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DMP & Mutual Support Thread - Part 9

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  • Julie67
    Julie67 Posts: 2,362 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Hi all,

    Mossop I know exactly how you feel about the co op account. We feel the same, it's so good knowing I can buy shopping every week with our budget. May not have much to spend but at least it feels real if you know what I mean!
    Ronniemum me too can't wait for this initial stage to be sorted.
    Poohbear, we had a couple of days like that as well. It all felt very intense, but its getting better every day.
    quarry we are paying a very small amount back initially, less than £100 but but this should go up to £150 in June. I didn't realise there was a minimum amount.
    Had another letter of acceptance today from the last CC freezing interest and accepting the payment. That's all four CC's that have accepted, just hope the other creditors are as good.
    Glad it's Friday, feet up and chilling, might even push the boat out and open a bottle of Aldi wine:D
    Started Self Managed DMP 10th May 2017.
    Working hard to get rid of our debt.
  • Quarry wrote: »
    Thanks again HHx. I have come to the conclusion that StepChange 'could do better'! I won't be going back to them.

    Q.

    Quarry, did you try StepChange's online debt remedy before you spoke to them?

    http://www.stepchange.org/Debtremedy.aspx

    We initially used StepChange, or CCCS as they were then, and were very grateful for their help in starting things off for us. We had a lot of difficulties with creditors refusing to stop interest and were actually told by two that if we reduced our DMP payment that they would be able to stop interest. We discussed this with CCCS and they refused point blank. We reached minimum payments on other debts and had interest reintroduced. We fought a few battles, with the help of the FOS, and did manage to get some interest stopped and when we weighed everything up, we decided we would be better off self managing our own DMP.

    As Alice has already advised, the NED CAB DMP is a brilliant tool and does everything that StepChange provides but you have full control. If you haven't already had a look, please give it a go and see what you think via the link Ally provided.

    StepChange deny that they have a minimum payment for a DMP but there seems to be a lot of people, in a similar situation to you, who have not been able to get help from them. They are a charity but they are funded by payments from the financial industry so I struggle with the non-bias of this. Yes they offer many people a great service and a lifeline but they are not the solution for everyone.
    LBM 10/1/12 ~ DFW Start 6/2/12: £82,344 ~ Now Zero
    :staradmin:starmod::staradmin Debt free 17th April 2015 :staradmin:starmod::staradmin
    Eternal thanks to the DMP & Mutual Support (no.439) and Payment a Day Threads
    Mortgage free 3rd July 2014 - Grateful thanks to the 2013/14 MFW threads
    "Debt is normal. Be weird!" Dave Ramsey
    Proud to have dealt with our debt :)
  • Hi everyone, a quieter day today. I was wondering if anyone could educate me about what my legal rights are in terms of asking people not to contact me by phone?

    I've had a number of responses to my emails, ranging from 'we've removed your numbers as per your request' to 'we'll stop calling, but if you don't write to us, we'll call' to 'we're holding action on your account for 14 days, after which, we're going to continue calling 30 times a day until we agree a full and final settlement'.

    I've looked through the National Debt Line advice and the read up on the Data Protection Act, but this seems to suggest I can only ask them to change my details if they are incorrect. Can I get around this?
    £11,673 :cry: finally owning up to my problems, battling to defeat my depression and my debt before it swallows me whole.
  • Hopelessly_Hopeful
    Hopelessly_Hopeful Posts: 2,868 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker Debt-free and Proud!
    edited 22 February 2013 at 8:10PM
    cocoa1990 wrote: »
    Hi everyone, a quieter day today. I was wondering if anyone could educate me about what my legal rights are in terms of asking people not to contact me by phone?

    I've had a number of responses to my emails, ranging from 'we've removed your numbers as per your request' to 'we'll stop calling, but if you don't write to us, we'll call' to 'we're holding action on your account for 14 days, after which, we're going to continue calling 30 times a day until we agree a full and final settlement'.

