New wannabe, post DMP ''service''
festermatt
Posts: 8 Forumite
Hi all,
My head hurts from the constant headbutting of a brick wall.
I apologise for the poor construction and indeed its length, im sure there has been longer and worse though
We've just come out of a disastrous DMP with Harrington Brooks and i just dont know where to head now.
I fought hard(letter wise and verbally on doorstep) to keep rossendales bailiffs out the house for three different c tax debts (where we were unable to keep up with unrealistic payments to the council despite proving our circumstances, with one passed to the bailiffs after just 6 weeks into the account year which i was disgusted at). They were not nice people to have on my doorstep and am glad they are out of my life. They had proof of our situation, benefits, my JSA, had doctors letters regarding my depression, other halfs pregnacy being high risk due to epilepsy, other halfs epilepsy condition and they still rocked up on the doorstep with their threats and trying to get in.
Myself and other half are both 28.
I have depression which has been on and off since i was 15, other half made me go to docs 2 years ago where he diagnosed me again. i wont go on meds again as they have never given any benefit to me and on occasion i believe made me worse.
My other half has epilepsy which can be triggered through stress but she regulary has a seizure every nine months regardless. In the last eight months she has had 3 seizures(that i am aware of) though so i am concerned as that isnt normal for her.
Our 4 yr old was diagnosed in january with Jeavons syndrome which is a rare form of epilepsy, after he went into non convulsive status epilepticus at his nans house and was taken to hospital. We have put in a claim for DLA as have just found out from the specialist that he should be eligible for it which will be great for him (for anti suffication pillow etc).
Other half has been employed again, 24hrs p/w since january as a dental nurse and hopefully qualifies this month.
I was made redundant from my job as cctv operator in may 2011 due to loss of site contract and council funding, due to my small time with the company i wasnt due any redundancy payoff. My local Jobcentre wouldnt let me sign on due to the redundancy until i saw a CAB advisor so i lost 2 months JSA. (i was looking for work myself by the way, with no avail).
Housing benefit also took over a month to sort after my redundancy and refused to backdate to date of claim (CAB unable to help) so we are behind in rent by £150( it was £700 but we have managed to pay some off)
I now(literally, tonight) start my 16hr p/w job which is back with the same company in the same job. I have to work hard to make the place back to what it used to be but i will do it.
Our list of debts is as follows:
Absolute Debt Recovery (Nursery fees that were small to start and tried to pay off but they have snowballing late fees which messed us up.) £400
Call Serve (Overdraft) £1,901
Credit Security Limited (Overdraft) £445
Debt Managers LTD (Lloyds Credit Card) £1,615
Face2Face Contact Limited (o2 phone) £120
Lloyds TSB (Overdraft) £317
Moorcroft (Personal Loan) £2,192
Total £6,990
Also have a provident loan of £1,820 which is being paid off. it was to get rid of the Rossendales bailiffs as i couldnt cope with them anymore and it was the only thing i felt i could do. Shouldnt have done it, i know that now, but i could not see any other way.
We also owe Penwith Housing Association 996.18 and they have agreed £5 per month without any hassle at all.
We also owe the £150 on rent i mentioned, the landlord is ok about it as weve been paying what we can although we have had s21 because the landlord is selling the house. The s21 gives us until Nov 13th. We have registered with Cornwall Home Choice which is the council house scheme. Also have taken s21 to council drop in office and given them a copy.
Outgoing
Rent £700p/m
Water £48p/m
Council tax £120p/m
Gas £40p/m
Electricity £65p/m
Telephone/mobile/internet £38p/m
TV licence £11p/m
Public transport £20p/m
Food, toiletries, cleaning etc £180p/m
Pets/pet foods/insurance £20 (hamster and cat)p/m
Tobacco £24p/m
Other halfs haircuts £9p/m
Union fees £6p/m
=£1272p/m
Income
my pay £480 p/m
Partner's take home pay £550p/m
Child Benefit £91p/m
Child Tax Credit £161p/m
Tax credits (cannot get figures until they send them to me)
Housing Benefit (being adjusted)
=£1282
We got into a DMP with Harrington Brooks last july and were paying £139p/m into it. My other half lost her job a couple of months in so we rang and agreed a lower payment of £80p/m. We then recieved calls each month around payment time asking for the remaining payment and each time we explained we had amended it, this stopped after a couple of times.
