New here. Advice needed re CCCS

brokeinyorkshire

Hi all.

New here and wanting some advice about Debt Management Plans.

I recently entered a debt management plan with the CCCS and it has been nothing but stress from day one.

The problem has been that i have debt with the Halifax to the tone of two loans and a credit card. I also work for the company.

From day one the Halifax have kept saying they have no record of my loans, even though the CCCS have had the original loan docs.

I have been harassed constantly by the company since this all started with constant phone calls and letters telling me they are charging me ten pounds for each call. :mad:

I can't diss the company because i work for them but i have ended up in counselling because of all this.

The CCCS just don't seem to be able to deal with the matter properly and keep saying the Halifax will have to accept the payments but they are not the ones being bombarded with phone calls and letters. I honestly i
feel now that i would be better off entering into agreements with the Halifax myself, where i pay them a percentage of my monthly payment .
At least then i would know where i am!

I really worry about this as i know i owe the money and really want to get it paid off.

What makes it worse too is that i actually work for the company and feel like i can't hold my head up in the office as my manager knows about the DMP.

I have alreay entered into an agreement with EON who i owe £300 to and they are happy with my offer.

Any opinions?

Thanks,

Tixy

Hi

Presumably CCCS know that you work for Halifax? The reason I ask is because I have seen cases where CCCS have done DMPs for bank workers ad advised to leave out the debts to their employer bank because of the problems it can cause at work.

This is obviously causing you a great deal of stress - I wonder if in this case it might be worth you trying to deal with Halifax yourself -is there someone at work (not your immediate manager) who you could discuss the situation with?

Wish I could offer more advice, most people on here are happy with CCCS but obviously things are not working well on your DMP.

Just a thought - maybe you could post for advice from CCCS on this board - at the top of the DFW board there is a thread to ask CCCS questions - might be worth posting on there for advice from a different advisor to your normal one.

brokeinyorkshire

Hi.

Thanks for replying.

Yes. The CCCS do know i work for the company. Because i don't work in the banking side i was told i could still include all the Halifax debts in the plan as long as i chaged my current account which is also with the company as they have the right to offset.

It IS a huge worry and so stressful. I feel worse than i did before i started the plan.

Thanks for your reply and your suggestions.

fabforty

brokeinyorkshire wrote: »

Hi all.

New here and wanting some advice about Debt Management Plans.

I recently entered a debt management plan with the CCCS and it has been nothing but stress from day one.

The problem has been that i have debt with the Halifax to the tone of two loans and a credit card. I also work for the company.

From day one the Halifax have kept saying they have no record of my loans, even though the CCCS have had the original loan docs.

I have been harassed constantly by the company since this all started with constant phone calls and letters telling me they are charging me ten pounds for each call. :mad:

I can't diss the company because i work for them but i have ended up in counselling because of all this.

The CCCS just don't seem to be able to deal with the matter properly and keep saying the Halifax will have to accept the payments but they are not the ones being bombarded with phone calls and letters. I honestly i
feel now that i would be better off entering into agreements with the Halifax myself, where i pay them a percentage of my monthly payment .
At least then i would know where i am!

I really worry about this as i know i owe the money and really want to get it paid off.

What makes it worse too is that i actually work for the company and feel like i can't hold my head up in the office as my manager knows about the DMP.

I have alreay entered into an agreement with EON who i owe £300 to and they are happy with my offer.

Any opinions?

Thanks,

What do you want the CCCS to do? As I understand your post (correct me if I'm wrong), it is Halifax who are saying that they do not have information about your loans - despite the fact that you work for them and they are aware of the DMP. You must have the relevant documents-can't you just pass them to Halifax?
I know that it must be distressing for you when Halifax keep telephoning - but that's not really CCCS fault. They cannot stop Halifax (or any other creditor) calling you and I suspect (having spoken to an HSBC bank manager about this), as you are employed by them, the Halifax are taking a harder line with you and will probably continue to call/write etc.
There is nothing to stop you from making arrangments with you creditors or contacting them directly - there is no need to use CCCS at all. If you feel that going it alone would be better for you under the circumstances, then you should do it.

brokeinyorkshire

I have never said it is CCCS fault.

