DMP Mutual Support Thread (Part 5)

newlywed

debrag wrote: »

what happens if I loose my job? if it ended up on benefits then I'd have very little left to pay my creditors

I thought this... you could send token payments of £1 to them until your situation changes but... to be honest I'd probably be over on the bankruptcy board as soon as I was notified - depending of course whether you own your own home or not. I have no mortgage, nothing of value and my current job wouldn't directly be affected by bankruptcy although there may be a limit as to what firms I could work in.

I've had a look over there and the advice network is fantastic with everyone helping each other. Although it's not an easy course, it's still a possible way forward.

Worth having a read though a few threads to see that it may not be quite that bad

Though CCCS/Payplan could advise at the time if that was the correct course for you.

debt_daisy

Thanks Newlywed, that was really helpful advice.

x DD

Rumpleteazer_2

Tell them you are contacting CCCS to start a DMP - most of the creditors I spoke to said they would put a hold on phone calls for something like 30 days to give CCCS time to write to them Seems like it doesn't work for all creditors though :rolleyes:

I have found that some are quite understanding and will put a hold on calls. What really irritates me is that I have a conversation with one person from a particular creditor, explain the situation who then quite happily accept our position, only then to receive exactly the same telephone call the next day!!!

I am really annoyed with Egg as I had already arranged with them to pay a reduced amount for 3 months, which I duly did and paid on time. But I still received phone calls and letters!!!! And then yesterday I received a letter from a debt collection agency saying that my account has been passed on them with threatening undertones of court, baliffs etc. I have been in touch with them explained that I am arranging a DMP. They asked for a payment for £30 to avoid further action which I paid as I could just about afford it(payday is 10 days time and counting.......) and that seemed to keep them happy for now. I was going to write one of my legendary letters of complaint to Egg, but have since seen posts on here saying that being passed to a DCA might be a good thing. So now I am a bit confused.....

newlywed

Rumpleteazer wrote: »

I have found that some are quite understanding and will put a hold on calls. What really irritates me is that I have a conversation with one person from a particular creditor, explain the situation who then quite happily accept our position, only then to receive exactly the same telephone call the next day!!!

GE Money did that to me :rolleyes: Till I got really annoyed and said Are you going to ring me EVERY SINGLE DAY to get EXACTLY the same answers? I'm not going to suddenly have more money tomorrow when I'm starting a DMP!!

Apparently the previous people shouldhave set a flag on the system to stop calls but didn't :rolleyes: Got there in the end though

tinkerbell12

Toffee_Penny wrote: »

Really feel the need to throw a wobbler tonight :rolleyes:

I called CCCS tonight and I told advisor I wasn't happy Halifax credit card had begun charging reduced rate of interest as we would be only paying off a fiver a month from £40!! I asked if they could remove Halifax from the list so I could pay £1 or nothing until they pass on to a DCA, ccj or stop interest altogether and she said 'NO' you would have to all your creditors on yourself, there is not much you can do' 'have you thought about bankruptcy'?

!!!!!!!! If we wanted to go bankrupt we wouldn't have bothered paying you lot for the past 7 months would we? :mad: (obviously I didn't say this BUT come on???)

We are in the process of waiting to hear back from a few of our creditors regarding ppi, if its a success we are looking at refunds of over £15,000+ I reckon so bankruptcy is not an option and a refund to the debt would bring our total debt down to a ''not so shameful amount''.

All she said was she could write to Halifax on our behalf and try to get them to stop the interest, usually they only stop it for a temporary measure but we will never be able to pay them at the full rate again due to OH job situation.

So what do I do? OH said to keep with CCCS for the time being as he can't be arsed with the hassle of it all and I don't mean to slate CCCS but I really wanted them to offer real honest advice on what to do for the best. I wanted her to say 'look if you are not that bothered about ccj's then do it yourself they will pass it on quicker to the DCA' but she didn't just kept saying 'what about bankruptcy?' like it was the only thing left for us to do.