After about 8 months i realised i hadnt had any statements so rang and requested one, they said one will be sent. I never got it.
I rang again in may, they said they are sorry and they will send. I never got it.
I sent a cancellation letter (recorded delievery) on June 25th this year which stated final payment as July as it fell within the cancellation period, and stating i wanted no furthur calls from them and to remove phone numbers from account, the letter wasnt acknowledged.
I sent another letter 7th july (recorded post again)with a copy of the first and proof of postage. No acknowledgement again.
i then started to recieve texts and emails almost daily from Harrington Brooks asking to contact them. I didnt and instead, on 1st August sent a letter of complaint (recorded post)with copies of both letters and postage threatening a complaint to DEMSA, OFT, Information Commisioner and Financial Ombudsman if it wasnt resolved and account closed, along with no more calls texts and emails, in 14 days from letters receipt.
I also sent it via Email to their Advice email and Help email addresses to ensure someone got it and dealt with it.
I recieved a reply on 15th august dated 11th sugust stating they recieved my letter of compaint from the 1st august and account is closed, enclosed is statement of the account and an 'up to date' balance of each of the creditor accounts, also a copy of the fee schedule (£150 a month apparently....?!). They also stated they could not send back any letters they had recieved from myself or creditors and that i shouldve sent them copys anyway(i didnt know this at the time and was never mentioned either, so my fault i guess).
Looking at the fees they took on the statement they range from £21 with different amounts upto £139 some times twice in a month or on same day, its pretty confusing how they did it, payments to creditors are pretty inconsistent too.
Had a letter from Debt Managers LTD last weekand only thing i could think of doing was sending them a CCA request so i did. Was that ok or waste of time now?
I have gone to CCCS site and done their Debt Remedy which gave me a booklet telling me to offer £1 a month. Is that worth doing, does it help? i have no idea.
We went to CAB advisor in early july and gave all the details of our debts and situation but we are yet to hear from them in any form.
Due to the s21, we have been looking for a new place to rent we have managed to talk to one agent who is actually very reasonable about our situation and gets that credit checks arent always the full picture. But obviously its still a worry.
Would appreciate some solid advice on anything and thank you for reading:T.
My head hurts from the constant headbutting of a brick wall.
I apologise for the poor construction and indeed its length, im sure there has been longer and worse though
We've just come out of a disastrous DMP with Harrington Brooks and i just dont know where to head now.
I fought hard(letter wise and verbally on doorstep) to keep rossendales bailiffs out the house for three different c tax debts (where we were unable to keep up with unrealistic payments to the council despite proving our circumstances, with one passed to the bailiffs after just 6 weeks into the account year which i was disgusted at). They were not nice people to have on my doorstep and am glad they are out of my life. They had proof of our situation, benefits, my JSA, had doctors letters regarding my depression, other halfs pregnacy being high risk due to epilepsy, other halfs epilepsy condition and they still rocked up on the doorstep with their threats and trying to get in.
Myself and other half are both 28.
I have depression which has been on and off since i was 15, other half made me go to docs 2 years ago where he diagnosed me again. i wont go on meds again as they have never given any benefit to me and on occasion i believe made me worse.
My other half has epilepsy which can be triggered through stress but she regulary has a seizure every nine months regardless. In the last eight months she has had 3 seizures(that i am aware of) though so i am concerned as that isnt normal for her.
