DFD review

[cat 1]

Hi.Wonder if anyone can help.I first asked DFD for a review in August.Not due untill November.I've completed all the paperwork twice now.Still heard nothing.Waking up again with feelings of dread and driving home wondering if this is ths day the letter has come.Has anyone gone through a review with DFD and how has it gone for you? So worried the amounts origionally set by clearstart will be greatly reduced/allowances dis allowed etc.Cat

[MelanieGiles]

You really should not be worrying about the review Cat. It is just as much for your benefit as the IP's and it is not designed to adjust your payments to an unaffordable level. If your circumstances have not changed much since the IVA was accepted, then I am sure the review will be a simple formality.

[cat 1]

Thanks Melanie.Born to worry since iva.Hate it.Five years of this to go.The increase n pay I have is vertually identical to the increase in outgoings but I was advised that I couldn't earn more than £xxxx for the term of my IVA by one of the call staff.Same amount I earned at the startn of IVA.This doesn't make sense as things go up, I have to pay more out and still earn £xxxx with 50% thing going on as well.Feel sick constantly.I earn approx £150 monthly more in the last year.Hence, £75 should be paid in and still having to find the £100 increase in expenses.Makes nio sense.I have not paid the 50% since August becuase it's not possible to do both.I feel dreadful.Cat

[MelanieGiles]

Top tip - don't speak to the "call staff" but insist on speaking to the IP personally if you feel that your case is not being managed properly.

You should not be paying extra money over which has already been absorbed in higher expenditure. Which firm are you with?

[sue_j4]

Hello Cat1
Just want to try and put your mind at rest also with regard to review and DFD. I too was orginally with Clearstart and was really happy with the service i had received. DFD have not been at all good on communication and its also been a worry. I was due my annual review in June this year. I completed all the income/expend forms on time and called to make sure they had been received. I heard nothing for weeks and i called maybe 4 times to check !!
Each time told they were very busy but it will get looked at. Then only last Friday i got the phone call to say no increase! Almost 6 months later!! I'm so pleased no increases but i had to ask over what would happen next when would my creditors receive the reporting. If i had not asked the questions i would not have been updated. It doent fill me with cofindence i must admit and i'm in for 6 years! But i will just keep paying my month payment and until my next review. I was told the delay was due to staff sickness and busy with transfers. It would be nice to be kept informed i must admit. Hope you hear something very soon .

[luluj]

We are with DFD and we had our review carried out two months early due to a change in wage. We were in receipt of a letter saying no change within 10 days of completing our new I&E and substantiating everything that had increased with copies of receipts or bills etc.

Our actual review date is September - the report to creditors hadn't been sent to us until I chased this last month but we received last week and all is ok.

DFD did not ask us to increase our payments despite my husbands payrise which was substantial.

Everytime we contact them I do this via email - that way you can track when they open the email etc. Also if I phone I always try and speak to the same person or always record the name of the person we speak with so that we have the name, time and day recorded.

So far I have no issues with DFD.

[cat 1]

Hi.Thanks for your comments.Still no news.Will write to them again tomorrow I think.Enclosing copies of wages slips.I do hope they get in touch soon.Each night the drive home agonsing and wondering if a letter has arrived.I too am in this for 6 years.Now keep wondering was an IVA my real only alternative as hate the loss of power and preoccupation.However, like the freedom, paying cash, budget and peace of mind it has brought.Contradictory I know.Nothing straightforward .Cat

[pixie]

Hi Cat, if they havn't already taken any payrises you should be fine. They only sent me details when I chased them after receiving the annual review 6 weeks after the due date. For me it was a pointless exercise as they totally ignored any increased expenses. They had already increased payments due to a payrise! I didn't bother arguing as I'd started along the road of a f&f at the same time. They did respond within a couple of weeks though, even if it was just to say they wouldn't be increasing payments. Had to laugh at that one!!
There's nothing to worry about though, your creditors agreed to the current expenses so they can't reduce what you already have. If you've had a payrise this should be easily offset against increases.

