Received a "payment reminder" email despite sending creditor a letter about my DMP!?

bexiboo92

So my DMP with CCCS is in the process of being set up; i've done what they advised and sent all my creditors a letter informing them that I'm on a DMP and CCCS will be in contact shortly. I'm not 100% whether they have been in touch with my creditors yet, but i woke up to an email this morning from one of the debt collection agencies "reminding" me of a payment that is due for this Friday for the whole amount!?!? I've never agreed to this, I have changed which account my wages go into but I'm worried the bank will allow this payment if they try and take it and the account will go over its overdraft.

Any suggestions as to what I should do?

dancingfairy

Sounds like they either got your letter or have had contact from CCCS and so are panicking and trying to get in there and get their money back. It's kind of swings and roundabouts really, as long as they only have your old bank account details then 1 of 2 things will happen:
1) they take the money and you end up in an unauthorised overdraft - result being that you owe more on the overdraft but don't owe the debt collectors. You let CCCS know and they obviously will make arrangements to pay off the overdraft as part of the plan or
2) they fail to take the money and the plan goes ahead and they (reluctantly )accept the amount you will be paying them.

I'm not sure there is much you can do about things to be honest. If there is a direct debit with the bank you can try and cancel it. If they got a continuous payment authority (ie you gave them your card details) then it is much harder to cancel and you probably won't have time before Friday. Either way I think you'll probably have to sit it out and wait and see and accept that it's part and parcel of setting up a dmp at first and then hopefully after a few (perhaps slightly bumpy) months everything will settle down.
Best of Luck
df
P.S I haven't done a dmp but this is how I think it all works - perhaps some of the others who have been in this exact situation will be able to shed more light on things.

BlushingRose

No, that sounds about right - basically they can't have what you haven't got.
You say you've changed the account that your wages go into, but have you closed your old account?

paulmapp8306

Just ignore it - its a computer generated EMail. Until CCCS are inc ontact with them, AND have given them your SOE, AND they have agreed the terms, then they can send you EMails and letters if they wish. Ultimately it cant go any further than the request, as your now in a DMP.

bexiboo92

BlushingRose wrote: »

No, that sounds about right - basically they can't have what you haven't got.
You say you've changed the account that your wages go into, but have you closed your old account?

No - I can't. It's got an overdraft and that overdraft is included in my DMP.

paulmapp8306

Unless they have a direct debit set up to take payments, or your debit card details they cant take any funds.

If they have a DD - cancel it.

If they have debit card details - ring your bank and tell they you do not give permission for the company to take funds - then they cant take any money either. it will be a "re-occuring payment" and you can stop these at any time.

bexiboo92

paulmapp8306 wrote: »

Unless they have a direct debit set up to take payments, or your debit card details they cant take any funds.

If they have a DD - cancel it.

If they have debit card details - ring your bank and tell they you do not give permission for the company to take funds - then they cant take any money either. it will be a "re-occuring payment" and you can stop these at any time.

They don't have my card details and I don't have any direct debits on the account thankfully. I'm going to write a letter to the bank stating I don't want any "re-occurring payments" on my account and the bank are to not give these companies ANY money without speaking to me first. Hopefully this will stop them!

Thanks for the advice everyone.

heather66

as pp says it is just computer generated emails / mailings ...they did this with me at the beginning i just phoned up and they put a note on the file / account and any charges were removed

if you send them a letter send it recorded