how does this sound?

[kallis3]

Bluey, I am so sorry to hear about your cat - that must have been really awful for you.

You have really been through the mill and your firm has not helped matters.

Good luck with the BR, and I hope things improve for you.

[Viki.W]

Hey Bluey875, I'm so sorry to hear about your cat, that's really awful and my thoughts are with you. Viki X

[freelili]

Me too bluey, so sorry about everything, you havent been treated fairly and all because you couldnt afford the method of trying to return something..... The mind boggles at times. I wish you luck with your BR, looks like its the only option, what else is there to lose?

I hope you can see some light, now, finally and end it all. I would also lodge a complaint agains the useless (in my view) company. Forcing you to stop the pet insurance, a suffering animal, its disgusting, if it was my boy, I would want to shoot them dead on the spot. What difference is the 6 quid a month going to make to the creditors??? In the grand scheme of things its not even a drop in the ocean compared to a pet??? Well, certainly opens the eyes, about whats important to them...

Oh and hold your head up high, you tried your best, dont give them your sanity..

[Maz]

Hi Bluey

I am so sorry to here your story. And about your cat. And I don't like the sound of that IVA firm you are with either, there appears to be no flexiblity withy your situation.

I wish you all the best with the BR or maybe there is a possibilty you could move to another IVA IP etc. not sure if this can be done easily?

Maz

[jane.l]

sorry about your cat, thats just an awful story, I was bankrupt (got early discharge) and we were allowed pet insurance for 2 cats. I would be lost without my babies[:)]

[bluey875]

thank you for your kind and helpful words.spot will be sorely missed and i know that basically i am to blame,because i was the one who got into debt.But when you engage the services of a professional it is fair to expect a reasonable level of servce in return.My IP (tim) has been helpful but by the time i get past his smokescreen of staff its usually to late to do anything about it.
My only advice would be to think VERY carefully about an IVA, Very carefully about which IP to use (search on here for sure) and make sure that you include things like pet insurance etc into your outgoings.Even though we did ,we had to cancel due to the position we ended up in.What makes it worse is that i have found out that not one single penny of the £3600 paid in has gone to our creditors,its all been swallowed up in the IP costs [V] if they were a garage or a plumber i'd be banging on the door for a refund.This profession needs a regulatory body similar to the banking ombudsmen to oversee and regulate the industry as it seems from reading many posts on here and through my own experiences that there are companies and individuals who are giving the profession and bad and tarnished image.

[Skippy]

I'm so sorry to hear about Spot x

[Soulgrowth]

I think that one thing people don't always appreciate when embarking on an IVA is that it ties you into an 'agreement' for what is a significant period of time and means that you have to maintain a commitment to that agreement. Of course the unexpected can occur but to actively make changes that alter that status quo, such as reducing one's income by changing jobs needs to be considered very carefully.

Just a thought ...

Debbie

[Skippy]

Bluey says in his original post that him and his wife had to change jobs since their IVAs started, which is a different to choosing to take a drop in salary.

[freelili]

none of us actually know whats around the corner, sometimes things change for the better, sometimes not. Somethings are just wanting for you to feel you have got through the hard times and then suddenly, theres another unexpected thing you have to fight to survive.

Wouldnt life be easy if we all knew what was going to happen during the five years....

[Soulgrowth]

I think the best advice my IP ever gave me is that none of us have a crystal ball ... as Lily says, one never knows quite what is around the corner.

Of course, it depends on the reasons for why we 'have' to do something ... but I do think that people can sometimes underestimate just how much being in an IVA puts a restrictive element on our ability to make choices about our lives for the period of time that the IVA is on force.

Debbie

[MelanieGiles]

What a sad end to arrangements which were supposed to resolve your difficulties and not add to them - and I am also very sorry to learn about the loss of your pet.

Can I just point out that insolvency practitioners are one of the most regulated professions there are, but that this regulation tends to revolve around statutory compliance rather than client care. I expect things to change in the regard over the next few years.

[bluey875]

I think that one thing people don't always appreciate when embarking on an IVA is that it ties you into an 'agreement' for what is a significant period of time and means that you have to maintain a commitment to that agreement. Of course the unexpected can occur but to actively make changes that alter that status quo, such as reducing one's income by changing jobs needs to be considered very carefully.

Just a thought ...

Debbie

Debbie,
if i had a choice in the matter i wouldn't have changed jobs,but when your employer decides to change your hours,mess around with your rotas,add saturday working and then move across town whilst changing the bonus structure to reward the low achievers and penalise the high earners what would you have done? by the time i figured in travelling costs as well as loss of earnings(1 bus ,1 train,1 tram and another bus or a sodding long walk)i was better off taking a lower paid job locally than staying where i was as i had no hope of promotion because the company rule was no one above general staff level with less than 4 years service,i had two years still to go.
My wife was essentailly made redundant and because she has MS she has to declare it on any application form if asked.i know employers shouldn't discriminate and i can't prove they did but she found it damned hard to get another job even in fields where she is immensely qualified and experienced.she is currently a lowly civil servant working her way back up a different ladder.
we both understood exactly what an IVA entailed when we went into it ,so no criticism can be levelled at us for what was entirely out of our hands.we did everything we could to keep the IVA going from our side,but it just did not work.we cancelled every non essential ,i even went looking for another (2nd) job to help ends meet,but i have a clause of non conflict of interest in my contract so the only decent job i could get would have jeopardised my main employment.
i hope you can now understand a bit better my situation before making mildly accusatory comments.

[Soulgrowth]

Hi Bluey

I wasn't making accusations whatsover but moreso an objective observation as a point of discussion, which is what the Forum is for. We do get quite a few posters that expect their IVAs to be felxible to their life choices ... i.e change of job, new relationship etc. and I think that we have a responsibility to remind people that an IVA typically ties you in to a commitment.

I also make the point from a personal stance, not with regards to changing my job but instead on the personal level of relationships, for I have posted in a number occasions about my own personal decisions not to change my status quo from being a single person to being in a relationship as this could, and likely would have, affected my debt situation ... and so I have made life choices accordingly.

Debbie

[freelili]

Hi bluey

Sounds like you have tried everything to make this IVA work. It also seems you have had a lot to cope with... I really hope you can put all this behind you now and move on with your head held high.

Good luck, the best of everything to you and your wife.