Id love to hear of any POSITIVE feedback ... (CSA Child Support Agency)

Member Name: takeachance

Product:	CSA Child Support Agency
Date:	14/04/09 (177 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: erm ... ah ..... er..... scratches head .... erm..

Disadvantages: useless and easy for cunning fathers to play the system

The CSA make sure parents who live apart from their children contribute financially to their upkeep by paying child maintenance...... APPARENTLY !!

Child maintenance is regular, reliable financial support that helps towards a child's everyday living costs.... ALLEDGEDLY!!


The non-resident parent pays child maintenance to the parent with the main day-to-day care ....SUPPOSEDLEY

The CSA can take payments from the non-resident parent and pass them straight on to the parent with care.......SELECTIVELY

You can probably see a pattern emerging here and lets face it, its not looking too good for the CSA.

Now Id heard plenty of negativity regarding the CSA but had also heard from some fathers how money was taken straight from their wages etc so I was in no doubt that when I applied to the CSA, after three years of being promised or messed about with regards financial support by the ex, that they would sort out a fair and suitable agreement.

I checked out their website and after logging in thought that it was comprehendable and I subitted an online request.... fast forward two months and it was still all quiet so I called to speak to someone. That someone turned into four different people at four different branches, general enquiries, Dudley, Litchfield and Shrewsbury.

Eventually a guy on my sixth phone call took pity on me and admitted that although I had a reference number there was no trace of my application on the system. He re-took all my details over the phone and gave me a case number. Finally I thought Id reached someone who could help, someone who knew what they were doing only for him to end the conversation with 'Please leave 12 weeks before chasing this claim as we have a back-log'.

Well Id waited three years so I guess three more months couldnt harm ...

I phoned on the three month deadline date to be told that my case had been moved to Falkirk !! To be honest I think that at this point I may have cried so the lad on the phone out of only pity Im sure tells me that this must be because there is a previous case open up North. I assure him hes mistaken and he assures me that there is an open case with in excess of 20,000 outstanding!

Obviously this isnt the time or place to go into my thoughts as I realised that my child wasnt actually his first and secondly how the hell does one dodge the CSa for so long to reach that amount in arrears?

I dont want to stray from the subject anyhow but seriously how are the CSA not able to trace this father in all those years? What hope does it leave me?

Anyhow I chased this up for the next three months only to get some smarmy letter from the ex solicitor (Yes despite owing 20,000 he is still able to obtain legal funding for a solicitor who will shortly be dragging me and my hard earned cash through the courts) stating that CSA papers have now been filled in and I will be receiving news shortly.

....And I am entitled to ....drum roll please ..

........

....


please bear with me on this as I approach my climax

Zilch, nada, zip, niente, rien, a big fat £0.00

And how? In the months that he mananged to stall he gave up working and became a full time student - Now Im sure there will be comments passed amongst you and Ill perhaps get the odd nasty PM but in my minds eye that is one serious loophole?

The CSA seems to work perfectly for those fathers (non resident parents) who actually want to support their children but as for those that dont the CSA really do in my opinion need to toughen up.

Needless to say Im going to rate the CSA with a one lone star and Id like it to be awarded to the guy that actually had the decency to tell me the reason that I was getting nothing as the paperwork tells me nothing except the big fat £0.00 staring at me.

I have / have had no guidance as to what I could do next or when I could re-apply. I have no tabs on the ex so know nothing of his business or if he is indeed or still a student although have since learned that he works at the weekend.

I must apologise now if there is garbling, if its hard to read or if it just offends anyone as Im sure that you can imagine it is a subject that causes my head to pound and my heart to race .. in fact is it possible that im having a panic attack sat here at my keyboard ? ...

Summary: Get your act together CSA