DMP Mutual Support Thread (Part 6)

DevonGirl

munkiemunkie81 wrote: »

So i need to make my first payment with the slip provided at the post office - it says there is a charge for this...how much?

I think it's a flat fee of £2.35 for paying via Transcash - have tried to Google it without success.

Hamstan

Hi munkiemunkie
When I did mine it was £2.35 but that was about 18 months ago so may have gone up. Glad I dont have to pay that every time though!
Good luck with your DMP

DevonGirl

CASR25 wrote: »

-will cccs be bothered as we've had to put some living costs onto cc before we were paid as needed food etc - so amount has changed for individual cc (but I actually over estimated the loan repayment figures I put down originally so the total figure I said we owe is more than we actually do - if you get my gist).

Hi there and hope your initial DMP start up is going well.

Just to answer your question about putting money on your credit cards in the run up to starting your DMP. Just before I started my DMP in April I asked if CCCS if I could use one of my c/cards for the last time before cutting it up. It was not for one final splurge but I actually needed a new vacuum cleaner and asked if I could buy one for around £50. With it being a fairly 'essential item' I thought I'd be ok.....

However, the answer came back from CCCS in no uncertain terms that no, I shouldn't be using my cards just before a DMP. They said that by using credit when you know you don't have the funds to pay at least the minimum amount on the card you are technically committing fraud. Not sure if anyone's been prosecuted for this but CCCS said it would be viewed by that creditor in a very dim light. I cut up my cards immediately to stop temptation. Sorry if that's not the answer you wanted to hear, but just to make you aware....

Good luck
DG

p.s. with regards to actual amounts on cards etc, don't worry about that. Once you get your CCCS plan set up and are able to check your balance online (they will send you a password), you can go in and change the amount.

the_tooth_fairy

Thanks Ianmak, I've got my own number 348!! Wee update with good and bad(ish) news. Had to reduce payment out to PP to £1000 as starting on 1st Oct, and we left ourselves nowt to live on in Sept. Feel a bit bad as we haven't even started yet! PP offered to start on 1st Nov, but cant take another month of phone ringing (chicken).
Good news is that PP are giving our biggest creditor Halifax £490ish a month (debt 24.5k) thats £90 more than we were paying anyway! Is that good I don't know?!
Also fear not thirty somethings! I'm in my forties and wonder if my DMP will be over before I retire! Surely they wouldnt rob an old granny (yeah, right)
Moan over! Thanks again to all who contribute here, Good Luck!

munkiemunkie81

Thanks! £2.35 isnt too bad I think I have that in the bottom of my handbag somewhere!!

londonfraggle

Hello all - just thought would drop in with a quick update on where I'm at right now. Have sent everything back to CCCS today, so hopefully they will get that moving in time to set the DMP up for 1 November.

Have sent all creditors another £10 token payment to cover October (they all had one in September too). Most of them that I've spoken to have been v good - stopped calling and are waiting for CCCS to be in touch with pro rata payment offers - just have to keep my fingers crossed that they accept the offers!

In fact, most of the pro-rata payment offers are liable to higher than the reduced payments I've been making to some of them in recent months (and certainly than in the last month when they've only been receiving token payments)! so I hope most them should be pretty happy. The ones that won't be are the payday/cheque loans (evil incarnate!) people who of course charge ridiculous interest so the offer to them will be significantly lower than they are used to receiving (what got me into this mess in the first place really!) but tough - they'll just have to deal with it and I can't believe there is a court in the world that would allow them to continue charging me such high interest if they refuse the offer and continue down the ccj/court route, so really I'm not worried about them! Just don't like the idea of them calling/turning up on my doorstep - anyone have any experiences with that?

Other than that my only worry is with my bank/current account provider as I am well into my overdraft and I suspect that by the time the DMP is set up will be well over my overdraft (thanks to those pesky payday cheques going through) so I'm not sure how they will relate to those...

On another note - I have been charged gazillions over the years in charges by my bank - even though they are going on my DMP what is the protocol for claiming these back? I have read various posts about claiming back but get a bit confused - don't really want to do it until they have accepted the DMP either really. Any ideas?

Anyhoo - long way to go still but at least I'm getting there! Hope you're all having lovely happy weeks!

Fraggle x

the_tooth_fairy

Hi Fraggle Im in the same boat about bank charges too. 3 months in a row, their charges put me over my o/draft limit, they're clever enough to take it out right after you get paid as well (so thats how we got into this mess!) Will be interested to hear feedback and advice from anyone about this. I know what you mean about waiting till the DMP kicks in. As you say long way to go but we're getting there!
Cheers.

geoffmr1

I wouldn't bother waiting until the DMP is up & running before you start to claim back bank charges. As the reclaim is on hold at present it's unlikely you'll get anywhere just yet anyhow but at least you'll be on the waiting list so to speak. Of course you can try to reclaim under financial hardship, I've had success with this myself but it doesn't always work.

If the charges relate to CC's then you can still claim those those back & again I would do it asap.

It will NOT affect them accepting your DMP at all & at the end of the day there is only so far you can go back (6 years usually but because of the case being on hold for banks, you can go back 8 years).

A DMP is not legally binding on either yourself or the creditor, so if claiming charges back was going to stop them accepting it then even if you were 6 months or a year in they could still withdraw it. However, I've not heard of one case where banks have refused a DMP because of someone reclaiming charges, its not in their interest to do so.

geoffmr1

londonfraggle wrote: »

The ones that won't be are the payday/cheque loans (evil incarnate!) people who of course charge ridiculous interest so the offer to them will be significantly lower than they are used to receiving (what got me into this mess in the first place really!) but tough - they'll just have to deal with it and I can't believe there is a court in the world that would allow them to continue charging me such high interest if they refuse the offer and continue down the ccj/court route, so really I'm not worried about them! Just don't like the idea of them calling/turning up on my doorstep - anyone have any experiences with that?

Fraggle x

To be honest if they take you to court for a CCJ the interest would automatically be stopped at that point anyway.

If they do threaten to send someone to your door, just remember that person has no legal rights or powers whatsoever. As I say should they say someone will be coming write to them telling them that you will not be giving permission for anyone to set foot on your property & that should they do so you will be calling the police about them trespassing. Although trespass in itself is a civil matter the police have to attend if you phone them & say its aggrevated trespass which is a criminal offence. Anything that stops you carrying out your duties such as going food shopping would be classed as aggrevated trespass & of course if someone is standing on your doorstep then it is stopping you doing what you need to.

londonfraggle

geoffmr1 wrote: »

To be honest if they take you to court for a CCJ the interest would automatically be stopped at that point anyway.

QUOTE]


ooh - I don't think I realised that interest is stopped on a CCJ -not that I want one but it does make it seem almost an attractive option - at least with these horrible payday people who have been fleecing me alive the last couple of years. Does the interest automatically get stopped when you get a default too, or is that just wishful thinking?? I have already received one notice of defaut which I guess will sit on my credit file for 6 years anyway, so I kinda figure if I have 1 already, does it matter if I get any more?!?! Or am I being super naive?

I think I will wait on the claiming thing for one main reason - I suspect once I have entered DMP with my bank and I go actually over my overdraft chronically with no means of paying it back (as my salary won't even be going in there anymore) the charges are going to rocket up (unless they are sympathetic and stop interest and charges for the DMP - hmmmmm methinks not!) so is it perhaps best to wait to see how far these charges go???

Have spent all day writing letters, printing letters, photocopying statements, preparing postal orders, phoning for figure updates etc. I am v looking forward to a VERY large glass of (cheap obviously!!) plonk tonight!!

Fraggle x