Our 4 yr old was diagnosed in january with Jeavons syndrome which is a rare form of epilepsy, after he went into non convulsive status epilepticus at his nans house and was taken to hospital. We have put in a claim for DLA as have just found out from the specialist that he should be eligible for it which will be great for him (for anti suffication pillow etc).
Other half has been employed again, 24hrs p/w since january as a dental nurse and hopefully qualifies this month.
I was made redundant from my job as cctv operator in may 2011 due to loss of site contract and council funding, due to my small time with the company i wasnt due any redundancy payoff. My local Jobcentre wouldnt let me sign on due to the redundancy until i saw a CAB advisor so i lost 2 months JSA. (i was looking for work myself by the way, with no avail).
Housing benefit also took over a month to sort after my redundancy and refused to backdate to date of claim (CAB unable to help) so we are behind in rent by £150( it was £700 but we have managed to pay some off)
I now(literally, tonight) start my 16hr p/w job which is back with the same company in the same job. I have to work hard to make the place back to what it used to be but i will do it.
Our list of debts is as follows:
Absolute Debt Recovery (Nursery fees that were small to start and tried to pay off but they have snowballing late fees which messed us up.) £400
Call Serve (Overdraft) £1,901
Credit Security Limited (Overdraft) £445
Debt Managers LTD (Lloyds Credit Card) £1,615
Face2Face Contact Limited (o2 phone) £120
Lloyds TSB (Overdraft) £317
Moorcroft (Personal Loan) £2,192
Total £6,990
Also have a provident loan of £1,820 which is being paid off. it was to get rid of the Rossendales bailiffs as i couldnt cope with them anymore and it was the only thing i felt i could do. Shouldnt have done it, i know that now, but i could not see any other way.
We also owe Penwith Housing Association 996.18 and they have agreed £5 per month without any hassle at all.
We also owe the £150 on rent i mentioned, the landlord is ok about it as weve been paying what we can although we have had s21 because the landlord is selling the house. The s21 gives us until Nov 13th. We have registered with Cornwall Home Choice which is the council house scheme. Also have taken s21 to council drop in office and given them a copy.
Outgoing
Rent £700p/m
Water £48p/m
Council tax £120p/m
Gas £40p/m
Electricity £65p/m
Telephone/mobile/internet £38p/m
TV licence £11p/m
Public transport £20p/m
Food, toiletries, cleaning etc £180p/m
Pets/pet foods/insurance £20 (hamster and cat)p/m
Tobacco £24p/m
Other halfs haircuts £9p/m
Union fees £6p/m
=£1272p/m
Income
my pay £480 p/m
Partner's take home pay £550p/m
Child Benefit £91p/m
Child Tax Credit £161p/m
Tax credits (cannot get figures until they send them to me)
Housing Benefit (being adjusted)
=£1282
We got into a DMP with Harrington Brooks last july and were paying £139p/m into it. My other half lost her job a couple of months in so we rang and agreed a lower payment of £80p/m. We then recieved calls each month around payment time asking for the remaining payment and each time we explained we had amended it, this stopped after a couple of times.
After about 8 months i realised i hadnt had any statements so rang and requested one, they said one will be sent. I never got it.
I rang again in may, they said they are sorry and they will send. I never got it.
I sent a cancellation letter (recorded delievery) on June 25th this year which stated final payment as July as it fell within the cancellation period, and stating i wanted no furthur calls from them and to remove phone numbers from account, the letter wasnt acknowledged.
I sent another letter 7th july (recorded post again)with a copy of the first and proof of postage. No acknowledgement again.
i then started to recieve texts and emails almost daily from Harrington Brooks asking to contact them. I didnt and instead, on 1st August sent a letter of complaint (recorded post)with copies of both letters and postage threatening a complaint to DEMSA, OFT, Information Commisioner and Financial Ombudsman if it wasnt resolved and account closed, along with no more calls texts and emails, in 14 days from letters receipt.
I also sent it via Email to their Advice email and Help email addresses to ensure someone got it and dealt with it.