[cat 1]

Still not heard a thing! Sent another letter out with evidence of pay rise in (it was anticipated but hadn't happened so couldn't give precise amount before)It's always on my mind!

[jamie1967]

i would advise anyone that is considering an iva to stay well clear of dfd, i have been unfortunate enough that i have been dealing with them in my iva for nearly 5 years and have found their service nothing short of incompetent on every dealing i have had with them, my income has increased by 8k in the last 5 years and my payments have increased by 7k well fair, but all the allowances have stayed the same, i would consider hanging your self to be a better option than dealing with dfd,

[ruffin]

My review was supposed to be last September with them I sent all paperwork in And received nothing ..I have phoned many times I cant answer the phone while I am working so I spend my lunchtime hanging on for over 20 minutes to eventually being told its being sorted..I have sent a letter but no answer..I am also fed up as my overtime dried up at work and we were not managing at all the tumble dryer broke down and then the hoover and the fridge is on its way out so we were both rock bottom.. so I managed to get myself 16 hours doing a menial job on Friday /Saturday night so Fridays I have to work all day come home then go again all night without sleep I was hoping to contribute some of the extra into my IVA as I have the 10/50/50 for overtime but I get no response at all..Not sure what to do next ??Its like being in a limbo..In year 1 I had a rise and told them straight away and it was sorted within 2 weeks but now they just don't answer..

[Til]

Hi Cat 1

We are with DFD and each year our reviews have been fine. I too use email and scan everything to be sent in. They must be busier these days as this year I did our review in June (it was due August 7th) and I finally got the report on October 7th! I never did get a call even this year but I've learned that no news is good news and when it comes to reviews DFD don't always call to say no increase. I just assume no increase unless I'm told otherwise - especially as my surplus money stayed same pretty much.

My advice with DFD is to always use email (Judith on the Forum Experts page is lovely and always replies to me) and don;t worry if you don't hear after submitting your review as no news often means no increase

[Judith Anderton]

Hello Cat 1 & Ruffin,
Please email me on the address in my profile and myself or a member of our Forum Support Team will look into your cases in more detail.
Kind Regards
Judith

[ruffin]

I will Email you if I get no response from the letter I am sending today..I am not a young man approaching 6o fast ..I took a few extra hours on menial hard work... because I was concerned about people getting loans forced on them instead of equity and I would be nearly retired with a loan !!So I thought if I paid in extra my IVA will almost be paid off with a 12 month extension without me being forced to take a loan on....Plus we are struggling desperately on the IE you are allowed money for glasses but only one pair !What if you need two pairs my wife broke her reading glasses a few weeks ago and is using a magnifying glass Neither of us have been able to afford eye tests or new glasses since I entered into IVA 18 months ago the wife is getting desperate as she has a eye complaint but the main factor is to eat and pay utilitys....So I feel I need a bit extra being I am not getting any overtime or pay rises as I am public sector.. ..Household things are breaking down and its not a cheap area where we live they never account for things like that..We are not liars or thieves we have been totally 100% honest even phoning to say that I am taking extra hours on and sending a pay slip in for it..No response whatsoever...Except its being sorted every time I phone which is over 8 weeks now..I don't wish to go without sleep for the weekend then start my working week again but I am willing to do it to pay extra in and to help us get a few essentials..You would think that the creditors would be happy to receive extra funds..We are both stressed about it and I will be increasing my IVA myself to be honest and pay in what is owed..I wish I had never entered a IVA now because if I had got a small job initially I could have managed to pay all my debt without this stress hanging over me..What should be a easy thing is now turning into a nightmare...

[ruffin]

Thank you for your help via email. this forum is great for help..My problems are now sorted so we can stop living in panic mode.DFD are hard to contact I presume they are busy. But contacting them through here was fast and problems sorted.