CSA hate the fighting type

May 6, 2008

I was contacted by the CSA under the guise of the DWP on the 2nd November 2007and wanted to know what my earnings were as my ex wife was applying for child tax credits, I asked them to prove who they were which they could not do so they then said they were from the CSA so I exercised my rights and told them if they required any information from me to request it in writing. Three days later I received a form saying I am liable for £100 and please fill in the Direct Debit mandate form attached to the form.

I rang up the Leisa Erskine to ask how she had come to this figure and she said it was the figure my ex wife had told them I was earning. I asked her again to send out a proper MEF form for me to fill in and furnish them with my wage slips, she refused and just said if I did not return the Direct Debit mandate form she would issue a DEO straight away. I advised her of the correct procedure she should follow but she chose to ignore me and on the 13th November issued my employer with a DEO. This Liesa Erskine from the Accrington department did not even contact my employer to ask them to furnish them with my earnings.

I kept trying to call them and they just kept trying to fob me off so I issued court proceedings against the CSA and I put up a good case. The Court Presenting officer for the CSA Judith Cheetham came with no evidence at all, I had about 15 exhibits which I presented to the Magistrates and the legal advisor and it proved that the CSA had made loads of mistakes. Judith Cheetham kept saying well the agencies preferred method of working is we contact the NRP by phone to speed things up, the Magistrates just laced into her stating that we are not bothered about what the agency’s preferred method of working is we are concerned about what laws and procedures you have broken when trying to deal with Mr X . It is all to common for the CSA to abuse powers and not give people the chance to furnish you with their details all because you want to start collecting money straight away.

During the recess I happened to be sat in an interview room next to where the CSA’s Judith Cheetham was sitting and I overheard her on her mobile to her bosses back at the CSAtapo office saying ” he threw this one at me he told the Magistrates about this law we broke and that procedure we did not follow I don’t ever want to do another case like this , this Mr X has come well prepared so is there anything we can do to prove we did things right” silence for a few minutes then “what do you mean no. Right that’s the last case like this im doing”

It made my day listening to her however the Magistrates did not have the power to lift the DEO but warned Judith Cheetham to go back to the CSA and advise them to start the case again from scratch but that was off the record however it was good seeing them squirm in court.

After the case I kept ringing them asking them to start again from scratch and I would furnish them with my details but they refused, in one call I spoke to a Jolene Burr and stated to her that the Magistrates advised the CPO and CSA to start again from scratch, Jolene stated to me that the CSA was not in receipt of the outcome of the court case as it was Christmas post and it would probably be still in the post, I told her that both myself and Judith Cheetham had been given copies of the outcome, with that Jolene came back and said that she had spoken to Judith Cheetham however she was on Leave and I would have to wait till after christmas to find out what would happen. I later that day called back to the CSA to demand to sort this out but i never put my DOB or NI when you first call the CSA so when the advisor picked up the phone she introduced herself as Jolene Burr and how can she help, I asked to speak to Judith Cheetham to which she replied yes just a minute Ill put you through, a few minutes later Jolene comes back and states Judith is busy on another line can she take a message, I simply said “so she is in today” jolene replied “yes she is definitely in,” hmmm 2 hours ago she was on leave now she is in, who is lying? When I confronted Jolene Burr about what she had just done she tripped over herself trying to make excuses “oh I dialled her number and it rang” no you said to me she was on leave now you said she is definitely in so why lie to me.

I have been recording every conversation with these idiots and I even had one Caseworker saying I had definitely received some documentation how the heck she knows i do not know. Earlier in January of 2008 I actually spoke to a decent lady Jayne Jeffcoate who when she looked at my case told me that procedure had not been followed and agreed to lift the DEO and let me have the chance to pay by cheque. Arrears were negotiated at £28 per month job sorted.. so I thought. Two days later I received confirmation of my payment by cheque and the arrears at £28 per WEEK. hmm thinking it was a typing error I contacted the Agency again and I was put through to a Jill Tribet, I queried the error but she just said I’m re imposing the DEO it should not have been taken off so its back on end of matter, I asked her to be reasonable and just allow me to pay by cheque but she refused.

I have also been accused of sending emails in to the CSA telling them that i should not be paying the CSA anything as I have not seen my kids, this is untrue and I have asked them numerous times to send me a copy of the alleged email along with my email address but they haven’t done, amazing how you catch them out lying. In the end I was put through to the famous Judy Cass who said the DEO is staying on and that is the end of the matter I know you don’t like it but that’s tough its on and its staying on.

