CSA post bank details for PWC to someone else

February 27, 2009

CSA mistakes are common place, and many people have complained over their post being set to the wrong address. The CSA often try to lie about these mistakes, but this time they had to way out as they printed out an internal email that contained the bank account details and sort code for a PWC, and then posted it to someone else!

Normally this sort of mistake wouldn’t have made much press, but the person they sent it to has put it on their website, including the full story and even a recorded phone call of what happened when he phoned them to tell them.

The CSA even admitted that they’d breached data protection laws by doing it, yet they still asked for the bank details to be posted back to them, which surely would be a further risk?

CSA will not listen to the man, only the woman

February 23, 2009

Having split up in July 2008, I decided that I would like to see my child at regular intervals and fully co-operate with the CSA to help with the expenses.

I was saddled with many debts incurred during my short marriage and will be paying these back for some years to come. My wife, who made herself bankrupt, became adept at collecting store cards in my name and racking up many thousands of pounds. Every week is a surprise as credit card companies present me with the fruits of her spending whilst I was in Afghanistan! I digress!

I applied for a variation in December 2008 and supported my case with documentary evidence that took a lot of time to prepare. A sum was arranged and believing in the concept of full co-operation I immediately set up a standing order for the stipulated amount.

There were back payments included and so the agreed date for the first payment was 28th February 2009.

On the 6th February 2009 I received numerous harassing phone calls from the CSA asking for an immediate payment of £320.00. It would appear that my wife had made telephone contact with the CSA and had been ’shouting and screaming on the phone’ for more money. Believe me she can shout and scream.’ It would appear that all bets are off. In spite of all of the evidence that I had prepared and the original quoted figure the payments are set to soar. This in spite of the fact that the basis of her verbal contribution was based on lies.

Again whilst on holiday I received many calls from the CSA, quoting allegations made by my wife, all of them lies. In spite of this they appear to have deferred to her. What was the point of all of my hard work!

I am now entering a well trodden road starting with a letter to my M.P. There seems no point in complaining direct as I have no confidence in the complaints procedure.

What is the point? I really don’t know. It seems that those fathers who are in the bracket of both caring and willing to pay are the main target of the CSA. I am not hopeful of really achieving anything out of this as there seems to be no fairness in the system and nowhere that is independent. It seems to be taken for granted that the husband will not honour his obligations and will resort to all sorts of trickery to avoid payment.

One shining light in all of this is the fact that in spite of all of the obstacles that have been put in the way I still manage to see my little girl (had to go to court for that!) I suppose one other is the fact that every day that I wake up I am grateful that my decree absolute is one day closer. Do what you will CSA!

Andy.

Arrears dating back 3yrs plus

February 21, 2009

I have been paying the CSA for a number of years and recently received a DEO claiming additional arrears to be paid.

I contacted them to which their reply was it was for my daughter who is now 21+ years old and I owed the state cause the calculation was incorrect years ago. This payment with them ended a few years ago but they did not bring to my attention at the time that I owed them and have not heard from them since. Instead I do have another DEO which is for another child and have been paying regular but again they say I owe for that one too.

I have now decided to go direct with the parent but the CSA still say I owe over £8k for arrears owed to the state but had the cheek to say pay with your credit card or pay £140+ a week more than before. They are not prepared to consider payments, if it is owed, as they say it has to be paid within 2 years and as I explained to them that if I were made aware of this years ago the arrears would not have accumulated to such an extent. Also I have made regular payments from wages for years, however they have never sent me letters regarding arrears but they explained that it did not pick it up because of the old system they were using.

Arrears of maintenance have been accumulated as a result of delays by the Child Support Agency (CSA) in completing a periodical review of my maintenance liability for a number years despite payments being deducted regularly. CSA are not willing to negotiate or defer arrears which had accrued as a result of their delay in undertaking the periodical review. I am finding it hard to sleep at the moment and not eating well and if I cannot resolve this I think it’s better not being here.
What can be done?

Is there any way of standing up to the CSA? Is there any legal’s out there that may be able to help us all?

February 16, 2009

My partner has had similar trouble as all of you with the CSA. 6 months ago they just started taking money from his wages – no contact with him, nothing! He didn’t even know he was a father!

