DMP & Mutual Support Thread - Part 8

Lady1982

Hi Hun
thanks for the reply- Ok were slightly different i do work and have family debts of my own after our wedding and generally dont pay our bills as we live on my wages but i know this will change.
we have no joint accounts other than my a current bank account with no debt attached to it- i guess i will have to close this as he has a credit card with the same bank?

i might need him to chnage the dmp to show i can contribute to the mortgage and council tax as i am liable?

sorry again for all the questions and thanks x

BlushingRose wrote: »

Hiya,

Mr BlushingRose and I are on a DMP but, like you, all 'our' debts are in his name so 'technically' it's his DMP but we're both living it.
Our DMP is with the CCCS and they know I exist but as I'm not working, the income is just for the one person, all all amount are true and not halved in any way.
The forms sent out to creditors does say that 'other members of the household may contribute to household bills'.
Also, our mortgage company hasn't been told that we're on a DMP as it's one of the 'bills' that's unaffected so there's been no need to tell them.
Your husband being on a DMP will affect you, if only because the money you have to live on may well change.
Also, if you have any joint bills, loans, accounts then you might well be effected as well by those.

bertman

Tigsmom wrote: »

Well I had my LBM last week and applied to CCCS for my DMP but I still have to write my letters. Not sure what to put, feel as though I should explain how we got in this mess before asking for interest freeze and reduced payments. However, most standard letters don't allow for this. Tried to open new acccount. Got accepted then the banks system crashed and said 'try again later'. I thought doing this would make me feel positive but I have to say I'm really struggling. I feel weepy all the time (weather isn't helping, raining and dull every day) and every time I check the current bank account it just makes me feel worse. I can see my OH sinking too and he relies on me to prop him up. Everyone says it's going to get better I just can't seem to stop feeling sorry for myself and feeling overwhelmed by everything at the moment. Just don't have the energy to kick myself up the bum. Is this normal for people after their LBM?

Hey Tigsmom, Don't be too hard on yourself.. Seriously - look at the world at the moment. A lot of major countries are applying for debt relief and they are supposed to have been run by the biggest and brightest of brains in the world - and they got it wrong!!!
Don't worry about what to put in the letters, the CCCS will send you a basic template, just use that, its simple and to the point. There is no point telling the companies why or how you got into difficulties, its got nothing to do with them, what they will be interested in is that you have taken a positive step by contacting a commission free debt help company. They will want monthly payments which the CCCS will work out for them and contact on your behalf. If you want a boost, pick up the phone and call them, they are really helpful and make you aware that you aren't on your own - they told me there are literally tens of thousands of people in our position.
Why don't you put the kettle on, get a biscuit and watch half an hour of trashy telly - let your mind settle a bit before you do any more work on this.
Please don't worry - we have done that and it doesn't get you anywhere - you have taken a real positive step by contacting CCCS and standing up to your debts.

Bertman

iwilldoitthistime

Well I eventually got my statements from LLoyds TSB who have reduced my interest rate to 5%, not suspended it. This means on my CC, Im still paying over £40 a month interest!

Im on a DMP with CCCS - do you think its worth giving them a call about this, or should I write to LLoyds directly to ask them to reduce?

thanks x

Time_to_face_the_music

Tigsmom wrote: »

Well I had my LBM last week and applied to CCCS for my DMP but I still have to write my letters. Not sure what to put, feel as though I should explain how we got in this mess before asking for interest freeze and reduced payments. However, most standard letters don't allow for this. Tried to open new acccount. Got accepted then the banks system crashed and said 'try again later'. I thought doing this would make me feel positive but I have to say I'm really struggling. I feel weepy all the time (weather isn't helping, raining and dull every day) and every time I check the current bank account it just makes me feel worse. I can see my OH sinking too and he relies on me to prop him up. Everyone says it's going to get better I just can't seem to stop feeling sorry for myself and feeling overwhelmed by everything at the moment. Just don't have the energy to kick myself up the bum. Is this normal for people after their LBM?

Hi Tigsmom :hello:

The LBM and the start up is a real emotional roller coaster, I was deliriously happy one minute and in floods of tears the next. Totally out of the blue and with no prior related conversation, I screamed at my OH "We just can't do this any more", the poor man thought I wanted a divorce! :rotfl:

I promise you it does get better but it takes a little while to settle down and in the first month or so, your debts often look worse because those lovely banks do like to pile on charges and interest until they know what is going on. Some of them like to be told over and over again in words of one syllable until they understand and then pretend they still don't :mad:

If you want to put a brief explanation in your letters, do it, there is really nothing to stop you. If think I put a grovelling apology in ours because I felt so guilty about it all but to be honest, I don't really think it makes a lot of difference. Most banks think of us as numbers, i.e. the debt owed in pounds and pence rather than real people

I had to prop up Mr TTFTM at first but now he is 100% on board and is as ardent about this as I am, we are obsessed with getting out of debt and working together at it as hard as we can. Try and be a team, it works best that way and you can support each other when you have a bad day :T

I used to avoid looking at our bank account, in dread of what I would see. Now I love seeing it in the black at the end of each month. Lots of people deal with budgeting in different ways, some use pots or envelopes or different purses. We try and use cash for everything, it seems much more like real money than using the debit card.

