DMP Mutual Support Thread (Part 6)

Twit_Head

smcshane wrote: »

Hi all,

Just wanted to offer a bit of support to all those newbies out there. This time last year my life was getting to breaking point and I didnt know what to do but all is well, touch wood! CCCS have been great and DMP is going ok, the train is starting to get closer to the tunnel light very slowly. All creditors have been accepting with reduced interest or none, Egg have passed to Cabot who have actually been ok. Had a few issues with Next, like the rest of the world due to them taking ever to cash cheques, but as this is my smallest balance it will be gone in two months, just dont want to pay them too much!!!!

I have been lucky enough to get a promotion in the 6 months of the DMP so was able to increase payments quickly but cant see it happening again in the near future but the struggle has been worth it and enjoying the challenge.

Sx

Hi smcshane
I cross posted with you but it's great we were basically saying the same thing to all new people.
Glad to hear things are going well for you and thanks for your update-may your train be a 'bullet' one and get there faster! :T


'Twitty'

jenevieve

Hi All,

Just a question (or two):

I have been on a DMP now for 7 months, all going well by and large.....should hopefully be debt-free in 4 or 5 years.
I am wondering what experiences other people on DMPs have had when applying to rent a new property. I currently share (lodge) with a friend and although all is well and I anticipate staying here for a while yet, ultimately I would like to live on my own again.
Have people had difficulties - particularly as property/letting agencies will run credit checks and mine must be shot to pieces.....:o

thank you.

pinkpower

Ditto what Twit head and smcshane said, life is easier, and once you accept that the credit cards aren't there any more, life actually feels better. It was my birthday last week, and for the first time I know that this time next year I will be less in debt than I am now.

Just an update on the Next saga, they have now written saying that after our conversation, they will accept my reduced payments for the next few months and have sent me a credit card agreement to sign, should I ignore it? They didn't ask for this when the plan was set up last August.

emmahoyles

jenevieve wrote: »

Hi All,

Just a question (or two):

I have been on a DMP now for 7 months, all going well by and large.....should hopefully be debt-free in 4 or 5 years.
I am wondering what experiences other people on DMPs have had when applying to rent a new property. I currently share (lodge) with a friend and although all is well and I anticipate staying here for a while yet, ultimately I would like to live on my own again.
Have people had difficulties - particularly as property/letting agencies will run credit checks and mine must be shot to pieces.....:o

thank you.

I've been in a DMP for a 5 months now and am currently looking for somewhere to rent, i had to give up work 18 months ago to look after my husband who was diagnosed with an agressive form of cancer, thankfully he is on the mend now but he still can't work which leaves us both unemployed...... not the best basis to get someone to rent you somewhere! :rotfl:Most letting agencies i have spoken to have said they wouldnt have a problem letting a property to us as long as we had a guarantor, don't know if you have someone who would be willing to do that for you? Although if you are working then it would probably be easier for you, they may just ask for an extra month or so's rent up front instead.

grantalien

Hi All

Been hanging around here for a while and in that time have been on a DMP with Payplan for about 2 months (of payments anyway) - Most things seem to be going OK - have had 9 acceptances (on justabank) out of 16 and the rest have been very quiet - except Nationwide. I have had the letter today threatening a house visit from KPR - I contacted them and said "no thanks" and explained that I am on a DMP with Payplan, they were not really interested. The guy explained that the DMP offer had been refused and they would be applying for a Charging order. I understand that before a CO they would have to go down the CCJ route, is this correct? - I take in Nationwide are hard work! I owe bout 2.5k and am offerinng £29pcm, they want the full minimum (of course). Anyway ramble over - thanks in advance for any info and what a useful resource this forum is! - DMP has so far really changed my life, just a shame the Nationwide are not as understanding as they like use to think (when paying)!

londonfraggle

Well it looks like I spoke too soon when I said everything was going ok. I now feel like hiding under my duvet any never coming out again...

Had a small issue with my payment to CCCS this month (and just for this month as needed to pay for emergency repairs, had no choice!) and needed my DMP payment slightly reduced - they were great and said no problem. I then cancelled the DD and paid the revised amount by bank transfer. This is where the problem now lies! I contacted all my creditors to tell them that the payment was going to be reduced - and called CCCS today to find out exactly what payment each creditor would be getting this month - only to discover that that amount is £0!!! They didn't receive my bank transfer in time to make the payment to my creditors - but no one had thought to tell me that!! They say they will make the payment together with the February payment next month.

Of course that means that no one is getting a payment from me this month at all! I am so upset. I am now in the process of contacting all my creditors to inform them of this and of course it's not going very well. A number of them have said that without ANY payment this month they cannot keep the plan going so it is likely to fail and I'm going to be back to square one. A couple have said that further action is likely. And a fair few have said I will absolutely be charged late payments.

I just don't know what to do. If the CCCS had told me in time then I could have got them to refund the money and made all the payments manually myself to the creditors but it's too late - as they can only do that by cheque so by the time they raise a cheque, post it to me and it has cleared in my bank account it's going to be February and therefore I've missed January's payment.

