How shal I pay thee, let me count the ways.

[phoenix11]

First up, an absolutely hugemoungous hug and global kiss of thanks to so many of you who've helped me cope and come to a better frame of mind about the crap I have in common with you all.

 

*inserts kiss blowing smiley here*

 

 

Now - Can anyone guide me on what my rights are in paying the thoroughly annoying little twerps of a DCA now that we've agreed £1 per month? (I am on JSA, my own, and seriously struggling)

 

They offered:

 

1) Credit card (words fail me!!!)

2) Direct Debit (in their dreams - no way will they be allowed to raid my bank account) *inserts Valkerie smiley*

3) Switch or Delta (will come to this in a mo)

4) Standing Order (will come to this in a mo)

5) Cheque - don't have one

6) Postal order - will cost to purchase and to send securely (RD) every month to ensure it gets there, thereby more than doubling my payment.

7) Payment card - but no - I can't have this as I'm not paying enough every month.

8] Online (I can manage 'my DCA account' online - "a hassle free way to set up a payment without having to speak to one of our agents" - maybe they're getting the message!)

 

 

I have asked for paying in slips so I can pay cash at a bank or PO and so they do not have my bank details. I feel very strongly about this as these bar stewards are not regulated properly, and I have no way of knowing what they do with my information.

 

My only options to keep control of what I pay is to pay online, either giving them my details by their online site and, frankly Hell will freeze, thaw and refreeze over 10 times before I allow my pc to go anywhere near their nasty disease ridden area on the web, *inserts whole host of Valkerie smilies and Wodin too*, or by online banking!

 

So, can I insist that they send me a paying in book?

 

If not, is there any other way I can pay without them having my bank details?

 

Cheers

 

*inserts huggy smiley here*

 

 

 

PS - to site team - how come we don't have any sharing-caring smileys?

 

And staunch Valkerie type smilies too?

[BankFodder]

Yes, make out a standing order. In other words you present to your bank an order to pay a certain sum at cetain regular periods.

The DCA don't have any access or control over it. They simpy see the payment in which will carry their reference.

[Blondmusic]

I would just pay by standing order as they can only take a set amount each month on a certain date. At least that way they are getting paid and you know they are getting paid.

 

I had similar problems with Wescot. They gave me payment slips to use at the post office and i was charged a fee at the post office to make the payment. I started sending Postal Orders which cost a fortune with the RD on top. I CCA'd them last month, they can't provide an agreement so i don't pay them anymore.

Edited June 30, 2009 by Blondmusic

[BankFodder]

sharing-caring? Humbug!

[phoenix11]

((((Bank Fodder))))

 

 

 

So, if I pay by SO, they won't have my exact bank details then?

 

 

 

 

At least can we have a strident valkerie?

[Blondmusic]

Best way to do it is get their bank details to set up the Standing Order then set it up with your bank. If you can access your account online then some banks let you set up Standing Orders online.

[phoenix11]

Ah - I''m not going to get this sorted by 3 July then and I have to phone them for their details!!!

 

They're trying to force DD on me as they've sent another letter instructing me to do this.

 

I'm seriously hacked off with the turds and the whole effing thing.

 

If I pay by bank transfer, will that show my personal bank details?

[sillygirl1]

You could get one of those top up prepay credit cards and top it up with cash to pay them, they would only be able to get what was on the card and of course it won't be linked to your bank account... could be worth the monthly admin fee which could be less than the recorded delivery and postal order fee together

 

Worth thinking about.

[mr.ton]

Forgive me if ive missed something here...but if this £1 per month has not been authorised by a county court, then why are you paying them anything at all?

[babybear39]

Pay by SO long term but take the hit of paying by PO this month.

[phoenix11]

Mr T - I owe the debt - it's kosher and I'm not about to assume I can just dump it as much as I'd like to.

 

I don't want to be taken to court and have a ccj - as I'd end up with more than one and I'd rather not have the stigma if I can avoid it.

 

So at this moment in time, I'm happy to go along with the £1 per month, it keeps things ticking over until such time as circumstances change or I can think of something else.

 

Sillygirl - it would be a nice idea except that I have £35 per week for all food and household expenses - I don't have any other money and no other way to tweak anything.

 

Babybear - yes, that's a good idea. I'm not paying for the other debt as yet as that one is in dispute, so I guess at least this month, I've £1 to spare.

 

[mr.ton]

No DCA will take you to court anyway as it will cost them money to do so.

If your happy to pay it then fine..but in my view its just a waste of £1 per month on your part quite frankly.

[phoenix11]

I very much appreciate your help Mr T and respect that you're way more knowledgable about all of this.

 

However, it's also a question of what I can cope with and this has been one of the most harrowing times of my life which has damaged my health and caused me no end of distress.

 

I have to handle my life - I have to deal with these and other abusive turds, and I don't have anyone to support me at all apart from this forum.

 

So, whilst it's all still a bad dream, at least I've moved it on up the scale from a total nightmare.

 

As time goes by, and with continuing support from the forums, I'l probably soon get to a waking consciousness of handling it all better for me - but right now, I'm just grateful to be able to cope at all and keep the bar stewards at bay.

 

[sillygirl1]

If all you have left is £35 a week you might be entitled to council tax relief or housing benefit - I only found out too late that I could have got something, even if it had only been £3 towards each it could have tipped the scales in another direction.

 

Go to entitledto.com (I think that is the name) and see if you are entitled to anything, might take a few weeks but you can use the waiting time to hold off a few people.

[mr.ton]

With the greatest respect Phoenix11..ive had alot to deal with myself over the years.

Ive had more DCA's on my back in that time than you can shake a stick at.

Yet i know what is what now & how the system works inside out etc..

I assure you that once you start paying this £1 per month, they will get their teeth into you even more & will take it upon themselves to require you to pay more in the future.

DCA's have no legal powers to money off you whatsoever, only the county court does & until such time as they take you there (i.e never) tell them to get stuffed, report them to the usual authorities & save that £1 for yourself.

Watch how quickly you never hear from them again then

[ScarletPimpernel]

Sehr geerhter Brunnhilde-Schwester,

 

If you've decided to make a token payment, that's fine - we don't all have the same levels of resilience - or CCJ tolerance - as others.

 

Babybear's advice is spot on - insist on standing order, but pay by PO this month. Don't, whatever you do, give in to demands to use direct debit - I wouldn't trust any DCA with one.

 

Another possibility might be Paypoint, wherein you can pay at various shops and other establishments which have the machine.

 

Since you're clearly a fan, this line from 'Die Walkure' might apply to you and the DCA: 'mit starker waffe doch wehre dich morgen' . DCAs don't go to Valhalla...

 

[mr.ton]

If we put this in persepctive...

For someone who is on JSA, that £1 could make the small difference between buying or not buying those extra loafs of bread for example.

That might sound petty to alot of people, but it is infact serious.

I doubt even a county court would make someone on JSA pay anything at all once the persons essential outgoings for food,bills,clothes,travel costs etc..are taken into account.

Like i say, if the OP wishes to do it then great - but ive told them why they dont need to legally & why they should not do, taking into account the above example.

[phoenix11]

Love it - thank you Scarlet P.

 

Mr T - one big problem for me is that whilst I struggled but managed to understand almost every bit of the law and process to recover the bank charges a couple of years ago, I simply cannot understand all the differing advice and legal stuff about fighting the debt.

 

It may still come to it with the other account which is still in dispute - I may be back before too long desperately trying to get my head around what I'm supposed to do next.

 

If they do try and bleed me for more, then I'll also be back for help with sending them to hades.

 

I have had a small success already when they decided to pester me on the phone when I was at work many weeks ago - it only took one phone call - one passionate burst of 'listen sonny jim - and listen good. If I lose my job because of your harrassment by phoning me one more time, I'll do everything I can to sue your sorry butts off and make it as public as possible. You do not calll me, ever - do you understand this. You are putting my job at risk and if I lose it because of you ......... etc etc " Once me gander is up, it's up until it's run it's course.

 

That was a good day.

[ScarletPimpernel]

Mr T, your point was well made, as it has been before. Personally I am of the same mind as you, but I think that one of the best things about CAG is that we do not judge people or try to make them do anything they aren't happy with; we just support them. Like you, I couldn't care less what DCAs do, but I recognise that others may be more bothered, for all sorts of reasons.

 

If OP changes his/her mind I know we'll all be there to help bring the battle to the DCA. My quote from the libretto of Die Walkure is, translated, 'Tomorrow I'll fight you with stronger weapons'.

[phoenix11]

I'm one of the laydees!

 

 

 

It's so good to know I've got you all as my 'stronger weapons'.

[Blondmusic]

I pay by Standing Order and i have never had any problems. They only take the money on the first of the month (which i set up as it is easy to remember) and they have never taken any more than te £1 per month i am paying.

 

When i CCA'd 2 DCA's i was paying by Standing Order it was very easy to cancel the Orders online. I am the only person who will be able to set it up again.

 

Never pay by Direct Debit as they can take more than you are expecting (been there, done that) then you are left fighting them for your own money back.

 

Go with the Standing Order. Have you had a look on the DCA's website? They should have the details online of how you can set up a Standing Order. Some DCA's do have them online so it is worth a look.

[Huff&Puff]

There is no reason why you shouldn't send a CCA request, and in the meantime pay your £1. Then at least you'll know whether it's enforceable, and whethere there is any likelihood of court (if it isn't enforceable you'd win anyway).

 

I have to agree with the above, it won't be long before they start pressuring you for ever larger payments and you'll be back at square one. DCAs are nothing if not predictable :(

[phoenix11]

I did ask, and received, copies of my two agreements.

 

I asked for another copy of one of them as it was squashed to scan it.

 

There is no doubt that the debt on the loan account is enforceable, it's the amount of the debt I am still challenging and which may make the debt unenforceable if they've done what I believe they've done - but that one is still in limbo.

 

The cc agreement is on two pages - one with my sig and date, and the other with the agreement form and my details, albeit squashed again.

 

I don't have a scanner - so I can't post anything here to see if it's all above board.

 

However, as I said, the debt (on the cc at least) is mine - my responsibility.

[Blondmusic]

Just pay them by Standing Order then. Everytime they ask you to increase your payments send them a letter explaining that your circumstances have not changed and you will continue to pay the agreed rate. It works for me!!

[creditcardmug]

My 2p worth, go with SPs advice, make this months payment by PO, then TELL them future payments must be by SO

 

Also inform them that any court would consider their non-compliance with your request to be totally unreasonable