DMP Mutual Support Thread (Part 4)

ANY_CHANCE

Hi blue diamond,

i sympathise with how you feel,

i feel things are tough for us as well at the mo. We are having probs with 1 or 2 of our creditors.

also struggling with the DMP payments as i have started as a student this year (hopefully increase income when qualified). I havnt reduced our payments as i am hoping i can manage but things seem to be getting out of control e.g child care bills mounting up kids school trips due to be paid £100 etc etc

I just hope we can hang in there. I have to say our marriage is nowhere near what it used to be and i feel our future is uncertain.

Every day is a battle to get through and i cant remeber the last time that i had fun or felt completely happy. The DMP will last for 18 years more if they dont stop interest. What saddens me the most is that my kids suffer the most not because of the lack of ,things/ experiences they will have but a miserable home to live in with a miserable mum !

Mogminnie

Just wanted to update with good news.
Having 13 creditors and having had my LBM in January I have been making payments to Payplan for 4 months now. During this time nearly all my creditors agreed and froze interest except for Lloyds, Barclays and Nationwide who refused and continued to charge huge amounts of interest each month. I was beginning to despair! Although Nationwide did not hound me, Barclays and Lloyds rang contstantly. After sending many letters to them asking them to remove my number as part of the data protection act they continued to call. They also kept saying they never received any details from Payplan I eventually sent strongly worded letters to them stating my intentions to make an official complaint against them. I already was in their bad books when this morning a letter explaining their concern over my disatisfaction and interest frozen on all my Lloyds accounts. Barclays has passed onto a debt collection agency as has Nationwide. I am over the moon! Can actually now start looking forward to an interest free life and a date when I can say I owe nothing! I know lots of people post when things are looking bad for them but I hope this gives someone a little reassurance.

Toffee_Penny

Evening all! Been soooo busy at work lately I haven't been on as much as I'd like but here I am!

I have a bank loan with Lloyds TSB, credit card with Capital One, overdraft with Halifax and catalogues accounts with Great Universal and Next. So far so good, I received a letter this morning from Capital One saying they will stop all interest and charges and informed me to continue with my arranged payment plan.

My DMP started this month and I think the first payment from CCCS goes to all my creditors on the 25th of each month so no more postal orders from me.
I opened a seperate bank account the other week with the Post Office and now have a grand total of £20 saved I've yet to decide whether to book that flight to Salou for a much needed holiday or to just keep saving, decisions decisions eh? :rotfl:

I want to say a big 'hi' to all who have just joined this brilliant forum, you don't realise how nice it is to read how others are getting on.

I'm only just starting out on my DMP adventure, I don't know whether it is going to get worse or will continue to be ok for me but one thing's for sure I have learnt that no amount of worrying over my debtors will take away the fact that my children come first, food on the table and clean clothes are more important than worrying over any bill.

Seriously what is the worst they can do? give you a CCJ? From what I have read sometimes this is a godsend, it will stop the charges, interest and hassle. The debtors know they haven't a leg to stand on and prey on people's naiviety about these kinds of things. When people hear of going to court for a CCJ they think it is about men in wigs asking you demeaning questions about your lifestyle NOT TRUE, it's all done by post and on paper.

The only time you may get in a mess is if you have blatantly refused to pay a debt, default on a CCJ or get behind with priority debts e.g Council Tax - now you don't want to mess with these people because they can order Baliffs and they mean business.

Debtors can't take what I don't have, they don't give a hoot about me, I am just another number to them so please please don't let it get you down. Your family and loved ones come first. Amen.

Mogminnie

Lloyds sent me a letter to let me know interest has been frozen and I would be passed on to their long term debt team. They also warned me I would be getting some more strongly worded letters as is their usual policy but to put them to one side.

Mogminnie

rayday2 wrote: »

I would definately try to claim back charges but wait until you have had all those added you possibly can and interest is frozen. To me all claiming back charges shows is that you are desperate to owe as little as possible.

I claimed my Lloyds bank account ones back not via the official template letter route but through a complaint and that forced there hands to accept the DMP.

Hi Rayday
Now that Lloyds have accepted and interest is frozen I too would like to reclaim charges on the account. What did you say in your letter?

carlos700

Mogminnie wrote: »

Hi Rayday
Now that Lloyds have accepted and interest is frozen I too would like to reclaim charges on the account. What did you say in your letter?

