On DMP do debt collectors eventually leave you alone?or stop interest?

vicxzy

Hi all,

Am on a DMP since Feb, all creditors have agreed to £1 per month as I'm on stat mat pay apart from Barclaycard who are still using Mercers to threaten me with court action....
Just wondered do debt collectors eventually leave you alone & agree to reduced payments? Its been going on since Jan now with tons of daily phonecalls.

HBOS are also refusing to stop interest & still chasing me by phone daily despite agreeing to DMP in writing in Feb because of the interest charges I'm over my limits now.

I wrote to them all again last week saying only contact by letter etc & please reconsider charging interest but no reply or let up in the phone calls yet....anyone any experience?
x

dancingfairy

If they refuse to stop ringing you then I'd get on and report them - grrr. - not sure who to but possibly trading standards, financial services authority?, police? for harassment? etc
Hope you're good at snotty letters by now. I think I'd try maybe going through their complaints procedures re stopping interest and charges - apparently different departments so perhaps they have more power. Maybe they can also bash the heads of different departments that refuse to communicate with each other? If by writing them a letter, pointing out your situation and asking them how on earth they've accepted your dmp by still adding interest and charges and they don't come up with any sense then you can go to the financial ombudsman - o.k it will take a while to get resolved but it costs the companies time and money if it goes to the Ombudsman so it's in their interests to sort it out before then - I believe quite a high proportion of complaints generally to the ombudsman are sucessful but not sure how people get on re companies adding charges/interest while customers are on a dmp - got to be worth a shot and a few snotty letters though?
Don't let them get to you though - you're doing the right thing trying to sort it and they can't have what you haven't got, no matter how much they throw their toys around. Similarly a judge no doubt would also give them short shrift for time wasting.
df

barbiedoll

Whenever you write to your creditors, do make sure that you send the letters by recorded delivery so that they cannot use the excuse that they didn't receive your correspondence. Make sure that you keep a copy too.

I have found that it's often better to write directly to the complaints department of my creditors, sending letters to the collections department is often a complete waste of time. As for the telephone calls, have you seen the addition to the standard "don't call me" letter? They must remove your telephone details if you ask them to, a copy of the template can be found here....

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=11571485&postcount=4

Are you using one of the free/charity DMP administrators? (CCCS, Payplan etc etc.) When you write to your creditors, always include a copy of your budget sheet that they have drawn up with you, it saves you having to fill in the tiresome income/expenditure sheets that creditors often send you, to stall things whilst they pile on the interest. As for HBOS not stopping the interest, it seems that a lot of the banks are refusing to do so at the moment, if you're only paying token payments, they will probably pass the debt onto a DCA sooner rather than later, sometimes it is easier to get the interest stopped then.

Don't worry too much about Barclays/Mercers and their court threats. Unless the debt is quite high (thousands rather than hundreds) they probably won't bother with court action just yet. Even if they do, a judge won't order you to pay more than you can afford and as long as you stick to the agreed payment plan, you have nothing to fear.

Things will start to settle down soon, just keep paying your regular monthly payments and learn to ignore the phone calls. They will have to stop if you ask them to, it can take a couple of weeks after they have received your letters. Don't fret too much. We've all been there!
Good luck with your DMP.

vicxzy

Thanks DF & Barbiedoll
I sent the letter a week ago so hopefully soon they will start leaving me alone...
Getting quite good at the snottiness now hehe.
Im using CCCS & they all had copies if my budget sheet sent to them & theyve all defaulted me but continue to pester & add interest thought they wouldve given up by now, I will check that letter out thanks x

dancingfairy

I believe the National Debtline's website has various template letters you can use as well.
Unfortunately some companies like to think if they annoy you enough, pester you enough that you will magic the money from somewhere -erm how? Eventually they'll get the message but it can take some time - I'd also ask for them to take off the recent charges as well as stopping adding more. I know they have to make money but they are also duty bound to treat customers fairly and people that have put their hands up and asked for help from one of the debt charities should be given assistance to get their accounts back in order - not to have the situation made worse because the bank/credit card companies won't stop interest.
df