My DMP Journey...

Seasidegal58

Hi MB. 55 per cent of your debt gone is great going. Fingers crossed that the FOS will turn up trumps. It's good that you're positive on going back to work and I hope the MRI scan results arrive soon to shed a bit more light.

Laughed when I read your comments about phone shop salespeople. I encountered this apathy with PAYE the other week when I went in to buy a phone charger at a well known phone shop:

SSG walks up to zombie like salesperson:

Me: would you have a charger for this phone please"

Zombie salesperson on seeing my old 3G iPhone suddenly morphs into vampiric figure with gleaming light in eyes and replies:

"Are you on a contract?"

Me: " no it's a PAYE."

Light dies in eyes of vampiric figure and he morphs back into zombie mode and gets charger: "that'll be £17.99"

End of scene

Ah well! Have a restful comfortable night MB

Monkeyballs

Hi SSG,

LOL, that information will be invaluable in a post apocalyptic world where mutants roam the Earth...

World overrun by zombies? Show them your old model phone and swap them for vampires... At least you only need to worry about the dark and change is good right?

World overrun by vampires and a bit short on garlic, holy water or pointy sticks? Ask for a replacement bit of kit for your old pay as you go phone and smile as they transform from either mist, a dog or sexy vamp to a shambling wreck... Brains...

I am looking forward to going into work, but also a little scared as it's been ages and what if I struggle more than I think I'm going to? I know it'll be fine when I get in there but after being stuck in my room having to be out of it for longer periods of time is a little daunting...

On a more positive note, yup 55% down and hopefully I'll get some sort of result from the FOS but if not then oh well, no harm in trying

On another positive note, I've been thinking about Provident and how I felt it was wrong to make a complaint... Actually, now I think back I'm sort of ok with it because when I went onto my DMP and I asked them to remove or reduce the front loaded interest (of which there was a lot, my last £2k loan was taken out while I still owed £900 which was paid off using my new loan but had interest of about £1.5k on top of the £2k if that makes sense?).

The reply I got was from CK Edrupt with a very blunt "No" and a suggestion of legal action if I pushed the issue... In effect, while I knew what I was doing you could argue that it's no different to if Vanquis had agreed to my DMP but added on all the interest I would have accrued while on the DMP up front? And they're the same company!

I need to dig out that letter from CK Edrupt me thinks because after speaking to the FOS about the Money Shop it was pretty straight forward and while I don't want to get out of repaying what I owe I don't feel bad about challenging the interest

Booyah!!! Bring it on

MB of G xxx

Oh, btw is it irony that I've had very little sleep thanks to my back, the heat and my sinuses? LOL, no restful comfortable night for me tonight!!! LOL

x

Monkeyballs

Ok... Busy morning and it's just turned 07:00!!!

So, I decided to ping an email to Provident with additional info to be added to my existing complaint, not sure if it's the right thing to do but it can't hurt I guess?

I've mentioned that the last loan was larger than I had originally asked for upon suggestion from my agent that I would need to pay off my old loan first which piled on the interest and also that when I got a reply from CK Edrupt saying no to my request to remove front loaded interest I never took the matter further for concern about potential assumed/suggested actions resulting...

No idea if it will help but they sound reasonable to me and should be considered imo.

MB of G x

Monkeyballs

Saturday 26th of July

I slept!!!!!!! Not well, and not peacefully but it was definitely sleep and I had several glorious hours

Now it's morning and it's hot, bright and the traffic outside is noyzee grrr... I can accept the sirens but idiots in cars which sound like they've been designed to wake the dead and p*ss me off!!!! F*CK OFF!!!! Grrr...

Ok, rant over

Glorious day, I now need to find my work stuff for Monday and check it fits and is clean and ironed it's going to be weird wearing big boy pants instead of the shorts I've been living in for the last seven months but hey ho LOL

The adventure begins...

MB of G xxx

Seasidegal58

Hope all goes well tomorrow at work MB - Will be rooting for you here in virtual universe:T

Monkeyballs

Hi SSG thanks, it's all a bit up in the air as while I can get into work there seems to be some dispute as to whether I should go in and work or if I should just go in to say hi...

I was under the impression I would be able to have a stab at doing something (anything!) but it seems that since my visit to the Occupation Health chap ended in him saying I shouldn't be doing any work at all pending the results of my MRI barring a complete and total recovery HR and my new boss are following that advice? I'm sure it'll all sort itself out and I'm not daft enough to think I can do more than a few hours but who knows?

Sunday 27th of July

So, yesterday I was able to get a contract phone with O2 it's only £1 more per month than I pay on payg at the moment but for that extra £1 I get triple the talk minutes and I got a decent phone which would normally retail at £130ish... I had gone into Carphone Warehouse with the intention of spending £30-50 on a handset so this is actually a saving very MSE and a good sign fr my credit rating...

Anyway, I got a call today to the new handset which was a bit of a surprise as nobody has the number (I'm keeping my old one) so, expecting it to be Carphone Warehouse asking for feedback on the guy who sold me the phone I answered it and got an automated message telling me I can write off my debts!!!!! HOW THE HELL??? I assume it was randomly generated unless CPW are selling new numbers? But I was surprised to say the least...

Oh well, roll on Monday!

MB of G x

Seasidegal58

HI MB - was trying to use the quote things but can't get the hang of them!


Sounds like your firm is wary of letting you actually "work" until you're properly signed off by your GP in case they get hit with "elf n'safety"! Anyway sounds like good practice to go in and show your face whatever happens.


and......


I warned you about the sneaky vampires at the phone shop. They are now trying to "glamour" you with weird phone calls.....


Hope the back is feeling better.

dawnybabes

Good luck tomorrow, even if it's just a say hello meeting it will be good to see how you manage in the environment.

in_need_of_direction

Best of luck and don't be worried about not working. Generally employers liability insurance won't let someone work unless they have been certified fit to do so. It's just everyone playing the risk management game.

Monkeyballs

Morning all! Thanks for the encouragement and support, it's very much appreciated

I realised last night that I'm more worried about my finances than I am getting better which is obviously the wrong way around but when work stops paying me then what?

If nothing else, rent is £495 pcm and then there is food, travel (ok, not much but the occasional taxi for longer journeys as I still can't use the bus as vibrations kill me), debts, phone rental, sundries like shampoo and so on!!!

I guess if it comes to the worst then I could apply for a DRO(?) but I don't know if my contract will end or if I will get benefits or what happens? My brain is trashed and every time I try to look into benefits online I lose attention and have to read over and over and over again

Oh well, one thing at a time I guess... Work first, chat to my boss and then go from there I just feel so useless.

SSG, yeah I know what you meany about sneaky phone shop vamps LOL I think I was lured in by him as he didn't look very vampish in his creased blue polo shirt and belly LOL but it was a good deal and I was looking on line and I could be really cheeky by selling the phone and using it to buy another cheaper one and then giving O2 the extra;

Contract costs; £11 pcm x 24 = £264 + £7.99 insurance to negate £24.99 handset cost TOTAL = £271.99.

Normal PAYG costs; £10 pcm x 24 = £240.

Difference; = £31.99.

CEX offer; £84.00 for Sony Xperia M2 in best condition and boxed they would also pay £4.00 for my old phone

Profit; £88.00 - £31.99 = £56.01

I could get a cheap phone for maybe £30 which would give me a couple of months free rental too!!!

I'm not about to do that though LOL as I currently have a £130 phone for £31.99 and it is actually really quite smashing

MB of G xxx