MOGMINNIE -Have Lloyds frozen your interest on your credit cards so you are paying no interest ?

Lloyds have accepted my plan but put me on a reduced rate interest they told me they do not freeze interest altoghther on accounts just give a reduced rate .
I am wonderering if they are just telling me this just to fob me off .

Mogminnie

After my complaint I received a letter stating that they were sorry for my dissatisfaction but they were only trying to contact us to discuss our account which was of course in arrears. They went on to say that because our offer of payment was less than 1% then we would be referred to CDR Consumer Debt Recovery Deprtment. "This is because interest and charges will be permanently frozen which means we can consider much lower repayments over a longer term. Before your account is passed to CDR we're required to send you certain legal letters. This is so that we can close your account. When the account is with CDR you'll be able to resubmit your preposals."
Have received same letter from Lloyds loan and now bank account whom have frozen interest and charges until September while waiting for CDR to take over.

louietudor

Mogminnie wrote: »

After my complaint I received a letter stating that they were sorry for my dissatisfaction but they were only trying to contact us to discuss our account which was of course in arrears. They went on to say that because our offer of payment was less than 1% then we would be referred to CDR Consumer Debt Recovery Deprtment. "This is because interest and charges will be permanently frozen which means we can consider much lower repayments over a longer term. Before your account is passed to CDR we're required to send you certain legal letters. This is so that we can close your account. When the account is with CDR you'll be able to resubmit your preposals."
Have received same letter from Lloyds loan and now bank account whom have frozen interest and charges until September while waiting for CDR to take over.

i am sure when they say legal letters they mean they are going to default you - they have to do this to end the contract because you are no longer meeting the minimum payments and they can then pass the debt on to a DCA - reading the threads here its almost always better when you are passsed to a DCA as they seem to more readily accept your reduced payments with nil interest and charges

Bluediamond

ANY_CHANCE wrote: »

Hi blue diamond,

i sympathise with how you feel,

i feel things are tough for us as well at the mo. We are having probs with 1 or 2 of our creditors.

also struggling with the DMP payments as i have started as a student this year (hopefully increase income when qualified). I havnt reduced our payments as i am hoping i can manage but things seem to be getting out of control e.g child care bills mounting up kids school trips due to be paid £100 etc etc

I just hope we can hang in there. I have to say our marriage is nowhere near what it used to be and i feel our future is uncertain.

Every day is a battle to get through and i cant remeber the last time that i had fun or felt completely happy. The DMP will last for 18 years more if they dont stop interest. What saddens me the most is that my kids suffer the most not because of the lack of ,things/ experiences they will have but a miserable home to live in with a miserable mum !

Hi Anychance

Thanks for the email I am sorry to hear that you feel the same as me. Everyday is a battle and it makes you really upset sometimes. It would just be nice to be able to have a day out with the kids or just to be able to say to my DH, "Come on, lets have a night away on our own", but the money is needed elsewhere. I know that those times WILL come but not just yet. You are right in that the kids are affected. Ours know that Dad isn't earning money like he used to so we could have nice things and give them treats now and again but it has not harmed them !. We spent a day on the South coast recently, took a picnic and bought them a Crab Line each ( £2.99) and they had a great day. I sat and read the paper, me and Hubby took a nice walk and we all really enjoyed it. That cost us the petrol and the crab lines so we and they know that you do not have to spend loads of money to have a fun day. Last year we ould have stopped off in a Pub on the way home but so what?..we all had a nice day together and that is what counts.

Your comment about the marriage is right BUT these stresses and strains are experienced as a couple and that is what I took my Vows for. for richer for poorer etc. I try to think that it will not always be this way and that keeps me going but I know just what you mean. Stressful situations dont make for happy times.

Your DMP, do what we did. Contact the company, ours was PayPlan and they will help you. We managed 9 months keeping at the agreed rate of £370 but have had to throw in the towel and pay £250 form now on. You cannot suffer and you need to call them.

Keep In touch

Blue x

Mogminnie

Lloyds as did most of the creditors defaulted me straight away as soon as I told them I was having difficulties. Even though at that stage we were not yet in arrears. However although we have been sent approx. 12 default notices only 2 show up on the credit file and 1 ap (arrange to pay).