What to do? Please help with some advice.

RAS

mozzy

You might well be entitled to working tax credit, and child tax credit to cover a lot of the child care costs.

The limit for any benefits is around £64K joint income.

mozzyc

Thanks euronorris

I work and live in Teddington (Middlesex). And my husband works in Forest Gate (East London). So I guess its not exactly SW London - sorry for that. But still a hell of alot more expensive than Dartford.
So i used to get the SE train from Dartford to Waterloo East. Then a SW train from Waterloo to Teddington. We could move further out, and am hoping that my husband is going to find a job closer to this side of London, then we can move further out.

We'd need to anyway if we ever decided to start a family, as right now, we're only renting a small one bedroom flat.

After checking the benefits, it said I could get £21 per week in child tax credit. Add that to child benefit, i guess that's something. I couldn't be one of those mums to take a long maternity, but that's fine. I guess i've just got to look at how much childminders are.

I'm just not sure how creditors will take a drop in there payments. Some creditors are fine, others are just so intrusive, rude, heartless and ruthless. And I can never seem to get a straight answer from Payplan.

euronorris

I believe that the cost of childminders depends on the area you live in, so if you plan to move further out, the costs for that may change.

And, it doesn't just depend on how 'affluent' the area is considered to be. It also depends on demand, for example, my sister is a childminder and there is a shortage in her area so she is able to charge a decent rate. Other areas, however, have too many childminders and so the rate drops.

Check out the netmums website for some more info on that sort of thing. I know a lot of childminders etc register on there and can be a good place to find someone.

mozzyc

Does anyone have experience in this drop in payments on there DMP? When does it happen? When you go on maternity leave. Then does it stay like that with the childcare costs.

And are creditors generally ok at this, or should i expect the sudden influx of calls and letter again?

mozzyc

euronorris wrote: »

I believe that the cost of childminders depends on the area you live in, so if you plan to move further out, the costs for that may change.

And, it doesn't just depend on how 'affluent' the area is considered to be. It also depends on demand, for example, my sister is a childminder and there is a shortage in her area so she is able to charge a decent rate. Other areas, however, have too many childminders and so the rate drops.

Check out the netmums website for some more info on that sort of thing. I know a lot of childminders etc register on there and can be a good place to find someone.

Thanks! Euronorris. Going to have a look at that now.

LCT

I can't help with any of the mat leave stuff but just wanted to let you know what we went through with HSBC if it helps.
We too were getting to our wits end with them, every month they were sending us a statement showing a £25 charge (more than our DMP payment to them) and not acknowledging our payments to them on the statements. We too pointed out that if they carried on charging us we would never pay the balance!

They passed us over to a DCA at the start of this year. The DCA have a direct line to their office and with one phone call acknowldge the DMP and payment amount.

Its not exactly the same situation but might show light at the end of the tunnel?

L

mozzyc

Thanks LCT

That's exactly what we said to them. They said that "The plan was going fine". And we said no, it wasn't, because at this rate we'll never pay it off, and that they knew that. The guy simply said no. The interest is sticking for now. We've sent out a second letter, and after that, it'll be a letter of complaint. Right now, they have us by the throat.

mozzyc

Has anyone, or does anyone know somebody, who has had to lower payments due to maternity.

And after writing letter of complaint to OFT, what do you think my chances are with Lloyds. At that stage does it go to court?

Thanks everyone

RAS

Please have had thier DMP payments reduced for all sorts of reasons including the car breaking down, relationship break-up, ill health and maternity leave.

mozzyc

I really hope so. Lloyds have made this whole process so hard. I thought a dmp would be the answer to my problems, and we've tried so hard, stuck by the book, and yet they've kept us at square 1 for the past 5 years. We've got nowhere, after all this time. I just want to start my life again, and like so many people out there, i'm trying, so hard. I've learnt from my mistakes. The hard way, but i've learnt. And I'm older now. Priorities have changed. But creditors, they just don't care. I've paid off my loan so many times now, and will probably still be doing so in years to come with the interest that keeps getting added. £1000 in 6 months. Who can compete with that.