I recieved a reply on 15th august dated 11th sugust stating they recieved my letter of compaint from the 1st august and account is closed, enclosed is statement of the account and an 'up to date' balance of each of the creditor accounts, also a copy of the fee schedule (£150 a month apparently....?!). They also stated they could not send back any letters they had recieved from myself or creditors and that i shouldve sent them copys anyway(i didnt know this at the time and was never mentioned either, so my fault i guess).
Looking at the fees they took on the statement they range from £21 with different amounts upto £139 some times twice in a month or on same day, its pretty confusing how they did it, payments to creditors are pretty inconsistent too.
Had a letter from Debt Managers LTD last weekand only thing i could think of doing was sending them a CCA request so i did. Was that ok or waste of time now?
I have gone to CCCS site and done their Debt Remedy which gave me a booklet telling me to offer £1 a month. Is that worth doing, does it help? i have no idea.
We went to CAB advisor in early july and gave all the details of our debts and situation but we are yet to hear from them in any form.
Due to the s21, we have been looking for a new place to rent we have managed to talk to one agent who is actually very reasonable about our situation and gets that credit checks arent always the full picture. But obviously its still a worry.
Would appreciate some solid advice on anything and thank you for reading:T.
0
Comments
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Wow, you guys are really going through the mill. Well done for struggling on though and it's great that you're here as there are lots of people willing to support you and lots more who have really, really, good advice.
We're on a DMP with CCCS and it saved my sanity. I would say listen to what they advise and act on it - they do seem to know what they're talking about.
There's also a thread around here titled the DMP Mutual Support Thread - there is an absolute wealth of information on there and lots of support.
I've not got any expertise but just wanted to say that it can get better and your family's health is the most important thing. The creditors will just have to accept what there is - they can't have what isn't there.
I'm sure others will be along soon to give more specific advice.
Best of luck.0 -
Hi fester matt, send your creditors token payments of a £1 and a letter telling them your cicumstances and that you are seeking advice from cccs, there are good template letters on national debtline site,in answer to your question re; to offer £1, yes it is worth it,it will give you a wee bit breathing space until you get yourself sorted out,keep sending token payments every month to show your creditors you are not ignoring your money problems and are willing to offer something, no matter how small, it always looks good to show you are dealing with your debts.
Contact cccs as soon as, and let them help you out ,and they will show you the best way to go .Please come back to this site for advice and support as you seem to be going through the mill just now ,I'm sure someone will come along and give you more advice.
Just another wee thing send postal orders, send recorded delivery keep your receipts and copies of your letters, from now on keep ALL copies of letters ( proof) and good luck on your journey, it will get better take care of yourself and your family0 -
Hi, gosh poor you, you certainly need a bit of a break! I don't have anything new to add but just wanted to say that we also have a DMP with CCCS and they have been very transparent and professional throughout and I would also recommend them. Do send your £1 token payments whilst you speak to CCCS, it will give you a breathing space of a month or so to help get back on track.
Hope you and your family have some peace of mind and are able to get some help soon x0 -
Other half has got a phone appointment with CCCS on wednesday. Many thanks for replies :j0
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Hi
Wow! You've had it up to the eyebrows haven't you?
Can only add to what the other posters have said.
Keep your contact with CCCS. Have all your income, expenditure to hand. If if helps write down a brief history of events, so you have all the facts to hand when you talk to an advisor. You will will find them helpful, non-judgemental and able to give you advice which is FREE. No need to pay companies who promise the earth but farm off a good proportion of your repayments.
Hopefully, they will give you the go-ahead for a DMP and set you on the right road. You need to look to your most important debts first - the housing, the heating, the light etc. After you have sorted payment for these then you can look to the rest of your budget.
Then you need to access your rights to benefits. Can you claim for a council tax rebate? Maybe a carer's allowance for your child? Probably worth another chat to the Citizens Advice Bureau, once you have a clearer picture of your finances through CCCS.
