The end is in sight

ShirePiskie

t2rry wrote: »

ShirePiskie!!! You're back!!!

I've been away for a strangely similar time! Glad to see you!

You're still so close to debt free and having all your little pots is a great achievement & must be such a relief to know you won't find yourself stuck when the extras pop up!

Secretly and selfishly I'm kind of glad you're still in the journey, I take a lot from your diary

Well, in that case, I'm happy to be of service... not for too much longer though I hope.

ShirePiskie

Right, HOPEFULLY AA Finance sorted... again!

I thought it was all paid off and closed but got my annual statement from them in May saying there was still £146 outstanding - although even though this was carried over every month from October (when they took an erroneous direct debit that I had pulled back), not in arrears.

I'd checked Noddle and, yes, there it was as a balance on the loan.

So, after a series of phone calls last month and then never getting a call back with a solution, I tried again today.

Half an hour of holding while the person I was speaking to was kept on hold with another department (are you following?) and it turns out, in among the financial jargon, because I had paid the amount the quoted me as a final balance figure, they hadn't taken something (I still don't know what) in to account so, yes, I owed them this money... although I paid off the loan pretty much bang on a year ago and they had only tried to take payment once and when I queried it they said no, their mistake.

Head. Spinning.

Upshot of today's conversation is they have cleared the £146 (it did take me insisting that I paid what they said I owed, I had the letter here in front of me) and closed the account AND, unprompted, given me £20 for my trouble.

Let's hope this is the end of it!

The conspiracy theorist in me thinks it's all revenge for my successful PPI claim!

As an added bonus, the annual statement DID reveal that my ex has never banked his 'half' of the PPI claim, so I can only assume he was never able to/ tried to get hold of it! Hurrah!

ShirePiskie

Tonight, dear fellow DFWs, I am going to input all of my recent eBay sales into YNAB and figure out exactly what I made in clear money and break down what it cost re PayPal fees, eBay fees and postage.

This, my friends is living the budgeting dream.

Lordy, I'm a sad case. Quite looking forward to this, filling the void now YNAB is set up there's no mid-month spreadsheet tinkering.

Help!!!

ShirePiskie

Aaaaarghhhh AA Finance. Last week I had two texts, two calls and a letter chasing me for the 'outstanding balance'... cue ANOTHER half hour phone call explaining what has gone on over the last year+.

They are very sorry, they don't know why their actions weren't completed after my last contact etc etc etc, but MORE INFURIATINGLY, I now have a missed/late payment marker on my credit file. SO not happy! :mad:

Anyway, they are sorting it (again, and I have expressed my lack of faith in them actually doing it) and I have someone who will be taking the payment marker off my credit file and keeping an eye on it over the next couple of months - plus that have given me (unprompted) £21 towards the cost of calls and my time making contact with them and £150 as a good will texture. So this, on top of the £20 good will gesture last time means they have actually given my about £50 more then they say I owe them!!!

The other, unsurprising for any large institution, annoying thing is the customer service team obviously haven't updated the collections team who have still been calling me, despite the plan in place for them to put everything right!!! Aaarrggghhh!!!

I have made SUCH an effort (ok, not all the time) to get debt free and it is so close. I didn't go down the DMP route, I've always paid on time and now they're bloody well c*ck*ing up my credit file - yes I know it WILL get sorted by them, but it just makes me go GGGRRRRAAANNNGGGHHH!!!!!!

Anyhoo, this £171 from them this time, rather than spending on random stuff as 'free bonus money', I rounded up to £200 and chucked it at the remaining credit card. My, how I've changed!!! :A

ShirePiskie

Was just having a scroll back as I've been so lax in my Debt Free Diary keeping this year and saw the update in February about dropping under the £2k mark. That amount now seems HUGE (the original £20k makes me feels a bit woozy), so please forgive me a moment of LOOK! LOOK AT MEEEE!!!! ONLY £700 TO GO!!! :beer::j:T

Sorry about that, I shall now go for a lie down with a cold flannel on my face.

ShirePiskie

'Rhymes with ducking' AA Finance.

Yes this all very tedious for me, more so for you if you're reading, but continuing the one dept not knowing what the other is doing, I got home from work yesterday to find a further STERN letter from them about my 'outstanding balance' now with added charges.

It just pees me off so much, even thought it is being sorted by them that they can't update my file so these computer generated letters aren't sent out. If I was a bit more of a delicate flower rather than a rhino, I'd be really anxious!!

Idiots.

t2rry

I totally understand ShirePiskie! I'd be exactly the same!


I've had a threatening letter from an agent for my energy supplier recently threatening court action & £150 charges.


Customer service for both my supplier and this company has been shocking and they refuse to talk to one another. I'm now told they sent me three previous letters - when I've already been told there are no previous letters on my file and I HAVEN'T RECEIVED A SINGLE ONE!


And finally I've been told the reason they wrote to me in the first place was a mistake on their part. I've asked for it in writing as you can imagine but I dread to think how a vulnerable person, less assertive or less in-the-know person would have reacted.

ShirePiskie

t2rry wrote: »

I totally understand ShirePiskie! I'd be exactly the same!


I've had a threatening letter from an agent for my energy supplier recently threatening court action & £150 charges.


Customer service for both my supplier and this company has been shocking and they refuse to talk to one another. I'm now told they sent me three previous letters - when I've already been told there are no previous letters on my file and I HAVEN'T RECEIVED A SINGLE ONE!


And finally I've been told the reason they wrote to me in the first place was a mistake on their part. I've asked for it in writing as you can imagine but I dread to think how a vulnerable person, less assertive or less in-the-know person would have reacted.

Thanks T2rry (and "hello!").

I work in the public sector in a customer facing role and I make a point of passing on info to relevant depts, picking out standard letters if I know they don't apply to the odd (some more odd than others) individual. Or in this automated age, how hard is it to put a flag/ note on someone's file??? Obviously i am perfect and NEVER make any such errors!!

And, while I'm ranting if we make a mistake - underpay/ miss a payment, there's hell to pay.

I am meant to be going for weekly blood pressure tests, I think I'll give it a miss tonight!!! :mad:

Hope you're well T2rry and all baby plans are going ok.

t2rry

ShirePiskie I must know how it is going!?


It has been a whole 10 days - when is your last niggly £700 to be gone!?


Hope you are well!!

ShirePiskie

Busiest time at work is nearing the end! Phew!

Right, with August's pay packet I am down to £475 of debt. Woooooohooooo!

£200 to pay at the end of this month.

£275 at the end of October and then... THAT'S IT (coincidentally when husband's DMP finishes as well).

The bubbly is already on ice!