I owe £10k, I work and so does OH so how the hell can we go bankrupt? The creditors would still require us to pay something each month for 1 or 3 years (can't remember which) so whats the point of having to sell my car, my laptop, having your name in the paper for what???? What would we gain? We'd still be paying!!! :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: I don't want a quick way out, I want the bloody creditors to stop being greedy!!! :mad: :mad:


So I have decided I will write to Halifax to explain if they continue to charge reduce rate of interest then I will have to reconsider the offer of payment as the debt will increase and will never get paid.

We have our review in March, if they still charge interest next month then I'm taking it all on myself. I can't be arsed with this !!!! seriously, it's our bloody money and I'm not wasting OUR time wasting OUR money waiting for creditors to decide to pass it over or sell it on when its maximum debt. We started off with a debt to Halifax for about £6600 it is now £7300, its disgraceful and shouldn't be allowed when you are struggling to pay what you owe already.

CCCS said there is nothing you can do, you wanna bet? They will get sod all if they keep adding interest and we'll just offer a fair payment when it goes for a ccj or gets passed on.

I am so annoyed!! :mad: I wish I could swear!! :mad:

Toffee Penny - GGrrrrrr, just posted a long reply and lost it!!! What I was trying to say was please feel free to keep ranting to us lot. For many of us, we are keeping our DMPs a secret from friends and family so at times we just need to vent!! DMPs are full of highs and lows and just keep trying to think of the long term objective. I think Bankruptcy was a little hasty from CCCS. Have you tried posting on sticky Ask a CCCS Counsellor a Question?? They are lovely - you may get a different response.

I do agree that it is crazy when creditors add interest to the point where you are not even covering that amount each month. I have had to write to creditors in the past when payments needed reducing and been as open and honest as possible, thanking them for their assistance etc etc and had a positive response from 5 out of 6 creditors. Ironically Halifax CC have been brilliant with us and frozen interest but Halifax Loans have been awful! Defaulting us every month which is hammering DHs credit rating plus they ring every month without fail asking for payment.

All I can say is chin up and we WILL get there eventually!!

Tinkerbell xx

tinkerbell12

callywally wrote: »

Hello,
Just wondeed if any one has any advice please.
Started a dmp with cccs in nov, all was going ok til my car had to have urgent and unexpected repair just before christmas, also had to tax car and with extra expence of christmas etc i now have almost nothing til end of the month. Have reduced my payment to cccs this month but as i need car to get to work, need money for petrol and food etc and have no one able to lend me money til end of month really dont know what to do.
The dmp was going ok til this happened and hope to get back on track next month just wondered if any one has any advice on how to survive til end of jan?
I have put a few things on ebay but not likely to bring in much and have very little food left in cupboards as have been useing every thing up over last couple of weeks, also need to get to work so need petrol money cant get there by public transport and no on able to give lifts. Any advice would be welcome thanks

Cally - I really do feel for you. I have been on a DMP for nearly a year now and had a few situations like this occur. We haven't quite been at the point where we have ran out of food and petrol but we have had to survive maybe 10 days before payday where we have been seriously low on these things. I did call in sick 2 days to save on petrol one month as I travel 40 miles a day to work and back.

No real other advice but you are not alone - so many of us (and others) are seriously feeling the pinch even more than usual this month. I have £10 left for food until end of month - I am learning to make it stretch further every time this happens!!

2spicy

Well Egg have started.
MBNA were fine with the loan i stopped paying, explained to the chap that they were not going to get their money this month and that a DMP was being arranged and have heard nothign from them.

Today I recieved 2 calls on the house phone from Egg Collections, the first at 089:05 this morning (ignored because I work from home and donot answer the house phone in the day), a call on my mobile at mid day (which I answered), followed by 3 text messages saying they have sent me a secure email about the same thing I spoke to the chap at lunchtime about.

3 of my creditors have 4 out of 7 creditors have cashed the token payments, and for once, my bank account has not gone past its overdraft before the days are in double figures !!

