Evening, I too am BR, but still awaiting OR meeting which terrifies me. How was yours Phat? I'm sure I made the right choice, but as its all so new I have not encountered anything severe yet. What can I expect? House in negative equity so hopefully should be able to keep? TawnyOwl. Salute you for not being ashamed. Like you say, you have tried. No crimes committed, just someone trying to do their best.

Sorry about delay in replying, was caught up sugarbabes thread! I dont really know much about DCA's except that they call all the time to harrass you!!!!!. You have to do what is right for YOU. Go with your instincts. As for the £500, you are almost expected to not pay your creditors for up to 3 months to raise this money.

I tried to fight for too long. Got so fed up with the options BR was the best thing for hubby and I (£25K joint debt). To suddenly be debt free is quite bizarre. But I am embracing my new found freedom and frugal existance. I just hate to see others trudging along thinking there is no way out.

Seriously Squidgy why are you working your bum off to pay these creditors with no quality of life in your best years? You have nothing to lose really do you? Have you looked at Bankruptcy Help: Bankruptcy Help Forum, articles, blogs, TV channel ... ??????? Probably get in trouble for posting that. Please take a look as there are experts on hand to give advice 24/7 (For Free!!! No catch) and will help talk you through the whole process. Or if you really want to pay your creditors and you can afford to then IVA Help - Individual Voluntary Arrangement: IVA Help and Advice Please get out of that DMP and live your life like you deserve to

Sorry for just skimming your posts squidgy, so apolgies if I ask something that you have already stated. Firstly with £40k, I dont think a DMP is for you. Thats ludicrous! An IVA may be an option, but if you have no assets and do not work in finance, military, Police Force or are a Director, then maybe you should research BR. Alternatively if your house has little or no equity then you will most likely keep this by buying the Beneficial Interest. Do any of these things apply? Oh and by the way I am bankrupt! I am a homeowner, car owner, mum and manager at work. BR should never be underestimated. Its major, but quite often the best thing.

Hi Tawny Owl First post of yours that I have read so dont know your history. If Payplan have said that BR is your best option then maybe its time to go down that route. It is quite major! and there are lots of things to take into consideration, but with no assets the blow should not hurt too much, but will take some time to adjust to, however you will be debt free with possibly an IPA. As its a new thread, can you share some more details?

Are you able to share how much you owe and how long you expect to be in a DMP for and what impact this has on your life??? Nosey I know, but I wouldnt like to say without hearing that first.

Hi, If you or your friends get stuck, why not look at http://www.iva.co.uk it is a site very similar to this one with all sorts of specialists answering queries. It seems like the IP didnt go for the personal touch with them and kept them in the dark e.g when the creditors suggested modifications. Above all you can settle an IVA early. Is it possible that they take some equity out of the house and offer a full and final settlement? Not sure how much they have left to pay on the IVA as it stands now, but say for example they still owed £15,000 then perhaps an offer of £10,000? Look on the above site and see if they can switch IPs. It really is a very useful site. You'll have answers in minutes.

Qwerty101: Is this just a Halifax thing or does it apply to all banks do you know? Today I opened a new current account with a different bank. Halifax account will be closed within the month:mad:

Yes, Queen. I used to be clueless too! Just read, read, read. People will help you more if you help yourself and try to learn. I was up to speed within a week.

Something has defintely changed. To give an example: My sofa loan comes out 3 weeks after payday, so I cant always guarantee that the funds will be sitting there waiting every month! Usually if I know that there is going to be a problem, then I just pay the £50 in on the day (always the 11th). By close of business, the DD will show up on my internet banking whereas there will be nothing until the funds are in. I have never incurred a penalty for doing this until now.

