DMP Mutual Support Thread - Part 7

Fitz32

southernbelle - exactly what happened to me the first time I phoned them, and I was absolutely devastated - thought it meant I should just 'cope'. I sat down with the budget, set up all the best deals I could on gas/phone etc and then phoned them back when it all still didn't add up. I added my overdraft debt on to the list of debts too. They were much more supportive the second time I phoned - maybe it was just a better person that time. Or I was more desperate!! Anyway, I'd suggest phoning them back and make sure you add up absolutely all the debts - it's fine for them to say 'but we can only allow £x for that spending' but if you're locked into a contract or stuck in a flat, then it does mean that you can't pay the debts back as quickly as you might otherwise be able to.

confuzzled - I know it isn't too bad really, just sometimes feels like it:) thanks for the boost!

southernbelle

Thanks Fitz. I don't have anything else to add. How is £33,000 debt not enough to qualify? I am never going to be out of debt. I really don't want to have to deal with all the creditors myself. But I guess I'm going to have to.

southernbelle

Is there a template letter I can use to ask my creditors to accept a plan? I've been looking for one...

**confuzzled**

Fitz32 wrote: »

confuzzled - I know it isn't too bad really, just sometimes feels like it:) thanks for the boost!

Easiest way to boost yourself is to look at someone elses sig;) preferably one with a bigger debt than your own though...otherwise it's just pointless:p

Southern a self-managed DMP isn't the worst thing, sometimes its better as then you know exactly what's what and don't have a company doing estimations for you.
However you go about it I'm sure there'll always be someone here to give you a helping hand:D
I know you said you can't really reduce outgoings further but do an SOA anyway, you never know a few (100)pairs of fresh eyes might help you out a little

sunfleur

Yippee we are almost at the end of our first year on our DMP with CCCS. I can't remember ever having no debt. I can't remember being in the 'black' of a bank account for more than a few months at a time either. We still have 'debt' just haven't increased it by so much as a penny in a year and, of course, the debt has started to go down too. Can't give you figures yet as we will assess everything next month.

DH has his finger on every penny and what 'we' think we owe our creditors as well as know what 'they' think we owe - not necessarily the same thing LOL We don't know one or two precisely because they barely communicate with us and we can't get into our accounts online as they have been blocked in some cases. Our yearly 'this is where we are' letters will be going out with the figures we think we owe next month after our first year on the DMP is up.

Most of our creditors have stopped interest and charges and this is helping our debt reduce. One of our creditors has just paid us back the charges they have charged us over the last year as we had been getting letters from three different centres of theirs so we copied all of the letters they had sent us and those that we had sent to them and asked them to sort themselves out! They took it seriously and gave us back the fees, a small amount but significant to us and stopped all interest and charges for the foreseeable future. We also had a short Blair, Oliver, Scott experience but that was sorted before it started too.

Before we started our DMP we thought long and hard about it after reading loads on these forums and advice on the CAP site. We filled an online form SOA with CCCS and began the DMP without speaking to them. After our initial self-assessment we reduced our overall budget by almost £200 by changing all of our phones, insurances and dropping one of our cars. After six months I had a telephone interview with CCCS and they were brilliant as usual and incorporated the money we had saved back into our budget as my daughter is autistic and we were able to claw back some of her DLA which we use for her activities and other needs and other bits were spread about our meagre budget to improve other areas.

We didn't speak on the phone once to any of our creditors, choosing to communicate with all of them via letter. We sent most of these letters recorded delivery. We are hoping to increase our monthly payments after the Summer to try and bring the current DFD down from 9 years! I will say that making sure everything is filed away in an orderly fashion, that you can easily retrieve and in date order really helps. Each letter/statement that we receive goes into the file and has the date written on the top of each when we receive it. Sometimes this can be a couple of weeks after the date on their letter!!!

So that's all the formal stuff.. We got through Christmas easily only to have to pay about £800 for work on the car in January and February and we actually did it - don't ask me how because it isn't in the budget but we had to use money from other parts of our budget including the food budget to pay for this. We got through that too.

Over the year I have used vouchers and any freebies to our advantage including receiving some M & S vouchers from one of the insurances we went with - we didn't know we were getting those. I also just used all of my 'lost' Tesco vouchers to pay for my daughters Pizza Express party - the cheapest party in 10 years as I only had to pay for the drinks! I saved money but got the same things we usually have like National Trust, English Heritage and AA membership for way less by thinking laterally and just got a free 2 month train family railcard and free National Artcard for three months. At the end of July I can buy a railcard for £14 too! It just seems like the more you think about each penny the more you can gain - not only in monetary value but self esteem and happiness from living your life the way you want it to 'without' debt.

