You cannot stop your creditor contacting you, but if you are getting phone calls that are upsetting or distressing you can write to your creditor and ask them to remove your phone number from their records. You can also make a formal complaint to your creditor if you are getting an unreasonable amount of phone calls or the calls are at unreasonable times during the day or night.

If your creditor says they won’t accept your payment because it is not the amount they expect, you must still send them the amount you have offered. Sending the payment shows the creditor that you are serious about trying to resolve your debt situation. If you haven’t already, send your creditors a copy of your budget to show you cannot afford to pay them what they are asking for and a list of debts to show the extent of your debt. If you are having problems arranging payments to your creditors we will be able to help you. You can use our online service, CCCS Debt Remedy, to get a personal recommendation for your debt problems, or call our Helpline on 0800 138 1111.

The fact that an account has defaulted is recorded on your credit file for six years, and will make it harder to obtain credit for that time. A credit agreement can only default once.

Creditors often talk about default notices in terms that make them sound like a serious threat. If you want to preserve a good credit rating they are a valid threat. But if you have a record of missed or late payments and are having trouble managing your debts, your credit rating will be affected already.