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Do you have to use FRO for support cheques?

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  • Do you have to use FRO for support cheques?

    The child support amount was determined last week. There is a restraining order between my ex and I. He was told by his lawyer to fill out a form and pay CS through the FRO. They gave him a pin number...etc. Once the restraining order is lifted, does he have to pay through the FRO or can he just hand over or mail the cheques to me? Which was is better?

  • #2
    Once he is registered with the FRO they will send you the cheques directly when he pays. He will never have to deal with you directly in regards to money issues. You would have to unregister him from the FRO. The restraining order has nothing to do with it anything in this regard. Once registered with the FRO there will be no funds transferred between the two of you directly. They will get upset with you if you take any direct payments from him regardless of what it is for. You should also get a pin number from them.

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    • #3
      He got the pin number already. Why do I need it? Also, do I need to fill out anything or is it all automatic? Thanks enoughalready.

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      • #4
        Also, what if he wants to forward a monetary gift that is over and above support? He's been doing that during his access centre visitation.

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        • #5
          Fro

          My experience has been that once you are registered with FRO there is no room to work on anything between yourselves. That may be fine now, but I have found that as time goes by and you find you can begin to communicate the FRO can mess things up between you even worse than the Courts do.

          I would suggest that as soon as you can, try to get along at least as far as Support goes and get rid of them.

          They are the "Family Responsibility Office" but there is no "Responsibility" in their actions.

          They are nothing more than a Collection agency and if you ask them to assist in anything else they refuse. For my part, even gettting help having Ordered access enforced is beyond their understanding. They will tell you to go back to Court, who then refuse to enforce their own Orders.

          The FRO is the most useless department in our entire system!

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          • #6
            John, I don't understand what you mean. My ex is willing to pay what he has to. Aren't they just there to make sure the payments go to and from? If there is no issue with the amounts then it should be an ok service, no? I heard that you have to pay to get out of using them and even have the court order changed because it seems that we were enrolled automatically. i didn't know they are even there to assist in anything but support payments? If they are then what do they assist with further?

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            • #7
              Fro

              2boys
              You are quite right, they are there ONLY to collect money. Hense the problem with their name, they care nothing about Responsiblity, only money. Once you have them it is difficult to get rid of them. If you ever require a statment of your account you will have to buy it (they give you 1 - not even 1 a year).

              If they are not doing anything extra, just processing payments, they charge an annual fee of $400. This one really bothers me. My ex signed up with them at the very start and i have never had the opportunity to show I can and will make payments. why should I have to pay an administration fee?

              If there is ever a change made it can take months to sort out. If the payor is paying too much while this gets sorted, they do nothing to get it back.. If he pays too little they will simply suspend license or garnish wages. They can not even understand that taking someone's license will only make the matter worse if they can't get to work!

              Read the FRO - from support receivers point of view - thread. It makes some good points.

              As I said, the most useless government agency in existance!

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              • #8
                I'm wondering why his lawyer filled out the paperwork for him and suggested this then? He's probably not even aware a fee. It hasn't started yet but now I'm afraid to receive checks from them if there will be porblems. My ex is not intending to not pay though. Also, what happens next year at tax time if I ask to have support raised (we agreed to a very small amount since my ex needs time to sort out his finances. He is self-employed).

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                • #9
                  Fro

                  2boys

                  I can only suggest based on my experience, but if you want to ever get an accounting from the FRO, you'll have to pay for it, and they can mess things up.

                  If your ex is willing to make payments and everything is agreeable, I would suggest you just accept his mailed payments. Do not involve the FRO unless you have a problem collecting the money. That is what they should be there for - not to get involved if two people are able to work things out themselves.

                  On a more humourous tone - if you do not know by now that lawyers are not the sharpest knives in the drawer, you must be early in this process. His lawyer probably filled in the form to assign the FRO simply because it was in front of him and he could charge some extra time by filling it in!

                  Have you not noticed the charges made by lawyers or the Court for simple things? $1 a page for photo coqies?? Tell them you will do your copies for them. Go to Staples 7 cents a copy!! Just one example.

                  If you can work together at all it will be much better for you and the kids in the long run. It may not look that way now, and it took me a long time to realize and accept it, but trust me it is better in the end.

                  Good luck!

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