www.iva.co.uk

I am posting this to warn anybody looking to take out an iva do not for any reason use Debt Release Direct. I looked into an iva with them and they sent me some paperwork, which by the way was completely incorrect (including my salary).

I was so unsure of them that i took advice from Melanie Giles who looked at my figures and stated there was no way i would get an iva. so i rang DRD and told them i would not be going down the iva route and would not be returning the paperwork. However at the end of the month they took a payment from my bank account.

so i rang them and rang them and rang them. I have lost count of how many times i have rung them. When i have spoken to someone they say they will need to get their manager to look into it. I said no you will give me my money back now. But they won't give it back and now i am really struggling this month to survive, can they do this??

Just warn anyone you know not to use them if they want an honest service and not one that lies from the start, stating they will get you an iva, when there is not a hope in the world of you getting it.

In case anyone from DFD reads this and thinks it is slander it is not it is fact.

liney is this debt release or debt free?

That is awful, how can people treat others like that? it makes me so angry that some companies take advantage of people when they are at a low point in their lives.
Does anyone know if there is a governing body that Liney can contact if this isn't sorted soon?

Jan

Sorry Liney I should have said welcome to the forum--I have no manners

Jan[:D]

Thanks for your replies jan and gifford. the company is debt release direct (not debt free direct). But i have just searched them on this forum and everything written about them is negative. so obviously i am not the only one.

i am now going bankrupt but if Melanie hadn't given me a second opinion i would have paid DRD until they put together an iva proposal that would never be accepted and charged me until then and not given me a penny back.

it is unfortunate but some people do take advantage of a situation. Sounds like they've made abig mistake at you expense. everyone makes mistakes but it doesnt sound like it has been dealt with to your advantage either!

Oh no that is terrible - have you tried to speak to your bank, can they not retract the money - I know pre-IVA I had a problem where my Mobile co had taken more money than they should have done, and my bank at the time took it back and put it back into my Account.
Might be worth checking with them.
k.

Hi

If they still dont give you your money back, go through Small Claims Tracker you can do it online.

I have used the Small Claims procedure twice, once where a company was stating that I didnt return a book, and charged me £30 for it so I had to pay £30 to them, took them through Small Claims and got £117 back.

Another time I used it was as an advocate, the gentleman I advocate for, I got him moved to a new nursing home, becuase the home he was in wasnt caring for him, however the old home "lost" his specialised chair (cost £2000) and television (cost £200) they fobbed me off, so I took them through small claims, go the Baliffs in and got his chair back and a cheque for him for £350 for a new television.

Sorry to digress, just to show, small claims tracker is a great tool.

Also consider, Trading Standards, DEMSA, FSA.

Good Luck!

I just don't know how these guys get away with it. There is no insolvency practitioner listed as working for them, so they are clearly a firm of "finders" rather than professionals themselves.

Hi liney30
If the money was taken by direct debit then go to your bank and demand a refund under the direct debit guarantee.State that the payment came out without an agreed date of first payment and without any notice.
Your bank is obliged to refund it
Regards

Thanks guys for all your advice.

I just want to ensure that this does not happen to anyone else.

They told me that the firm that they refer clients to is varden nutall and i wonder if they would want to be associated to a firm that do this to people.

That is interesting to note, liney and that you for that information.