DMP & Mutual Support Thread - Part 9

Puzzcat

vix1977 wrote: »

Hi,


can anyone tell me how long it takes Stepchange to get things started once they have received the paperwork requested? I don't want to make a payment in June as I want some money for our emergency fund so not sure whether to send the paperwork off yet or not. I will be contacting our creditors with token payments though.


Thanks.

They will start contacting creditors as soon as you return the paperwork. I held off posting mine back for a few months and paid token payments for each creditor each month until I was ready to start with SC. I did discuss with SC when I wanted to start, have you spoken to them about a start date?
Puzz

vix1977

Puzzcat wrote: »

They will start contacting creditors as soon as you return the paperwork. I held off posting mine back for a few months and paid token payments for each creditor each month until I was ready to start with SC. I did discuss with SC when I wanted to start, have you spoken to them about a start date?
Puzz

Hi Puzz
When I first contacted them it was meant to be a 1st June start but I have only just got the new bank account open so haven't spoken to them since. did you get loads of phone calls from the creditors for the first couple of months?
Vix

blisteringblue

vix1977 wrote: »

Hi Puzz
When I first contacted them it was meant to be a 1st June start but I have only just got the new bank account open so haven't spoken to them since. did you get loads of phone calls from the creditors for the first couple of months?
Vix

Very few here, most were computers telling me to ring Sainsbury's Bank. As soon as you mention Stepchange they all put an immediate 30 day freeze on the account while it gets started so there are no calls in that time.

If when sending your token payments just write that you only want to deal with this in writing and that is what happened in all ours bar Sainsbury's but they were nice as pie on the phone and have now passed it to their internal DCA so no more calls.

We've gone from paying over £800 a month in interest on all our cards to now reducing the debt by 1.8% a month. It was crazy crazy crazy, Mrs BB was making herself ill working full-time while doing part time Uni just to service this £800 interest.

She is now doing agency work on hours that suit her and finishing the Uni course and all its costing us is a hit on our Credit Rating.

Best thing we've done in a longtime was contact Stepchange :beer:

vix1977

I am just worried about getting loads of phone calls, I have got the letters already typed up just need to send them off. Did you send cheques to make the token payments?

blisteringblue

vix1977 wrote: »

I am just worried about getting loads of phone calls, I have got the letters already typed up just need to send them off. Did you send cheques to make the token payments?

Yes, and write you account number down the account payee vertical line

vix1977

thanks BB - Will get them sent.

EdFromBeds

Hi, I have been on a SC DMP for nearly 3 years and have reduced my debt from £55k to £17.

I have never missed a payment or needed to reduce a payment to cover an unexpected cost.

However my car is broken and I will find out next week how much it will cost - I have no backup cash anywhere.

How responsive are they generally to this kind of issue?

Will my creditors get angry if I have to reduce one months payment?

Thanks

Puzzcat

vix1977 wrote: »

Hi Puzz
When I first contacted them it was meant to be a 1st June start but I have only just got the new bank account open so haven't spoken to them since. did you get loads of phone calls from the creditors for the first couple of months?
Vix

Hi Vix,


I see BB has answered your questions in my absence..! I did get some calls but just quoted my sc ref number, no nasty one's, only Natwest were a little tetchy shall we say.. but then a third of my total debt is with them.. I also sent cheques with a letter each time to the creditor for every month when they should have had a payment, SC chased me in the end to set it up, I think they thought i'd run away...!!


Puzz.

blisteringblue

EdFromBeds wrote: »

How responsive are they generally to this kind of issue?

Will my creditors get angry if I have to reduce one months payment?

Thanks

Well done for what you've paid off so far. Another 3 years until we've paid off as much as that

As you've done so well I can't see it being a problem. Your monthly payment is obviously quite large to have paid that much in a few years so 1 month isn't going to really cause that much of an issue.

Just ring Stepchange and tell them you need to skip a month and why and they will likely arrange it for you.

blisteringblue

Puzzcat wrote: »

I see BB has answered your questions in my absence..!

:rotfl: This isn't your personal forum you know

Team DMP
:cool: