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CCCS_Sue

shropshirelad wrote: »

Hi,

First post...

My OH and I have been on a DMP for about 10 months with a long way to go. It has been going well so far, but a long way to go. It is our own fault, but at least we are trying to get on with it.

We both have cards with Citi bank, and have both been contacted today by First Credit by phone.

My call was at work, and after confirming details, they essentially wanted me to pay in full. I said I couldn't and they went through a big list of questions, which I basically declined to answer, but they wanted to know who my employer was, how much I earned, and how much equity was in the house.

I told them I was with CCCS and they said that they would send a letter for me to pass on to them, although they would be declining the amount that Citi had agreed.

My wifes call was much different and hers was much more aggressive. The bloke essentially said it was her own fault that she was in debt, and why should they have any sympathy. They demanded full payment and gave her 7 days to tap friends and family to come up with the cash or a) they would set a solicitor on it, b) take us to court, c) get a CCJ, d) send bailiffs to remove proprty, e) get a charge on the property.

She is normally very good, but was distraught by their onslaught.

I have looked at the forums and the CCCS faq, and don't believe that they can do this, maybe get a CCJ, but if we are on a DMP and all up to date would hope a judge would look favourably on it.

I would like to know whether we can complain about this as it seemed to be bordering on harrasment as per OFT guidelines? Or do we suck it up as we need them to be on board to agree a reduced payment?

Any views appreciated.

Hi shropshirelad and thank you for your message

Yes…You are quite right! They have no right to harass you in this way.
You do not have to answer personal questions regarding equity in the property etc.
I have attached a link from the OFT Debt collection Guide for you to look at Unfair Business Practices page 3. click here

If you feel that they are harassing you, then keep a record of everything that is being said and take the names of the callers.
Is also a good idea to note the frequency of the calls.
You could also ask them to take you off their telephone database and make any further correspondence in writing only.
If they continue to harass you and you have good evidence of this, then you could report them to Trading standards.

The main thing is to continue paying the regular payment of what you can afford to your DMP and do not pay them any extra.
If you are able to offer more then contact our client support team and they will review your budget and circumstances.

Hope this helps!

Regards

Sue

CCCS_Sue

bunty1983 wrote: »

hi we signed up to a dmp with you and are making our 1st payment 1st jan ,last week we recieved welcome pack and repayment proposals but ive just had call from one of our creditors mercers and theyve said they still havent heard anything.just wondering how long it takes for you to send repayment proposals to them?

Hi bunty 1983 and thank you for your message

I will send a PM to you and give you our client support team telephone number so you can call and check up on the progress, but normally, as soon as we have all the information we require from you, we send the proposals off to the creditors.
Although you pay your deposit on the 1st of the month, the money is dispersed to the creditor on the 25th.of the month.
Have you paid them something for December and sent them a copy of our letter explaining that you are setting up a plan with us?
If you have, then you do not need to do anymore until your first payment is due on the 1st Jan.

Regards
Sue

CCCS_Sue

scott_1975 wrote: »

Hi,

I am on a DMP with yourselves, however... Yesterday at work I was told that my position will probably be made redundant. I have a meeting later on today to discuss this further. So I will contact you as and when I know anything 'concrete'.

But for now, is there anything that I should do, or be aware of etc. in terms of my finances.

Many thanks in advance,

Scott.

Hi Scott and thanks for your message

Sorry to hear your news

I recommend you ring for an appointment to update your budget as soon as find out the outcome of the meeting.

If there are going to be changes to your circumstances then we need to review your income and expenditure and work out the amount you will then be able to offer your creditors.
I will PM the number you need to contact
Regards
Sue

CCCS_Sue

solaeclipsx wrote: »

iv been having peoblems with wescot for a loan i took out 5 years it has taken them this long to get in contact with me , ago i have sent a letter asking them not to call me as thay where making ill, we also sent a letter to them asking for subject access request back in september i have not had anyting bk till today but all thay have sent me is a statement of account witch just looks like a photo copy of my bank statement ,i have oferd them the minimal i can pay as i dont work and dont get benifits was only £10 thay said no thay want the full amount and at least £200 pm what i want to know is there anyting els i cn offer them or can do as i havent got my subject access request from them please help

Hi solareclipsx and thank you for your message

You need to send them a copy of your budget showing your income and expenditure. This will show realistically what you can afford to offer them.
If there is no surplus, then just offer a token payment of £1 as a token gesture
And do not be pressured into paying more than is affordable.

If you need help in putting together a budget then you can ring for an appointment on our free helpline 0800 138 1111.

If you have sent them a letter asking them to remove you from their telephone database and correspond with you only in writing, then they should comply with this if it is making you ill.

When you asked for the Subject Access Request,(SAR),did you enclose a fee?

I have attached more information regarding the SAR and it includes a sample letter you could use.
click here to go to the site.

Regards
Sue

bunty1983

CCCS_Sue wrote: »

Hi bunty 1983 and thank you for your message

I will send a PM to you and give you our client support team telephone number so you can call and check up on the progress, but normally, as soon as we have all the information we require from you, we send the proposals off to the creditors.
Although you pay your deposit on the 1st of the month, the money is dispersed to the creditor on the 25th.of the month.
Have you paid them something for December and sent them a copy of our letter explaining that you are setting up a plan with us?
If you have, then you do not need to do anymore until your first payment is due on the 1st Jan.

