DMP Mutual Support Thread - Part 7

Twit_Head

BevieB wrote: »

Hi,

Our DMP with CCCS starts 1st October. All seems to be going ok but I am a bit confused about our current account. We have opened a new account and arranged for wages/DD to come out of this account. This means our Halifax current account is £1790od (limit £1800). Should I write and close the account or wait for it to default?
Thanks

Hi
You really need to make sure the account is included in your DMP.
You can't 'close' it as such because you owe them the money.......
You've done well to get another bank account set up (make sure it's not connected to any of your creditors)
As long as you have included the overdraft in your DMP, the next step is to await Halifax's response.

'Twitty'

Twit_Head

ianmak wrote: »

There are those who say answer the phone and explain your situation at the beginning. Three (three!!!) years in and fingers crossed (maybe I was just lucky), I really do think that being open and honest with my creditors at the start helped a hell of a lot.

I was mostly at fault for getting myself in this position, and it is only fair that the creditors should be able to approach me for their money.

Just my opinion of course!

So agree with you ian!
I've become much braver of late and have been phoning more, but still like written comunication, sent recorded, so you have proof that your letter has been received.
Whatever way you do it, I too think being open with creditors helps enormously. (Unfortunately there will always be those who are a right pain )
I've always been up front and my creditors have treated me very decently on the whole.

'Twitty'

Twit_Head

Hello to all, whether 'old' or new :wave:

Haven't been around much lately as I've been too busy banging my head on a brick wall.
There's more action watching paint dry,than that hapening in my F+F's

'Twitty'

the_tooth_fairy

ianmak wrote: »

There are those who say answer the phone and explain your situation at the beginning. Three (three!!!) years in and fingers crossed (maybe I was just lucky), I really do think that being open and honest with my creditors at the start helped a hell of a lot.

I was mostly at fault for getting myself in this position, and it is only fair that the creditors should be able to approach me for their money.

Just my opinion of course!

Yes, Ian I say pick up the phone as well (even if you can stop them phoning you for the next thirty days!) as hard as it is to do that, sometimes the bravery pays off. Failing that at least you have your PP or CCCS number to pass on, so they know you aren't making it all up!

When you mention three years in, I can't believe that we started our third year earlier this month - time flies when you're having fun!
Seriously, I wouldn't go back for anything, just being on a reasonable budget really helps us. It has changed the way we shop and more importantly, live. When you see family and colleagues around you with their heads still firmly in the sand, it makes you feel almost sorry for them.

ttf

Ps. Wasn't it good to hear from Fraggle again, too!

the_tooth_fairy

Twit_Head wrote: »

Hello to all, whether 'old' or new :wave:

Haven't been around much lately as I've been too busy banging my head on a brick wall.
There's more action watching paint dry,than that hapening in my F+F's

'Twitty'

Hello wee woman! Reading back through the posts, I was sorry to hear that your wily F&F plan didn't quite go as you (and we) wanted it to.
Having said that, I had a nostalgic look back through some of the old thread, and in the words of Fat Boy Slim, "You've come a long way, baby"

No need for any head banging just yet...

ttfx

the_tooth_fairy

sickasachip13 wrote: »

Hi Forever-Skint,

You've come to the right place, pull up a chair!

Honestly, the scared and tearful stage is really normal at the beginning, things do get better. If you've got time then you should make a cuppa and sit down and read through this thread as there is so much advice, support and info for us DMPers here.

Best of luck and any queries, don't fret, just come and ask :-)

Does anyone else think this is one of the most helpful replies ever posted on this site? Brilliant. Thanks Sickasachip.:T

ttfx

the_tooth_fairy

zoey86 wrote: »

Hey,

My understanding is that you can only get 1 default notice per account which will last for 6 years - this severly affects any credit you apply for in those 6 years.

Notices of default sums (i.e £12 late payment fees) can be issued monthly, these will stay on your credit file for 6 years also, but will not affect your credit rating as severly as a default notice.

Hopefully I'm right and you are getting default sums and not default notices each month (well not such a good thing as there are charges being added to your balance, but better for future mortgage applications).

Zoey

Hi Zoey, I haven't had any default sums added to my Sainsburys' Bank Visa (and OH's BOS C/C) for ages but we still have picked up enough default notices between us to paper a room within the last 36 months. It works out about one every 3 months each. My worry is if they keep doing this until near the end of our DMP, it will really impact our credit rating. So our aim is to get rid of them first via F&F's, hopefully.

ttf

ianmak

Sorry, I should have added that you need to be a rock if you take calls or ring them! Stand your ground, and remember they're only doing their job (I always think of the horlicks advert with the traffic warden).

It should be noted that I was a wuss at the beginning, and the DMP has toughened me up. But at the end of the day they are at the other end of the phone, not in front of you. I know I had a couple of meanies, one in particular I put the phone down on (and I shouldn't have done that).

sickasachip13

Hi all,

Hope everyone's ticking along nicely.

Our DMP still tickity-boo and, as far as we're aware, no problems on the horizon.

On the phone calling stuff - I have taken calls, and still would, from creditors. But, what I tend to do is use the caller ID on the phone and if I can't be bothered or it's not a good time, just ignore the call and then ring them back sometime later, that suits me better. I also ring my creditors that don't send me regular statements, approx once a month, to make sure they're not up to anything behind my back.

Like Ian says, you've got to stand strong with them, don't let them take the piddle. Be firm, restate your case, have your figures and CCCS details to hand. A lot of these people have taken these jobs because there's !!!!!! all else out there and not because they're sadistic b@stards, so I try to remember that.

Each to their own but I do feel it's helped me keep a handle on my debt and where things stand. It also helps prevent any escalation of activities on behalf of the creditors I believe.

zoey86

the_tooth_fairy wrote: »

Hi Zoey, I haven't had any default sums added to my Sainsburys' Bank Visa (and OH's BOS C/C) for ages but we still have picked up enough default notices between us to paper a room within the last 36 months. It works out about one every 3 months each. My worry is if they keep doing this until near the end of our DMP, it will really impact our credit rating. So our aim is to get rid of them first via F&F's, hopefully.

ttf

Hey,

I've looked into this a bit more and found out that if you receive a second (or more) default notice on your account you can argue this and get the creditor to remove the more recent default notices from your file as long as you still have a copy of the original. You are only supposed to receive 1 default notice per account, as long as you haven't brought your account up to date with the payments the creditor is requesting - in this case they can then issue you another default notice.

This should be a useful link on another MSE thread https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3134066

Hope that helps and makes sense

Zoey