FNB, please help me pay my debt

Good day

Firstly, this is more of a request for help, than an opportunity to complain (but yes, there are complaints included as well). At this point, I doubt I’ll get the help I need though, but I’ll try anyway. I’ve used this medium to explain my query, only because I tried the various call centres of FNB with no success. My issue is: I had an FNB Credit Card years ago. In 2013 I went on debt review. At that point, the amount owing was about R35000. I paid the amount agreed on the court order since 2013. Early this year (might have been Feb or Mar) my Debt counselor told me that FNB wanted a higher payment (R400pm) because my current installment was too low. I agreed. However, the debt counselor did not add it to my monthly payment which resulted in FNB still receiving the low amount. Either way, I called FNB asking if I could make some sort of arrangement to settle the outstanding balance. I asked the consultant if there was a possibility to remove the interest amount and allow me to settle the initial balance only. (Initial balance was about R35000 and after paying the low amount for over 5 years, the balance grew to R55000). The consultant explained that she would escalate and mentioned that it could be a possibility. She told me to expect a callback in a few days. Time went by (no callback) and I got a notification that the FNB credit card has been removed from debt review. I called in, and they explained that they it was because the installment was not increased. My debt counselor assured me that it would be re-instated. This was really a battle, I made numerous calls to my debt counselor as well as different divisions within FNB. I probably called more than 20-30 times over a matter of weeks. A few consultants attempted to assist and a few just said nothing could be done. It was handed to the attorneys and it was out of FNB’s hands. I was advised to contact the attorneys. I contacted them and eventually (details skipped) we agreed on an installment of R450. I’ve been paying R450 to the attorneys since then. Yesterday I received a notification that my installment is too low. This I understand. The amount was R55000 at the beginning of the year. And today, it is still R55000. The reason for this is the interest. I’m paying R450, but interest is about R460. Since it seems as if I’ll never get rid of this debt, I decided to contact the attorneys again to ask if they can perhaps assist with a settlement balance. I asked if there was any possibility that I could pay the initial amount owing (when I went on debt review) of about R35000. My intention was to borrow this amount from a friend and then settle the FNB card. This way, I will pay him back instead. The attorney told me that the only discount I could get was from R55000 to R54000. This unfortunately would not help me. She told me that FNB requested that they collect R55000 from me and that it is up to FNB to make a decision on whether they would accept R35000 cash or not. I then called FNB twice (debt review call centre AND credit card collections) and neither of them can assist. Everybody at FNB just says I must contact the attorneys. Yet the attorneys say FNB has to make the decision. So I’m still without a solution. I understand that I owe the money. And of course I want to pay my debt. But I am not able to pay it with such a high amount of interest. I am not able to afford a higher instalment. I told the attorney I can try to pay R550 instead, but my concern is that even with a R550 instalment and R460 interest, it could take me more than 10 more years to pay a debt from 2013. I need help from FNB please. I know this is with the Attorneys, but FNB is able to see what the initial amount was (before interest) in 2013 when I went on debt review. Can you please assist me to get myself in a position to settle it? I’m hoping to make a cash settlement of R35000 (initial amount owing before the interest was added). If agreed, I will then borrow it from a friend and rather pay him back instead. Please let me know. I really do not want to keep paying a 5 year old debt for another 10 years. Please please help.

Thank you.