DMP & Mutual Support Thread - Part 11

Puzzcat

blisteringblue wrote: »

Oooh Signature update day and almost at 30% paid. Happy Days. 36 months and counting .....

:T Well done bb:T
Love Puzz.x

Sleepysophie

Sazzie23 wrote: »

Have a good read through this thread, and number 9 and 10 if you get time. There are quite a few self managed, some of whom started off with SC. there are benefits of self managed and if you can be disciplined enough to do it properly it seems to work pretty well most of the time.
I stay with SC because I can't be trusted to do it on my own and having SC makes me behave , but being on a DMP has really changed my spending habits and hopefully when I am debt free I will be able to sustain debt freedom.
Main thing is now you are on the right road with writing to them to get the charges refunded. Don't rush it anything until you are happy with what to do.

I've just been onto the CC company again (BoS) I was passed to four different people. I don't get angry on the phone but I was really frustrated. The Collections people wouldn't speak to me because I wasn't far enough in arrears? The Card Services Department told me only the collections department can refund any late payment charges. I have £60 worth of these now for the last 5 months. This is because one of the payments made by SC arrived a day earlier than the statement was produced in July so it looked like I made no payment against my July statement even though even the person I spoke to on the phone agreed that he could see what had gone wrong. The late payment fee was added with interest which meant the next payment didn't meet the minimum payment, which then incurred another £12 fee plus interest and so on......£60 later and even though they know what has caused the problem they can not resolve it until I pay the arrears on my account or speak to collections (but remember collections won't speak to me yet because I am not "far enough" in arrears??
This just seems so crazy. :huh:
The call lasted 38 minutes 58 seconds and I am no further forward. He said maybe I could call Step Change and they could sort it out for me? Do SC have the ability to do something that, as a customer, you don't have the power to do yourself? Plus this is a CC who refused to agree to the AP Step Change offered them in the first place.....? :(

tequilabird

Creation Finance are playing silly !!!!!!s! They have accepted my DMP payments, but won't stop interest. They initially said they would lower it to 0.49%. Since then, I have complained to their Customer Care team explaining that it would not help my financial situation in any way if they keep adding even the smallest bit of interest. They have now 'investigated' my complaint and said that they are under no obligation to stop interest (which I know). They have refunded me about £25 of interest charges (result) but now it says my interest will be 3% per calendar month?! I'm confused! Has anyone successfully managed to stop interest on their account?

Puzzcat

tequilabird wrote: »

Creation Finance are playing silly !!!!!!s! They have accepted my DMP payments, but won't stop interest. They initially said they would lower it to 0.49%. Since then, I have complained to their Customer Care team explaining that it would not help my financial situation in any way if they keep adding even the smallest bit of interest. They have now 'investigated' my complaint and said that they are under no obligation to stop interest (which I know). They have refunded me about £25 of interest charges (result) but now it says my interest will be 3% per calendar month?! I'm confused! Has anyone successfully managed to stop interest on their account?

Hi,
I took them to fos, got the interest lowered but they won't freeze or default.
Puzz.x

Puzzcat

Sleepysophie wrote: »

I've just been onto the CC company again (BoS) I was passed to four different people. I don't get angry on the phone but I was really frustrated. The Collections people wouldn't speak to me because I wasn't far enough in arrears? The Card Services Department told me only the collections department can refund any late payment charges. I have £60 worth of these now for the last 5 months. This is because one of the payments made by SC arrived a day earlier than the statement was produced in July so it looked like I made no payment against my July statement even though even the person I spoke to on the phone agreed that he could see what had gone wrong. The late payment fee was added with interest which meant the next payment didn't meet the minimum payment, which then incurred another £12 fee plus interest and so on......£60 later and even though they know what has caused the problem they can not resolve it until I pay the arrears on my account or speak to collections (but remember collections won't speak to me yet because I am not "far enough" in arrears??
This just seems so crazy. :huh:
The call lasted 38 minutes 58 seconds and I am no further forward. He said maybe I could call Step Change and they could sort it out for me? Do SC have the ability to do something that, as a customer, you don't have the power to do yourself? Plus this is a CC who refused to agree to the AP Step Change offered them in the first place.....? :(

Hi,
No is the answer, sc don't negotiate interest as far as I am aware. You need to write to the creditor ensuring you include complaint in the title then if not resolved complain to the financial ombudsmen service. You can do that part online.
Puzz.x

blisteringblue

These same questions crop up again and again. Stepchange while doing a great job just follow a set script and pay the creditors equally.

