Terry when I first rang around I was considering a DMP, I rang Stepchange and Payplan as well as Freeman Jones. I got the feeling, particularly from Payplan that they were acting almost exclusiv ely in the interests of creditors...cant remember what Stepchange specifically quoted byt it was better than Payplan. However the option that I would have gone for had I gone the DMP routes was Freeman Jones as it wass clear that would ahve fought my corner the hardest. Their proposed figures and allowances would have finished the DMP earliest, with more to live on and that's including the fees they charge.
In the end it was irrelevant, but it wouldnt have been in my interest to go with a "free" company.
Terry, at the end of the day your friend should go where they feel comfortable. StepChange (though not to my personal taste) has many, many happy clients, and, if your friend is happy with them, then go there.
My opinions are merely that .. opinions based on experience. Always seek professional advice.
IVA Completed 23rd July 2013 .... C.C. 10th January 2014
well i can almost feel that a lot of people on here do not agree with a free company which seems very strange but i suppose each to their own,at the end of the day i dont want to see people who are in debt being taken advantage off going with a company that takes a % of what their payingif you were getting a better or shorter dmp whilst paying id say thats fair but after researching this quite a lot it seems to me you not,if you can get any product for free why pay ,ive spoken to stepchange about this and this site and about sponsering on here am awaiting their reply
never cment on me speling its rubbish and i didnt go to schola lot okk
made bankrupt 1st august 2012 at 10.00am
now disharged so bankrupt no more thank god im free of debt now
Andy Davie is the site spokesperson and would be interested in what you are talking to stepchange a bout so I will make him aware of your post (assuming he's not already of course).
IVA final payment left the bank on the 26th January 2013...looking forward to a debt free future.
Terry -- the point is -- they are not free !!! They are paid for by the creditors, just not directly from your contributions.
They are no better, nor any worse than other companies -- they have thousands of happy clients and we rarely get to see complaints about them here.
That all said, people must go where they feel happiest. When I was doing my research I found them to be too pushy and very stringent with what they would allow me to retain for my own living expenses.
If a DMP is the way you wish to go, then they and Payplan are certainly worth looking at. Personally ( and this is a purely personal opinion and is no way reflective of general opinion or that of the forum) I would prefer not to have a fox guarding my hen house.
Incidentally, WHATEVER you are told, by WHOEVER at the start of your DMP, there is no way, on God's green earth, that they will be able to predict the length of the arrangement.
My opinions are merely that .. opinions based on experience. Always seek professional advice.
IVA Completed 23rd July 2013 .... C.C. 10th January 2014
StepChange do occasionally post from time to time on the forum and monitor it on a regular basis. There is a need for fee charging and the non fee charging companies, all with give free advice.
There is an interview online between myself and Steve Nicholson who is the finance director of The CCCS[now Stepchange] http://andydavie.com/cccs.asp
i agree with a lot of points made by andy and foggy and agree that a paying company or a non paying company is done to choice im just stating i feel people need the information that there is a choice, i now see stepchange have got tv adverts which is good because people can see theres a choice,look im simple terms where you go shopping for food is your choice tescos sainsburys asda,nice to have the knowledge that you can choose where to go ,wouldnt it be unfair if your choice was just tescos
never cment on me speling its rubbish and i didnt go to schola lot okk
made bankrupt 1st august 2012 at 10.00am
now disharged so bankrupt no more thank god im free of debt now
Fair points Terry -- but I don't see the problem. It is down to Stepchange as to how and where they advertise and I doubt many people looking into debt problems do not know of their existence. After all, they are the recommendation of choice by the creditors themselves (for obvious reasons), they are also routinely recommended by the likes of the Citizen's Advice Bureau and other debt advice agencies.
My opinions are merely that .. opinions based on experience. Always seek professional advice.
IVA Completed 23rd July 2013 .... C.C. 10th January 2014
well maybe a few people who have read this post now know there is a choice but id ike to see that on a bigger scale ,i myself have change 3 people i know from a paying company to stepchange and i can honestly see no differance in the two except the fee you pay to a paying company
never cment on me speling its rubbish and i didnt go to schola lot okk
made bankrupt 1st august 2012 at 10.00am
now disharged so bankrupt no more thank god im free of debt now
Thing is, Terry, this is primarily an IVA site. The majority are in IVA's and cannot change providers.
At the end of the day, there is very little basic difference between a mini and a rolls royce (wheel at each corner, big nut behind the steering wheel, etc).. but "you pays your money, and you makes your choice".
There are absolutely no guarantees with a DMP either way, whichever way you change either could be the frying pan or the fire.
My opinions are merely that .. opinions based on experience. Always seek professional advice.
IVA Completed 23rd July 2013 .... C.C. 10th January 2014
Reputable debt management companies and insolvency practitioners are obliged to advise their clients of the "not for profit" agencies to enable them to exercise the right choice. This certainly happens in my firm, and others who I regularly interact with, so I am afraid I don't really understand what point Terry is making.
