That’s what I thought too. It seems that those payments are just to see if there are any reasons to challenge the validity of the Agreements. There’s no mention of anything resembling a DMP until after that period and even if that happened, I’m sure there would be further, maybe hefty fees. One thing I forgot to mention though, the guy on the phone told my family member it would be pointless challenging the Agreements on their cars, even though one is at the one-third payments mark and one is just over halfway. I suggested a VT on the one that is now halfway through the payments to save them a bit of money but it didn’t go down too well. I also offered to draft letters with a view to reducing payments but that didn’t go down too well either which is fine by me as I’m limited by time at the moment.

Thanks for the reply bankfodder. I agree with what you say but barristers or not, there is still an amount of vagueness on their website. You would think that people like these would be very clear about their services. Especially about what may happen after their 12 x £120 payments of which all is their fees. It made me wonder just how many creditors would be quite happy to have payments suspended for 12 months and only after that period enter into debt-reducing negotiations?

Hi guys, nice to be here again. Just after some advice because I smell a rat! A family member is looking to enter a DMP. He’s found the above firm online and approached them. They purport to be a firm of lawyers/barristers and are relatively new so there’s not a lot of information on the internet about them. However, I’m extremely dubious regarding their methods, this is what they’ve told him so far- In the first instance he stops paying his debts now and they give him a reference number to quote when the phone calls start. He will pay nothing to his creditors for the next 12 months but he will pay a £120 per month fee to them while they approach his creditors. They also talk a lot about challenging contracts, interest rates, irresponsible lending etc, but nothing initially about debt management. After the 12 months has elapsed, they then consider his/their position regarding any successes of freezing interest, debt write-off, lowered payments etc and decide a way forward that “could” result in a debt management plan. oh yes, he was also told on the phone that they could “almost” guarantee that 80% of his debts would be written off. Now I know you are all going to say that this is one big s*@m, and I totally agree with that. But I would like to hear any thoughts on this as to be honest, I’ve never heard of anything like this before so any experiences would be gratefully received. Thanks all

Hi guys, About a year ago my daughter in Law was reversing out of a parking bay in her local Tesco car park. As she was doing so another driver came up fast behind her and there was a very minor collision (nothing more than scuff marks). They exchanged details and when she got home she informed her insurance company (Hastings). They duely recorded her account of what happened, told her not to worry about it and that they would probably ask Tesco for any CCTV evidence they may have. That was the last she heard of it until yesterday. Shes now received a letter from some solicitors (cant remember the name) saying that they represent LV (the other drivers insurance Co) and demand just over £1700 within the next 7 days or they WILL proceed with court action. It would seem that the other driver has claimed on his own insurance and the insurance Co are now trying to claim it back from my daughter in Law. So Im wondering where she stands with this? How can a solicitor demand money from her for a decision made behind her back and which gave her no chance of defending herself? Is this just a solicitor trying to pull a fast one or are they entitled to do this? Im waiting for a copy of the letter and will post it up when it arrives, but my son mentioned that it contains clauses from the Road Traffic Act etc. Thoughts anyone?

Hi dx, yes do what you want. Its been that long since I posted I had forgotten it began with Barclays etc.

Hi all, this a long overdue update regarding the battle between me and Citi regarding their error of refunding my ex wholly on a joint account. I think Im going to give up the ghost on this one because they are adamant that although they originally made the mistake, they are not going to be held responsible for putting it right, - HOWEVER------ This morning I got two letters from Canada square ( who are dealing with Citi claims). One letter contained a covering letter addressed to me telling me once again to get stuffed, we are not putting it right, now please go away and leave us alone. The other 8 pages are for a claim made by a woman in Buckinghamshire that has been upheld and a full breakdown of the refund. I will post it on to her tonight. Now for letter No2. Again they have made it very clear that they will not put the third account right and that I should go and have a chat with my ex in the hope that she will give me the couple of grand back. Ive got even less of a chance with that one! BUT - there is a paragraph that reads - "We would like to make you aware that a separate complaint under the reference COM/xxxxx/2018 has been set up to investigate Other General Insurance that may have been applied to your accounts. You will receive separate correspondence quoting this reference regarding this." Now this is all very well and good, but you would think that throughout 2 years of hassle from me, someone somewhere would have already spotted this "Other General Insurance"? Which begets the question that if the term "PPI" is simply a generic umbrella term that encompasses many insurance products, why do they now have a "Other General Insurance" category and consequently, should I start pestering them again with a host of "Other General Insurance" complaints? Anyway, lets see what happens next.

Hi all, after 3 attempts, GE Money have FINALLY sent me a working SAR. First disc wouldnt recognise the password, second disc was completely blank! Anyway, Ive spent most of the morning going through this stuff and it doesnt look like they hit me for any insurances. But going right back to the beginning of the mortgage there is a list of charges that Im not sure about so could anyone advise if any of these might be reclaimable? Purple Loans Arrangement Fee £352.00 Lenders Legal Fee £170.38 First National Completion Fee £100.00 Insurance Fee £25 ( for processing documents relating to my own insurance) HLC (Higher Lending Charge) £236.19 Thanks all.

Well, I posted the FOS claim form off to the bank last Friday, got a text the following Monday saying they've got it and will reply within 56 days. Not a bad start!

Hi BankFodder, thanks for that. I had forgot about the new rules coming into effect. Think Im going to put a claim in now for the loan they say has PPI, and also wait till the 25th and send a SAR.

Hi all, need a bit of assistance if you dont mind. I sent a PPI Information Request to Yorkshire Bank last month (April 2017) and received a reply a month later. The good news is that after searching their records as far back as 1995 ( which is about the right time) they have found two loans. On one they have confirmed it had PPI. On the other however, they are "unable to determine" whether PPI was on it or not. They go on to say that if I make a complaint, this will enable them to search their archived records and maybe establish whether PPI is or is not on the other loan ( I think it will be), my question is what is the best way to approach this? Do I simply draft up a letter of complaint asking them to search their archives? Is there already an established template letter for this kind of thing? Or would it be better to send a SAR? What concerns me a little is that they know that they were both loans and they have sent the account numbers too. So if they could find that information why can they not determine whether there was PPI on the other loan? Maybe that one is a loan going back before 1995 and everything is archived after that date? However, they still know it was a loan and knew the account number. Might just be my suspicious self again but any advice will be welcome as usual. Thanks all.

Thanks for that bazooka and cheers DX, I had forgotten about andyorchs post. Although the CCJ remains, it cannot be acted upon after six years has passed without court permission and there has to be very good reason for an extension. If say a creditor goes back to court and is refused permission, what is the point of continuing the existence of that CCJ as it can never be enforced?

Hi all, just looking for a bit of confirmation if you dont mind. Got a letter this morning from Wright Hassle representing Cabot saying that their client has given them full instructions to enforce a CCJ made against me on xx/08/2007. They intend to do this by way of an AOE Order. They point out that they are aware the Judgement is over six years old but they expect to be successful given the number of attempts that they, and their client have made to resolve this matter with me. They do say though that they would like to avoid this Application. Apart from the odd letter over the years, and the fact that the CCJ was turned into a CO shortly after it was granted (before I found CAG), no other attempts have ever been made to enforce anything against me. They dont mention the CO in the letter so do you think Cabot havent told them about it? They then go on to say that should they make an Application to the court, they will exhibit this letter and request that the fee for the Application be added to the Judgement. So do you think this is a standard willy-waving letter or something to be taken a little more seriously? Thanks all.

Thanks again for the advice people, much appreciate it. This morning (saturday) I have now received a Parking Charge Notice from Parking Eye for an overstay in an Aldi car park in Canterbury. Ok this one might be easy to bat away, Ill send them his name and last known address up here, and Ill send it Recorded Delivery, its just damned annoying that I have to give him a grace period before I report the car as stolen! God knows what else he might do in that time.

Hi guys. thanks for the replies. Actually I am still paying for the tax and fully comp insurance in my name although I do know he insured it in his name too. It was very quickly after I loaned him the car that I was told about his previous antics with other people so I decided against cancelling either of them. Ive sent him a text saying I now want the car back, that was last night and I havent had a reply. The last known address I have for him is a local pub. He knew the landlord who gave him and his girlfriend a room above the pub to also "help him out". I went to see the landlord last night and we swapped a few stories. the landlords daughter was glad I had turned up, she said she had an idea there was something not quite right about both of them - youre telling me! The landlord and I now have each others phone numbers just in case he turns up back here.

Hi disgruntled, thanks for the reply. My wife has a number for his girlfriend ( sorry, forgot to mention this) but whenever she rings her its either vague excuses or no answer. If the car is now technically stolen then I should report it as such. Going to be a pain in the backside travelling to London to pick it up and no doubt pay a fortune in impounding fees!

Hi all, looking for a bit of advice if you dont mind - serves me right for trying to help someone! Last November, an acquaintance of mine was literally almost destitute. No job, no car and on the verge of eviction because of late payments by DWP towards his rent. He was offered a job but needed a car. I had a spare car so I loaned it to him while he got back on his feet and offered to sell it to him at a later date for £200 - car is worth about a grand. It was too late to stop the eviction but everything else worked out ok for him and subsequently he moved around my area between a couple of addresses. This morning I got a PCN from Dart Charge regarding a crossing he made over the Dartford Tunnel. Because it was a first offence, they said if I pay it within the 28 days period they would only charge me the £2.50 fee but if it happens again it will be £37.50 rising to £70 then rising further to £105 if not paid within certain time scales. Ive paid the £2.50. Now, I live in Yorkshire, as he did, but it now transpires that hes gone back to his family in London. Thanks for letting me know eh? I need to get my name off the logbook but I dont know any address for him - I would rather lose the car than have him run irresponsibly around London racking charges up as he may seem fit. It turns out that he owes money to a few people up here so that may be his reason for disappearing! (I know - hindsight is a wonderful thing!). Does anyone know how I can do this? I cant report it stolen because really it isnt - I did, after all, lend him the car. I know his name but not his address anymore. I dont fancy ringing the DVLA and asking for advice as all they will be interested in are any fines that could be imposed. So any advice? Thanks all.

Hi Pank, just chuck my two-penneth in here. I had the same thing regarding "linked cards" with Barclaycard. Im currently awaiting a SAR pack to hopefully see what these cards actually are. Now heres something to think about - when I first applied online for a PPI refund they said I had paid £24.99 on an old Egg card as a one-off payment and consequently refunded me £187. Ok I thought, not a brilliant result but not a bad one too. However, one year later I got another cheque from them for £1087.00 with an apology for a miscalculation of the original PPI refund . I cant wait to see what these "linked cards" are!

Hi Bankfodder, I got the second email thank you. Well I didnt expect a regular contribution to be turned down but I guess its your decision. I couldnt believe it when you told me how you all helped someone get a refund of between £40k to £60k of PPI and they only donated £50. That seems a bit mean. I offered the regular contribution because of the position I am in today as opposed to some years ago when i was married to a greedy and selfish ex-wife. It was because of the desperate situation she created that I found CAG. After years of crushing debt she finally upped and left and walked away from it, leaving me to deal with it all. Had it not been for CAG, I would have probably gone under in some way. Instead, slowly but surely I began to read about everyone elses problems and the solutions CAG provided which lead to my fight back against the banks and loan companies. And most of it was very successful! You all have my undying thanks for this. But I didnt just find CAG. There are many other sites offering advice on how to deal with debt, but they seem to have their own agendas. Some, like the infamous Martin Lewis sites, really only recommend offering reduced payments or a grovelling approach to the banks etc, they rarely suggest challenging the authenticity of an Agreement or the crushing unfairness of multiple charges intended to bury the debtor further. Others appear to have a chip on their shoulders that taints any suggested response with an air of arrogance and/or intimidation. None of this advice is very helpful. The advice from CAG however, is simply legal and logical. Because of CAG, you are now talking to someone who has a completely different perspective of money. Myself and my wife earn over £5k a month and we only have basic commitments ( mortgage, utilities etc) other than one car on finance for the Mrs. My car was paid off two years ago and I flatly refuse to renew it! Mind you, it mainly sits in the garage and covers around 2000 miles a year! What Im trying to say Bankfodder, is that you are talking to someone who doesnt believe in much - Im very much someone who believes what he sees rather than what he hears. But I believe very much in CAG and would have liked to have contributed in some small way. A tenner a month was never going to break the bank, so to speak! Ill leave this decision to you then, the offer will always stand. Ill be around for a long time. Now to SAR Welcome and Citibank!

Hi guys. Just looked into donating a tenner a month. It doesnt give me a date option so Ill set it up on Thursday (1st June) and hopefully it will then come out on the first of every month.

Hi Bankfodder. Just checked my emails and yours didnt arrive, unless you are busty Svetlana from Latvia looking for a hot-blooded Englishman to have lots of boobies (sic) with? Maybe I looked in the wrong box there? Anyway, to be honest, I didnt think £50 was such a big deal seeing as I got just over a grand back that I would otherwise have never seen had it not been for CAG. This is one great website and Ive learned so much from people like yourself, Andyorch, dx100 and a few more. I noticed when I sent the money that there is provision to become a regular contributor to the site so Im chucking in a tenner on the 1st of every month. Ive been on many sites like this one over the years, learning how to beat the finance industry and play them at their own game, but none have come even a close second to CAG. The others seem to have one chip or another on their shoulders and consequently their advice frequently advocates pointless threats that make any correspondence look childish. CAG thankfully, isnt like that. Ill let you all know when Ive set the payment up. Thanks everyone.

£50 to CAG

Oops sorry guys, Additional statutory compensation paid should read £356.72!! Wheres my glasses?

Sorry about the late reply chaps - work called! Slick - this is the new breakdown they sent me, Total statutory compensation on new calculation £394.51 Total statutory compensation on previous refund £37.79 Additional statutory compensation paid £56.72 20% income tax deducted from additional statutory compensation £71.34 then of course, interest is applied but they dont give those amounts. CitizenB, thats a very interesting read. And yes, it looks like it most certainly applies to me. Its a pity the FOS were not involved, that would have given any letter I wrote, some weight. But Im certainly going to get back on their case so to speak. Ive just got to figure out how to word the letter in view of the actions of RBS etc. And for the record - when the cheque clears (Thursday I think) I will be donating £50 to CAG.

Well heres an unexpected update guys. Just over a year ago I received a refund of £184 from Barclaycard regarding PPI on an old Egg account. This morning a letter from them dropped through my door with an attached cheque for £1084.00 along with an apology for miscalculating in the first place! Thats certainly brightened my day up!

Hi guys, Ive defended the claim online as you said dx. CCA Request and CPR 31.14 letters ready to send to respective addresses Old Codger. Good Friday today so cant be posted till Tuesday. These will go first class recorded. Thats all I can do for now unless you guys know different? Theres a chance there will be no CCA as it was assigned to Lowells 02/08 2013. Im just waiting for info from stepdaughter as to when she took this agreement out or indeed when she made the last payment ( might get lucky, might be over six years ago). Ill update when I know more. Thabks all.