DMP Mutual Support Thread (Part 4)

Angel_Cake_3

Hi Guys and welcome to all newies....and good luck !!!

Just got back from being away and am catching up on all the posts over the last 10 days.

Got back from hols (booked before DMP) and actually had a lovely restful time not worrying too much about what was lying on the doorstep on my return as I know I can forward to Payplan to deal with. Also, what a feeling being away and paying cash, not a credit card in site, so I know I want dread a bill in 4 weeks time!

Anyway, post not too bad, as expected, creditors statement and a couple of defaults, which I understand is better to get them soon rather than later (is that right? )
However, a couple of standard nasty letters from MERCERS :eek: part of Barclaycard, threatening to send collectors round. I had prveviously spoken to them and BCard saying I was entering a DMP with PP and they would send the offers and SOA (which pp have just done), they were fine about it then.

Anyway, I plucked up the courage this morning to call Mercers to give them this info again and to say PP have now sent them the offer, spoke to a lady who initially seemed pleasant enough, she very quickly changed (at the mention of Payplan) said she did not want to argue with me (who was arguing - not me!!? ) and said she would tell me what was going to happen to me next.

She said it was my debt - so deal with it !! If I paid her £160 now she would give me a months grace to try and sort out the situation and give me some breathing space. I said I could not, and Payplan had written to BCard with the offer and SOA. She said as this is now 3 months down the line (it is 2 acutally) Bcard will not be excepting any type of offers at all now!

She said that they have instructed a doorstep collector to come to my house to recover the debt. I said I know they have no power at all and I will give them nothing as the offer has already been made. This made her even mader and she said if I do not pay them today she will not stop the collector.
I said I work all day and my 72 year old mother in law is at home and I do not want her upset by somebody calling, Mercers more of less said tough and somebody would call this week! :eek:

Really worried, I emailed Payplan immediatly, who said these are scare tactics as these people are on commission and IF they sent somebody it would be to organise a payment plan which I am already doing with PP.

Anyway, sorry to go on and on, this has been on my mind all day and I am really scared...keep looking out the window every time I hear a car! has anyone else dealt with these low lifes?

I was made to feel a criminal and no more than something on the bottom of this womans shoe........ feeling really down about it.

Any help / adivse as usual gratefully received.....

Angel Cake x

at_my_wittsend

Have you pointed out to B/card that on the back of their statements, it says if you have difficulty paying then contact Payplan, CCCS and the other Nationdebtline I think. Your only take their instruction off the back of their statement after all? What is beyond me, with a DMP they will get every penny back, if you opted to go B/R they would possibly not get a penny. Pure greed they would rather make money out of others misery. Yes, we all got ourselves in these spots quite easily but also the money is to readily availble to start with! One good thing about the credit crunch is banks etc will now have to lend more responsible, whereas they were to be fair lending far to freely.

at_my_wittsend

PS: Thanks all for your earlier advice on this thread re my situation.

maz1964

Angel cake

welcome back. so sorry to have heard about the way you were treated by mercers,

I found i had the same type of problem with rma for mbna, have now finally had it confirmed by mbna about my dmp (am doing my own) my original letter with pro rata and explaining letter was sent in march this year. Yet i kept having rma chasing me for the funds in the end i refused to speak with them as they were not interested in anything i had to say - i sent a very strong worded letter of complaint to mbna, about the antics of rma, so barclaycard should in my opinion get a strong letter of complaint from you in the manner you were spoken to and how they made you feel. If they do not stop this type of harrasment after you have explained your dmp with pp, then i would report them to trading standards. Have you sent them harrasment letter and telling them to communicate with you only by letter. I fought for my telephone numbers to be removed but they have only removed the work number but thats fine now as ive got 12 months on a dmp with mbna.

It makes me so mad that these people are so rude to us people who are trying to be pro active in our dealings with our debts and get treated like criminals , and not chase up and deal with those who refuse to do anything about their debts at all.

im sure there is some harrasment letter on the site somewhere - i would have sent you a copy of mine as a template but i had all info removed from my pc as it blocked and thus lost a lot of my letters id written. BIG lesson learnt, putting copy straight onto memory stick and putting a printed copy in my file. Big Tip to all - lol

Dont get down, no company likes to receive a complaint letter and they have to investigate your complaint and send a reply within 8 weeks.