When all this is in place then it's time to look at cost cutting. Not as bad as it sounds! Lots of hints and tips on the MS site. You really can live a decent, fulfilled life for far less than you might think Just needs some lateral thinking and a bit more hard work.
It sounds as though you've had a bucket load of trouble thrown your way already, so take strength from the fact you have come through so far, without being broken.
If you pop over to http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?p=46579507
you'll be up to date with where we are on the DMP thread.
Lots of people all in the same situation, trying to provide a helpful, friendly place to ask and comment.
Best wishes to you and yours - I'm sure it will all come good for you soon.
'Twitty'0 -
Thanks for replies all,
The other half has just noticed something else.
On my £2 copy of the statutory credit report from experian, shes noticed that there is no mention of a debt management plan. Should harrington brooks have reported this to the reference agencies so it could be marked on the file?0 -
Hi again,
I could be wrong but my understanding of the DMP is that it's kind of like a 'gentleman's agreement' and that actually what will be marked on the credit reports will be the defaults etc registered by the companies you actually owe money to.... someone who knows for definite will be along soon I should think.
Anyhow, it sounds like things are moving forward for you guys.0 -
Thanks sickasachip13. The other half wondered that.
Can anyone clarify what the qualification is for getting working tax credits?
Other half has been working at least 24hrs a week since january and we have not been recieving any, only getting child tax credits.
I remember her calling HMRC in late feb/early march time and asking about it and them saying we arent eligible as one of us has to be working 30 or more hours.
Ive always thought that it was 16hrs or over, but just checked their site and here it says 16hrs or more a week (i would post link but not allowed as im a newbie
)
Im now going to be on 16hrs a week and other half on 24hrs per week, so surely we qualify?Working Tax Credit is for people who are employed or self-employed (either on their own or in a partnership), who- usually work 16 hours or more a week
- are paid for that work, and
- expect to work for at least 4 weeks
- aged 16 or over and responsible for at least one child, or
- aged 16 or over and disabled, or
- aged 25 or over and usually work at least 30 hours a week
- aged 50 or over must have been unemployed and in receipt of benefits for 6 months leading up to the claim and work 16 hours per week or more
- aged 60 or over and work 16 hours per week or more
Im not sure where to go from here because im convinced we are entitled but you would think that the people on HMRC phones would know.
Surely they cant be able to flat out lie like that? Or have things change and site not been updated? If we are entitled (which according to the site, we are), how do i go about and getting it sorted (and backdated? as we have been entitled since Jan)?
Also i recieved a letter from jobcentre stating they are taking money out of my jobseekers (which i stopped now as im working, so good luck with that) for a social fund loan. I spent a 27 minutes on the phone being passed round departments before getting an answer that it was for a Budgeting Loan and a Crisis Loan in march 2001 for 326.24 in total. I remember taking them out. Im going to assume it wont be statute barred due to it being a government thing and them having a loophole of somekind or is it?0 -
Had the phone appointment with CCCS this morning, they wont take a look at our situation until our housing benefit, tax credits and council tax benefit have all updated properly so they then get an accurate view of our income/outcome. The lady advised us to do the £1 per month per creditor until weve setup another appointment and spoken properly, she did take all our debts and totals etc and income/outcome as we have them at present so there wont be alot to do next time.
CAB also chose to ring back today and lambasted me about missing two appointments.... we havent had any appointments, only dropped all our info in to the advisor and waiting for a phone call to make an appointment. ''No, no, it clearly says here you have missed two appointments and not yet given us your income/expenditure. Our admin is very good, i doubt its wrong'' :think: I then gave her the correct spelling of my surname which proved her wrong :silenced: . I then told her that we were going with CCCS as they took such a long time getting back in touch. Was a shame, i know they are busy but the lady wasnt very nice and called me a liar, unimpressed.
Also, we have to await the rent4sure checks for the potential new place, yay0 -
Stick with the cccs and they will get you on the right track.Wish you all the best.0
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