A couple of weeks ago I recieved a bank charge as a DD came out of my account 3 days early. I waited for the bank to open and then paid the appropriate funds in, thus not making me overdrawn, but I still got charged:mad: Lady on phone was quite rude and did not explain things very well, so I went into the bank and spoke to a lovely lady who explained things much better, but what she said surprised me. In a nutshell; It all changed approx 5 months ago. If you have a DD coming out, then the funds need to be in your account the day before. You can no longer pay them in on said day as I have always done. Whereas before, if the funds were not there at first presentation (usually about 5am), they would then be represented at about 4pm, giving the customer time to pay them in. This is no longer the case and the DDs are now presented only once, early in the morning, so if the funds are not there then that will always incur a bank charge. Goodness, knows why they changed this, its a real inconvenience! She also said that if a company tells you that a DD is to come out on a certain day, then it must come out on that day. If they present it early and this causes you a penalty, then that compnay are responsible for that and you must take it up with them. So I guess my new thread will be entitled "Kazdoc V Medway Council" Has anyone tried to claim like this before? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

OASIS - Wonderwall

Thanks for that. What really made me mad was the woman that I spoke to. She was so `up' herself. I have always been polite and even wrote a thank you letter when I was reimbursed. I made a point of saying to the lady on the phone that I understood that she was not to blame. She basically spoke to me as though I had seriously inconvenienced her and her bank! She said that if I had claimed back in the past then I could not claim back a second time:confused: Then again, I wouldnt like to do her job. I like happy jobs:)

Yes, I claimed back my charges from The Halifax just over a year ago. In that time I've been lucky enough not to incur any more fines, unfortunately maternity leave has left me in the red! I shall be writing to head office again about this ludicrous charge, and seeking to claim it back; however I do not wish my account to be closed.

Can you believe this? Checked online banking yesterday morningand saw that the council had taken out their council tax DD 3 days early causing me to go over my arranged overdraft. Waited for the bank to open and paid in the money as soon as. Today recieved a letter saying I was getting a £35 charge:-x even though my online statement shows that I did not go over my arranged overdraft:confused: How is this? And why did the lady on the phone say that I cant claim it back and that in future my statements will show that I was overdrawn for that one hour? Crazy, Crazy, Crazy Greedy, Greedy, Greedy

Thanks so much for that, but it looks like I am losing a battle here. Even after 11 years and 2 lines I was told by a member of staff that I am just another number to them. He actually sympathised with my case. In 18 months time, I am going to go back to the Bromley branch and stay in there for bloody hours, being their most thorough and annoying customer to date, until I get everything that I want and dont get stitched up AGAIN!

I have been with T mobile for 11 years. Yesterday I upgraded my phone in store and asked if I would still be on my loyalty discount. I was told yes but that I should call to confirm. I called this morning and was told no. I was told that the loyalty discount does apply to my account but should have been sorted at the time of upgrading my phone! I asked if it could be done now, they said no and that I was stuck on an 18 month contract paying full whack just like a new customer. I explained that the fault lay with the staff member at T Mobile in the shop. They agreed that I should have been better informed. I called the shop and asked if I may return my phone and start from scratch with my 50% discount applied. They said no. Surely I have rights? I just dont know what they are!! I need some ammo for when I go to the shop in question on monday and fire off a letter to head office. Many thanks

Ahh that changes a few things. I'm doing it for my mum so not sure what the deal is with service charge. In that case I'll just do admin and 8%. Phew. Sorry to hijack pet, thanks for the help x

Yes I think soooooooooooooo. Think I will go for all admin and service charges with 8%. If they laugh then so be it. No harm in asking Cheers x

Ok let me get this straight. Once I get statements I only claim for Admin and they will automatically refund service? Or do I ask for Admin and Service? (No PPI thank god). Sorry, little lost X

Its not the full 40 days yet. Mine arrived exactly on the 40th day with allowing reasonable time for postage.

Hello All, Boy am I glad to see this thread. Visited my mum today who asked me what she should do about her studio account. OMG her charges are extortionate. I said "leave it with me pet, I'll get it back". Now I just need to make sense of her statements. What is Service Charge? She doesn't know either but pays approx £16 a month. Looking at above thread looks like she can claim it back but would like to know a bit more before I go in with guns blazing. Dont mean to hijack thread. Just the question I promise! P.S. Is the address Preston PR0 2BP?

Just found out how to do a search. Doh!

Jackie, thank you so much; I'm not sure how to do a search so thats why I didn't previously do one. How do i do one? Need to see if there is a thread for Studio catalogue, as my poor pensioner mummy is being snowed under with charges and now she has cleared debt i really want to help her. I am now going to claim for £32 off Hitachi even though they said I had no legal standing. Poo to them I say!