DMP & Mutual Support Thread - Part 10

January2015

BlueFuzzy wrote: »

Those on DMPs through Stepchange: What email address have you had the most luck in getting a reply from? I sent an email to the address on the "your DMP is all set up" letter (debtsolutionservices@stepchange.org) a week ago but haven't had a response yet. I was looking through the booklet they sent and found another email address (client@stepchange.org) and yet another one on the back (client.service@stepchange.org)!

I use client.services@stepchange.org and quote my DMP reference number. Has always worked for me but does take a couple of days to get a response.

Sazzie23

tequilabird wrote: »

Hey Sazzie,

Things are ok, but I'm getting myself stressed! I finally told my mum - she's finally calmed down about it all and understands that I am dealing with it. I've told her not to worry about things, but now I'm worrying.

I'm making my £1 token payments, but I'm not officially on a DMP with StepChange....I keep seeing people writing about being online with them, but I'm not. What am I missing here?

TB x

Hi Teq

As you've seen, we're all here...just humming along for a change:A

I think you might be on a TPP (token payment plan) rather than a DMP, in which case I'm not sure if you get a DMP login. If you have a SC DMP ref though, you could try, the login in link is on the top right of the SC login page.
You can always ask SC if you are not sure.

I usually use the. SC DMP contact us rather than email but it does usually take a day or 2.

tequilabird

Yes, it's a TPP! So I need to contact SC and ask for them to now put me on a DMP or should I just do it all online?

Thanks

TB x

Puzzcat

tequilabird wrote: »

Yes, it's a TPP! So I need to contact SC and ask for them to now put me on a DMP or should I just do it all online?

Thanks

TB x

Hi Tequilabird,


forgive me if I'm wrong but I think from reading your posts that you have set up a token payment plan with your creditors paying £1 a month at the moment. A dmp set up by Stepchange would be set up by them dividing all your available income between the creditors so they get a fair share each.


I believe SC will only set this up as a minimum of £5 per creditor. Most people start by paying token payments whilst setting up the dmp and save the money they would have paid the creditors for an emergency fund for the future. Some people jump straight in and pay what they can afford straight away and then may run into trouble as they have no access to credit once the dmp is in place. Also you are more likely to get defaulted earlier apparantly if you pay low payments for awhile.


Are you now able to pay more to your creditors? If so, I would give SC a ring and get the ball rolling or do the debt remedy online which will start the process, but I don't think you can do this on £1 per month per creditor.


Puzz. x

lucy_w86

Tomorrow I am going to sit down and re-do my figures but am increasingly worried I will not have enough money again this month to cover everything (bills mainly) :(:(

Puzzcat

lucy_w86 wrote: »

I got lots of help and advice from SC and decided to manage alone... this would be my first month managing and its all gone wrong as now my finances are inaccurate and as we are into the month, my scheduled payments cant be made.

Puzzcat wrote: »

Ok, well I think you will have to re-do your I & E to reflect your new fianancial positon and write to all your creditors offering what you can. Sorry I know nothing about DRO's so can't help with that. Alternatively maybe give sc another go and let them manage it until you are back on your feet?
Puzz. x

lucy_w86 wrote: »

Tomorrow I am going to sit down and re-do my figures but am increasingly worried I will not have enough money again this month to cover everything (bills mainly) :(:(

Hi Lucy, I can only stress again that you need to be paying your priority bills before your creditor bills. Token payments to your creditors is probably the best road to go down so you can work out your budget and then do a realistic I & E and inform the creditors what you can afford.


Puzz. x

lucy_w86

Puzzcat wrote: »

Hi Lucy, I can only stress again that you need to be paying your priority bills before your creditor bills. Token payments to your creditors is probably the best road to go down so you can work out your budget and then do a realistic I & E and inform the creditors what you can afford.


Puzz. x

I will do, thank you!

blisteringblue

You know I said the calm before the storm with my Barclaycard. Well Gale Force 10 today I've got my letter.

"Providing you maintain your monthly payments we've reduced your interest to 12.9% during this time"

"This is a concession on our part blah blah blah blah blah"

So you want to keep £94 of my £180 monthly payment when I'm on my knees trying to pay off my debts.

I'm so !!!!!!! cross it's beyond words. Stepchange can't (or don't want to ) do anything so self managed is coming a lot sooner than I planned.

Will let this months go out for 25th then I'll stop it and follow the NEDCAB scheme with their templates.

Then it's £1 a month Mr Barclaycard for as long as it takes. I'm prepared to go as far as court I'm that cross, but hopefully they sell it on well before then.

Anyway there is a little plus to going self managed, I gain a month's debt payment that will become a nice little instant extra Emergency Fund, as there won't be the 3 week delay between paying SC and paying the Debts.

So the next stage begins ..........

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Bettingmad

blisteringblue wrote: »

You know I said the calm before the storm with my Barclaycard. Well Gale Force 10 today I've got my letter.

"Providing you maintain your monthly payments we've reduced your interest to 12.9% during this time"

"This is a concession on our part blah blah blah blah blah"

So you want to keep £94 of my £180 monthly payment when I'm on my knees trying to pay off my debts.

I'm so !!!!!!! cross it's beyond words. Stepchange can't (or don't want to ) do anything so self managed is coming a lot sooner than I planned.

Will let this months go out for 25th then I'll stop it and follow the NEDCAB scheme with their templates.

Then it's £1 a month Mr Barclaycard for as long as it takes. I'm prepared to go as far as court I'm that cross, but hopefully they sell it on well before then.

Anyway there is a little plus to going self managed, I gain a month's debt payment that will become a nice little instant extra Emergency Fund, as there won't be the 3 week delay between paying SC and paying the Debts.

So the next stage begins ..........

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

It does seem with Barclaycard that the only way to take them on is put them on token payments. Fight fire with fire and stick two fingers up at them whilst your at it.

Puzzcat

blisteringblue wrote: »

You know I said the calm before the storm with my Barclaycard. Well Gale Force 10 today I've got my letter.

"Providing you maintain your monthly payments we've reduced your interest to 12.9% during this time"

"This is a concession on our part blah blah blah blah blah"

So you want to keep £94 of my £180 monthly payment when I'm on my knees trying to pay off my debts.

I'm so !!!!!!! cross it's beyond words. Stepchange can't (or don't want to ) do anything so self managed is coming a lot sooner than I planned.

Will let this months go out for 25th then I'll stop it and follow the NEDCAB scheme with their templates.

Then it's £1 a month Mr Barclaycard for as long as it takes. I'm prepared to go as far as court I'm that cross, but hopefully they sell it on well before then.

Anyway there is a little plus to going self managed, I gain a month's debt payment that will become a nice little instant extra Emergency Fund, as there won't be the 3 week delay between paying SC and paying the Debts.

So the next stage begins ..........

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Hi bb,
Sorry to hear your bc woes. Can I ask what percentage of the payment to debt ratio had you reached for them to whack on the interest? I am currently on about 1% so am also half expecting a joyful letter sometime soon... Please do keep us posted on your process from sc to self managed as it could be really useful for me and others I am sure in the future. Of course lovely TTFTM I am sure will be around with her words of wisdom!
The part I can't quite get my head around is if you have to send an I & E to each creditor, does this include what you pay to others or how do you disguise the fact that you are paying others much more and one creditor just a £1?
Puzz. X