They just keep sending me the same letter saying the same thing which says " the Halifax say they have no record of the account "

They have had all relevant docs but are saying they have not been received.

I suppose they COULD be taking a harder line because i am a colleague but whenever i speak to then they don't seem to have a clue that i am a colleague at all.

Its just a vicious circle and i am definitely veering towards dealing with the company myself. At least then they can't say they have no record of the loan!

Sea78

Hi :hello:

Sos orry to hear that you are going through this stress. For a start you can ask halifax to stop calling you as otherwise you'll report them for harassment.

When you say they have no record of the account - does this mean your loan account? Or the arrangements CCCS have proposed? I'm a little confused (doesn't take much lol).

The CCCS will be sending them payments already won't they? Have they accepted these? Therefore Halifax must have a record and you can say this before hanging up and tell them to get in touch with CCCS. Sounds like it's just all harrassment and they feel they are getting somewhere so will continue phoning and writing.

Sorry if I've got the wrong end of the stick!

Sea xxxx

Treacle1983

cccs is the free one right? I went with gregory pennington. they charged me £47 a month and dealt with all my bills and calls from creditors. yes it was a bit expensive - but saved me a whole world of stress. now back on my feet and putting the £47 a month towards my remaining debts - but def helped for the year or so I was with them.
I kept their debt management bank account sytem too - which does cost me £8 a month - but helps me sort my finances.

ailsajayne29

hi, surely if halifax say they have no record of the loan/account how can you owe them money?? just tell them that and tell them that under the data protection act you want your number removed from the records and will only communicate via letter and if they dont do it and keep phoning you then you report them... Maybe i didnt fully understand what halifax are saying but surely they are not allowed to harrass you for money or to make life difficult for you at work?

I hope you get this sorted, sounds to me like they just dont want to accept what cccs have offered and are tryin to persuade you to repay more by underhand tactics! When I first went on my DMP I still got calls and letter threatening court and all sorts if i didnt pay more but it settled down after a couple of months (I banned them all from calling me!) and i think they all realised that taking me to court really wouldnt help as I am def not able to repay anymore money!! If its causing you stress and worry it might also be worth asking your doc if they have someone in your practise you can talk to... just to help you keep your head up!

Good luck :-)

MrsTinks

The fee paying companies won't do anything the charities don't do so please don't be tempted to throw money away. The Halifax will continue to harass you no matter who you're doing a DMP with sadly.
The way to stop it is to tell them you will from now on only deal with them in writing. Give them a week and then if they still call you report them to the financial ombudsman.
The Halifax may kick up a fuss for now but stick with it and they will grudgingly eventually fall in line... Especially when the monthly payments keep comming regularly even if it's less than you shoudl contractually be paying...

gilligansyle

If they don't have a record of the loan, how can they ask you for payment. If you are willing to pay, and they are included in your DMP, just keep sending the payments. I had this with one company when on DMP with CCCS, and CCCS said that the problem was they had no record of the account number so then CCCS couldn't pay them. As soon as the payment stopped they soon came up with a valid account number. It is harder if you actually work for them, but send them the letter about contacting in writing only, you need to do this anyway so you can pass info on to CCCS. If they don't comply, complain to the Ombudsman. I know this is difficult for you in work, but it is your right.

fabforty

I think that what this thread demonstrates, is how differently debtors may be treated by the same creditors. I have been with CCCS for 5 years and since starting my DMP, I have had no problems. Creditors rarely contact me directly, and when they do it is non-confrontational - often offering a reduced settlement figure. As for Halifax, I owe them £4000, yet apart from an occasional brief phone call, I haven't heard from them - even when I had to stop work to undergo cancer treatment and my monthly payment to CCCS was reduced from £600 a month to £70 a month. The same applies to my other 9 creditors. Although they rarely contact me, I do (and always have) called each creditor -roughly twice a year - just to update them on my current situation. It is usually little more than me saying 'I am still here, I still acknowledge the debt and nothing has changed', but perhaps that is why they leave me alone. I read stories like the OP's and realise that I am actually quite fortunate. I wonder if my case is the exception or the norm?