One of our leading Advisor’s Jason commented on the subject, “ Many people, understandably, want to keep their personal finances and debt problems private and this possibility of being hassled on a Social Networking Site is causing worry amongst some of our clients.”

David Fisher, the OFT’s director of consumer credit, said: “In the present economic climate, with many people, including those who may be particularly vulnerable, in financial difficulties, it is crucial they are treated fairly by companies recovering their debts.”

As these social networking sites can be very public as well, many people are beginning to panic in case they are targeted.

If you are worried here a few tips to keep you secure:

• Never make your profile public – always try to keep your profile so that only your friends and family can see your information and send you messages.
• Don’t accept people you don’t know – These could be debt collectors waiting to target you
• Do not engage in any conversation with any debt collection agency over a social media site.

Remember to always stay safe on-line and if you have any queries phone Refresh for advice on: 0800 121 4863

If you are struggling to pay back your debts, give Refresh Debt a call. One of our highly experienced and knowledgeable advisors can help you with your debt and in just 20 minutes time you can have your payments reduced and have a structured and affordable plan in place to repay all your debts! Phone today on 0800 121 4863 and see how much you could save.

If you have taken out PPI there is a chance it has been mis-sold to you. This could mean that you are entitled to claim compensation. The average payout is £2000 so it’s worth checking to see if you have a possible claim.

Refresh Debt Services is now offering people from Northern Ireland the opportunity to claim back their PPI on a “No win, No fee” basis. If you believe you have been mis-sold Payment Protection Insurance with a loan taken out in the last 6 years, phone today on 0800 121 4863 to see if you could be owed money. If you are from elsewhere in the UK, we will also be able to advise you on your case and we will then refer you to another company that will be able to claim the money for you.

For a Debt Management Plan, they will go through the debt you owe, and to whom, the amounts you owe and your income and expenditure. They will then calculate how much you can afford each month. This plan will then be sent to your home for you to read over and make up your mind if you would like to start the plan or not. (You are not obliged to take out the plan if you are not happy with it.) If you do decide to commence with the plan, you will then be assigned your own personal Client Liaison officer. They will then deal with your creditors on your behalf throughout your plan. Your client officer will also do the negotiating to try and lower your monthly payments and your interest rates.

If you ever have any problems or contact from the creditors, all you need to do is phone Refresh on the free phone number and speak to your client officer. They will then try and sort it out for you so you will not be contacted anymore. Refresh also provide you with free post envelopes so any creditor letters you get you can post them straight to Refresh for free. We do all this to try and ensure that you do not have to deal with your creditor which, in turn, relieves the stress and worry off of your shoulders.

If you have unsecured debt and are struggling to pay it back and if this sounds like something you would like in your life, Phone us today on 0800 121 4863 or fill in a contact form on the website for a call back. You’ll wonder why you haven’t done it earlier!

- At the end of November 2011 personal debt stood at £1.451 trillion. However this is down from £1.455 trillion at the end of November 2010. Secured lending was measured at £1.244 trillion in November 2011 and unsecured debt stood at £208 billion. Secured debt has increased since 2010 however; unsecured debt has decreased which is a good sign as this means households are paying back their creditors.

- At the end of 2011 it was found that the UK’s total interest repayment on personal debt over a 12 month period was £63.1 billion. This is equivalent to £173 million per day only in Interest!

- The Office for budget Responsibility predicts that the average household debt will reach £78,669 by 2017.

- Every day in the UK, 331 people are declared insolvent or bankrupt. This is equivalent to 1 person every 60 seconds. There are also1,779 Consumer County Court Judgments issued every day with an average value of £2,816.

- There are on average 101 properties repossessed every day.

If you are struggling to maintain payments and feel like you are slipping down a dangerous slope, phone Refresh today. We can help you lower your payments to your creditors to free up more money for other bills that need to be paid, i.e. Mortgage, rent, utility bills etc. You do not have to struggle on if you are in debt because there is help out there and you will wonder why you didn’t phone sooner. Call today on 0800 121 48 63

The survey also found that because of this struggle, families are saving less then last year. 42% of families save nothing at all on a monthly basis compared to the 40% who didn’t last January. This rise in debt reflects the rising cost of living, the constant threat of redundancy and still having to cope with unexpected expenses.

The research, however, which questioned 10,000 people aged from 18 – 55 revealed the net income has risen by 7%. Those without children claimed an 11% increase in income however single parents saw their income fall by 22%. This decrease could be as a result of the change in benefit payments with more cuts on the way.

Elderly people are also struggling as a survey found 18% of people planning to retire this year will do so with outstanding debt, averaging £38,200 which is also up by £500 since last January. The statistics show that more men are likely to be retiring with debt then women as they owe substantially more. Around the UK, people retiring who are from Wales are most likely to have debts. Retirement with debt is very hard to live with as older people already tend to be hit the hardest by rising costs of living.

If you are struggling to pay back your debts you should ring Refresh Debt Services today. We will create a plan unique to your needs and debts and try and lower your monthly outgoings. Our Liaison officers work with you personally to try and help you as much as they can.

Take the first step to a debt free future today and phone us on: 0800 121 4863

Santander has had their offer available for a while now. It is called the 300, 200, 100. To qualify for £300 you must have a pre-existing mortgage with Santander and switch £10,000 savings plus your current account to it also. For £200, you must have the pre-existing mortgage with Santander and just switch your current account. Finally for £100 you just need to switch your current account to Santander.

Not all of the banks offer cash incentives. Some offer above average rates for your savings or below average rates on your loans if you switch.

If you are not happy with your current bank, either due to their customer services or you just feel you could do better, think about leaving them. It is your money and they should offer the best customer services and deals to you because of this. Many find the whole process very simple and easy as usually the banks do everything for you.

However, when you are choosing a new current account, customers need to decide its main purpose – is it earning interest on savings or having free overdraft facilities – as well as the incentive package. You also need to look at hidden charges, i.e. do they charge for a statement, what are their over limit fee’s, etc. The special offers the bank give you may also expire after 12 months so you need to work out which of the accounts will give you the best combination of interest, convenience and low charges on the long run.

It can seem like a daunting process, however many banks have a dedicated switching team who will do the hard work for you. Just make sure you do thorough background checks to ensure you are confident in the bank you choose.

Tip 1: Why not write down all of your income and expenditure. This helps put spending into perspective. It will also make it easier to see what areas you are spending too much in.

Tip 2: Use comparison sites to choose what companies you want to go with for your bills, i.e. electricity, gas, insurance etc. You could really save a lot of money as you may be currently on a high tariff with an expensive company and you don’t even know it.

Tip 3: You can also change supermarkets and maybe try supermarket own brand. There have been tests where people have been blindfolded and given branded and own branded food. Guess what? The own branded food has actually been voted tastier on numerous occasions. This tells us that maybe preconception is causing us to spend more.

Tip 4: Ever heard of Groupon? There are many sites that now offer luxuries for cheaper. Sign up to a discount site and see what you could start buying for less. You’ll be surprised.

Tip 5: Have any Loyalty cards? You should sign up to some as they can be very rewarding if you are spending in that particular store over and over again. The Nectar card is also excellent and is accepted in many stores so saving points on it can quickly build up.

So why not try and save money today from your very own home. If you have any other tips on how to save money please leave a comment below!

This drop in the CPI rate has been the largest fall in any one month since April 2009 and has bee the lowest rate since June 2011. This drop may have been as a result of retailers cutting prices before Christmas to try and attract customers. The drop in prices equalled 2.8% in all clothing and footwear. Fuel prices also fell by 0.6% and the gas and electricity cuts haven’t even taken effect yet. This shows we are likely to see a further drop in the coming months. However, on the other hand, food prices rose by 1.4% despite the continuing price wars between the larger supermarket chains.

A spokesman from the ONS claimed that the main downward effect came from petrol prices. He also believes that there are likely to be further falls throughout 2012 which will reduce the squeeze on incomes. In response, we may even see a boost in the economy in 2012 due to having more money to spend. To be on track for the Bank of England’s expectations we need to be hitting 3% by spring time.

This seems like good news then…hopefully the economy can stay on track with lowering prices and as a result free up more money!

Regardless, though, of whether they are actually changing their approach, what should you do now? Well it has been advised that if you have never changed suppliers before, you should do to start saving money. There have been estimates that you could save from £100 – £300. There are many price comparison sites, including uSwitch, that you can use to ensure you are getting the cheapest service. An energy expert claims that people who fix their tariff will be better off than those who remain flexible. This is because people have estimated that over the next few years the only way energy bills can go is up!

Shopping around for cheaper energy bills could save you serious money. If you are struggling with your bills why not see if you can save money by simply changing provider? You may be surprised.