I have since found out that they are imposing DEO even on NRPs who have been paying for years via DD or standing order, and how are they doing it? well they are making up imaginary arrears which they cannot back up, telling NRPs to pay the arrears immediately then when the NRPs query the imaginary arrears the CSA are classing this as being non compliant and refusing to pay and issuing DEOs. This is to make their figures and targets look good.

I have taken it upon myself to set up an organisation to help get all NRPs/PP together and campaign against this draconian agency and rid it and its people and lets get a fair system set up for NRPs and lets stop this government driving more fathers into poverty and even to suicide.

please have a look at my site www.deadbeatdadsassociation.co.uk and please email me all your cases so I can put that on the NRPs case file. Please dont worry your names will not be included but if you give me your names I can pass all this info onto the Ministers and Chief Exec of the CSA and hopefully we can campaign againstthe CSA together as a nation of fed up NRPs

Comments

  • chris says:

    I have ben having no end of problems with the CSA coming up with numerous arrears figures using bullying tactics to get money out of me with no explination. I have not found anyone who understands the problems faced by non-resident parent.i have today found the website http://www.deadbeatdadsassociation.co.uk following speaking to the guy whos set up this site finally ive found someone who knows exactly what non resident parents are going through and is prepared to give time and dedication to beating the CSA system which is currently in my opinion nothing but a shambles.I would advise any non resident parents to check out this website as it is the most useful one that i have come across in the ten years that i have been bulied by the CSA.

  • DEAR SIR MADAM, MY SON HAS RECENTLY BEEN INFORMED BY THE CSA THAT THEY REQUIRE HIM TO PAY 3000 POUND AND HE IS UNAWARE OF A CHILD. HE IS NOT WORKING DUE TO BEING INCARCERATED WOULD IT BE
    WHAT DOES HE DO?.

  • richard frearson says:

    i have just been informed by the csa i owe 16,000 in arrears my sons are 32 yrs old and 27yrs old they are stopping 298 pounds out of my wages and will not help when i phone what can ido?

  • Jamie says:

    I was resecently reassesed due to a job change and was contacted by the CSA saying I owe £10000. I asked for a statement and they refused and informed me they will be taking £425 direct from my wages and will be sending an enforcment team to recover the debt. I immediatly started a complaint and a few days later i was informed the amount due was wrong as they couldnt find info i had sent in. it was now approx £5000 but also stated this was a manual calc due to an error on my case which would take 4 weeks to sort out. Now i have a letter telling me I owe £13000 still with no account statement and no response to my further complaint. Added to this because of the level of repayment at approx 50% of my wage I cannot afford to get to work, keep up with bills ect but they dont want to know! How are they able to do this!!! Anyone who knows how to fight this without getting solicitors involved ( as i cant afford one ) feel free to get in touch [email protected]

  • deano says:

    they have overcharged me and left me with no money in my account even though i co-operated with them from the begining they took arrears of me on one date and then my first monthly installament along with the arrears again.

    they talk and treat you like your a criminal like you have done something wrong, it is one of the most if not the most distressing things i have ever been through, these people are not human at all.

    I can understand to a certain extent if a mother is having no help whats so ever not just financially but in others ways also ,as it isnt just money that supports children.

    But when a father is there for the kids in some way the mother should not get csa involved. My relationship with my children doe’s not exist since their mother has involved csa.

  • leigh thurston says:

    my wife had an affair and took basically three quarters of my house and then married her lover. Okay so could things get better? My eldest daughter lives with me and my two sons live with her. I am paid £20 throught the CSa which in their eyes are totally acceptable! I pay through the CSA £285 which my ex-wife is happy with. I have been constantly harrassed stating thai I owe more money. It’s their figures that I pay and they seem to make up these figures as i go along. first of all my cheques were no good so i switched to satnding order, now i am told they want me to pay direct-debit (yeah right) so they can take whatever they wish out! I have refused and now they said they would take it out of my wages through my employer! after complaining my ex-wife told them she was happy with the way things are. The bitch in charge of my harrassment is conveniently on holiday.

