Worried sick now.

Mort

PureSept wrote: »

... I dont understand why it says they wasnt accepting it. Have I just been conned into paying more money for something that is being paid already?

Creditors can and do refuse to agree to the proposed sums being paid through a DMP, this happened to me several times during my DMP. What they can't do though is refuse the payments.

As to your being conned. Unfortunately some of the people who work for the creditors are not above taking advantage. You were trying to do the decent thing with someone who just didn't care.

Don't talk to them again and don't be pressured into giving over bank card details to do a payment over the phone.

PureSept

What happens when they refuse? I dont understand because I knew nothing of this, as far as I knew it was all sorted and my debts were all being paid off as stepchange takes money from my account each month to pay this. Theyve not contacted me at all to say that its been refused or anything i've just got letters coming saying that ill have doorstep collectors turn up and I cant deal with that.

patman99

To refuse is pure stupidity on their part. If they refuse to accept the DMP or payments from StepChange & decide to take you to Court, then they risk being told to accept £1 per month as that is all you can afford.

Even a DCA wouldn't be daft-enough to go against a Judge's decision. I think they will soon start to accept Stepchange once they realize they can't say 'no' to them.

Mort

PureSept wrote: »

What happens when they refuse?

In my experience nothing too bad. During my DMP Halifax and LloydsTSB both had periods when they refused to agree to the sum being paid to them. There were occasional phone calls and they were told firmly but politely that what they were getting was it for now.

My DMP was with Payplan and their online tool showed what the creditor status was. I assume Stepchange will have something similar.

sourcrates

Hi,
As other posters have said, don't talk to these people on the phone, you have to realise that its there job to get as much money as possible out of you for there particular company, they don't care about your individual circumstances, with them it all about the money, as regards there "doorstep collection agent" this is just a fancy name for a guy/gal who knocks on doors asking for money, most are paid on commission so have a vested interest in making you believe you have to pay them, well you don't, you don't even have to answer the door to them, you can tell them to get lost, and never come back, they have no more legal standing than you or I, the same goes for the collection agency, they have no legal power either, there biggest weapons are threats and intimidation, so please don't be scared of them, there is nothing they can do to you, I would send them a letter complaining about the way they have treated you on the phone, then pass this on to the office of fair trading and the financial ombudsman service, dca`s hate them, they have the power to revoke there consumer credit licence, (mentioning this in the complaint wont hurt either), which means they would be out of business, sometimes you see the pen can be mightier than the sword :j.

PureSept

Thank you for all the links and advice, I dont know why yesterday but I had a really weak day and tried to sort problems out that I couldnt deal with myself but today is another day and Ive decided I'm not letting anyone get in my way.

I've got with stepchange because I have debt problems, yes its down to being greedy and spending money I didnt have and it got out of control, I know that but its a problem I'm dealing with and something I will be dealing with for a few years to come, I cant change the past but I'm working towards making it better and I'm paying what I can to these companies and if they dont like it, then tough luck. I'm not making myself ill over some man with an attitude problem, I swear if it was a day I wasnt feeling so down I would of given him a mouthful back and told him where to go, I know I've made a big mistake paying him yesterday but I'm going to take it further, I felt like he was threatening me yesterday and that isn't on, he outrightly told me that he wasnt going to be dealing with stepchange anymore which I also think he isn't allowed to do.

I'm going to see what stepchange say when they get back to me and take things from there.

If I want to stop any doorstep visits I can request they dont call at my front door cant i? I'm sure theres a letter template but I cant seem to fish them out, I also want to put in writing that any further arrangements of this company go by stepchange and stepchange only as they are taking hold of my financial situation, I am allowed to do this arent I?

Growurown

There are lots of sample letters here including one about harassment because that is what this is. Complain and insist you only want to do business by post and you don't want anyone coming to your house.

http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/england_wales/debt_advice.php#6

eyeopener2

You've found out that debt collectors are low life scum bags and are best ignored.

Don't ring them. File all threat o grammes for future reference and do not pay them a penny more than your agreed stepchange payment.

It is very, very unlikely that they will turn up at your doorstep, nasty bullies rarely follow through on threats, but if they do just close the door (or even slam it) in their face. Job done.

They are trying to scare you, and are succeeding by the sound of it, but you need to come here for advice first, before you do anything rash like phoning them.

So, treat them with contempt and show strength and they will back off.

You will be fine, just ignore them and things will settle down.

REMEBER, they are low life scum bags and you won't go far wrong'

E2

matttye

PureSept wrote: »

Thank you for all the replies, I'll check out the links, I do appreciate all the kind words.

They said they refused their offer due to the account being used up to the credit limit, I owed 255 and now its gone up to 355 and I offered to pay a low sum but they refused what I offered and I said that was all i could afford yet they said the lowest they could accept was £20, I was crying down the phone to the man and he said its my own fault and that calling stepchange was a waste of time because they wont accept my offer, I kept saying stepchange can talk to him but he said if i put the phone down it shows im not cooperating and that it would just further action taken against me because im refusing the pay even the lowest, I said i couldnt pay the lowest and that all i could pay was £5 at the most and he accepted that in the end saying it would be the arrangement to pay this every 4 weeks, I dont understand because looking on my stepchange page I was paying them £14 through stepchange so I dont understand why it says they wasnt accepting it. Have I just been conned into paying more money for something that is being paid already?

I've emailed stepchange and told them everything, Ive told them I'm not in an emotional state to deal with matters like this, for years I've dealt with depression and this isnt helping, I dont have doctors notes or anything to prove this apart from one appointment years ago. Im just trying my hardest to get my life back on track and this has knocked me back so much today.

There's no such thing as the 'lowest' amount you can pay; not set by them, anyway. If you can't afford to pay their 'lowest' then they don't get their 'lowest.' It really is that simple.

That stupid horrible man is talking rubbish.

They are also obliged to deal with Stepchange, as numerous other posters have pointed out.

matttye

PureSept wrote: »

Thank you for all the links and advice, I dont know why yesterday but I had a really weak day and tried to sort problems out that I couldnt deal with myself but today is another day and Ive decided I'm not letting anyone get in my way.

I've got with stepchange because I have debt problems, yes its down to being greedy and spending money I didnt have and it got out of control, I know that but its a problem I'm dealing with and something I will be dealing with for a few years to come, I cant change the past but I'm working towards making it better and I'm paying what I can to these companies and if they dont like it, then tough luck. I'm not making myself ill over some man with an attitude problem, I swear if it was a day I wasnt feeling so down I would of given him a mouthful back and told him where to go, I know I've made a big mistake paying him yesterday but I'm going to take it further, I felt like he was threatening me yesterday and that isn't on, he outrightly told me that he wasnt going to be dealing with stepchange anymore which I also think he isn't allowed to do.

I'm going to see what stepchange say when they get back to me and take things from there.

If I want to stop any doorstep visits I can request they dont call at my front door cant i? I'm sure theres a letter template but I cant seem to fish them out, I also want to put in writing that any further arrangements of this company go by stepchange and stepchange only as they are taking hold of my financial situation, I am allowed to do this arent I?

Debt collectors have an 'implied right of access' under common law, which you can withdraw at any time.

The only people who such a withdrawal doesn't apply to are the postman and people who are lost, asking for directions.