Helping our residents take early action on debt
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At Citizens Advice Wigan Borough, we help our clients to resolve all sorts of issues by giving them the advice and support they need. One of the reasons people come to us for help is to manage and deal with debt.
We recently talked about reasons to address consumer debt head-on, but the best way to deal with debt is often to take early action. This can prevent the situation from getting worse, which can have an effect on your health and well-being.
Whether it’s consumer debt like credit cards, or rent / council tax arrears, our dedicated advisers can help you to find a way forward. Here are some stories from clients we’ve helped recently.
Housing arrears
Our client was an elderly woman who moved into retirement housing after losing her husband. She was unable to pay rent on her council property for 2 months and was worried about how this debt would affect her.
When she contacted us, we first stepped in to prevent further action being taken by the council. Our advisers negotiated with the council on the client's behalf to agree an affordable repayment plan following Christmas.
We were able to take early action on behalf of our client, preventing her situation from becoming worse and stopping any action against her from the council. This made a big difference to her life and meant she could move on without her debt hanging over her.
Mobile phone debt
Our client had cancelled his mobile phone contract, then received a bill 6 months later. He contacted us and we advised him to confirm the cancellation with the phone company, which he did.
He then received another bill 6 months later and contacted us again. We supported him to complain by providing him with a template letter, and talked him through how to change it to reflect his circumstances.
After sending our letter of complaint to the phone company, the bill was removed. With our support, the client challenged the alleged debt and his case with the phone company was resolved.
Dealing with bailiffs
Our client came to us because bailiffs had arrived at her home while her teenage son was alone in the property. The bailiffs were addressing a debt for her family member, who doesn't live at the address.
They waited until our client returned home, and demanded repayment or return of the items. She gave them the details of the person responsible for the debt, but they insisted she should pay. Our client gave them money in order to leave but was very unhappy and didn't know how to respond.
As the client contacted us during lockdown, we supported her over email. We advised her that the bailiffs should have sent her a notice of enforcement 7 clear days before they visited the first time. This should include contact details so that the client could get in touch with the firm that engaged the bailiffs.
We supported the client to prove that the debt wasn't hers, and to make a complaint against the enforcement agency. We also advised her on which grounds she had the right to complain, and that she should be entitled to a refund.
We informed the client that if bailiffs turn up without this notice of enforcement being issued, she can send them away and make a complaint. We also supported her to inform the enforcement firm to put the case on hold and advised her of the types of evidence she could send to prove that the debt wasn't hers.
