Yep, it very much wreaks of "Too good to be true" and the advisor I`m dealing with seems to be a nice enough guy but a large part of me suspects he either doesnt know the process or is simply telling me what I would like to hear, either way they could easily steer me into a mess which would then be my problem to sort out

Has anyone came into contact with a company called Debt Release Direct? I ask as I have contacted them regarding my options and I cant decide if they are a good bet or not They seem helpful (but the cynic in me thinks thats to extract the fee) and, as I`m bricking myself with it all, I do feel like I need some guidance When we first spoke they indicated that my best course of action was bankruptcy (which I think is correct as I will be rid of the property forever) and that they could handle it no problem, I explained that I would be off to Canada soon and even that was no problem it seemed (which was different to most of the advice I had already received which suggested that you need to be in the country to become bankrupt and also at least for a short time afterwards to deal with the official receiver unless you can give power of attorney to someone to handle it for you which I`m not sure will work/is even possible in my locality - Northern Ireland) - they could still handle that no problem I spoke with them again today and their stance had changed a little, they now tell me that they cant/wont appear at the bankruptcy hearing for me, I have to do that myself, which is no problem (I feel that Ive done everything correct but the property crash and subsequent recession has wiped me out) except the courts in Northern Ireland are currently in summer recess and although there are a few dates they are generally reserved for bigger cases so there is no way I can appear in person before I leave due to that. There is a date on the 12th August but I guess that even if I could get that and am made bankrupt I couldnt leave on the 14th (when I`m supposed to leave) as I need to give the official receiver more time to investigate my affairs - is this accurate? I asked Debt Release Direct about this and they said it was no problem - once the bankruptcy order is made I can head off no problem, I asked about what actions the Official Receiver may take against me (IPO or IPAs) and explained that I have zero assets but look like I am getting a new job, they stated that once I had been through the bankruptcy and had made my position clear to the Official Receiver that would be the end of it - I would love this to be true but once again this is different to other advice I have received They said they would look at the options and call me tomorrow with the best way to proceed but I feel that this company are simply gonna take a handful of cash to help me fill in some forms and if it doesnt work out like they promised I`ll be left high and dry with it to sort out Opinions? Thanks in advance

Cheers for the link, looks like theres a branch relatively close to me so I will try them tomorrow, thats if they arent on holiday too (like everyone else over here at the minute it seems)

They are VERY helpful - I spoke with Michael just this morning, problem is he doesnt cover Northern Ireland

Thanks unclebulgaria67 for the reply Ive battled with the property for long enough, even if it was renovated tomorrow I doubt it would be worth half of what I paid in 2007 (so a £70K negative equity shortfall at best) so I feel like Ive lost enough and cant sustain this any longer Ive since asked the mortgage advisor about the possibility of the bank writing off a percentage of the mortgage debt for a lump sum but he believes that the institution in question are the least likely to do that as they are the most tenacious of everyone that he deals with Pretty sure that it wont impact me where I`m headed (Alberta) - everyone starts with zero credit rating so past conduct (good or bad) counts for nothing - the company that I will be working for actually have a preferred bank that they take their new foreign workers to open accounts Does anyone know for sure if its possible to go bankrupt in Northern Ireland from Canada by using a "power of attorney" or similar? My company want me there on 14th of August and the courts here are in summer recess so I doubt I can get a date before then Between various people being off on holiday and court recesses its been a total nightmare (just my luck) and I definitely dont want to mess my new employers around and lose my job over there