Major issues to sort out still include Mortgage which has just ended a three year fixed rate and gone down, and pensions which we just don't know where we are with these. Also Wills and a possible trust-fund or future trust-fund for our daughter.

So I'm celebrating and thanking everyone here for keeping me going and for helping us to deflect the curveballs!:beer:
:T:T

Sunfleur

southernbelle

I will try and do it myself, although I work long hours and I don't really have time. I have looked into doing some freelance work, possibly telemarketing in the evenings - which I don't want to do but there we go.

I will get together my interest rates and do a SOA, I will start another thread with it in so I'd be really grateful if people would look at it. I don't think there's anything I can change though.

I get a payrise in October, which should be around £200 a month, so that'll help a lot. I just want this to be over. I can't stop crying because I'm so worried about this payday loan.

I will wait for the booklet from CCCS which they are sending, and that will have all the details of what I can afford to pay creditors, then I will write letters myself. I have already told the creditors that I am struggling, so we'll see what happens.

ianmak

southernbelle wrote: »

I will try and do it myself, although I work long hours and I don't really have time. I have looked into doing some freelance work, possibly telemarketing in the evenings - which I don't want to do but there we go.

I will get together my interest rates and do a SOA, I will start another thread with it in so I'd be really grateful if people would look at it. I don't think there's anything I can change though.

I get a payrise in October, which should be around £200 a month, so that'll help a lot. I just want this to be over. I can't stop crying because I'm so worried about this payday loan.

I will wait for the booklet from CCCS which they are sending, and that will have all the details of what I can afford to pay creditors, then I will write letters myself. I have already told the creditors that I am struggling, so we'll see what happens.

It's not just the debt amount, it's also the wage coming in, and outgoings.

Try here for help with dealing with creditors:
http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/debt_advice.php

Twit_Head

joanne2008 wrote: »

Im on a DMP with CCCS and have been since January, I did have my current account with NATWEST (have moved everything over to Halifax now) Natwest are still charging me over £100 each month for being over my overdraft and charging me for being overdrawn. I have told them my situation as have CCCS but they still wont except my situation, I am paying £63 into my account via CCCS but this is just wasted money ad being gobbled up. I have sent them a letter of complaint 3 weeks ago but am yet to hear back. What else can i do ?

Hi
You can't do much more at the moment except keep plugging away at them - dripping water wears away stone eventually
I would write again (or phone if you know you will stand firm and keep cool.)
Outline your commitment to repaying your debt, point out the regular repayments made to them. Stress the reason you are paying reduced amounts is because you are in financial difficulties and the added interest charges are just compounding your problem.
Your DMP is still quite new, and financial instituations are notorious for 'mislaying' paperwork. Have you read sickasachip's post just a wee back back from yours?
Good Luck - hope you get some sense out of them soon

'Twitty'

Twit_Head

Toffee_Penny wrote: »

Hi guys :beer:

Applied for another job last week, interviews are next week. I pray I have a chance. I've been at my place for over 7 years now and getting to the stage where I am ready for a change. I have spent the wages 8 times over already! It would mean clearing my debt alot quicker too. Fingers crossed for me guys I could really do with some luck x

Hope you all well? Stay strong x

Good Luck Toffee Penny! You know you're worth it

'Twitty'

Twit_Head

mr777 wrote: »

Sorry to post this here if i'm wrong too, but i'm desperate for advice!!!!

I've Been paying into a DMP from Payplan now since August 2007. Never missed a payment, paying 3 different creditors for various things. Nat West are one of the creditors to which i am paying 2 account overdrafts and one personal loan. I recently recieved a letter from Payplan saying that they had recieved a letter from NW regarding the overdraft accounts. Payplan had the balances at (1) £1,400ish and (2) £430ish but NW had the balances at (1) £5,500ish and (2) £2,700ish :mad:!!!!!!!! I spoke to NW and they said that it would be down to interest and charges etc etc and i need to get a statement from my local branch to confirm this. Then if i am unhappy i have to write a letter of complaint to them. Obviously i am unhappy! and does anyone have an experience of this or similar?? what are my options??? If they continue adding this interest / charges i will be falling deeper into debt and not coming out of debt like i assumed i was!!!! Please help.............

Hi
See my reply to Joanne about writing/phoning your creditors re: added interest. If it really is untenable you can complain to the financial ombudsman but in the first instance I would find out exactly how things stand and pin down the actual amount of your debt, and then get that complaint on it's way.
Hate to sound harsh but I remember years ago being given the advise 'never assume.' This is especialy true of a DMP. It really helps to grease the wheels if you check, then check again. Read your statements, check your Payplan online, keep your own records of balances etc. Don't be a victim of your debt.
Hope with a bit of stirring you'll get a a happier outcome.

'Twitty'