So Wonga have appointed a new chairman to try and clean up their act after the scandal of their letters from fake legal firms. But did Wonga realise the impact these letters would have on those suffering with debt especially those with mental health problems. Fair Money Advice has helped many clients with mental health problems as well as debt, making their situation that much more difficult and Jenny (not her real name) is an example of one of these clients.
Jenny suffered from agro-phobia and as a result was unemployed as she found it hard to cope with work and life in general, even finding it difficult to leave the house and interact with people.
When Jenny first visited Fair Money Advice she had 12 months worth of unopened letters and around £10,000 worth of debt, £2,900 of which was rent arrears. At the beginning of her case Jenny needed support just in the opening of her letters as she was frightened there would be another ‘harassing’ letter from a creditor. These constant letters had made her health even worse to the point where she was extremely nervous and becoming more and more depressed.
Fair Money Advice supported Jenny by checking her benefit entitlements and arranging a benefit back payment and repayment arrangement. We provided creditors with evidence of her medical condition to make them reduce the constant letters being sent and set up token payments.
By the time Jenny left Fair Money Advice her rent account was in credit and she was maintaining her other payments that we had set up for her other debts. Thanks to Fair Money Advice’s help and support in handling Jenny’s debts she left a lot happier, more confident and was now opening all her post!