Hi Guys, Ive just stumbled across your forum and after a quick scan I decided it would be a good place to air some questions about my predicament A little background - I got married in late 2006 and, like most couples, shortly after we purchased our first house (early 2007), the mortgage advisor sorted us with a mortgage and as the house was in need of some TLC he suggested that after a few months we could remortgage and use the additional funds to do the work. We began the fairly extensive work (roof space conversion and a full modernisation) using our own cash thinking that in a short space of time we could drum up the cash to finish it by remortgaging Then the banking crisis hit. Our funds were pretty well exhausted and house prices have been sinking ever since with no sign of the tide turning so the house has sat static with us paying an interest only mortgage on it - we've never even spent a night in it - we cant sell as its in massive negative equity (probably worth a third of what we paid based on what other properties in the locality are selling for now) and we cant rent as its still essentially a building site On the upside we have always managed to pay the mortgage (as well as everything else - just about) so our credit ratings are "excellent" (I checked at the weekend) but we cant keep doing this - I genuinely feel like its hurting my health (cant sleep for worry, cant concentrate for worry, dont eat a lot of the time, tight chest etc etc) and so we have decieded to emigrate, luckily my skill set is in demand and I was made an offer fairly quickly but that leaves the question of what to do with our property - to clarify - Ive lost a fortune between deposits, mortgage costs and building works but I simply want out - Ive had enough The following solutions have been suggested to me: Option 1 - Full bankruptcy before I leave - obviously our (good) credit ratings will be obliterated and I dont know how that will affect our planned move from the perspective of selling our vehicles to release some cash to start afresh in a new country - we have basically nothing of value apart from whatever cash the car (11 years old) and my work van (9 years old) generate, out of that I have to ship our belongings (approximately half of a 20ft container) to the other side of the world which will cost approximately £3500 and my wifes air ticket (around £500). Obviously once we get there I will have to pay rents, put down deposits etc so I need some cash to fund this Option 2 - My accountant has suggested I allow him to hand back the keys - he has given me a statement basically outlining that he has had a look at my affairs and that in his opinion I cannot sustain paying for the property and that he advises handing it back to the mortgage company. He is adamant that he has successfully done this for several of his clients (one handed back eleven houses) and that was the end of it. I`m not convinced - from the limited research I have done it seems that while everything is quiet now there will be a day of reckoning after the bank sells the property, at that point they will tally up their losses and try to reclaim them from the former owners, OK, so I will have emigrated which makes it a little trickier but it seems that in that instance the mortgage company sells the debt to a debt recovery service in whichever locality you are then in Option 3 - Keep on paying, hope that I make enough cash to keep up the payments or better still enough to finish the building works wherby it could then be rented out to help pay for itself, one suggestion Ive heard was that I should approach the mortgage company and try to work something out (i.e. they sacrifice something so I keep on paying, like writing off some of the debt) - if everything went well this may work but, honestly, Ive lost heart in it and would prefer to get rid I cant stress how bitter I feel about it all - I feel like we did everything right and have paid everything on time and in full which has left us quite stretched on occasion, our only crime was buying our first house which turned out to be a HUGE mistake and one that we now cant seem to recover from - it honestly feels like its gonna hound us forever and its slowly killing me through stress & worry, I can honestly see how people can consider suicide over all this Any comments/opinions welcome Thanks in advance

Even BELOW the bonnet in the warm, dry, physically protected engine bay? I have even found rust at the base of the drivers seat! I`m pretty sure it has never came into contact with moisture................

I disagree Even the Mercedes bodyshop that carried out the inspection quoted that "there was clear evidence of defective paintwork on EVERY panel" The best example is the bar along the top of the engine Physically impossible for it to be damaged by stonechips or collect moisture yet it is by far the single most rusty part. The rusty area above the REAR numberplate is another place that is well protected from direct moisture contact and cannot be easily damaged yet the rust is well underway The Mercedes rust issue is well documented, it is no secret and definately not exclusive to my vehicle what year is safe rust wise - Mercedes-Benz Owners' Forums I also must point out once more that my VW which is similar in age/mileage and also has stonechips displays zero rust I assume it has non waterproof primer also - so where does the difference lie? I have found that a lot of people are reluctant to admit that Mercedes can make mistakes despite overwhelming evidence that their products of recent years have been poor I believe the ML Jeep was awarded the "Most Unreliable Vehicle" award during a recent JD power survey - That speaks volumes.................

Fair enough - There are an awful lot of work vans that do fall into that category but generally owner driven vans are different.

That is so true Supposedly Fiat enlisted the help of Saab to cure their problematic bodywork - and cure it they did Perhaps someone should forward Saabs number to Mercedes? I have heard it said that Mercedes built between 1998 - 2004 were built by penny pinching accountants and not engineers - the results now are plain to see.................

Regarding the point: I think that it is expected that a van would have been abused more than a car. The van is a workhorse, yes, but it is inaccurate to say it has been abused - I have drove it for 70,000 miles on the same roads and it has been maintained/looked after in exactly the same manner as the car, probably better as it has been at the garage for minor problems on various occasions. Most of my rust issues are in daft places where rust due to damage would be difficult ie along the metal strip the bonnet rests on or behind the door strips The fact that Mercedes refuses any responsibility despite growing evidence to the contrary shows arrogance on their part

If things dont go my way I will have no option but to pay for it myself as it will have to be addressed soon I have a couple of friends in the trade and have already spoke with one of them but it will still cost quite a bit for something that I strongly feel I should not have to do I have a friend that does signage who owes me a favour - We have decieded that if Mercedes doesnt offer some assistance I will get the vehicle sign written saying "BUY A MERCEDES AND GET RUSTY BODYWORK FOR FREE" before parking it at the dealership and informing the local rags At least it may stop others from this rusty fate...............

Is that the same as "Galvanising" If so Mercedes did not do this and it has been suggested that this is where their problems eminated from Another theory is that as the vans were built in Spain the quailty of the bodywork/paint is poor and also Mercedes had to change from 2K to water based paint due to H+S reasons and the water based paint is not up to the job My van (MK1 112CDI Vito) is proof that something is not as it should be.............. I havent got the report but pretty sure I can get it as everyone I have met/dealt with regarding this issue has been most helpful, would it be prudent to also get a second opinion from another MB approved bodyshop?

Sorry, no finance although I may have to sell a kidney to finance a respray if things dont go my way!

Opinions? My personal favourite: My VW, same age - ZERO rust This is a selection, there are lots more if anyone feels they would help