CSA RANT WARNING - Surely this can't be right!

[weebleswobble]

I?m seething, so bear with me

I called the CSA today because I noticed that I hadn?t received maintenance into my bank account since the first week in January. Occasionally I get my payments fortnightly, but always get it, so that?s not the end of the world.

The first lady I spoke to at the CSA told me that my payments should have been increased in 2002 when they did a review by £5 per week. She gave me another number to call to sort this out and to find out why the payments were late.

I called the helpline number and was informed that although the payments had been reviewed and increased, I couldn?t have it. Apparently, if the reviewed amount is either decreased or increased by less than £10 per week, they won?t change the amount you get. So to-date I am £1500 or so down because they don?t think it?s enough weekly to change.

They also couldn't tell me why they've been sitting on my money in their account for 4 weeks. They have my money, they've just neglected to give it to me, but reassure me it should be there by Monday.

What a bunch of fuckwits wankers tossers people who couldn't give a shit!

i dont understand this either they short me about a hundred every year. GRRRRRRRR

So the same thing happened to you Jelly? Did you find out purely by chance like I did, or did they inform you you were entitled to more, but they couldn't be arsed to do the paperwork?

You might be interested to know that my DH was overpaying the CSA by something like 15p a week because he set up a round figure standing order. And would you believe they went to the trouble of writing to him to let him know, and kept sending him cheques for the "overpaid" amount until he changed the standing order.

They also continue to waste money sending him paying in slips on a regular basis even though he's paid by standing order for years.

It's a crazy world (especially where the CSA's concerned).

and more

I'm going to do something, not sure what yet, but I've never spoken to my MP, in fact I have no idea who he/she is, but I'm on a mission

Is your ex paying the increased amount? I can't believe they won't have extracted the extra money from him, in which case where the hell is it going?! I bet he'd be pretty pissed off as well - have you discussed it with him at all?

The CSA is a pile of crap, from both points of view.

You could also write to the National Audit Office and they will investigate it.

No, they're not collecting it from him. They never did because they didn't deem it worthwhile. It's not enough of a difference in their eyes to make a difference I assume. There would be no point talking to him about it - he'd think it was hysterical he'd got away with it. He's a fuckwitting, wanking tosser...ahem...that's strangely theraputic.

About 2 years ago I asked for a review of the maintenance and they put the wheels in motion - they wrote to him and did nothing else when he ignored the letters. I chased the CSA every month for a year after which they wrote me a letter saying they were not going to carry on with the review as I hadn't provided them with the information requested. They hadn't requested anything from me, nor would they need anything from me. I gave up at that point and resigned myself to it never being reviewed. Life would just be easier not having to fight with them.

At no point did they mention the 'secret review' of 2002.

Mousa, I will google that - I take it they deal with the CSA's fuckups errors.

So they won't collect an increase of less than £10 (have to say that doesn't sound like our experience) but they'll pay back a few pence! We have entered a parallel universe. You must definitely take it to a higher authority.