Merry's adventures with the CSA

Merry_Gentry

Merry_Gentry wrote: »

Apparently there was meant to be a large meeting today to discuss the large number of cases stuck in Newcastle. It was cancelled because of the snow, but has been rescheduled for Tuesday. The hope is, once this meeting has been held, claims will get unstuck and fast tracked, but she's going to call me back on Wednesday to confirm.

No phone call and no letter. Rang and was told the team she was working on were short-staffed, that there were notes on my file saying that there was no update, but that she would contact me. I said that she had said she would write to me, and call me today but no real reply.

Guess I was a mug for believing what was said last week.

frugallass

and don't expect a huge amount from the consolatory payment either :rolleyes:

Merry_Gentry

I wasn't expecting a lot from the conciliatory payment, but I was hopeful that they would do what they said they would.

Merry_Gentry

Have just completed email to my MP. Have also called the CSA today regarding the lack of contact that was promised. A message has been left asking my complaint officer to contact me today.

Merry_Gentry

Saturday 13th December

Also received a phone call late on Thursday 11th December, saying that it seemed as though my case was 'unstuck' but she wouldn't know for definitely until they tried to process it. She said she would do so early on Friday morning and call me to let me know of any progress. No phone call on Friday, so I rang at 5 p.m. to ask about any progress. I was told it wasn't possible to tell on the system, although there was a note saying that they were meant to be ringing me. Took my contact details again and said they would call. They didn't.

Received a letter this morning from my MP, requesting reference numbers and the person I have been speaking to. Have emailed them straight back.

Also had a look on the CSA website at their 'application process' and how long things should take.

Going to keep this as a log of my calls, emails, letters, etc.

iluvfreebies

hey how far has you case came? has it been assessed yet? if not then there is no way your nrp's other case could have been converted as it can only be converted to new rules when the new case has been assessed?

What office is it you are dealing with at the moment?

Merry_Gentry

hey how far has you case came?

awaiting assessment!

has it been assessed yet? if not then there is no way your nrp's other case could have been converted as it can only be converted to new rules when the new case has been assessed?

He says he received a letter from the CSA saying that his old case had been reassessed, and would be phased down, with no mention of my case being attached

What office is it you are dealing with at the moment?

Taunton I believe - 08456090072

Merry_Gentry

Monday 15th December

Well it would appear I have been misled. He won't have to pay any arrears at all.

During a conversation this morning with my caseworker, she was explaining how the arrears work i.e. a maximum of 40% of his income can be taken, 30% is generally the minimum taken when there are arrears. She explained that she had all of my paperwork, it appeared that it was no longer stuck, and she was waiting to hear from the other department that held the details of his assessment with PWC1 and then she could go ahead with things.

Called him to let him know things were moving along, and to ask him if he had been told about arrears. He said he had been told there would be no arrears, and the assessment would basically operate from the date it occurred, which had to link to his previous case.

She called me back this evening, but I missed the call, so had to ring in. Spoke to someone else and explained what I was calling for, but asked if I could query the arrears question. She said legislation means that no, arrears can be made whilst he is paying a PWC1 case, so there would be no backdated payment.

I said that was not what I had been told - that I had been informed that it wouldn't go back to my original application in August, but that I had a live date of 6th November that I had been told arrears would go back to. She asked who told me that, and I explained that I had been given that information on several occasions this morning being the last time.

She said she could only apologise for the misinformation, but no he would not have to pay any arrears. I said how was it possible that so many people had given me the incorrect information, told her about the conversation only that morning. She asked me if they had been aware of the multiple case aspect, and I said yes they were, and again she said she could only apologise.

In my notes apparently it says several times that because it is a multiple case there would be no backdating, and I said that was fine, but in the conversations I had not been told that, and if that was the case how/where would I have got the whole 30% / 40% information from? She agreed that yes, it did seem that I had been given wrong information, and that would all need to be put forward for the consolatory payment and the special payment, but she did warn me that neither of the payments would be high, the special payment would not even be considered until after the assessment had been made.

So basically, I'm less than pleased. I feel like I have been let down, misled, messed about and am still no further ahead. And in the meantime, merely two days before he tells me he cannot afford to pay me the private arrangement we had agreed on before I moved out, he buys a new 42" TV and DVD player, and pays not a penny towards his daughter (sorry don't mean to be bitter but I am majorly p!ssed off).

It all feels a bit pointless.

frugallass

Merry_Gentry wrote: »

So basically, I'm less than pleased. I feel like I have been let down, misled, messed about and am still no further ahead. And in the meantime, merely two days before he tells me he cannot afford to pay me the private arrangement we had agreed on before I moved out, he buys a new 42" TV and DVD player, and pays not a penny towards his daughter (sorry don't mean to be bitter but I am majorly p!ssed off).

It all feels a bit pointless.

Don't give up the fight - that's what the CSA want you to do so they can carry on fobbing people off and getting away with constant lying and providing misleading information. They seem to think that all users of the CSA are just trying to get compo, it's not the case, I don't want compo I just want an apology and I want my case to be dealt with properly. I want an apology for the total mess they have made of my case in the last 12 months and I want to be kept informed, I want to be treated like a human being, not some scrounging, bitter mother who has nothing better to do.

Have you already contacted your MP?

Merry_Gentry

frugallass wrote: »

Don't give up the fight

Well this evening I feel like just giving up, but that's not the way I am, so I'll be back on fighting form tomorrow.

frugallass wrote: »

Have you already contacted your MP?

Yes, I have just sent my third email updating my MP. Have received one letter over the weekend asking for contact numbers, who I am dealing with within the CSA.

I have no way to make him pay anything - he sees his daughter every other day, and has her every other weekend. I do that for her not for him. I have agreed he can have her on my weekend so he can take her up to see her grandparents for Christmas, and in return he just seems to take the p!ss.

I know he reads this site, but for once I am not going to consider his feelings, I am going to write what I think and feel. He should be ashamed of himself for not sticking to the arrangement he originally agreed to - an arrangement that I based my income on for moving out into rented accommodation with the girls.

He should be ashamed to not be contributing anything while having such access to his daughter. And it certainly shouldn't take a government agency to get him to pay towards his daughter's upkeep.