IVA Factories

[caraf]

Hi
I have heard alot on this forum people talk about IVA factories ?? what are these ???
I am with Clearstart are they one ?

[OPTIMIST12]

As I understand it "IVA Factory" is a term used by some people to describe companies who deal with large numbers of IVA applications. The term would appear to be intended as a sort of insult - implying that the companies churn out high numbers of poor quality "factory" grade proposals and are basically more interested in earning fees rather than putting together a well prepared product.

I can only speak from my own experience but - as someone who is with a high volume IVA provider - I consider the term to be simply wrong. The service I have received has been prompt and helpful and my proposal was a well-produced and professional document. Anything but "factory" standard.

There will be satisfied and dissatisfied customers with large companies and small companies - the law of averages means - I suppose - that the larger the company the more of each they will have!!!

I would ask Caraf and others - are you happy with the service you have received? That is the main thing. Do not be put off by labels - the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

[pbeck]

Yes, an "IVA factory" is a high-volume IVA provider that piles them high and churns them out in large numbers. Their ratio of cases per qualified IP is far higher than a traditional IP firm therefore the actual IP can have very little involvement with individual cases which are handled largely by unqualified staff. They work well as long as everything is straightforward and there are no complications.

You take your pick and choose, are you happy to be processed as just the next person on the production line by largely unqualified staff who can only deal with your case if it fits their model exactly, or do you want your IVA provider to have the experience to do the job properly when things go outside their comfort zone ?

[Jo Rolland]

I would refer to them more as sausage factories and would totally agree with Philips comments.

Many of the staff employed are not adequately qualified and therefore the advice given is not always correct. Also without delving deeper in some cases by just asking key questions to ascertain if potential clients fit their criteria, does sometimes leave people high and dry and not knowing where to turn next.

I think if I were in the position to need the services of an IP I would go to a sole practitioner as I would prefer to be treated as a human being and not a sausage.

[OPTIMIST12]

Speaking as a sausage I would agree with the experts above that - as in all walks of life - a small company will provide a much more personal service. I would also agree that if people have a complex case then a small company may well provide a quicker service. To be honest if I had been aware of this forum at the time I started researching my options I may well have approached one of the experts who post on this forum myself.

What I dont understand is when people are just dismissive and hostile to large-scale providers purely because they are large. I am sure I am not alone in being happy with my company - though obviously I can only speak from my own experience. I think I have been well-served by my IVA Provider.

I will get back in my frying-pan now!!

[size5]

Agree totally, I work for a reasonably small provider but that in itself does not make me any better or worse than larger providers.

[Sensible77]

I agree with OPTIMIST12. I am with Payplan who I assume are an IVA factory "that piles them high and churns them out in large numbers" to quote from pbeck's posting. Again, derogatory terms. I am more than happy with Payplan. I suppose my case was quite straight forward to some that I have read of on this forum. I'm sure there are poor performing sole IP's as well as in IVA factories but you'll hear more about IVA factories as they have more clients. At the end of the day, all IP's are in a business to make money and I don't have a problem with that.

[caraf]

Are Clearstart classed as a IVA factory or not do you think ??

[ianmillington]

They are owned by DFD and (from another thread) they now appear to be sending cases to DFD as they are too busy it would seem.

They may not be a "factory" per se themselves but certainly appear to be tied up with one. I wouldn't get hung up on this issue myself. The level of service and your ability to talk to decision makers (in the event that the wheel is in danger of falling off)is more important. That's where some of the bulk IVA providers (as I prefer to call them) probably don't do as well as smaller firms.

Ian

[Lisa2009]

Hubby was a DFD sausage and overall everything went smoothly from beginning to end . Only quibble was, you can NEVER speak to your IP. It appears SOME of them are too important to speak to sausages. Perhaps they prefer steak??

mrs skint

[ianmillington]

As it will for most of the clients, truth be told. It's only when things go wrong that people want to speak to the IP!

[Skippy]

If I had my time again I would use a smaller IVA provider - obviously I hope I'll never need to!

My view is that if I buy something from the corner shop I get better service than when I shop at Tesco, where I'm just another customer.

[Adam Davies]

Hi
I think that service will improve once more and more IVAs are agreed with payments to IPs spread over the lengh of the IVA.
I think the problem has been that historically most of the IP fees have been drawn in the first year or two making very little incentive for the IP to 'look after' the debtor once this period has expired.
Maybe the next step would be for creditors to offer an incentive to IPs for full term successful IVAs producing the dividend originally proposed.
Regards

[J-DOUBLEYA]

Anything that is done in large numbers will churn out proportionate numbers of problems and complaints. Personally i hate the factories and in quite a number of cases that I have then had to deal with there has been evidence of neglect and bad practice at the cost of the most vulnerable.

I think that if you are offerring such personal, important and sensitive help and advice such as is found in any debt solution then there is absolutely no excuse whatsoever for treating anybody like a sausage rather than the indidual they are. There should be no misunderstandings no lifetime repayment schemes and no failures on IVA's unless changes occur that could not reasonably have been predicted.

sadly that has not been the case to date .

Ian - your last post is very true as well.

[Soulgrowth]

My IVA was with a posh "sausage factory" ... bit like venison sausages ... bet they're too deer [:D]

They did a great job in tying up a really neat IVA for me ... but like someone else commented, this was fine until my IVA fell unexpectedly outside of the realms of the 'norm' aftet completion. It then proved really difficult to talk to anyone with any knowledge.

Now however I have the mobile phone number of my IP and without getting too excited things are looking fairly positive for a creditors meeting to be called soon to offer a F&F ... and my IP calls me fairly regularly to update me and we have a good laugh on the phone! .... BUT I am convinced that this is only because the lovely Melanie Giles here on the forum had dinner one night with one of the main players in this particular "sausage factory" [:)]

Debbie