I've been in an IVA since September 2009 and am really struggling. My first mistake I think was not finding you guys and reading up before taking advice from Baines & Ernst (2nd mistake!) Anyway got stung with fees that I now realise i shouldn't have had to pay if I'd done a bit of research first and found an IP direct but I guess we live and learn.
I've cut back on everything but still dont seem to be able to make ends meet. In the last 8 months I went overdrawn 3 times and am no longer able to have direct debits. I pay off all my monthly bills on pay day so I don't have a problem with that,but this does leave me with little money until my child support kicks in 11 days later.
I'm looking at my paperwork now and I'm really not sure that they took my 14 year old son into account at all when it came to clothes, hobbies and sundries. Food and toiletries are fine, I can manage on what they have allocated (£269).
Do you think this is right for myself and a teenager? It seems a little unfair to me that they have taken all of the child maintenance, benefit and tax credit into account but don't seem to have figured him in to this. I'm lucky that he is a great child and doesn't whinge at all but I'm constantly having to say no to him even over the smallest of things..yesterday it was football with his mates which would have cost £5.
Also, my work expense doesn't seem to have been taken into account which is £10 per week for car parking. (It would cost the same to use public transport) I do have an amount for petrol but it's a very short journey so not much cost there.
I really don't think I can cope with this for another 4years or so.
Thanks for replying. I don't spend anything on clothes right now as I never have that cash spare! I understand that I wouldn't need to spend on clothes every month and that i should be putting this aside but seems like day to day living just takes everything. Every month there has been something extra to pay for, car problems, car tax, boiler needed fixing. But if I think about it long term and work it out over the year then yes I think I would need more than £480 for both myself and my son, for a start he's just had a growth spurt and nothing much fits him. I'm in desperate need of a pair of shoes right now, I'm walkin around like a tramp. I work in an office and need to look fairly smart.
£12 each a month for sports/hobbies gets us no where. If I went to an exercise class just once a week, which I'd love to do, that would be £20 a month for a start.
To be honest, when I look back it's all a bit of a haze. I'd called Bains & Ernst after seeing their name on the net and the woman on the phone did most of it, she asked how much I spent then if it was too high basically said I'd have to lower it..all the while kept asking me am I serious about this as it would take her a lot of time and I shoouldn't waste her timne if I wasn't..badgered is the word I guess, but my own fault I realise
I'm with Blair Endersby, I've just read a couple of posts about them...think I've got my work cut out trying to get to speak to my IP by the sounds of it!
Another unfortunate forum poster who's budget has been set by someone else rather than based on actual amounts spent. This is always a recipe for disaster in my eyes, and adds to the still too high failure rate for IVAs generally.
Don't ever let anyone tell you what you can and cannot spend - apart from your creditors of course who will always have the ultimate say.
well I had a call from BE today, didn't go very well at all. I started by saying that I was struggling to which I was talked AT by the IP manager..nice play on words, said quickly sounds like IP's manager (i'd asked to speak to the IP). I tried to explain that I was struggling and didn't feel like my 14 year old had been taken into account at which point I was told if I was going to argue then there would be no point in carrying on with the conversation..huh? didn't realise I was arguing!Have to say though that after that comment I felt like it!
anyway I was told that basically the amount was correct, it couldn't be changed because it's the guidelines and would be unfair to all the "others" and everyone has the same amount. I then went on to say that a couple of things that I pay had been left off, car parking for work and also payments for prescription I have to have which amounts to £28 every 3 months, I was made to feel like I was just adding that as an afterthought when i actually couldn't get a word in to explain everything at the start.
He told me that I should easily be able to take my son to the cinema etc with £45 (sports/hobies/sundries/emergencies)and I would also have to take my carparking (which is actually £20 per week not £10) out of the emergencie fund..maths obviously not his strong point!
He did say that if I insisted he could do a consultancy but that if it was agreed I would have to commit to an extra year. at this point I told him I'd have to think about it and see if I could get some advice here..you are all just people angry with your IVA's btw! lol.
Just as I was going he said that if I wanted to let my IVA fail and go bankrupt then I shouldn't go to someone who will charge £800. I had never once said that I wanted to fail and go bankrupt. I felt this, although not said confrontationally, was quite intimidating if that's te right word.