Time_to_face_the_music

Lady1982 wrote: »

Hi Hun
thanks for the reply- Ok were slightly different i do work and have family debts of my own after our wedding and generally dont pay our bills as we live on my wages but i know this will change.
we have no joint accounts other than my a current bank account with no debt attached to it- i guess i will have to close this as he has a credit card with the same bank?

i might need him to chnage the dmp to show i can contribute to the mortgage and council tax as i am liable?

sorry again for all the questions and thanks x

Hi Lady1982 and welcome :wave:

You definitely need to change your bank account as the bank may offset your OH's CC debt against the joint account.

Your OH should show his share of joint priority bills on his DMP: mortgage, council tax, water rates, electricity, gas, etc. Also don't forget his share of insurance policies etc.

CCCS are extremely helpful and will go through his budget on the phone and this is the chance to add anything he has missed out. Don't forget things like prescription charges, which we did until my OH needed his prescription last month and it came to £22.95

Time_to_face_the_music

iwilldoitthistime wrote: »

Well I eventually got my statements from LLoyds TSB who have reduced my interest rate to 5%, not suspended it. This means on my CC, Im still paying over £40 a month interest!

Im on a DMP with CCCS - do you think its worth giving them a call about this, or should I write to LLoyds directly to ask them to reduce?

thanks x

It'd always worh a try but Lloyds TSB are so difficult to deal with that I would not be very optimistic of the outcome

They piled massive charges on my OD but stopped charges on the CC. When we complained to the FOS and they then stopped charges on the OD, they immediately started them up again on the CC :mad:

My contempt for Lloyds TSB is only surpassed by that for M&S. NatWest come a very close third :wall:

Gazza1964

Grand_Benders wrote: »

Hey rd

Here's the letter I've sent to all mine yesterday. Feel free to pick out the bits that are relevant to you. It's based on the CCCS template that I received, but I've bulked it out a bit more as I want to try and avoid other pitfalls that usually happen at the beginning, like the timing difference with their due dates and CCCS payment date, and the 'only contact in writing' bit.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for this - it is brilliant - I am just starting after having my LBM and this is really going to help.

Also SAAC - didnt realise about the postal orders - thanks.

This really is an amazing forum - I hope one day I can help people the way you all do on here.

Gazza

Time_to_face_the_music

Gazza1964 wrote: »

This really is an amazing forum - I hope one day I can help people the way you all do on here.

You will Gazza. Everyone's experience adds up to an amazing thing which helps us all

Lady1982

Ah thank u
Ok so first thing i do is change our banks?
I presume i can keep my own credit card whic has nothibg on!
I spoke to cccs about the whole joint liability household bills- i need to work out how much of my salary is paid towards these and advise accordingly- that makes more sense!

Thanks again for help xx
QUOTE=Time to face the music;54233837]Hi Lady1982 and welcome :wave:

You definitely need to change your bank account as the bank may offset your OH's CC debt against the joint account.

Your OH should show his share of joint priority bills on his DMP: mortgage, council tax, water rates, electricity, gas, etc. Also don't forget his share of insurance policies etc.

CCCS are extremely helpful and will go through his budget on the phone and this is the chance to add anything he has missed out. Don't forget things like prescription charges, which we did until my OH needed his prescription last month and it came to £22.95 [/QUOTE]

Growurown

Tigsmom wrote: »

Well I had my LBM last week and applied to CCCS for my DMP but I still have to write my letters. Not sure what to put, feel as though I should explain how we got in this mess before asking for interest freeze and reduced payments.

Just don't have the energy to kick myself up the bum. Is this normal for people after their LBM?

Hi Tigsmom, I agree with everything TTFTM and Bertman said. It sounds to me that you feel you have failed somehow because you need to explain the situation. Banks aren't remotely interested though. You are (as said before) a number. Oh they are all very nice and friendly when you are in their good books but as soon as you need a little help or support they couldn't give a toss.

Don't feel bad though. If you have failed then so have have all the hundreds of people who subscribe to this thread. So you are in good company as I happen to think we are a rather wonderful bunch:D

Don't feel guilty either. You will have paid lots in interest so they have made a lot out of you and we all know that the banks are a load of thieving bar stewards as recent events in the news shows. Look upon it as getting your own back.;)