So he requested a DNA test, but the CSA said the case was 5 years old…that’s right 5 years! they wouldn’t do anything and he had to pay. Basically they said they have been sending letters for the past 5 years and he hadn’t replied basically saying that was as good as admitting he was the father. But we received nothing. Bearing in mind he has been electoral role registered at every address.

Anyway, he had to pay to take the mother to court to demand a DNA, then had to pay an external company to do the test, and pay the doctors surgery to do it. The cost was over £700, just to find out! Anyway, it turns out the child is his. We are sad as he has missed 5 years of that child’s life due to no one contacting him sooner.

Of course he is happy to pay maintenance for the child, after all he is his, however, the CSA are taking £400 a month – surely having a kid does not cost over £800 a month – I am assuming parents should be paying half each for their children. I am in the final year of my degree as a mature student so unfortunately don’t earn. We are barely making rent each month let alone paying bills etc. We even had to move into a cheaper house in January so we still had a roof over our heads! We now go to my parents for teas most nights as we can’t afford a month’s worth of food anymore!

On contacting the CSA numerous times, they have said that they are not taking the money but a debt collecting agency is, even though it says CSA on wage slip. They gave details of the agency ‘apparently’ taking the money but on contacting them, they have no details of my partner. When we rang the CSA back they told us another company – again who didn’t know him. It has been back and forth for the past few weeks!!!! It appears the CSA don’t know or won’t tell us who is taking money from him….surely this is stealing???

Please help! We need to press legal action against them; we can’t let them get away with this over and over again.

Chelle

CSA Will not Assess me on Factual / Actual earnings Liability Order Applied for

February 6, 2009

I used to pay my ex direct until she started without my knowledge involving the CSA. In the summer of 2007 I had a Bailiff attend my property for supposed arrears for a certain period. I proved to the CSA that my ex had indeed recieved payment. None the less they did not believe me. After many phone calls and a charge from my bank for letters to prove the transactions (£25/letter) the CSA had the proof…..or so I thought. My ex still denied the payments and they still sent the Bailiffs. I paid the Bailiff a minimum of £151 to get rid of him.

The liability for the period was £345.00, the evidence supplied proved i’d actually overpaid as the three cheques amounted to £450 for the same period. They then took the extra £151 I paid the Bailiff and took his costs off. “What costs” He had been put onto me for an amount I had already overpaid and then overpaid further by £151 surely this is unlawful and illegal?

In March 2007 A tribunal was held to which I had no contact informing me nor any knowledge. The CSA say they contacted me but they did not? The Tribunal went ahead with a lifestyle inconsistant. My lifestyle was far from that as I had paid off my Ex that very summer £21000 and then find out she has gone to CSA anyway. To cut a long story short I lost practically everything, including my house….So how exactly was my lifestyle inconsistent.

Anyhow the Tribunal went ahead and despite CSA having my p60’s wage slips bank statements etc the CSA representative at the Tribunal gave no evidence! The case went solely on Ex’s Hear Say and my assessment went up from £25/ week to in excess of £100/week.

I appealed against this and showed all evidence, eventually another Tribunal was granted for a re assessment. To help both Secretary of State and Tribunal Judge I forwarded new evidence at the begining of the Tribunal case. After a delay of nearly 30mins the Judge announces the case is not going to be about the re assessment but as to why I failed to turn up at the original Tribunal??? I had all accounts proof of earnings etc none-the-less I lost the appeal as they changed the gaol posts knowing I had evidence to defend my assessment but not to defend my non attendance to the original Tribunal. They basically called me a liar and that I must have recieved letters informing me. To this day I swear I did not!!!

The Tribunal have stated in three seperate points in the report, had the CSA shown the evidence thay had (proven from data protection clerical file) then I had indeed been assessed way over and above the required ammount. However because the Tribunal was now about why I did not show up at the original Tribunal they would not accept any change in the assessment and refuse to take into consideration these findings?

So my question now is are the CSA wrong in law for witholding evidence from the original Tribunal I had know knowledge of? Surely its immaterial if i’m there or not as they had the evidence.

I am now being served a Liability Order and the figures are all on presumed earnings. How can I get the CSA to look at the evidence and take my real earnings?

Once the Liability Order is granted I guess its game over.

Any advice would be welcome, I have asked my local MP who is stepping in but to be honest I think to little too late. All I ask is a fair and just assessment based upon my true earnings and not ‘Hearsay’/presumed ammounts conjured up by an ex?

Help!

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