Barclaycard are connected to mercers and therefore will be liable for anything mercers do and reputation is at stake here,

im awaiting on a reporter to ask me about how im handling my debts and my knowledge on what ive found out since doing my dmp, ive been asked by national debtline to speak with the reporter and ive agreed to the interview.
I promise will let him know everything ive had to deal with and generally what knowledge ive obtained from people like yourself - wont give anyones name of course dont worry.

Someone has to do something about this, the government is just out of control of what normal people are going through, its very sad,

Dont worry anymore its just not worth it, next time, just tell anyone chasing you for money, im with payplan this is the number contact them directly - thank you goodbye, and then put the phone down. Remember, its your private phone line, your time being taken up, be polite and direct and DO NOT GET INTO ANY CONVERSATION WITH THEM, ive learnt that lesson pretty quickly,

let us know how you get on, my best overall advice to anyone is treat this new way of dealing with your debts in a business and professional manner, keep all records of paperwork, and every letter sent ( i actually keep envelopes too and mark the letter with date of when i actually recieved it)

Any queries or worries just share with others like you have done and others will come along and give you a little help.

Ciao for now keep happy MAZ

Angel_Cake_3

maz1964 wrote: »

Angel cake

welcome back. so sorry to have heard about the way you were treated by mercers,

I found i had the same type of problem with rma for mbna, have now finally had it confirmed by mbna about my dmp (am doing my own) my original letter with pro rata and explaining letter was sent in march this year. Yet i kept having rma chasing me for the funds in the end i refused to speak with them as they were not interested in anything i had to say - i sent a very strong worded letter of complaint to mbna, about the antics of rma, so barclaycard should in my opinion get a strong letter of complaint from you in the manner you were spoken to and how they made you feel. If they do not stop this type of harrasment after you have explained your dmp with pp, then i would report them to trading standards. Have you sent them harrasment letter and telling them to communicate with you only by letter. I fought for my telephone numbers to be removed but they have only removed the work number but thats fine now as ive got 12 months on a dmp with mbna.

It makes me so mad that these people are so rude to us people who are trying to be pro active in our dealings with our debts and get treated like criminals , and not chase up and deal with those who refuse to do anything about their debts at all.

im sure there is some harrasment letter on the site somewhere - i would have sent you a copy of mine as a template but i had all info removed from my pc as it blocked and thus lost a lot of my letters id written. BIG lesson learnt, putting copy straight onto memory stick and putting a printed copy in my file. Big Tip to all - lol

Dont get down, no company likes to receive a complaint letter and they have to investigate your complaint and send a reply within 8 weeks.

Barclaycard are connected to mercers and therefore will be liable for anything mercers do and reputation is at stake here,

im awaiting on a reporter to ask me about how im handling my debts and my knowledge on what ive found out since doing my dmp, ive been asked by national debtline to speak with the reporter and ive agreed to the interview.
I promise will let him know everything ive had to deal with and generally what knowledge ive obtained from people like yourself - wont give anyones name of course dont worry.

Someone has to do something about this, the government is just out of control of what normal people are going through, its very sad,

Dont worry anymore its just not worth it, next time, just tell anyone chasing you for money, im with payplan this is the number contact them directly - thank you goodbye, and then put the phone down. Remember, its your private phone line, your time being taken up, be polite and direct and DO NOT GET INTO ANY CONVERSATION WITH THEM, ive learnt that lesson pretty quickly,

let us know how you get on, my best overall advice to anyone is treat this new way of dealing with your debts in a business and professional manner, keep all records of paperwork, and every letter sent ( i actually keep envelopes too and mark the letter with date of when i actually recieved it)

Any queries or worries just share with others like you have done and others will come along and give you a little help.