I have been chasing up my Direct Debits and making sure they have the new bank account details today and was suprised to find that A & L who I have my current account had cancelled the mortgage Direct Debits along with every other Direct Debit that had been paid in January so far. I guess they were ensuring they would recieve all their money when my salary went in ( I think not!)

After contacting all my "essential" bills, there is enough money in the A & L account to cover the rest of my outgoings this month and, after a quick visit to the cashpoint im resisting the urge to buy the 42" Plasma from currys !!! as that sort of thinking got me here in the first place. The emergency fund is setup and that money is going straight in it

Toffee_Penny

I'm happy for you 2spicy, it's great when you get set up you can relax now and know you have done the right thing, you will feel so rich come payday!.


I think I was a bit hasty last night, god I was raging! duff, duff, duff, duff, rising up, back on my feet, yep proper Rocky I was last night think OH was a bit scared! :rotfl:

I was just so 'arggghhhh it's all going wrong' when I read the statement but I have thought about it and spoke to OH and we have decided to stick it out with CCCS a while longer. We have 11 creditors, one has never stopped interest and Halifax are now charging reduced interest but the other 9 have been sympathetic and stopped all charges including late fees so I feel that it is positive even though one little knock back feels like it is all falling apart, the world is over.

I feel sometimes I am on my own dealing with the debt, its not that OH isn't bothered, he is but he's a bloke and they don't show it like women do they? he owes alot more than me its just OH isn't great with computers and tends to go along with me about the debt issues from what I have found out on here and sometimes I feel like it's all me doing everything.

I think thats why I got so wound up last night, I wanted to take it all on hoping I'd make a difference to the debt in the space of 2 months but the reality is a few nights ago I was crying and nearly on the verge of losing it because he had no work, now it seems work has picked up a little I don't want to rock the boat by upsetting all the other creditors just in spite of Halifax.

CCCS are good in the sense I feel they have taken away the hassle of dealing with creditors directly arranging payments etc but then I am the one who has written to let the creditors know everything from the start and writing letters every month to six or seven creditors at a time sort of takes it toll.

We'll just have to wait and see what happens, if OH work stops then obviously we need to re-think what our next steps are but for now I'll just bide my time and write to Halifax and hope to apply to their nicer side (:rolleyes: ) and hope they are sympathetic and will stop the interest.

2spicy

Toffee, youve been an inspiration and its been really educational reading your posts while we were setting up our DMP.
its good to come on here and see others have had the same issues or beable to speak to others that are sympathetic and non-judgemental.
We too are keeping our financial ststus secret from family and friends, however we have told people that we are cutting back with a view to finally releasing us from the debt millstone.

Yummy-mummy

newlywed wrote: »

GE Money did that to me :rolleyes: Till I got really annoyed and said Are you going to ring me EVERY SINGLE DAY to get EXACTLY the same answers? I'm not going to suddenly have more money tomorrow when I'm starting a DMP!!

Apparently the previous people shouldhave set a flag on the system to stop calls but didn't :rolleyes: Got there in the end though

I had the same problem with GE - they would ring several times and never seemed to have any record of the previous calls. This went on until they rang me twice one Saturday and I informed them that this was deemed as harrassment and they were in breach of the Communications Act 2003 s.127. I sent them a letter out lining my complaint and asked them to send me a copy of their complaints procedure. I received a letter from them which didn't exactly refer to my letter but it did accept my reduced payment and the calls stopped.

Halifax are another one who tend to ring several times but never seem to have a record of previous calls. They rang me the other evening and the guy was soooooo rude! He was talking over me, wouldn't let me get a word in and made me feel like I was something on the bottom of his shoe! After the call, I rang them back and made a complaint about the way I'd been spoken to. I got a call from the guy's supervisor who said that she had listened to the recording of the call and apologised for the way I was spoken to.

Just because we owe this money, it doesn't give these people the right to talk down to us and they shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. Both me and OH feel bad enough about the financial mess we are in without some jobsworth phoning every five minutes making us feel worse.

Sorry about that bit of a rant, seemed to get a bit carried away - will climb down off my soap box now!!!!