Julie is working full time and lives at home with her three children. She’s in debt and owes money for council tax, water, gas and electricity. Julie has put off getting any debt advice because she doesn’t think anyone can help her and she doesn’t know where to get help. Julie had borrowed money to get through day-to-day and was being forced to go without basic essentials so that she could pay her rent.
Julie feels increasingly apprehensive about how she will manage the increased cost of living. She received her latest water bill and noticed the message on the back of the bill encouraging her to contact affinity water to find out if she was entitled to any reduced bills.
How we helped
Julie was anxious about contacting us because she was behind with her water bill and she thought she would be asked to pay the bill in full. We reassured her that we understood that anyone can fall into debt for all sorts of reasons and that this can impact our wellbeing. Although we couldn’t resolve her financial situation in full we really appreciated her getting in touch and we were able to do something to help even if it was just one or two things.
We:
- Took time to understand Julie’s situation and to reassure her that we understood behind every bill is a person who could be facing difficult circumstances.
- Reduced Julie’s water bill as she qualified for a reduced bill tariff due to the benefits she received.
- Explained that she could use her benefit payments to pay her water bill which would mean she wouldn’t have to worry about making these payments by herself.
- Showed Julie that she could boost her income with online tools such as a benefits calculator to find out what benefits she may qualify for.
- Showed Julie how she could receive independent debt advice from national debtline and other organisations that can help.
If you can relate to Julie’s story, please get in touch
We know it's not easy making that first contact. Our customer affordability team are understanding and will not judge. Tell us about your circumstances and we'll be in touch with how we can help.
If you prefer to speak to us call 0345 357 2412