www.iva.co.uk

Hello, I wonder if someone can give me some advice.

A few months ago on I posted a query on here regarding an Equal pay award I was due to get. Your advice at the time was to speak to my IP and possibly seek legal advice all of which I did.

The problem is that I cannot seem to get a clear statement from my IP (Grant Thorton) on what I should pay regarding the equal pay award. I have been trying to get a response from them for over 2 months.

At first they requested details of what the award was, how much and what it covered and so I sent them all these details by email on the 1st May.

I followed up with an email on the 26th May and another on the 3rd June asking whether they had answer for me.

I still didn't hear anything and so rang the office on the 10th June and was told I should hear something within 3-5 working days. I still didn't hear anything from them.

So I phoned again on the 22nd June and was told the same thing - I'd hear within 3-5 working days. I sent another email and marked for the attention of my IP on that day also.

It is now 2nd July and I haven't heard anything.

I feel completely frustrated as I want to make my creditors an offer with this equal pay award, but need to know what the IP thinks I should pay into my IVA first.

Am I being unreasonable expecting an answer by now? I have no feel for whether I should make a complaint or not.

Thank you for any advice you can give me on what I should now do.

You are entitled to feel aggrieved --- you are not getting shoddy service .. you are getting NO service !!

I would make an internal complaint initially -- which is an unnecessarily drawn out process with GT in itself.

Print off all your emails. Send with a strongly worded covering letter with the details you have just told us and make a formal complaint. Send it to GT recorded/registered post. In the letter mention if your complaint is not dealt with within 7 days you will be making a formal complaint to the Insolvency Services, which you can do here:

https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-insol ... actitioner

Lisa -- have you seen GT's complaints procedure ? I think it is worthy of a complaint in itself

They have also changed it - on their web site they now list half a dozen procedures based on who regulates what.

Hello. Thank you for your replies. I am prepared to make a complaint but there are 2 issues.

1. What I really want is to get out of my IVA. I have this equal pay award and I just want to make an offer that will get me out of my IVA. I thought initially I needed to get an answer as to how much of this award I needed to pay into my IVA, but maybe I should put forward the offer anyway as making a complaint will draw everything out before I can make the offer and I am desperate to hopefully end this.

2. I feel that if I make a complaint they will be extra difficult with me when it comes to making my offer.

What do you think?

Sounds complicated! All I can find on their website is this statement:

'Some of our partners and staff are licensed to act as an insolvency practitioner in the UK by the Insolvency Practitioners Association, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. The firm is subject to the Insolvency Regulations and Guidance Notes and the Statements of Insolvency Practice. If you are not satisfied with how your issues relating to the insolvency practitioner’s regulated work have been dealt with by Grant Thornton UK LLP then you may contact the Insolvency Service at https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-insol ... actitioner'

Either way I think the Gateway will deal with any complaints that have not been deal with properly by GT.

Just to update those who answered - thanks again - I called GT to ask how I should make a formal complaint and was told that I had been sent an email on 25th June responding to my query. It hasn't come through even though they say they sent it to my email address.

They said they'd print it off and post it to me and so I should receive it Monday/Tuesday.

The customer services lady (who was lovely) read out the email to me and I have a figure now - which sounds fine. And so hopefully it should all be sorted now. Thanks for your help and support - it is much appreciated.

Fingers crossed, Susan. GT, as a company, are not good at all, but I always found the individuals I dealt with to be great, always helpful and supportive.

You're welcome Susan - hopefully this will be sorted for you now.

I put in a complaint against my IP in October 2013 I am with grant Thornton they are still investigating this so it's been a long investigation for me.

Sharon - who did you complain to? That sounds really unusual...

Very unusual. It took two weeks to get a response from GT when I contacted them recently. I still think 2 weeks was long

I complained to the IPA Insolvency Practitioners association yes it has been a long investigation for me I have just recieved another letter from them it says I refer to the previous correspondence. The investigation of your complaint is still continuing the complaint will be considered by the IPA'S Investigation Committee when appropriate.

I was told by the IPA they had a lot of complaints at the same time as I put mine in.