Starting DMP

RAS

Just ignore. You could answer if it's convenient and tell them only to communicate by letter, or write and ask the same.

Beck50

Natwest are proving to be the worst out of all my creditors, at least 3 to 4 calls a day spread over my landline and mobile, but all while I'm at work, just want them to default me so I can move on and start my DMP

sourcrates

Beck50 said:

Natwest are proving to be the worst out of all my creditors, at least 3 to 4 calls a day spread over my landline and mobile, but all while I'm at work, just want them to default me so I can move on and start my DMP

And you will continue to be on their autodial list unless you request your name to be removed under GDPR.

Rob5342

Beck50 said:

Natwest are proving to be the worst out of all my creditors, at least 3 to 4 calls a day spread over my landline and mobile, but all while I'm at work, just want them to default me so I can move on and start my DMP

Some of them can be very difficult and delay defaulting you. Virgin keep writing to me warning me that they might default me if I don't contact them, when I just want them to pull their finger out and do it

If you manage it yourself you can start paying the defaulted ones now, I use this site which generates all the letters for you:

https://nedcab.cabmoney.org.uk/dmp.asp

Beck50

Drafty have passed my debt onto a company called CRS who on Christmas Eve have contacted me via email  to make payments today, happy Christmas, am I best to keep ignoring or start my DMP now.

SusieT

Beck50 said:

Drafty have passed my debt onto a company called CRS who on Christmas Eve have contacted me via email  to make payments today, happy Christmas, am I best to keep ignoring or start my DMP now.

CRS are just a debt collection agency, so you have moved another step closer to getting a default. They have used them as the computer says you have been ignoring its letters so it has added your file number to the ones that go to CRS in the hope hope that something from CRS may make you react.
However if Drafty have defaulted you and you have that much wanted letter, then you could start to pay them £1 a month, with a holding letter to them sying very simply that you have set up a standing order to them of £1 a month as that is all you can afford at present, and that you will contact them later in 2013 if things improve. No budget needed (for now you can ignore them if they ask for one). 
Then later when you have your nice shiny list of defaults you start a proper DMP and will have  the safety net of the emergency fund behind you. 

Rob5342

Beck50 said:

Drafty have passed my debt onto a company called CRS who on Christmas Eve have contacted me via email  to make payments today, happy Christmas, am I best to keep ignoring or start my DMP now.

Have Drafty defaulted you? If they have then personally I would start paying via a self managed DMP, but if they haven't just keep ignoring any contact until they do.

Don't get too worried by the letters they send you, they word  them to try and intimidate you and pressure you into paying but it's often just a load of hot air. I had a letter from ARC Europe that said I had 14 days to contact them or they would take futher recovery action. They were obviously trying to make it seem like it was some legally defined notice period they had to give me, but it was actually just some figure they made up. The "continued recovery action" was actually just a letter offering me a discount..

sourcrates

Beck50 said:

Drafty have passed my debt onto a company called CRS who on Christmas Eve have contacted me via email  to make payments today, happy Christmas, am I best to keep ignoring or start my DMP now.

Standard debt collection practice is to send your account to a collector after a certain amount of time has elapsed, all of your creditors will do this at some point.

Continuing to ignore at this point will normally see the account either sold, or passed to another collector to rinse and re-peat.

Eventually most accounts will be defaulted, although some may not, I would go with the majority approach to this, but keep in mind, FCA debt collection advice flies in the face of defaulting clients, which is why it can take so long these days, in the past defaults were issued much sooner, but nowadays creditors/collection companies are supposed to support there customers, and defaulting them is seen as a last resort, rather than a first response, which as an individual craving defaults, makes life quite difficult for you.

Rob5342

Why is the FCA debt collection advice to harm people's credit reports for longer? It's seems bizarre for people that are struggling to repay.

Beck50

Debt is a horrible word, people for whatever reason get into debt, if you don't already feel bad enough, yes I agree why do they punish you more with longer bad credit reports, probably the rules are made by people that do no know what it's like being in debt especially this time of year.