4 ms·

Oh Clifford Chance. They facilitated a competitor sending us groundless* cease and desists which caused a great deal of anxiety. Guess I'm not surprised to se

Oh Clifford Chance. They facilitated a competitor sending us groundless* cease and desists which caused a great deal of anxiety. Guess I'm not surprised to see them rubbing shoulders with my favourite bank RBS. RBS ran a great scam when I was at University, free 3 year railcards for signing up a student account. No one I knew ended up getting one unless they complained. I forgot about it, and complained 6-12 months later and asked for a 2 year railcard. They denied, and basically said I shouldn't be so entitled and that the bank are doing students a favour and that I should of complained earlier. RBS is also a bank I phoned up in tears because I couldn't manage my credit card debt when I was younger and in a bad time in my life. Was offered zero breaks. I expressed commitment to repaying the debt, but needed a couple of months breathing space on the repayments. Nope, not an option. They are one of the shittiest banks in the world, and I'm always more than happy to tell people my experiences of them when they pop up in conversation. * This is my opinion of the letter. Guess I have to make that explicit in this context.

vidarh 10y ago
For future reference (or for others..): If you really can't pay in the UK, set out your expenses and income clearly in a letter, demonstrating that you've taken reasonable step to limit your spending, address it to all your creditors, and ask for interest to be frozen and offer what you believe you can afford (proportional to debt) to pay to each creditor on weekly or monthly basis. If they refuse, then pursue a debt management plan. Most creditors in the UK will play hardball if you talk to first line staff, but will act more reasonable if you demonstrate that you have done your homework in determining what you can actually afford to pay, partly as that implies that you likely is also aware of alternatives like a debt management plan or IVA (Individual Voluntary Arrangement), or ultimately bankruptcy, which may leave them without full repayment.

vidarh 10y ago

For future reference (or for others..): If you really can't pay in the UK, set out your expenses and income clearly in a letter, demonstrating that you've taken reasonable step to limit your spending, address it to all your creditors, and ask for interest to be frozen and offer what you believe you can afford (proportional to debt) to pay to each creditor on weekly or monthly basis. If they refuse, then pursue a debt management plan. Most creditors in the UK will play hardball if you talk to first line staff, but will act more reasonable if you demonstrate that you have done your homework in determining what you can actually afford to pay, partly as that implies that you likely is also aware of alternatives like a debt management plan or IVA (Individual Voluntary Arrangement), or ultimately bankruptcy, which may leave them without full repayment.