time to read mine, about a slightly less positive experience. BACKGROUND We are an Army family, and had been used to living on the extra perks that our men get when posted to Germany. Wages are higher as allowances are given for extra costs, papers, milk to be brought abroad etc. Living in ...
...and so you either live life to that fact, or are sensible and squirrel it away. Unfortunately for us it was neither, we had a new daughter in less than 18 months of marrying, so our funds went on setting up a home and the baby. Not an excuse - just the facts. Upon moving back to UK, I found out we were expecting our second baby and that our income had reduced by around £300 per month as the extra allowances weere taken away. Loans were taken out, ...

marionandrews 29.03.2006 (31.03.2006) · Read full review
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Review of Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)

...CCCS? ============== CCCS stands for Consumer Credit Counselling Service. Their website can be found at www.cccs.co.uk. The Consumer Credit Counselling Service is a registered charity whose purpose is to assist people who are in financial difficulty by providing free, independent, impartial and realistic advice. They are part of The Foundation For Credit Counselling and give advice on budgeting, the use of credit and can also help by developing ...
...I was panicking about making the repayments to my creditors as well as paying a (new) mortgage and household bills. When I called them they took some brief details and made an appointment for a credit counsellor to call me back. A pack was sent to me through the post with the name of my credit counsellor. I was to speak to her whenever I called, rather than being put through to different people who didn't know my circumstances. Their first piece ...

miss_diva 06.01.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)

...ago and they recommended the Consumer Credit Counselling Service as they do exactly the same but do not charge and as they a funded by banks and building societies and are a charity financial institutes are more likely to respond and freeze charges and interest for you. SO WHAT HAPPENS? First you speak to a counsellor on the phone by a pre arranged appointment they then find out what you want to do i.e.; do you just need advice or do you want a ...
...with you, your outgoings and incomings what you spend on dog food, fags food etc and work out how much you can afford to pay a month. They then write to your creditors and offer them a repayment plan and ask them to stop charges and freeze interest (some will some won’t). You then pay them each month and they then pay your creditors. It may take a long time to pay off, mine for example will take around 10 years but its better then receiving court ...

sarahpervin 07.05.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)

...reviews posted here. The Consumer Credit Counselling service uses its charity status to boost its claim to be champion of the struggling debtor, but is the advice it gives always the best advice? The CCCS is a registered charity and is financed by donations. However, most charities I'm aware of exist to help the cause of those in need without any other agenda. The CCCS is financed by the credit industry. Therefore, is it possible to get fair advice ...
...coming from people paid by the companies with whom you have that debt? The suggestion in a recent (Jan 2008) article in the Mail on Sunday is that advice given tends to be biased towards maximising recovery of borrowed money by those who finance the CCCS. "Financial Mail has learned that CCCS might not be as independent as it boasts and could be obtaining revenue from possibly ' inappropriate' advice given to debt-ridden clients" The claim is that ...

kellypeters 04.03.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)

...debt to call them, even if they can still afford the repayments as they can give good budgeting advice and might be able to stop the problem from spiralling out of control. www.cccs.co.uk 0800 138 1111 Consumer Credit Counselling Service Wade House Merrion Centre Leeds LS2 8NG ...

Anne107 11.10.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)

Three months ago i finally realised that i could no longer survive on my credit cards and keep trying to pay off my overdraft by using my cc's. I looked up debt managemnt online and found a forum that offered free advice and someone to talk to. I contacted CCCS at the end of June and explained my situation to them, she asked me to whom i owed etc whether my property was mine or rented was i behin on my rent, she asked about all my Income and expenditure ...
...a draft at this stage and arranged an appointment with a counsellor in 4 weeks time, in the meantime she would send me some info that i would need to have ready when the counsellor called back. This was again my wages hubby's wages tax credits, CHB and all main bills like water &gas & electric. On another page was a list of all creditors what i owed them account numbers, monthly payment. When i added them all up i realised i owed over 5,000 i was ...

minka2325 24.09.2005 (06.10.2005) · Read full review
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Review of Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)

...Cccs stands for the consumer credit counselling service. It is a registered charity which offers FREE, yes i said FREE financial advice. Whether you want to go on a payments plan, thinking through bankruptcy, or just need help budgeting your incomings and outgoings each month. WHAT HAPPENS?? They arrange a telephone appointment which last for 40-60 mins.Whilst awaiting for the call they give you a list of things to get together , for example your ...
...appointment. When they call they run through everything you have coming in and going out each month, preparing an affordable budget for you to live on. They can then negociate an affordable repayment plan ( or in our case bankruptcy!) MY OPINION What can i say? The guy i spoke to answered all my questions , gave me advice and pointed me the right way...forward! The next day i recieved a breakdown of all my budget and outgoings and incomings to ...

sammieg29 19.07.2004 (24.07.2004) · Read full review
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Review of Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)

It takes guts to admit you have a problem with debt and do something about it. Some people call this your lightbulb moment. I have a problem - £60k's worth of problem and CCCS are helping me to sort it out. When you build up the courage to do something about your debt situation, it can be hard to talk to someone on the phone about it. CCCS let you fill in all of your debt amounts, income and expenditure online and then give advice as to what solution ...
...decide to go ahead, you can give them a quick call to confirm and it's all sorted. No telling off, no judging and importantly no cost. I was advised to go for an IVA due to my debt amount, but I want to pay my debts in full, so when I told them this they were happy to support my decision. They worked out a pro rata Debt Management Plan for me, and sent forms / letters for me to send to my creditors to advise them of my offer and also give permission ...

crystaltipps5648 21.07.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)

As a charity its hard to knock CCCS too hard but bear in mind they are funded by the financial institutions you owe money to - conflict of interest? Some would say so. CCCS is growing very fast and seems to have bitten off more than it can reasonably chew - basic maths errors are creeping into it's statementing - meaning people get nasty shocks when their balances are quite as good as they thought they were. Stock response is CCCS are a charity ...
...is both a crass and misleading statement. They hold the numbers from the get go - and calculate how much of the money you pay each month gets allocated to which creditor. SIMPLE MATHS, well obviously a bit beyond CCCS. £100 minus £70 would mean a balance of £10 according to CCCS, not the £30 true picture. Very poor service when it comes to getting their "paymasters" to back off on the heavy handed approach. All in all better to go through a truly ...

Andysteve 13.10.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)

It's simple the CCCS are financed by the Creditors and it's not a non-profit (Charity) organisation they are in it for the money as well so although it appears they are helping the clients who come to them their main aim is to get that client to make a reasonable payment to ensure they get a Fair share contribution back from the Creditors. In order to be accepted for a Debt Management Plan you need at least £5 per creditor for some people this may ...
...be difficult. The £5 rule exists because that's the minimum they can pay to creditors to guarantee their Fair Share Contribution. If you can't pay them your basically left on your own to sort it out yourself. So technically the service is not really free they just don't tell you some of that money you pay actually comes back to them and that's another reason why creditors don't stop interest entirely because they are already receiving a reduced payment ...

Deinerrah 18.03.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS)