Argos. Does this constitute being unreasonable?

A question about : Argos. Does this constitute being unreasonable?

We are 30 or so months in a DMP with SC. Total was about Ј50k spread over a dozen or so creditors, all in the high thousands, apart from Argos who we only owed about Ј550.
As such they only get a tiny slice of the Ј350 we pay SC each month, of around Ј8.

However since day one, on a monthly basis they apply interest of around Ј5, and also say my min payment is Ј16 and charge me a missed payment fee of Ј12 for only paying Ј7, so every month SC pay them Ј7, and they add on about Ј15 in charges.

I have written to them about a dozen times asking to stop, but they don't even reply.
In the past two years we have paid thousands off other debts, but Argos has actually GONE UP!

So last month, rightly or wrongly, I decided to make a one off additional payment of Ј10 as we had it, to take me over the min payment of Ј16 and stop the Ј12 charge going on.

My latest statement has now come, and they show the two payments of Ј7 from SC and Ј10 from myself, but they have now INCREASED the Min payment to Ј30 and still charged me the Ј12 missed fee, as well as also increasing the interest, for which they have now added Ј12 instead of Ј5!!!
So despite paying Ј17 this month, they have added on Ј24, its gone up again!

I think this is being completely unreasonable and not helping me at all doing this, I am trying to limit the charges and bring it down as quick as I can, and they are not helping me at all, they ignore all my letters.

Should I complain to an ombudsman or something??

Best answers:

• I cant see an ombudsman helping to be honest.
  You owe Argos the money, you are not sticking to the agreement that you signed up for to start with.
  To Argos you are just a punter who owes them money and they have no reason to want to help you.
  Not much you can do about it except to pay them what they tell you to. And if you don't, then you have to expect charges as per your agreement.
• Send a letter to them, proof of posting, stating that unless they respond to your previous complaints about not treating someone in financial difficulty fairly, you will be referring to the FOS in 14 days. Include a copy of the previous letters if you have them.
  I would also add or a point about raising the min payment.
  They are clearly taking the p*ss.
• two opposing answers there so far...
  I am just annoyed that since starting the DMP we have paid Argos over Ј250, and the balance has actually gone UP by Ј54..
  All the letters I have sent them have been recorded...
  You say they have no reason to help me, but if they dont they will never get their money back.. At this rate when we finish our DMP having paid Ј50k of debt, we'll STILL owe Argos even more than we started!!
  I will simply start a new DMP just for them.. they can wait for my estate to pay them when I pop off for all I care now...
• Having read Happy Bunny's reply I realise I may have come over a little harsh.
  Follow HB's advice, and good luck with it.....
• Happy bunny's advice is good, if you still hit a brick wall after this, consider stopping payment to them altogether, let them sell the debt on, then deal with it at a later date.
  Its unlikely to end up in court fro such a small amount.