CSA refuse to explain how they worked out what I am to pay

I had for about 14 years, an amicable arrangement with my two children’s mother with maintenance, and sharing the costs of children growing up, clothing, school stuff, trips, pocket money etc and that suited our split family well, I still felt like a proper father to a certain extent having some say in their lives. I have always had my two children’s well being as my number one priority .. As soon as my business ( my business built by myself ) started to make some money my ex decided to get the Csa to calculate a new maintenance deal to suit herself, her husband and their own agenda ..

My son was coming up to 17 and due to start a college course which involved him staying away from the home four nights a week away in London, there was travelling and bed and breakfast costs to be considered along with a little cash in his pocket every week .. His in college term time costs came to £120 a week .. I paid £100 of this with his mother paying £20 .. The Csa demanded full maintenance payments from me during these two years even though he stayed and worked with me during most of his college breaks and was away for four nights a week for 37 weeks a year ….

With no consideration of my extra costs, the totally unacceptable and unfair balance of the money all round .. Many exhausting conversations and explanations to the Csa met with no acknowledgement of any thing but a repeated robotic type answer phone ” you must pay x amount ” how and why have you worked this out ” along with my constant plea of ” send me an explanation as to the reasons you think I should pay ” I was totally ignored and constantly told to ” get the facts from the web site ” ” we don’t and won’t give you that information ” that must be a basic right I must have as a tax payer and a British citizen, a father and a human being ?? My son then started Uni last September, and I am of course still helping him financially and emotionally and will continue to do so of my own free will ..

Now the second part of my Csa problem, this time regarding my daughter Poppy.. Poppy started 6 th form college in 2011 then stopped having any contact with me and changed her e mail,and mobile number, and her surname by deed poll to her stepdads name .. Hurtful but hopeful I carry on ( not knowing what’s going on in her life .. ) Paying the Csa calculated maintenance directly into her mum and step dads account .. Last August Liam turned 19 and started Uni ..

The Csa re calculated the maintenance in November and gave me the figure they told me to pay along with demanding the arrears which I paid straight away, I still thought Poppy had returned for her second year at 6 th form because of this …

That weekend I found out Poppy had health problems and had not returned to education at all after she finished up in May/ June 2012 .. I contacted the Csa and I was told bluntly she was still in full time education and I had to keep on paying .. Realising I had been ” had over ” by their mum and stepdad ( who both work and earn twice as much as I do ) the Csa initially refused to listen or act upon any of this information .. They obviously did not know or check to see if Poppy was or was not at college and just threatened me with action to recover the debt if I failed to carry on paying .. I told them I would not pay any more money at all as one fella at the Csa told me I was within my rights not to carry on paying if this was the case ..

I had obviously overpaid and feel they demanded and bullied me into paying maintenance without checking the facts at all, they then told me it was not their problem or concern they had over calculated my payments and any recovery of money overpaid ” is a civil matter that you need to follow yourself through the courts or just call their mother and sort it out with her I was told at least twice ..we did not collect your money ” basically they hung me out to dry …. I was told ( in November 2012 ) the Csa they would look into my refusal to pay and would get back to me .. Hearing nothing I assumed they had sorted it out and I could lick my wounds and get on with my life without the pain in the backside Csa .. But no, I received a letter last week giving me five days to give them my bank details as they are now going to collect the money due plus the arrears as they see fit .. No real explanation as to why from the first time I called end of last week apart from ” your daughter is in full time education ” .. No she is not was my reply .. ” we’ll it must be another reason then ” came the reply from the Csa ..

What reason I asked ..” Look on the website .. All the information is on there ” was the reply .. I was told today after getting paperwork from them this morning, listing the new figures being taken from my account, but still with no written reason why they have come to this decision .. I call them agin, speak to some one else later and once again I am told she is in ” full time education ” .. She is not ( I reply again ) .. Oh no she has started a new course one and a half days a week at a different college .. Came the reply after the Csa ” agent ” actually started reading the case notes .. ” so she is not in full time education then ” I state again .. ” seems not ” was the reply .. ” so what reason am I being asked to pay the maintenance then ” I asked .. ” look on the web site sir ” I asked again for a written explanation as to why they have made the decision I have to continue to pay and how they know my daughter is even going to attend this course .. ” we don’t and won’t do that sir .. Look at the website ” how can they make a decision like this without informing me .. The bloke that has to pay .. Demanding money without reason and facts behind their decision ..

I badgered the girl I was chatting to until I finally got a ” she’s getting child benefit , so it does not matter if she is in education or not .. That gives us the right to demand money from you ” arrrggghhhhhh … That’s where I am now .. Tax payer, father, business owner getting shafted by the people I pay my tax too .. Great .. !!!!!!