I.V.A'S have you got one ?

[zzxxee]

has it worked is it working for you can you recommend any debt managment companies that deal with them
many thanks

[dasherman]

I haven't got one but you might find this website useful:

http://www.iva.co.uk/

[zzxxee]

thanks x

[Kathyan]

Avoid an IVA if at all possible. We had one and it was the worst thing we ever did!

[snags]

Kathyan... do you mind me asking why? Just curious...

[sunflower68]

I know a friend had one, I had to drive her to Manchester for a special initial meeting. It seemed to get her out of a very tricky time in her life and she made payments every month. I just texted her, she had to pay over 200 per month and the company was Beezelys, it would have been cleared in 5 years but she came to an agreement after 3. I know it took her a while to get good credit again but then again would you want to owe any more money after that?

[hev]

I was in an IVA for 3 years, i paid 795 per month and then decided to end it by paying £25000 into the pot. If you have equity in your house I would suggest you try and avoid it because they will not 'right off' up to 75% as many claim you will pay back every penny plus charges my charges were £9000 every time you ask to make changes it costs you the only people who make money from this is the debt companies for doing very little. i am debt free now but i have no credit rating cant get a decent mortgage rate and it will be on my record for six years. I decided not to go bankrupt because i didnt want to walk away from my obligations, I paid in full and get treated as if I was a bankrupt please think seriously before you jump in. and by the way my debt company was debt free direct they took a year to pay my money to my creditors because of a computer glitch which resulted in £500 of interest accumulating that they refused to give me back

[Teleph0ne]

Debt management companies are notoriously dodgy and should be avoided if at all possible, make sure you read the small print and get it checked out by the CAB. They are never as simple as they sound and will ruin your credit rating for a long time.

[zzxxee]

thanks guys a lot to consider im having talks at the moment with a company called debtfree direct so any views on them would be great thanks for the advice so far x

[Kathyan]

Avoid Debtfree direct like the plague! We used them and they were less than useless. They gave us the wrong advice and it has cost us dearly. We still have a bad credit rating and will have until 2011. Our mortgage rate is higher than normal and there is nothing we can do about it until next year. I would advise that you contact either CAB, CCCS or Payplan. They will give impartial advice and it won't cost you anything.

[themas]

I totally agree with Kathyan. Avoid all fee charging "debt management" outfits. You can get free advice on all your options (& an IVA may well not be the best one) from the sources she names.

[zzxxee]

well i contacted national debtline who were highly recommended (non fee paying) a waste of a phone call they were about as useful as a chocolate fireguard
debt free direct have given me lots of useful information so far im not saying i will go with them i just need to shop around for a little longer