In Jan 2006 I split from my wife who had custody of my 3 children. My Children visited me twice per week. During this period I paid the mortgage on the house (where my wife and children were living) which equated to £342 per month.
In Dec 2006 we divorced and our house was sold. The proceeds of which were approx £90,000.00 and then divided 55%-45% in her favour, I then paid maintenance to my ex wife by cheque each month as per the amounts assessed by the CSA online calculator which was agreed by both parties, £240/month.
After a few months my wife didnt like the fact that my cheques were taking up to 7 days to clear (the banks fault not mine). She contacted the CSA and in April 2007 the CSA contacted me. Within 2 days I faxed my last 6 months payslips along with all contact details including, employers details, my address, NI number and house plus mobile phone numbers. The CSA advised me to carry on paying maintenance by cheque to my ex wife whilst calculations were being processed to avoid me having any arrears. This I did. Calculations were made within 6 weeks and I agreed to pay maintenance to my wife and children via the CSA through direct debit.
However the CSA asked me for almost £400 arrears and i was issued with a Deduction of Earnings Order. I subsequently provided proof that I had paid maintenance during the calculation period (something my ex wife had neglected to tell them!).
In May 2007 my eldest son (14 at the time) came to live with me. I subsequently contacted the offices of the Child Benifit Agency, The Tax Credits and the CSA. I was told the child benifit allowance and the tax credits I was entitled to could take a few weeks to sort. The CSA told me I could not claim for maintenance as I was not in receipt of Child Benifit I still had to pay the agreed maintenance on my 3 children to my ex wife.
On reviewing the legislation I contacted the CSA and they agreed I did not need to be in reciept of child benifit to claim maintenance, over this 3 week period I lost maintenance that was owed to me.
I subsequently paid by direct debit £178/mth to my 2 children living with my ex wife, she paid me £36 per month as my son lived with me. Totally agreeable with all parties.
Things ran fine until June 2008 when I received a letter from the CSA stating my son did not live with me anymore. This was news to both me and him as he still occupied his bedroom 7 days per week !
I contacted the CSA who claimed it was a computer error but there was nothing they could do about it a present. Fortunately and after numerous calls they accepted the error without me being penilised financially. I insisted on an apology and compensation for my phone calls and time taken to recolve the matter during this period. I later received a cheque for £25.
However in Jan 2009 I received a payment schedule stating my maintenance had been reviewed and I had to immediately pay almost an extra £40 per month to my ex wife. I contacted the CSA and was told that thsi was another computer error and my payments should not have been reviewed or changed, however since the computer had issued this instruction there was nothing that could be done and I had to pay the extra money.
Having reached the end of my tether a few months earlier this was finally the straw that almost broke the camels back. I refused to pay the extra and upon instructions from the CSA cancelled my direct debit and an agreement was reached to pay the correct ammount of £178 by debit card over the phone until the CSA rectified their mistake.
In March 2009, with the situation still not resolved (despite my continuous payments by debit card and weekly calls to the CSA) I received a deduction of earnings order. I of course went almost ballistic and after a few weeks of constant complaining received an apology and cheque for £25 for my inconveniance (this paid towards the £40 of phones calls and 10 hours of my time taken to contact the CSA and resolve their mistake).
Finally in Sept 2009 the CSA made a schedule of payments, the calculations of which were correct. I was to pay my ex approx £38 for the month of Oct 2009 and the approc £154 per month thereafter, her payments to me would not change.
I was delighted, finally I thought this was it - no more unneccessary contact with the CSA. Hold on tnhough - my ex was not happy with the £38 for ten month of October 2009! As she had recently seperated from her husband of 10 months, then how could she afford to pay her mortgage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We agreed tom leave the CSA in Oct 2009 and now have a private agreement - great you think - yet I have still had letters from the CSA demanding payment (despite them confirming to all parties that we cancelled our obligations with the CSA !!!!!!)
You may think this is the end of the matter - you are mistaken. I have the uttermost contempt for all employees of the CSA, they are in my opinion incompetent to say the least. They care only for their salary and have no remores for the scores, nay hundreds if not thousands of parents they neglet through their incompetance and inept attitude.
You may think that this rant is from an irrate father unwilling to pay maintenace, how wrong you would be. I have no problem paying my ex wife via the CSA or to her directly. I have a problem with the way I was treated by incompetent staff of the CSA. From the top to the bottom level of staff, I would have no hesitation in consigning them to the queue of jobseekers at their local branch, safe in the knowledge that none of them would have the ability to work on a late night Hot Dog Stall!
About time this dissection of the CSA came to an end you might think.
Hell no, it gets better!
In 2006 my new partner applied to the CSA for maintenance for her two girls aged 2 and 8. The claim was submitted in August 2006 yet the CSA took no action until I made an official complaint on my partners behalf in July 2008, despite numerous phone calls to the CSA between 2006 and 2008. Subsequently it was discovered the CSA never contacted my partners ex. In February 2009, the CSA admitted neglegence and paid my partner over £4000 for lost maintenance - this did not have to be reclaimed from the cildrens father as he was never contacted by the CSA over the request for maintenance. In essence this £4000 plus was paid to my partner from taxpayers money!
It does not finish there. Despite my Partners ex having a Deduction of Earnings Order placed upon him and thus the monthly payments go to the CSA on th 16/17th of every month, my partner received late payments of these monies into her account from the CSA , sometimes of up to 2 months late. The CSA eventually admitted they had the monies in their account yet held on to them blaming computer errors and incorrect acount details. Worse of all proof was found that they deliberately lied as to the whereabouts of the monies on numerous occasions, basically they knew the monies were in their account yet they denied the monies were there.
Over the last 3 years I have contacted the CSA offices at Falkirk, Bishop Aukland, Bolton, Longbenton (and possibly others that I am not aware of). The conclusions I have made are that every single member of staff at every singe office I have contacted are without doubt totally incapable of carrying out their duties and therfore their job.
The CSA undoubtedley focus their attention the parents who are willing to pay maintenance through the approved system. I am aware of numerous absent "parents who have escaped the net" so to speak.
In my own experience I am sure that I have been descriminated against by simply being a father, when I took custody of my children the CSA were most reluctant to listen to my greivences.
To summerise - Over the last 3 years the CSA have made both mine and my partners life sheer hell. I only wish the CSA could become accountable to the public and a fair and transparent system set up between all neccessary.
Yours
Mick