DMP Mutual Support Thread (Part Three)

afur

can i join too. been with cccs since november and will be with them until 2017 but preferably sooner

GlassHalfFull

Can I have a number please? :j

Great thread - it makes such a difference to have support and to remember that we're not in this alone :grouphug:

Ok, I posted this as a separate thread, but Gemmzie suggested I head over here to join in:

"Hi everyone - lurker turned poster here

I have been on a DMP arranged through the CCCS since September last year and it really was one of the best moves I could have made towards dealing with my debt. However, I am now planning on going DIY on the DMP front for a number of reasons:

1) When I first contacted CCCS and set up the DMP it was such a relief to finally put a (albeit temporary) stop to the tirade of phonecalls and letters from creditors. I felt like I could finally breathe again...however I have found that I've taken my foot off the debt-free pedal and I'm starting to drift back into bad habits again. Letters from creditors start to remain unopened for days...money gets spent willy nilly (where does that phrase come from?! I like it though )...I no longer pay much attention to 'being in debt' and trying to tackle it...the list goes on. I think that dealing with my DMP myself will once again force me to take the interest I need in my woeful financial situation in order to work towards becoming debt free...

2) My debts are beginning to be pass-the-parcelled between OC's and DCA's. Although I update CCCS whenever I am notified of a change by letter, it seems that some payments don't make their way to where they need to be and so the calls have started again. As I'm not making the payments directly myself this is hard to control.

3) I no longer have a fear of dealing with the creditors :T After browsing these wonderful forums and other useful resources, I feel confident in tackling the BBB's (Big Bad Boys!) without fear of being rail-roaded. It's ironic actually, because most of my friends and family tend to turn to me whenever they have an official letter to write or problem that needs addressing - but I could never do it for myself :rolleyes:...no longer the case though - I'm on a mission for 2008!

So - won't bore you with any more, but you get the drift. I want to grab my debts by the short and curlies and take charge. No more faffing about (the word of the moment in the 20K challenge thread!). What I would like to know is any tips/advice/words of encouragement that those of you on DIY DMP's can offer - did you switch from a managed one to your own? If so, how did the creditors respond? As I'm not clear what I exactly owe at the moment (some creditors have reinstated interest and charges again I am going to start with requesting a copy of the CCA along with a statement of account from all my creditors and then take it from there... "

That's me in a nutshell then! Glad to be part of the DMP family :A

afur

My lightbulb moment came early last year.

My wife had taken on a new job with slightly increased pay with a pretty secure looking company. Most of our debt was in the form of a bank loan woth HBOS, i had insurance on this loan but in order to reduce the monthly payment i decided to cancel the insurance, but was told that i couldnt cancel it without taking out a new loan to pay off the old one. After much arguing i eventually gave in and did this, the 3-months without making a payment was handy but unfortunately the company my wife worked for wnt belly up.
The following six months were very tough as i constantly had creditors chasing me for payments, though the one i owed most to has only ever called me twice for payment even though i owed £20k+. I knew i had to do something and fast.
I got in touch with CCCS but as i was in a negative situation i was forced to make token payments for 8 months and even had to rely on family for financial support just to get by. Eventually my wife found a new job and we are now in a credit situation and have been placed on a DMP.
Now, i havent had a creditor contact me for about 3 months, which is a relief.
I only wish i could reduce the amount of time im gonna be on DMP as its gonna be a long 9 1/2 years but at least i can see a light at the end of the tunnel. I just wish i had got my lightbulb moment sooner as i wouldnt have been in such a pickle.
Thank goodness for ML, CCCS and DMP's.:T

SortingIt_2

Evening all,

Thought I would make a visit and catch up with all that is going on. I hope that everyone is well.

CompulsiveSpender - I am SO pleased that everything went well with your OH. I found myself in the same situation as you a while back and I can honestly say that telling Andy was the best thing I ever did!! Never looked back and he too was proud that I took steps into dealing with it. You'll be there in no time, my debts just shy of £61K and part of that due to an ex and not me so you can imagine how that went down!!

