I got stung by a company called Creditfix a few months ago. Basically I had £750 (3 lots of £250) taken out of my bank account even though I contacted them the next day after their salesman called round, and I let them know I'd lost my job and therefore couldn't go ahead with an IVA. I'm still waiting for a refund
[:(!]
I did a bit a digging and found out that Creditfix is aka BackToBlack. They took over a IP in Shipley a couple of years ago. Their Glasgow office is basically a call centre and they push IVAs very strongly irrespective of whether it's actually best advice for you. If you have enough debts in total and your income is enough they will send a salesman round to get you signed up. They even suggested things to add to my outgoings to make the IVA payment more affordable for me. [;)]
What they didn't make totally clear is that the standing order I was conned into signing along with the other paperwork is actually for an upfront payment to BackToBlack. It's set at 2x the IVA contribution, presumably it's their wedge for introducing the IVA sale to their own IP office! [:0]
So you get stung for a substantial payment upfront(several £100s)just to find out if your IVA will get accepted. And it's non-refundable if the IVA doesn't go through!
Their sales staff just skirted around it and more or less passed it off as being just that the first 2 payments go to BackToBlack. But they didn't explain that in reality it makes it 2 upfront payments PLUS the 60 monthly payments into the IVA.
What a rip-off! Do other IP's do this? And how can I get my money back?
Thanks.
Last edited by ben87 on Thu Dec 03, 2009 1:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
If this is actually happening out there - and I am not doubting you I am simply horrified as an IP to learn that this may be happening - then I think a report to the Office of Fair Trading might be in order.
The OFT are very interested in this type of process at the moment, and I feel sure would be interested in talking to you.
The threat of this may be sufficient to get your money back.
MelanieGiles wrote:
If this is actually happening out there - and I am not doubting you I am simply horrified as an IP to learn that this may be happening - then I think a report to the Office of Fair Trading might be in order.
The OFT are very interested in this type of process at the moment, and I feel sure would be interested in talking to you.
The threat of this may be sufficient to get your money back.
Yep, it's EXACTLY what happened! [:(!]
I'll write to them again and ask (again) for a full refund of my £750. But this time I'll threaten to report it to the OFT.
i can assure the majority of ip companies are definitely not like this and to be honest the name alone 'credit fix' sounds dodgy !
i would take mels advice and also if you have any contact details for this place fire off a strongly worded letter.
hopefully in the morning kallis may look in-she has a link to ip firms and possibly you may be able to contact someione from this place from it but im not 100 %
keep posting and i hope you have some luck with this [:)]
flumpy dog wrote:
hey ben sorry to hear thats happened to you.
i can assure the majority of ip companies are definitely not like this and to be honest the name alone 'credit fix' sounds dodgy !
i would take mels advice and also if you have any contact details for this place fire off a strongly worded letter.
hopefully in the morning kallis may look in-she has a link to ip firms and possibly you may be able to contact someione from this place from it but im not 100 %
keep posting and i hope you have some luck with this [:)]
Thanks for the supportive message. I will keep you posted on here.
Fortunately after digging around I have plenty of contact numbers and names. Apparently the bloke who owns the company used to own Livingston FC - and they're in a massive financial mess! [:0]
To be fair, the people I've spoken to at the IP office in Shipley seem ok. And when I got in touch with the salesman he confirmed that I had contacted them to cancel the next day and he was surprised to hear that I'd had money taken from my account. He told me to write in for a refund. From what I can make out it's the BackToBlack call centre in Glasgow that has ripped me off - but then again it's all part of the same company [?]
flumpy dog wrote:
well if youve had this verified by the salesman get his name and write in for your refund
can the ip office at shipley help or refund you ??
The IP dept in Shipley just said contact the Glasgow office because the £750 was taken by BackToBlack. When I wrote to them to complain and demand my money back I mentioned what the salesman had told me, but they just fobbed me off. This time I will enclose a copy of the email I had from him.
AND I will threaten to go to the OFT like Melanie suggested
[;)]
Last edited by ben87 on Thu Dec 03, 2009 2:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
