new member

[bettyboop]

Hi all, I'm new to the forum and this is my first post so go easy on me. Can I just say how much support this site has been for me over the last few weeks. It's so reasuring to know that we're not going through this on our own. I've been hooked to the forum every night and i've learned so much from reading the posts.
We took the first step a few weeks ago and contacted Melanie's team to try and find a solution for our huge debt problem. Prior to this we had buried our heads in the sand thinking it would go away. From the moment I spoke to Melanie I knew we were in safe hands and we have now returned most of oiur paperwork for our proposal so am looking forward to things starting to move. I'm so worried about the creditors meeting as I think we will be offering quite a low dividend(not sure of the exact figure) but I know it's less than most I have read on the forum.
I know this is only the first step of a very long journey and I know it's not going to be easy but I'm so relieved that we are sorting this once and for all.
Looking forward to getting to know you all during this next chapter in our lives.

[trina]

Hi Bettyboop,

I'd just like to say youre in very safe hands here and like you I read this forum for weeks and weeks before i made that inital phone call.

Everyone is so supportive on here and there have been times when i have been so low and just didnt know what to do, I to am in the early stages and have sent all my paperwork off and are waiting for the next stage.

good luck with your journey and keep posting and we will all support each other.

trina x

[Lisa2009]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Im glad its been a help for you and im sure it will continue to be.
Well done for accepting you have a problem. I have to say, you couldnt have chosen a better IP.

Good luck for the rest of your journey xxxxx

[bettyboop]

Thanks Trina, It's such a scary process and I'm finding it so scary stopping payments to our creditors as we have always paid at least minimum payments each month (even if we were only robbing peter to pay paul!!)
The hardest thing I've found is trying to keep this whole thing secret from my children. I wait until they are in bed at night before coming on the forum.
Are you with Melanie's team too? I have been so impressed with how professional and non judgemental they are.

Keep me posted on your progress

[pixie]

Hi Bettyboop - Welcome to the forum [:)]

You've done the hard bit now and you couldn't be in safer hands [:)]
It is a long journey and it always looks very daunting at the start but your not on your own, it's a very big boat [:)]

[bettyboop]

Thanks for your kind words of support. We tried to handle this problem alone by contacting our creditors ourselves but we have found that whilst some appear to be very supportive there are others that we have found to be very unsympathetic to our situation. One of our creditors is First Direct, we have a personal loan and credit card and we also bank with them and after writing to them and enclosing details of all our income and expenditure and offering them a pro rata payment, we received a letter yesterday saying they have cancelled our overdraft and are withdrawing our banking facility. I'm just so pleased that we followed advice and changed our bank account so our salary will go into the new bank this month. I have read several posts about First Direct closing accounts andI just can't believe how quickly they have acted.

[trina]

yes I to am with Melanie and the team there are great, very supportive and understanding. I felt guilty and slmost sucidal when I first spole to Tina, when I'd finished the phone call I felt like so much pressure had been lifted.

I know excaclty what you mean with the children, Iam constantly running to the phone now before she has chance to grab it as the only people who normally ring are the creditors!! I tend to unplug it now until she goes to bed as we get up to ten calls a day beacause we have missed a few payments.

Although I don't post on the forum very regular as I feel I haven't the knowledge yet to advise anybody, I am glued to the site most of the day.[:)]

The support on here is amazing and a big thankyou to you all.

Trina x

[bettyboop]

Does anyone know how long it normally takes for your proposal paperwork to come through once you have returned all your paperwork.

[loubylou10]

Hi Bettyboop - I to am very new to the site and so far I feel from posting and reading others problems I feel like part of a group and not alone anymore. Welcome and I wish you all the luck in the world.

[Lisa2009]

The best thing about this forum apart from the advice is the friends we have made along the way.

[bettyboop]

Thanks loubylou, It's definately reasuring to know we have the support of others on this site who are going through the same thing.

Good luck with your journey too x

[MelanieGiles]

A very warm official welcome to the Forum Family - and now you have made the first step to post you will be able to share your journey with the other members and receive a lot of support from a whole new circle of friends.

[Kazzy E]

Hi there BettyBoop. Welcome to your new IVA family. We too are with Melanie and have just returned our proposal ready for our creditors meeting. We are offering quite a low dividend also, but I am confident in that Melanie would not have taken on our case and put so much work into it if she didn't feel we had some degree of chance for acceptance. Melanie's team are fantastic and I spoke with Melanie herself for the first time last Saturday. She is really lovely and has an amazing quality of being able to put you at ease. IVA is a very scary and stressful process, but you are amongst friends here and we are all here to help you on your journey. I wish you the best of luck, keep posting. Kazzy x [:)]

[bettyboop]

Melanie, thanks for your support, I'm so glad that we have chosen you to propose our IVA.

Kazzy, Thanks for your reply, it's reasuring to know that you are also offering a low dividend. How long has it taken you to get to this stage? and have you got a date for your creditors meeting? I'd love you to keep me posted on your progress. Good luck!!

[Kazzy E]

Aw thats nice, thanks. We started the ball rolling around the middle of May, but we have quite a large debt with one creditor which needed a bit of attention in the early stages, so inevitably our case has taken slightly longer. Melanie is aiming to get our meeting booked by the end of July; we have submitted our first payment with our proposal docs (which will be returned in the event of non-acceptance). I will keep you posted as to the date of our meeting. You are in very good hands, you needed to choose an IP that you are happy to 'live with' for the next five years and I think Mel and her team are the perfect choice. I will keep watching your posts and will follow your journey. Keep in touch. Kazzy x