Without a paddle... support for anyone starting a DMP in 2010 (part2)

Professor_Pat_Pending

Triggles wrote: »

Hello. I would like to join in here please. We just started our DMP in December 2009, so it's still quite new. None of our creditors has agreed to lowered payments, and we get flurries of letters from both them and their in-house debt collectors regularly. Santander, in particular, seems to enjoy sending frequent duplicate letters - for about two weeks, they sent one letter every single day, which (to my thinking) was a bit OTT. Obviously they need to charge us the extra fees and interest to pay for all their postage costs! lol

At one point recently, MBNA finally agreed to stop all charges and interest on one of our two accounts with them.... and then they promptly defaulted it. So that was amusing.

This weekend is letter writing weekend as we are bumping up our payments to everyone, so I want to make sure they note it. It's still not much, but it gives us another chance to clarify who actually owns each debt (as a couple are having their in-house collection agencies contacting us as well which causes more confusion), request again to stop all interest and charges, and point out that we are increasing our payment and that we have been making regular payments every single month without fail for 6 months now. I'm hoping now that they are seeing that we are making the payments and now increasing then when we can, that they will meet us halfway and reduce or stop the interest and charges on their end. One can always hope, right?

Hi there, you are very welcome.
Are you with CCCS/Payplan or running your own DMP?

Triggles

We are running our own DMP, although we took advice from CCCS to start things out. The creditors keep adding in their letters that they would deal with us if we did our DMP with CCCS or at least got advice from them, but when I reply in writing that we HAVE gotten advice from them, they ignore that. It can be a bit frustrating, but we just keep pushing through.

Professor_Pat_Pending

Good luck to you. I have total admiration for anyone running their own DMP.

Triggles

Thanks. Honestly, some days I wonder if we'd been better going through CCCS, but DH is a bit paranoid about turning total control of finances over to someone else, so he's much more comfortable with this. And really, we felt we needed to take responsibility of our own finances anyway. I do like the fact that we can increase the payments when we're comfortable with it, as opposed to going through CCCS for all that. Plus we're hoping that we can make F&F offers to our 3 lowest creditors just before Christmas, and I know that CCCS doesn't really like that (or at least that's what I've heard). It gives us some incentive to know that we can possibly be 3 debts down by January 2011.

true27

Morning guys!

:hello: Triggles, welcome to the thread! Well done on running your own DMP - I've been trying since January to do the same but this week have called PayPlan in to deal with it for me. I much preferred the flexibility of running my own, but to be honest I just can't find enough hours in the day to do it all. I chose PayPlan as opposed to CCCS because their trigger figures are much more flexible and if you are over a trigger figure on mobile phones for example they don't tell you to reduce it, they just lump the extra into your housekeeping! So I keep the flexibility and its simplified because I'll only be making one payment, hopefully from 1st July

:grouphug: to all, hope everyone gets some sunshine and respite from the bl**dy football (not to mention the debts ) over the weekend!!

mikon

Triggles wrote: »

Thanks. Honestly, some days I wonder if we'd been better going through CCCS, but DH is a bit paranoid about turning total control of finances over to someone else, so he's much more comfortable with this. And really, we felt we needed to take responsibility of our own finances anyway. I do like the fact that we can increase the payments when we're comfortable with it, as opposed to going through CCCS for all that. Plus we're hoping that we can make F&F offers to our 3 lowest creditors just before Christmas, and I know that CCCS doesn't really like that (or at least that's what I've heard). It gives us some incentive to know that we can possibly be 3 debts down by January 2011.

Triggles

Respect for trying to run your own, but i have found when speaking with creditors that they work better if your with CCCS or Payplan. Why i do not know but a number of my creditors recommended CCCS and when I discuss my debts with the creditors and mention CCCS they inform me that they work with them. I personally would put it in the hands of CCCS or Payplan. I took Prof PP advice and constantly updated my creditors and to be honest i have had some hairy moments but the majority have accepted my offer and all except 1 have frozen charges and interest even the ones that refused. Another benefit of going with CCCS or Payplan is you only make one payment each month to them and they disprese it to your creditors and that in its self is a weight off my mind. They also have good working relationships with the banks etc. I would go with them.

Regards

mikon

Note to all men

Donate sperm get paid for something you enjoy and make being on a DMP that bit more pleasurable. Just a thought. lol

Hope this does not offend anyone it is only meant as a bit light hearted fun to lift spirits.

Regards

BEAT_THE_DEBT

I have had letter from dmp and monthly amount to pay of £224 but changed car i take to work so petrol will be higher and will soon have to pay parking will the reduce my dmp amount after only just setting it?x

candypop

Hi all - feeling bit better with myself from my wobbles on Tuesday. Heard back from CCCS re Halifax adding interest on my statement this month CCCS suggested I write to them asking them to freeze interest. Does anyone have a template letter i could use. Pleeaassee Also CCCS said its normal for creditors not to send statements once on a DMP which should explain why I havent received one from Cap One since April! Which I admit I am quite happy with used to hate coming home from work to see what postie had left that day for me

regret70

Sorry mikon don't really think it's an appropriate comment even if it is a joke.

Hope everyone enjoyed the match? Bloomin hopeless, I could play just as well as them and I I earnt their money I could pay off my debts in a day lol