Glass Half Full - understand where you are coming from with getting lazy re debt. Its hard not too when everything seems so under control. It's taken me a while to get used to not actually having to fret about things so much and I know I find myself looking for things to do....it's madness, couldn't cope when it was all getting on top of me and now miss not having things to do. Amazing how much debt can take over your life hey!!

Anyhow, best get back to corination street....

Hope everyone is having a nice evening xx

GlassHalfFull

afur wrote: »

I only wish i could reduce the amount of time im gonna be on DMP as its gonna be a long 9 1/2 years but at least i can see a light at the end of the tunnel. I just wish i had got my lightbulb moment sooner as i wouldnt have been in such a pickle.

I hear you loud and clear there Afur - if I focussed on the fact that my DFD is estimated as June 2014 (and probably longer as some creditors have reinstated interest and charges:( ) I'd go grey overnight...as it stands, I try instead to focus on the positive points of being on a DMP and the grey hairs now only appear on a monthly basis:D. I do get the odd moment too where I wonder how the hell I got myself into this debt-hole and why oh why oh why did I not deal with it earlier...but, I soon realise how futile this wringing of hands is and concentrate on more happier thoughts. I guess it's a journey, and I'm in it for the long-haul...discovering this forum has been a lifesaver though. Long live MSE :T

GlassHalfFull

SortingIt wrote: »

Amazing how much debt can take over your life hey!!

Anyhow, best get back to corination street....

Hope everyone is having a nice evening xx

So true SortingIt! Have to remember that there are other things to life too...like Eastenders, which I'm gonna watch now

debtman2007

I started my DMP in Dec and have a huge list of creditors;so far the follwoing have accepted and stopped interest and chargesEgg CCLloyds CCMBNA x 2!!Citi CC x 2!!Barclaycard CCHFC CCAqua CCJust Mint and Lloyds Overdraft to go!!

timetobefree

Hi everyone.

Just made mt first DMP payment to CCCS which should be going out to my creditors in the next few days. All quiet on the the contact front at the moment but waiting to see who will freeze interest and who is going to cause me trouble.

My car Insurance is due in June as I'm on a DMP with CCCS can i pay it in monthly installments or is that classed as taking on credit? also am worried that they will credit search me and then refuse to do that anyway. i can't afford to pay upfront. any suggestions.


can i have a number to be part of the dmp gang

Janey51

Afur don't worry about the length of your DMP. Ours started 2 yrs ago with CCCS and was initially going to be for 61 yrs !! Now its down to 12 and I'm hoping to get it down further this year.
We have 12 creditors and did have 21 but some of the smaller creditors have now been paid off. Sometimes I wish we could save like crazy to pay off the smaller debts but CCCS says this gives those creditors an unfair advantage.
The only thing about being on a DMP which is a negative for me is I am obsessed with trying to save money and spend so much time looking for ways to shave the extra few pennies off a bill. My GP has referred me for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to try and help me deal with this.

compulsivespender79

Hi timetobefree,

I'm the same with the car insurance, but I'm pretty sure it kinda works on a pay-as-you-go basis. I've had a pretty rubbish credit rating for ages, but have always been able to get home, car, and breakdown cover paid monthly. When things started to get bad last year I just stopped paying the breakdown cover, and the cover just stopped, there and then. I think it works slightly differently to "true" credit, anyhow, I'm sure someone who actually knows what they're talking about will answer properly!!

Seem to be a lot of newbies appearing, so I just want to say "welcome" :hello::grouphug: to everyone; you're in the best place on earth for support, advice, and general letting off steam!!

All is calm on my side of things at the moment. OH and I visited CAB yesterday because he wanted some reassurance that I was doing the right thing by being on a DMP. He came away confident that I did right, and I came away not learning anything new, because of all the valuable things I'd learned on the MSE forum!!!! (you guys really are worth your weight in gold)
On a down note though, I told my dad about my situation yesterday, and he looked like I'd ripped his heart out. He was so disappointed that I hadn't told him I needed help before. I just said that I didn't want anybody offering to loan me money, and I needed to get myself out of the mess.

Anyway, mustn't dwell on it. I know that dad will realise why I didn't tell him, and I know that he will support me eventually, so, all-in-all, life is good.

Hope everyone has a good Saturday,

CSx