  • gymjade says:

    hi all, seems to be a very common problem like many of you my husband payed his maintinance every week without fail and now the say he owes them £13k how they have come to that figure i will never know they are harrassing us no end and now they have put a deo o his wages wanting a whopping £160 per week hpw are we supposed to live we have been to our msp and he is going to try to talk to these morons at the csa, but i wont hold my breath the seem to be a law unto themselfs we have just about had it with there attitude problems do they give them a crash course on how to be ignorant to people, also tried to complain no joy there either seems to me the ones who are paying regularly are bein made to pay for the ones who never pay or they cant catch,

  • deadbeatdad says:

    Hi gymjade, well we have discovered a lot more since posting this first post and it looks like we are now starting to win the battle with these morons. We must agree that at first they do get you mad, they drive you to dispair and we have known a lot of people who have come to our Association seeking help have been driven to tears becauase of the way they are spoken to by CSA Company Staff, yes thats right they are only a company and not an authority like they seem to think they are. They did not want us knowing this but unfortunately for them their game is up and we are now fighting back.
    Anyway for more information please come along to wwwdeadbeatdadsassociation.co.uk, and have a look, we also have a private forum free from CSA staff and infiltrators so we look forward to helping you there.

    CSA/CMEC soon to be a thing of the past

  • Hi Guys

    I am a parent with care and CSA are refusing to pay me arerears of £14500 which they ‘forgot’ to take between 2000 and 2007. Any ideas?

    Tonight they suggested that I might like to make my own arrangements – I don’t know where he is and wouldn’t trust him anyway.

    I am sympathetic to you guys who put your kids first, but not all parents do they use the kids as a battle ground.

    Look forward to getting some help and/or support.

    Sandra

  • Waz says:

    I am self employed but this year my tax return shows a huge loss so do i still have to pay something to the CSA??

    They have just contacted me saying a previous ex of mine has been in touch regarding a child i had with her.

    I have also been paying her money inot her bank account.

    All help be appreciated as i currently am in serious debt and have no money as it is

  • steveclarke says:

    Had a letter from csa saying I owe £17000 arrears<they told my ex wife and myself it would be closer to £2000. Suddenly they get the dea on me and are taking £101.52 from my wages per week. Spoke to them but they dont want to know. How they have come to this assassment is beyond belief because i was paying my ex voluntary until 2003,I was also self employed and they have never seen my records.

  • Wayne says:

    I have, and still am having all the above problems with the CSA.
    I have once again been threatened with a prison sentence. Can’t see what this will achieve. (a) I will lose my low paid job and have to go on the dole. (b) I won’t see “my kids” for a long while whilst locked up!!!! (c) How can i afford to pay them on my release?????

    Been fighting these ANIMALS for about 10 years. In that time i have lost my house, which i brought for the benefit of the children. Had to sell my car (transport for work) when the “THIEVES” froze my bank account on my fisrt montly pay and did not take into account that i was married with 2 step-children and rent to pay. Had an attachment of earnings order which drove me to give up my job as they were taking far too much than i could afford.
    wish i paid “the thing the kids call mother” by cheques and not cash as i don’t have proof. Did ask the CSA for the two eldest children 19 and 20 at the time, if they can defend the payments made as i would usually give it to them at their mother’s doorstep. Too easy answer was no!!!!! During these years of turmoil i have very good reasons that the eldest child is not mine. The mum refused DNA and i want to counterclaim agaisn’t the arrears.

  • michael launder says:

    CSA Closed Case Pilot Team

    My case was closed in 2004 with zero balance, or so I was led to believe. In feb of 2010 I received an arrears summons for £18800 well you could have knocked me down with a feather. Following advice from the CAB I sent the CSA a letter requesting the information as to where these arrears were from with a breakdown. Dec 2010 I received a very sketchy breakdown of the arrears, which I dispute. Just recently I have had the threat letter stating how the CSA can do this that and the other to recover these arrears and for me to get in touch to arrange payment but before I could do this seven days later I have received an DEO for £438 per month. I have tried to reason with them as to why I have had no communication for six years, how have they come to this level of payment which apparently is 40% of my wage all without re-assessing my current circumstances. Currently supposedly my employer which is Tesco will not supply the CSA with my wage details so the DEO stands.