Ciao for now keep happy MAZ

Thanks Maz and Wittsend for your words of encouragement, really appreciate it, Feel close to tears tonight, my restful hols seems a lifetime a way!
I really do not know how these people who work for Companies like Mercers etc,, can go home at night and feel they have done a good job that day, you must be a 'certain' type to want to make peoples lifes even more miserable than they already feel!!!
Anyway, I will write to Bcard and complain, just hope that no heavies turn up at my door !! x

Ex-Spendaholic

Angel Cake, welcome back. Sorry that you have been hassled with Mercers. Barclaycard are one of my creditors. I owe them about £3K. I have to say that I've had no issue with them. They accepted the DMP OK and I never hear a word from them.

Nothing strange from me. I got information from Studio Cards today on the charges I had paid to them. I had paid them 5 x £20 so I'm claiming that plus interest which brings it up to £112. :j I owe them about £180 so this would go a long way to clearing that.

Have any of you got any experience of Full and Final Settlement Offers? I was wondering if I could be sneaky on this one? The Studio debt is with Robinson Way. They get £4.21 a month. Would it be worth contacting them to see if they would accept say £90 as F and F S? My thinking is that if they accept £112 or below I could get this debt cleared through a refund of charges. Has anyone done this?

My plan is that if I got rid of this one small debt then it would be one less creditor. OK £4.21 a month isn't a heck of a lot to offer to the rest but every little helps and I would then set about looking for ways to wipe out another small one - maybe Next (£500ish)

maz1964

hello all im back for a bit

angelcake, thank you for your reply, please dont feel unhappy, i know ive been there myself and understand your pain, but just remember you are doing your best at this moment in time, glad my words of encouragement have helped a little like witsend too.

Ex spendaholic, nicely put about the Full and Final settlement offers, although im on my dmp at the moment, im thinking once ime back at work with a little more money i could try this as my next point of attack, so yes

how is it best to proceed like you say, any one that can advise up would be fab

anyway looking at the food threads for a bit but will be back laters,

bye for now MAZ

newlywed

longforthesun wrote: »

Well all paper work has been posted to CCCS. Was re reading one of the letters MBNA sent advising that a reduced payment programme will be recorded on your credit file for the life of the account and then for a further six years. Could someone explain as I was under the impression that once it was defaulted it would only be 6 years or is this just wishfull thinking on my part.

A default notice stays on your file for 6 years from the date of default.

However one of my creditors has marked my credit file as "arrangement to pay - DMP" and keeps marking me with late payments - they haven't actually defaulted me at all though. Presumably they will continue to do this until the debt is paid off so then it will show on my file for 6 years after I've paid it off :rolleyes:

rayday2

Arrangement to pay won't be as damaging as a default though and if say a mortgage company looked at it they would see how long you have been in the arrangement to pay. Its like 6 of one half a dozen of the other!

I wouldn't like to pick which to have but I have an equal amount of both and some just say 3 month arrears.

rayday2

Gemmzie wrote: »

I know what you mean about prescriptions! :eek: I'm on sleeping drugs to calm my IBS - weird isn't it.

DMP is okay, just Hellifax being pains so I'm gonna try and get all the charge back, should knock a healthy amount off the balance.

That sounds like a total pain, are they very NEET focused in your area? The LAs seem to favour detached work because it's cheaper :rolleyes:
My work is stressful, still have no money from them, so time to leave end of the summer

I am so confused and I work for the youth service as to how or where they are focused. They are all for project work, I think being disabled or with learning difficulties they are obsessed with accreditations. Sometimes you feel like the education system has failed them so lets pass it onto the youth service.

A recent example a boy on the autistic spectrum started having worrying lies he was telling, the school came down heavy on him and said stop it or we will etc etc, but we spent some time with him even helped represent him at a disciplinary meeting in the school. We were getting somewhere with him then our management took over and decided he could join a young peoples forum. Ticks there box but does not help him, we were trying to ease him from school education to college and encourage him to socialise for fun which is alien to him.

Grrr!

Sorry folks I am a grumpy chick today got a meeting tonight they get in the way of work