To think CSA are a shower of idiots?

[AnneNonimousLetterToSanta]

Grrrr!

Opened a case 4 MONTHS ago and am yet to see any money. They had no tracking down to do, I gave the exPs address, number and work address. He cooperated and they were meant to receive money from his employers at the beginning of the month. I have had to continually call them up to get them to take the steps to get the money to me. Is this not what their job is?! Apparently it should be with me by next week but time will tell.

Man on the phone said it probably got caught up in the festive period. That's exactly why I needed the bloody money on time! Oh and he said 'ciao' as he hung up.

Rant over. Almost. GRRR again!

YANBU!

when do the new rules come in?

yanbu i have been chasing them for seven long years and have yet to see a penny.

What are the new rules?

A friend of mine has just lost £300 due to these idiots writting to tell the ex he no longer has to pay as the child has turned 18. He's 8, just has bugger all chance of getting him started again with payments.

I agree that they are a shower of eejits OP and I sympathise.

BUT if your ex is compliant, why is his employer deducting the money and paying to CSA to then pay over to you? Attachment of earnings would only ususally be reqested after a long time of him being asked to pay the CSA directly himself and him not doing so; and that should only need to happen if he has failed to pay you directly in the first case.

I know employers who deduct and then don't pay the CSA too.... not a lot anyone can do about it when employers are in on the non co-operation too

Inland Revenue records used for CSA

Mosman - your friend should involve their MP if this is the case. The CSA, like other govt. organisations, are not allowed to get away with fuck ups without penalty. I received interest on top of a payment from my ex two years ago as it was wholly a mistake on their part.

YANBU OP, however I've been waiting for SIX AND A HALF LONG, STRESSFUL AND QUITE FRANKLY FUCKING TEDIOUS YEARS to get maintenance via the CSA. Thank your lucky stars your ex isn't non-compliant or you'd be waiting a damn site longer than next week .

I was thinking the same as MissKL, if your ex is compliant, can you sort it amongst yourselves? An attachment of earnings is only usually in severe cases isn't it?

Yes Kinky.

When all is said and done it is the non paying parents that are to blame. YES the CSA is an inefficient and understaffed organisation, BUT to blame all the lack of maintenance on them seems odd to me. Its the wanker parents who are to blame.

I have two ex's

One is a non compliant twat who avoided paying maintenance for over ten years; the other I have a private arrangement with as he is not a total arsehole.

I see both sides of CSA arguments usually.

Ex was compliant with them, not me

If your ex was/is compliant with them, why have the set up an attachment of his earnings? Why isn't he just making the 'voluntary' payments?

I don't know, that seems to be how it happens. Maybe he requested for that to happen I really don't know

And of course ex is to blame first and foremost for the stress, but CSA are there to do their job, which I seem to have to do for them!

Some of them may well be idiots, there are idiots in every department of every company. Some of them are just people trying to do their job to the best of their ability within a shit system.

My DDad worked there, they are spoken to like absolute shite all day long. One day he got a particularly bad call, was being completely abused, tried to pass it to a manager who refused to take it. My dad, who has spent something like 35 years in customer service and is well used to dealing with complaints etc. ended up in tears. The only other time my dad has cried was at his own dad's funeral.

I'm sorry some of you have had such an horrendous time with them, but I would imagine that this is due to two things - crappy management, and a ridiculously high turnover. I know I wouldn't last a week listening to the abuse they take.

insert sorry your dad had such a hard time, I can imagine it could be a hard job. But it's also hard and tearful trying to feed, clothe and provide for your child with no hel

Posted too soon
Help* that's where my anger is coming from.

I agree with insert. you do get a twat with each company. I dealt with a nationwide twat who was rude to me and called me thick. However, I've just come off the phone to CSA. was on there 15 mins and have got the info I needed and they've started the very first payments claim.

I agree with the sentiments regarding the csa, but remember this the company that does their work (Serco) is not a Government organisation. I work for them in their contact centres and their levels of bureaucracy are quite astonising. People are taught to deflect and 'clog up' the system with yet more internal messages. We cannot e-mail case workers directly, as we are penaised if reported. Listening to people cry down the phone due to non-payments yet again is horrible. Reporting of ways to quicken processes is brushed aside by Team Specialists, who are more concerend if we have asked for the millionth time when did you last receive ap payment. Any questions please post.

they are as useful as a hat full of arseholes

im still waiting for money for my dog 6 years on!

When someone askes for a manager - we have to ask why, when what who, which. It is all about timescales, no matter how badly you have been treated, if it is within timescales, then we are told to say ' a supervisor will tell you the same thing'. Managers do not actually do much more than what we could do. They only send messages in the same way we do, most of the time it does not make any difference. I have worked in other customer service environments, and no matter how low down the 'food chain' I was, I felt I could at least sometimes genuinely help people, not at the CSA, though (Remember It is Serco).

The most infuriating thing is that we are told to say to parents ' do not rely on the money as income'! Talk about fanning the flames!!