The only way you get anywhere with these companies is to pay them less money. I was sick of fighting with Barclaycard who just would not stop the interest.

I simply left Stepchange and went self managed using the CAB templates and anybody who charged me interest I started paying them £5 a month until they got the message.

Took around 4 months and 3 debts are now interest free and have said they are defaulting me but that hasn't happened yet.

A few extra phone calls, and I refused to fill in any more forms detailing if this was all I could pay, because I told them I could afford more, but I wasn't paying them any more until they stopped the interest.

Just tackle them head on and take back control. It really was easy enough.

Sleepysophie

blisteringblue wrote: »

These same questions crop up again and again. Stepchange while doing a great job just follow a set script and pay the creditors equally.

Just tackle them head on and take back control. It really was easy enough.

Thank you. I try to keep all my problems away from my children but my 17 year old overheard me on a call the other day. She asked who I was on the phone to and I just said "the bank" she said "it just seems you knew more than they did?" and I thought yeah, maybe thats my problem, maybe I am coming accross too strong? But then maybe, just maybe I need to stand up against this craziness. Yes I overspent in the last 20 years and yes, I sure have paid the price for that but charging me £60 because my payment was a day EARLY ? How the heck is that fair? When I get clear of this debt I never want to get another credit card ever again. My children will be sick of me saying "never get credit" for as long as I live! Sorry. I am babbling. But thanks for your advice. I am going to see what I can do for myself and download some of the templates. I have a day off tomorrow so I will use it effectively. :A

Sazzie23

Sleepysophie wrote: »

Thank you. I try to keep all my problems away from my children but my 17 year old overheard me on a call the other day. She asked who I was on the phone to and I just said "the bank" she said "it just seems you knew more than they did?" and I thought yeah, maybe thats my problem, maybe I am coming accross too strong? But then maybe, just maybe I need to stand up against this craziness. Yes I overspent in the last 20 years and yes, I sure have paid the price for that but charging me £60 because my payment was a day EARLY ? How the heck is that fair? When I get clear of this debt I never want to get another credit card ever again. My children will be sick of me saying "never get credit" for as long as I live! Sorry. I am babbling. But thanks for your advice. I am going to see what I can do for myself and download some of the templates. I have a day off tomorrow so I will use it effectively. :A

Oh yeah, been there, done that as they say, one of my lenders tried to say I was in arrears because I made an extra payment which was less than the monthly payments, even though I still made the monthly payment. But trust us,if you do nothing, you'll get nothing back. Write to them, saying clearly this is a complaint about unfair charges. Say that unless they refund and stop interest you will go to FOS.

Rather than ring up, write to them, some say recorded delivery, others email a copy and others just send by snail. Leave it a decent amount of time 4-6 weeks, the. Write again, saying you go to FOS if you don't hear back in 10 days. Tell them you have. Tried phoning and now you will only deal with the matter in writing.

Don't be put off, if they ring you, the person you speak to when you call probably has no power to change anything, the person that rings you may have more authority, the person that writes to you has to justify what they put.

Ooh and I know that no more credit for me feeling

Karen777

I went self managed as I wasn't getting anywhere - now am on no interest for almost all creditors and defaults racking up - and the rest are threatening defaults... I have had to be really organised (not a skill I have naturally!) and have had to face dealing with creditors myself which I was in no state to do at the beginning but has been overall a positive experience.

Scaredofdebt_2

I haven't posted for a while but started a dmp with SC in March this year and I have to say so far things have gone smoothly with all interest being stopped! I was concerned about when our debts are passed to a DCA and thought I would be a nervous wreck but apparently it's happened without us even knowing. Hitachi have passed our debt on to Lowells without so much as a letter never mind a phone call! Is this normal practice? My hubby spoke to Lowells who were fine and said the loan was still no interest and they had had a payment from us. Is it that straightforward? By the way even though I don't post much, I read this thread everyday and have found it invaluable.