    I've looked through the National Debt Line advice and the read up on the Data Protection Act, but this seems to suggest I can only ask them to change my details if they are incorrect. Can I get around this?


    Here you for for starters

    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3558031

    Also suggest search office of fair trading debt collection guidelines, I posted these a few days ago


    National Debtline has good templates too

    http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/debt_advice.php

    http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/factsheet.php?page=03_harassment


    I'd send the letter, let them make one more phone call then report them!

    Good luck

    HHx
  • Growurown
    Growurown Posts: 5,498 Forumite
    Debt-free and Proud!
    I have always found SC very helpful and I am profoundly grateful for the help they provide with my DMP. I think it is a shame that they don't help people who can only make lower payments. As a charity they should help everybody who is in need.

    Some years ago when OH was made redundant we used CAB and they were brilliant. Fortunately we weren't in the mire for too long before another job came along. If SC won't help then I would thoroughly recommend CAB as an alternative.
    DMP Mutual Support Thread No. 421

    Debt free date 25/11/2015 - Made It!
  • cocoa1990 wrote: »
    'we're holding action on your account for 14 days, after which, we're going to continue calling 30 times a day until we agree a full and final settlement'.


    Do they think they are in Guantanamo Bay or something, what are they going to do play James Blunt down the phone until you give into their demands? :D

    Sorry I shouldn't make light of it but you kind of have to treat them with the contempt they deserve. I kept asking my DCA if I was getting an invite to the Christmas party they were ringing me that often, and they still never got a penny out of me.

    Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom.
  • Allypops
    Allypops Posts: 244 Forumite
    edited 22 February 2013 at 11:01PM
    Hi again,

    The following article seems to show that the distress caused by Payday loan companies is being taken seriously.....

    http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cardsloans/article-2279151/Citizens-Advice-calls-OFT-shut-household-payday-lenders.html
    Allypops
    Married with 2 children
    SPC5 # 1837- -
    DMP started April 2011 34.5% paid [STRIKE]£78800[/STRIKE]
    DFD: June 2019 DFW Long hauler #286
  • Sorry to hear your news Quarry. Have you tried the other free providors like Christians against poverty and debtline?

    I always thought SC was £100 too, have seen a number of thread recently including the debt myths thread of SC where they deny this £100 limit.

    HHx

    Hi HH

    I took my DMP out via National Debtline who then pass you to either StepChange or Payplan. If you have a look at The National Debtline Website their DMP advice section states that you must have £100 spare each month after paying your essential household bills to be accepted.
    Has anybody ever had to reduce their deposit to less than £100?
  • Hi HH

    I took my DMP out via National Debtline who then pass you to either StepChange or Payplan. If you have a look at The National Debtline Website their DMP advice section states that you must have £100 spare each month after paying your essential household bills to be accepted.
    Has anybody ever had to reduce their deposit to less than £100?
    Julie67 wrote: »
    ... we are paying a very small amount back initially, less than £100 but but this should go up to £150 in June. I didn't realise there was a minimum amount

    I don't know what is going on! Could it depend on the advisor you speak to?
    LBM 10/1/12 ~ DFW Start 6/2/12: £82,344 ~ Now Zero
    :staradmin:starmod::staradmin Debt free 17th April 2015 :staradmin:starmod::staradmin
    Eternal thanks to the DMP & Mutual Support (no.439) and Payment a Day Threads
    Mortgage free 3rd July 2014 - Grateful thanks to the 2013/14 MFW threads
    "Debt is normal. Be weird!" Dave Ramsey
    Proud to have dealt with our debt :)
  • Do they think they are in Guantanamo Bay or something, what are they going to do play James Blunt down the phone until you give into their demands? :D

    Sorry I shouldn't make light of it but you kind of have to treat them with the contempt they deserve. I kept asking my DCA if I was getting an invite to the Christmas party they were ringing me that often, and they still never got a penny out of me.

    :rotfl:Laughed my socks off at being force fed James Blunt!

    HHx
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