  • mike_the_viking says:

    I have just received a summons for early June 2011. Up to 20th october 2010, I had £1000 arrears but nothing to pay as my earnings only around £4000 per year (self employed) I have since been reassessed. They claim I owe a further £6000 in arrears and should pay £99 per month. I did not pay the £400 for last 2 months as I could not afford it. As last financial year ended last month, last years accounts have not yet been completed. Although I got a 3 month contract from aug to oct 2010, I dont expect to have earned more than £6000.

    I can seem get a solicitor to help me with the court appearance. They will not take on a csa case.

    I have completed all tax returns in time and had no problems. I have never earned enough to pay since going self employed. I do agree I should pay, but pay a fair amount. I have no way of knowing what my income will be week to week so how can the csa set up a monthly figure above what I earn.

    I currently have no work at all but cant claim dole. They still want the money.

  • silver421 says:

    k

  • Caz says:

    My husband has been harrased by the csa since the 90’s he now has arrears of £27k as they say he never ever paid his ex partner for his son, however, they were taking so much money from his wages that he never ever had money to take his son out or treat his son or even live a normal life style. He has lost his house in a previous relationship due to the csa he has left jobs that paid well as the more he earnt the more they wanted. His son was one of the most spolit little boys in the world and so many people have aggread to be referrances to prove that he had all what any boy has ever wanted however this was never enough for the csa. I have been with him now for ten years and the CSA have plagued our lives we have two little boys as well and they demanded from us £1500.00 a month and threatened him with prision and to take his driving licesne away what good would that do apart from ruien what he has with his present sons and how will they get any money from him in prision and it will only cost the tax payer more money than what the csa alredy casuses the taxpayer. they do not work they go after the parents that have been there and that are easy targets, i thought the csa was made up for the farthers that are not there and pay nothing at all towards there children. they have already said that our boys are not taken into consideration as this debt over rides any other debt. I can understand this system if it worked but it does not work it costs tax payers to much money as this is meant to be a non profet organisation. I am discussed how there whole systems works and how they treat dads, and they really need to take in to consideration the despert, vindictive women out there that out ex partners and husbands through all this.

  • j says:

    chris on June 8th, 2008 2:26 pm

    I have ben having no end of problems with the CSA coming up with numerous arrears figures using bullying tactics to get money out of me with no explination. I have not found anyone who understands the problems faced by non-resident parent.i have today found the website http://www.deadbeatdadsassociation.co.uk

    I tried contacting them once but they didnt want to know as I had engaged a solicitor which is a shame as the solicitor was next to useless. They seem a bit too paranoid, going into a court and quoting ancient laws at judges can get you into worse trouble than you already face. I’m now fighting the csa myself and getting somewhere so dont give up.

    The csa are of course a part of the DWP just like the so called ‘independent’ case examiner. When dealing with them DONT do things over the phone, always put things in writing and insist on a written response and send things by recorded post. Make sure you get a copy of your Data Protection Prints. The deadbeatdads do help some people but I’d point out that some dads are not deadbeat and some mums are NRP’s as well and also deserving of help. There are organisations that are not so biased in who they help and who are happy to help as many people as possible, including the difficult cases. It has to start with you though, keep a record of everything and keep fighting.

  • A says:

    I have a problem the other way round,my sons father hasnt paid a penny to support him in 13 years and now he is working he is lying to them telling them he only earns 500 a month when i know for a fact he earns over 1000 a month,the csa have taken his word for it and not asked for proof of earnings. Even at 500 a month he still would be earning more than me and he only has to pay £9.04 a week!. How can i fight this?

  • lee says:

    i have had no end of trouble with the csa not only do i find them rude and unhelpful. i also find them intrusive to my personal life. i have always had my daughter every weekend and two weeks over the summer holidays and a week here and they during the year. my daughter also now lives with me (her choice) for the last two years. but now her mum (not liking her decision for herliving with me) has contacted the csa and says i never stuck to the agreement and never paid a penny. they are now DEMANDING £65,000.00 from me. now i don’t have this sort of money and don’t know anybody that dose in the real world. but when i ask how they come to this figure, i never get given a answer? just demands to pay up. or i get threats of going to court or debt collectors at my door. when i have always provided for my daughter. i have said i will go to their office to discus this. but always get told to phone or write a letter. yet get told they did not receive the letter or they hang up when i start asking to many questions. yet when i look for a address. i can not seem to find a real address for anyone of their departments apart from p.o box address? this is wrong on so many levels i feel victimised by a bunch of bullies who are faceless. this has to stop …….

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