Lost in the lot - now feel helpless

jdn88 wrote: Which blocks do you advise? I have android phone.
All the best everyone
J

Hi Jdn blocking is really difficult on phones .. I found cancelling my 4g and only using wifi the best way .. I contacted my internet provider and asked them to block all gambling sites this was really easy to do and was up and running within 24 hours .. every time I get the urge my internet blocks it , there may be a few that will work but it takes a while to find one ..and there really dodgy sites ..
hope this helps
L.M

Cynical wife wrote:

Does your partner know exactly what's going on and the reasons for this economy drive that she is being asked to cooperate with? If not, then telling her is the one thing that you can do to help both of you.

CW

Thanks for the comment. I've been thinking of explaining. I have told her before I gambled (I tend to have binges very occasionally rather than a habitually daily/weekly gambler) and it broke her heart. We've always wanted to be more savvy with our money and I am giving more control of my finances to her/shared account which I hope will make things better. I don't want to admit the size of the overdraft and she will think it is a long term issue for her as well and that I will be holding her back. Once the overdraft is more manageable I may tell her. I don't want her to carry the worry about money as well.

Thanks for all your support and advice.
Just wanted to ask some questions in regards to the bank. Is it best to book an appointment with them and discuss and explain my issue? And devise a payment plan with them? Or should I privately create a payment plan based on Stepchange advice? I'm apprehensive the bank won't be very lenient and will also mark me on their books as a gambler if I admit it to them.
Thanks all

Hi jdn88

Regarding debt issues, remember forum members can only comment based on their own experiences. If you're taking advice from Stepchange they should be able to advise you on the pros and cons of each option they present to you.

Best wishes

Forum Admin

If you read the f&f section, you'll see that partners prefer to know. There's also a thread on the subject of telling in the debates section, again worth a read.

CW

Speak to the bank and explain everything, say your a compulsive gambler and you are seeking help. I was in the same position as you and i was being charged £90 a month just in overdraft fees. Once i explained everything they were very helpful and stopped any fees so i could pay them back. Unfortunately i slipped back into gambling but they still to this day did not charge me any fees. I cleared my overdraft last week and am now completely debt free. It's definitely worth a shot as the amount you are paying for fees will help massively to pay the overdraft.

Good luck mate

Dan

My overdraft is -2000, banks don't seem to care at all, I sent them a letter last year about how I was unemployed and couldn't pay it back yet but they didn't want to know,

my bank *** have a slogan "Simple personal fair banking",they recently charged me a fee for going into unarranged overdraft for a few days because of a Stepchange DMP payment, how is that fair? Charging someone who is on a debt management plan more fees. They've made nearly £1000 in fees from me since 2014.

Hi everyone,

I am fairly new on here but can relate to a lot of problems in the above posts.

I have tried so many times to stop gambling, each time I fall back into it I just end up in deeper deeper trouble each time.

In regards to overdraft fees I am with the Bank of Scotland and have an overdraft of ВЈ2500, of course I would like to get rid of this as soon as possible which is easier said than done. If I explain my situation is there a chance they can freeze the £2 charge per day on the overdraft?

Reading through so many comments on this thread and others, does make me realise that I am not alone in trying to overcome this illness -it is a horrible way of life and I want so much to be happier again and rid myself of gambling.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks