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Hi
I`m new here and just wondered if anyone can help with a problem that developed for me today.
I`ve had various budgeting loans over the past few years and have never had a problem at all with the money being taken back, till today.
I applied for a new budgeting loan back in April but was refused as they said I owed too much, I didn`t really check to be honest, just accepted that what they said was correct and muddled through till today, I called them to ask where I was up to with my loans and to my horror they had not altered at all sice April, on further investigation nothing has been taken at all since the 8th Jan 2010, no one can answer why, the only thing I have come up with is that on the 9th Jan 2010 I was moved onto fortnightly payments.
I am going to write a letter of complaint as I honestly believed that the money was being taken at the amount that has been set and with going onto fortnightly payment having had to borrow a weeks money to tide us over and then having that money taken out over 6 fortnights I dont think it unreasonable of me not to have noticed that things had gone wrong, then trying to get used to budgeting for 2 weeks instead of 1 was so difficult and changes of the day it was paid etc.
The worst thing about today was that I was told that it is only that I called and pushed for an answer as to why this hadn`t been paid that alerted them to a problem!!!!!!
They have had 10 months to flag this up, a nice gentleman at income support told me that they are suppsoed to check daily for this sort of thing as he used to work in the loan dept.
Another nice gentleman agin in income support has advised me to say in my letter that it is quite obviously an administrative error and therefor I cannot be held responsible.
I have worked out that the amount that I would have paid back between Jan and today would have been £550.
They now are going to start taking this money back at £14.50 a week or almost £60 a month, whilst I accept that I must not have paid it, I have budgeted as though I have done if that makes sense and wanted to apply today to try to get a little bit sorted out for the 3rd Dec when I have to start signing on, in case they dont pay me on time etc, also the child tax credits have already messed up in only including one child and not 3 on my claim, I have called them but as yet dont have a new award notice to see if it is correct.
I am worried sick about all the changes as it is and now with this on top I feel like giving up.
If anyone has any advice or has experienced similar problems I would be very grateful.
Thank you
Hi
Thank you for even reading my post, I just feel so downtrodden right now and thats not like me at all, I am a really positive person but this is kind of the last straw really
It's all it takes, really.
I know I can tootle along quite happily and the smallest thing can floor me again.
Do keep posting, as we can support you through so much.
The moderators too are brilliant with their links.
How many children do you have? I have four, but they're getting on a bit now! My third child has special needs though, but I like to think we work well as a unit with him!
Hi
I really do appreciate you replying.
i have 5 children altogether, 23, 20, 17. 16 and 9 boy at each end and 3 girls in the middle.
They are all good kids, 2 have flown the nest and 3 at home, I do my best but its never good enough is it, every which way you turn there is some hurdle, I have been on my own a very long time now, too long probably, never any good at picking men lol.
My friend and I do a lot of things in our community and in fact across the uk and abroad, we see it as a way to keep our morale up and as a way of making a difference, how bizarre really that our new prime minister wants exactly what we are already doing but still is beating us with a great big stick, we can do 80+ hours a week but it all fits around our children and they all have a great empathy towards people who are less fortunate, yes there is a certain irony there isnt there
My oldest is 18, and just started a two year course at college - so possibly he'll be leaving the same time as my 16 year old daughter - just started A levels.
I do the Scouts and Cubs, I run the group too! Not very adventerous mind, and don't venture too far (I used to, many moons ago now!). I'm about to start with a youth club too. I've decided to do a OU course, working with young people - its the influence of scouts!! Hahahha
I'm happily single. I figure I attract the wrong type - or the wrong type appeal to me! Far safer this way.
Hi
My eldest daughter is at college doing her 2nd year in childcare and my 16 year old daughter has just started college in business studies, they are both enjoying it so far.
My son at 9 wants to be a power ranger when he grows up bless him.
Scouts and cubs is good, good for you running it, youth clubs are really needed in my opinion.
My friend and I are about to start a foodbank here, again something that is very much needed as people are really struggling to eat properly.
Yes can definitely relate to the wrong type lol
Hi tiredmum. With regards to the budget loan, call them and tell them you cannot afford to pay them back such and such. I did this, and I managed to get them down to £5 weekly instead of what they were asking.
Welcome to One Space by the way
Hi
Thank you for that suggestion and yes I will certainly be doing that if I cant get them to admit they are responsible, it just seems so unjust to me and I am still struggling to accept that I haven`t already paid it, I am going to go to the bank on Mon morning and ask for a full breakdown of the last 18 months so that I can see exactly what has been paid in etc.
Thank you it does seem a really friendly site which was just what I needed tonight so thank you
Hello tired mum
Oh that name speaks volumes. Sometimes we parents are so tired that we get beyond ourselves. You have found us now, and you are very welcome. There is a lot of online support, information and friendship here.
OK I understand exactly where you are coming from. It is entirely reasonable to say that you did not know you had not repaid anything. After all, if they as the professionals were unable to get it right then why should we know how to do their jobs? However the bad news is that I think it likely you will have to pay it off and they will not "write off" the repayments. Expecting you to pay it off at that rate seems very unreasonable to me, however.
First of all, do what alisoncam suggests and ring them to negotiate a reduction in payments. If you are not satisfied with the outcome then yes, write a letter of complaint. You need three copies of this: one for you, one for them, and one to send to the Social Fund Inspector. This Inspector really exists for people to appeal to who are turned down for a loan. However it seems to me that they have some clout and they are worth getting on side. Click here for a link to the leaflet you would have to fill in to send with the letter, and the address is Independent Review Service, Freepost. Yes I know that sounds like an incomplete address but that's what the leaflet says.
Thanks so much for sharing about your family. Can I just check, are your two college children getting EMA? That will help a bit. The next thing to say is that when you move to JSA, your Child Tax Credit will stay the same and it is the adult support (Income Support) which will be replaced. I think it unlikely that you will be allowed to borrow more as a buffer. Do your two teenagers have some part time work? I was just thinking that if they did, it would take the pressure off you in terms of expenditure on them.
Hopefully you will get your new award notice from Child Tax Credit shortly. If you don't get it in a couple of days, ring them again
Your voluntary work sounds fab. Tell us more about the food bank idea! Hope you will stay with us and join in all the different topics and get some support for yourself too.
Hi
Thank you for you reply.
It does seem a really friendly place to ask for help on here.
I have taken on board all that everyone has sais and intend to fight this to the limit, that said I dont expect to win but will at least feel better for having tried.
I might ask for a reduction in the payments but it just means paying for longer in the end so I will ponder my options, limited as they are
Yes one of my daughters gets ema and the other is awating it, part time jobs are so scarce here unfortunately, they have both tried all summer and became so demoralised by not even getting replies to endless letters they had sent and even turning up on spec proved no more fruitful.
The voluntary work my friend and I do is great, we started what we do over 7 years ago and recycle brand new school uniforms to anyone and everyone who needs them, right on the 6 week break we received 8.5 tons of it!!!!!!!!!!!
We sorted it into different piles, well mountains really, things that we simply couldn`t use, things that we could use and things to be shipped abroad. We then contacted to charities that we support and they took all of the things we couldn`t use to weigh it in to raise funds for them, contacted the people who take clothes abroad for children, this time they went to Romania, Uganda, Zambia and Moldova.
The things that we can use we then put the word out and it goes down a storm, we used to give it away for free but soon discovered this made people very greedy, they took things just because they were there, now we ask for £1 an item donation, for this you get for example a full tracksuit, white shirt, pack of 5 school socks, pair of black trousers, fleece jacket, polo shirt, the list is endless really.
The money generated is then ploughed into charities or in some cases a local school for say a breakfast club etc.
We have for a long time wanted a foodbank and now seems the time to go for it, we find that a lot of people will approach us and say they are struggling were they would not maybe ask the headteacher at school for example as people still have their pride and to ask for help is really difficult, but because we are lone parents too then its not as hard.
We never turn anyone away and always make them a brew.
Well there you have it really, as the foodbank progressess I will update you.
Wow that sounds great, and what I like most about it is the way you all sound as if you pull together....and that people in the community feel OK about approaching you.
For others reading this, don't forget that your local Salvation Army will help out in a food emergency, although it seems you can only apply every so often (ours is only once every three months)
Hi Tiredmum,
I'm so glad you've found One Space. Your volunteering is really inspirational, school uniform costs are crippling for so many families. My eldest starts secondary school next year and despite the fact its a state school they are expected to have everyhting from blazers to branded PE kits
What was the spark behind starting your project?
HelenT
That is brilliant!
Hi
Thank you for such positive comments re the school uniforms.
Helen asked what was the spark that started this, well just over 7 years ago my friend and I went to shop for our childrens uniforms and at that time I had 4 children in school and my friend had 2, we spent in total over £500 and only got one of everything for each child!!
We came home and decided that we would ask all the parents around to have a clear out of their unwanted uniform items, we contacted the schools as well to help and we literally started all of this off with one tiny carrier bag of secondhand bits.
We soon decided that it wasn`t enough and from there tracked down our uniform manufacturer to enquire what they did with anything they couldn`t use, how fortunate we were, they had been giving it to a charity who it had been discovered were selling it at full retail value which is simply not on so they had stopped giving them anything and at the point we contacted them they were actually burning it all.
We explained what we would like to do and from that day to this we have recieved every single time that they cannot use for whatever reason.
At this present time we have a huge amount of brand new school socks in packs of 5 along with a lot of rugby shirts and fooball socks, we also have a limited amount of white shirts and blouses, we have not stopped all summer and its great.
I got all my kids uniforms from a local charity shop and ebay, all of it for under forty quid, ebay is excellent just put some minimum bids on a few things and you are bound to win a couple of them and there is some good stuff to be found for pennies :)
How fantastic that you even got the uniform people to cough up. If only more people undertook more enterprises like this, things would be much better within our communities. I take my hat off to you, tired mum!
Hi Bubblegum, Louise
Yes ebay is really good only though if you have the internet and lots of people cant afford it as much as the Government say is is an "essential" now for children.
Freecycle and freegle are both great places to both ask for items that you need and to recylce items that you dont need anymore.
The uniform manufacturers have been absolutely brilliant with us and do take a great view of not wasting things if it can be avoided.
There are many people like my friend and I doing allsorts of good things up and down the country, shame that the press doesn`t pick up on the good things but choose to for example today highlight the worst benefit estate in the country(sun newspaper).
My friend and I are just 2 ordinary mums, anyone could do what we do and the reward in terms of self esteem are massive.
I just wish the David Cameron would listen to people like us who have been doing lots of things for a long time, we already fit his vision of the big society, I did email him but as yet no response at all!!!!!!
I believe the vast majority of the population have the same vision when it comes to a big society, as the kindness I come across can be overwhelming. I just feel that politician feel that they need to be the discoverer (if there's such a word).
It's brilliant what you're doing.
Hi sparklinglime,
Yes you are right about the politicians having to be the ones to discover this whole new way forward lol.
There are far more nice people out there than bad ones, we have met some incredible people and heard some harrowing stories over the years that we have been doing this.
To add to the uniform thing, if you are really stuggling, you can apply to the local education office for a discretionary grant, they are not publicised but are there.
My eldest has had that with the college, thanks. Just as well, as I'm doing a course with the OU - who said they'd pay for the course, and now seem to have changed their minds. The cheque I've had back for his fees can go towards paying for the course.
My fault for changing direction with the course I'm taking!
I'll appeal first though 
and hope they just mean I won't get a grant - which I already know about...
Oh I hope you get good news about that, sparkling lime.
Tired mum: if politicians want to be the "discoverers", do you think it is worth bringing your scheme to the attention of your own MP?
One magazine that does seem to champion people and community support is "Take a Break", that puzzle magazine. They have a Mum's Army, who are against violence and anti-social behaviour.
Hi Louise
Oh we are very well known for what we do, yes you may have a point though about the MP, I will give that a go later this evening.
We have actually been in Take a Break about 4/5 years ago, we were nominated for a national award by our housing association, it was quite scary for us really as we dont do what we do for the accolades, we do it to make a difference
Awww that's great, I was thinking that Take a Break would love you!
I think that is so brilliant. (sorry if I'm repeating myself here, but I do )
Hi Louise, sparklinglime,
Thank you both!!!!!!
We have been asked about turning the whole thing into a social enterprise however it would then probably mean asking for more money per item which would then take away the reason we started this in the first place!!!!!!
We might have to look at it for the foodbank, it does seem a sensible way to go for that actually as we could then fund some of it through organisations such as social services etc, we have done a lot of research and very often the Police will visit an elderly person maybe for a welfare check and they find they have little or no food, they have nowhere to access food quickly so we would definitely make it available to the Police to access.
Any suggestions that anyone might have will be really welcomed.
The thing that matters most is that is does not become only for the chosen few as it were, we never turn anyone away now and dont intend to start.
Hi
Just a quick update on the social fund loan thing.
I did put it all in writing to them and asked them to consider it an admin error, I sent it last Mon recoreded delivery, as yet no reply.
I was paid on Fri last and again as yet they still haven`t taken any money back, depite having had over a week prior to sort it!!!!!!
No idea what will happen but I will let you know as soon as I know
They never seem to want to hurry with these things...
Fingers crossed, tired mum....
Hi
I just feel like I am in limbo, cant work out my budget till I know whats going on, but no news is good news so they say, no doubt I will get a letter in the morning now lol
I know what you mean, I hate the "not knowing", it makes it feel out of your own control. You could work out two alternative budgets, if your fingers are itching?
Have you heard anything yet tiredmum?
Hi alisoncam
No not a thing!!!!!!!
It really is starting to annoy me, I had also asked for a complete financial statement of every loan I had ever taken at this address so that I could sit down and try to work out what I had paid against what they say I owe.
I feel I cant trust what they say and wanted to double check but that hasn`t arrived either.
The dilema I know have really is do I call them or not, I feel I should in some ways but then I thik why should I, its is now down to them to contact me?
I will let you know if I receive anything, Louise suggested working out 2 budgets, I could do but if I then ask for a reduction in the amount to pay back depending on what they were to say(if we ever get to that point) it would throw everything out again so I feel completely stuck at the moment
I think if I were you, I would contact them. At least you might get some idea of what's what.
I've yet to fill out this new Income Support form. Lord knows why they have sent it, as I'm due to switch to JS at some point soon. Makes no sense whatsoever, but I shall post it off tomorrow, and then see what happens.
Hi everyone
The dreaded letter has just arrived and as expected they are passing the buck to income support!
I have made several phone calls all 0845 which cost a fair amount, anyway there is a 3 tier complaint procedure, so I now have written my 1st letter of complaint, this was answered and said to call if any further problems or if I wasn`t satisfied, well no I am not at all satisfied that they have basically thanked me for bringing it their attention and for that they will be deducting £30 oer fortnight starting this week!!!!
I have spoken to the Independant case examiner who says I now need to write or email the chief exec at dwp which I will do this evening, one that comes back if I am still not satisfied then the Independant case examiner will look at it.
I doubt I will actually get anywhere but its now become a matter of principal for me so I am going to give it my best shot
Good luck.
When I asked for a reduction in what I was paying weekly, I didn't get a response. I figured it just got it out the way quicker.
I really do hope you are able to sort this out. Principle or not, it isn't right the way it's being done.
I would encourage you to fight your corner all the way, tired mum.Wishing you very good luck
I think I've said this before, so sorry if I'm repeating myself (have a habit of doing this, must be my age) I asked for a reduction, and I did get it. I know it gets the loan down quicker by paying the higher rate, but I just couldn't do it. Good luck tired mum.
Hi
Just an update to my social fund thing.
I dont know why but someone sent me a booklet about the complaints procedure, I didnt realise there was one so hadnt asked for it, but it arrived yesterday.
Having read it, I have done everything so far that they expect which is good.
There is also on page 13 of this booklet a thing called special payments, these are apparently one off discretionary payments for when they make a mess of things and leave you in a worse financial position than you would have been if they hadn`t made a mistake.
I am going to write a 2nd letter to the original place and ask to be considered for such a payment, I would also like them to at least say sorry for what they did/didn`t do, good manners cost noone anything at all!
I just thought that it might help someone else if they find themselves in a similar position
Great idea, tired mum and thank you for posting about it so that others can have the information. Good luck!!
Thanks for that tiredmum. Like Louise says, that bit of information might come in handy for someone else in the future.
Hi
The booklet is entitled "Tell us what you think" and I would encourage anyone who does have "issues" with the DWP to request a copy.
Hi
Just another little bit of info.
If you are remaining on income support for example if you receive the middle high rate disability allowance, you will be changed over to child tax credits for your children, you must call income support once you recieve your notification of the change over or you will not get your income support.
My friend discovered this today so thought I would pass it on
Yes, that makes sense, tired mum, as the system will automatcally cancel it otherwise.
That's what happened to me a few weeks ago. As I'm changing over from Income Support to IS very soon, I was put on child tax credit. That very week, my IS wasn't in my account. When I rang IS, they couldn't give a reasonable explanation except to keep asking if I'd changed my surname (which I haven't)
I wasn't told to notify IS of the change. As Bubblegum would say, the buggers, hehe
hello not sure if you are still on here tiredmum but would like to know your outcome about the social fund payments, for the last 3 years every 6months have contacted the social about a loan and keep getting told have i still owe to much money also always ask to make sure that a paying this off as it never seems to be going down, get reassured that it is being paid off until today, foned them yt again to apply and the same amount still owed asked for them to cecke this is being paid was told it hs not been paid for acouple of years I am furious about this and dnt know wat I can do x
Hi there parkynme12, we haven't see tiredmum for a while actually, however you might want to contact our Money and Benefits expert (click) and see if they can give you a clear idea of what you need to do.
awww ok thank you for getting back to me.
Hi tiredmum
All I can do is sympathise with you, and hope that someone can give you some answers.
I find the repayments they take are pretty hefty too, to be honest. I had a loan when I was changed onto fortnightly pay.
I know that some here have now gone onto the JSA from income support.