Tom’s story
Tom enjoyed horse racing and put a bet on a few races each week. He was lucky at the start, and he had a few wins, but he then began losing race after race.
He bet bigger and bigger stakes to try and recover his losses, but he just lost his money quicker. Tom started to fund his gambling by borrowing from family and friends, and he took out a high-interest loan to try and cover his betting.
Tom felt too embarrassed to speak to his family and friends, and he ignored his increasing debt problem hoping it would go away. He stopped making any payments to his loan, and he ignored the letter he received. He soon defaulted on his debt.
He confided in a friend who advised him to get help by contacting his creditors and speaking to a gambling charity.
Finding support
When Tom called, we listened as he shared his experience of getting into his situation.
We showed understanding and support as we talked through the different options available to Tom.
We helped Tom to understand his situation and finances so that we could agree on a way forward. We agreed to a repayment plan to pay off his account with affordable payments that Tom felt comfortable he could sustain until his account was paid off in full.
Tom was given the details he needs to contact us in the future, and he was also made aware of our online customer portal where he can manage his account online whenever he wants.