Regards
Sue

hi sue
just made decembers payment to them today ,they are the only ones hassling us ringing nearly everyday and they sent someone from scotcall round couple of weeks ago but we just said we dealing with you and he left,scary though!our other creditors who we owe alot more to have been great giving us breathing space whilst we get things sorted but mercers just keep ringing saying pay thi or that and we can put hold on account til cccs get in touch.id pay it if i had it!! but we wouldnt be going through a dmp if we could
thanks for all your help

CCCS_Sue

bunty1983 wrote: »

hi sue
just made decembers payment to them today ,they are the only ones hassling us ringing nearly everyday and they sent someone from scotcall round couple of weeks ago but we just said we dealing with you and he left,scary though!our other creditors who we owe alot more to have been great giving us breathing space whilst we get things sorted but mercers just keep ringing saying pay thi or that and we can put hold on account til cccs get in touch.id pay it if i had it!! but we wouldnt be going through a dmp if we could
thanks for all your help

Just stick to your guns and do not be pressured into paying more!

You could write to them and request that they remove you from their telephone data base and contact you by letter only as all the calls they are making are causing you stress.

Regards
Sue

solaeclipsx

CCCS_Sue wrote: »

Hi solareclipsx and thank you for your message

You need to send them a copy of your budget showing your income and expenditure. This will show realistically what you can afford to offer them.
If there is no surplus, then just offer a token payment of £1 as a token gesture
And do not be pressured into paying more than is affordable.

If you need help in putting together a budget then you can ring for an appointment on our free helpline 0800 138 1111.

If you have sent them a letter asking them to remove you from their telephone database and correspond with you only in writing, then they should comply with this if it is making you ill.

When you asked for the Subject Access Request,(SAR),did you enclose a fee?

I have attached more information regarding the SAR and it includes a sample letter you could use.
click here to go to the site.

Regards
Sue

Hi Sue
yes we payd to have it done i sent it recorded delivery and sent them a seprat letter saying we where sending them it aswell, we have sen't them our budget a few times but still get the same thingwe must pay the full amount or the debt colectors will be round , I have asked if i could pay a token payment and got told that thay do not take any payments under £100 and thay wanted £200 by the end off one week then £100 evry munth, a nother problem is ican't rember the loan compny sending me any forms to sign when i 1st got the loan it was all done over the phone iv tryd to speek to the bank i got it from to find out if i did sign somthing or not but keep geting passd around should i keep trying till i finly hear somthing about it?

CCCS_Sue

solaeclipsx wrote: »

Hi Sue
yes we payd to have it done i sent it recorded delivery and sent them a seprat letter saying we where sending them it aswell, we have sen't them our budget a few times but still get the same thingwe must pay the full amount or the debt colectors will be round , I have asked if i could pay a token payment and got told that thay do not take any payments under £100 and thay wanted £200 by the end off one week then £100 evry munth, a nother problem is ican't rember the loan compny sending me any forms to sign when i 1st got the loan it was all done over the phone iv tryd to speek to the bank i got it from to find out if i did sign somthing or not but keep geting passd around should i keep trying till i finly hear somthing about it?

If £1 is all you can afford then do not be pressured into paying more. Just make sure you send it regularly every month. If they won’t provide you with a payment book, then send a postal order.

The creditor should provide you with a copy of the original agreement if you have requested it.
If they fail to do so then you could report them to Trading Standards or the FSA.

Regards

Sue

mrg123_2

I have a legal case that is due to settle next summer. It is a personal injury case and will go through the high courts. I contacted you a few months ago regarding the fact that I had owed about 50,000GBP due to medical expenses. Due to the settlement being soon(ish) you advised my best plan was to pay monthly contributions etc.
I have seen recently that in america they offer a pre-settlement loan for this situation. Could you advise if this is possible at all in this country, as everytime I enquire to a company that says they do this, I don't hear back.
Kind Regards
Gary

Nigemck

Hi guys...

Just joined this site and to cut a long story short I am finally willing to sort my finances out. As I am sure you are aware there is simply too much info online to know what the correct step to take is. Basically I would like to ask what advice you have for me. I have been checking online for about 3 weeks and dedicated a lot of hours to this, but this site seems to be the best and most genuine so thanks Martin!!

I have 3 credit cards with a total of £3800 and a loan of £5000. I have just started working and I find I am making minimum payments but still maxing my cards out each month. I had a call from a company offering me "help" to pay off my debts by setting up a debt managment plan at a £200 initial set up fee and £35 a month fee. They say they charge 15% of my debt to help me. Is this s good option?

I have filled out my Debt Remedy Plan on your website and am waiting for someone to contact me. I am not sure though that this is the best option, it seems like this is only for people in serious debt, although I am struggling each month so perhaps it is the best option??? What do you think? I would like to get my interest charges frozen, the company I mentioned in the last paragraph have offered to do this for me, but can I not contact them myself and save myself money? Or can you do this as part of your service?? Will a Debt Remedy Plan affect my Credit Rating and deter me from getting credit in future?? Do you charge for your service????

Sorry this seems like a ramble but it has taken me such a long time to finally realise I need to do something and I just want to know im doing the right thing!!

Many Many Thanks to all of you and Martin especially..... Im at a loss and really need your help!

Niall