I have had to skive the day off work to sit phoning all of my 18 creditors - meaning I'm going to have to work all night to make up for it.

I know that the CCCS have loads of clients and I do still believe they are fab but I can't believe they didn't even think to tell me this - and in fact I only found out when I contacted them today when I noticed my payments to creditors on my statement was "£0" for each one!! They knew this 2 weeks ago so we could have tried to find a solution then, instead of leaving me sitting here crying my eyes out trying to explain the situation to a bunch of nasty creditors who probably just think I'm trying to pull a fast one and are no doubt going to make my life hell again - just when I thought it was starting to settle down.

Sorry for the rant - am just super upset. Would really appreciate any advice anyone has if they've been in similar situations?

Thank you.

a very upset and puffy eyed

Fraggle x

pinkiepie68

Hi Fraggle

You poor soul - I really feel for you. Affraid I can't offer anything much more than sympathy!! Iam gutted for you. The only thing I would say as that Lloyds CC threaten to cancel my plan every month as CCCS made a mistake with the initial amount of the payment (they missed 1 £ 250 overdraft from our plan - incidentallyto Lloyds as well!!!) and when they re-split the payment and re submitted the income & ependiture statement and letter of offer, the Lloyds card was for 18p prr month less. Needless to say, Lloyds call me at least 3 or 4 times each month to let me know Iam in breach of my plan to the tune of 18p and that I risk the plan being cancelled and "further action" being taken.

Have you contacted CCCS and asked if they would offset the February payment to allow you to make the January payments (I know this is probably way off the mark, but clutching at straws for you!!).

It is always upsetting when you see that someone who tarted their plan at the same time as you is having rotten luck!

Have a wee virtual hug to make things a bit better!!:grouphug:

londonfraggle

pinkiepie68 wrote: »

Have you contacted CCCS and asked if they would offset the February payment to allow you to make the January payments (I know this is probably way off the mark, but clutching at straws for you!!).

It is always upsetting when you see that someone who tarted their plan at the same time as you is having rotten luck!

Have a wee virtual hug to make things a bit better!!:grouphug:

Hi Pinkie - thank you so much for the kind words - I'm feeling a bit better now, I have at least contacted all of them. What makes me even more annoyed is that my "usual" DMP payment is actually almost the same as my contractual payment in pretty much every case, and it's not as it they're not getting a payment for January, it's just coming late along with February's payment.

I also can't help but feeling a wee bit miffed with the CCCS as I do think that they could be doing more to help - e.g. why can't they make an exception and just make the payment to the creditors now, or why can't they do a CHAPS refund so that I get the money I've paid them for January back immediately and could then phone all my creditors and pay them myself...however apparenely none of these options are feasible. Ho hum.

Not sure I understood you about asking if they would offset February's payment? I can't pay the creditors at all this month as have already paid the CCCS all my month's money and don't have enough left to make payments to them all again...until I get paid at the end of the month, or is that perhaps what you meant??

Ohhh lightening moment...yes, I could pay them all on the 29th when I get paid for this month and then just only pay the extra for the Feb DMP payment to the CCCS? Is that what you meant Pinkie?

Gosh - sorry for this very long ramble again....what does everyone/anyone think. Would this be a suitable solution?

The other problem with this option though is that my Jan payment is "reduced" and the CCCS can't tell me how much would be going to each creditor (I know what it is normally of course when I make full payment) and I have NO IDEA how they worked it all out and the woman on the phone earlier told me it was very difficult to work out.

AARGH. What to do?!?! Any help/advice/similar situations out there? I'm now back to that horrible sinking sick feeling that I had before I began my DMP and I had really hoped that feeling had gone for good....

Fraggle x

iwillgetoutofdebt

Has anyone received a "tracked package" from any of their creditors? I thought that mine had been a bit quiet over the past couple of days and had hoped that maybe they had finally reaslised that I really am on a dmp and trying to pay them back. Then today I got a card through the door from Royal Mail saying that there was a tracked package for me to pick up. I can't collect it for another 48 hours, and have no idea what it could be. I am now worrying myself sick that one of my creditors is getting heavy handed already (I only started my DMP on 1st January, so have only "missed" one set of minimum payments to them all). They wouldn't be taking me to court already would they?

Help please.

ianmak

iwillgetoutofdebt wrote: »

Has anyone received a "tracked package" from any of their creditors? I thought that mine had been a bit quiet over the past couple of days and had hoped that maybe they had finally reaslised that I really am on a dmp and trying to pay them back. Then today I got a card through the door from Royal Mail saying that there was a tracked package for me to pick up. I can't collect it for another 48 hours, and have no idea what it could be. I am now worrying myself sick that one of my creditors is getting heavy handed already (I only started my DMP on 1st January, so have only "missed" one set of minimum payments to them all). They wouldn't be taking me to court already would they?

Help please.

Pick it up and find out! It's probably something completely different, and not worth worrying about.