Scare Tactics?

[pleasehelpme22]

I understand creditors may feel let down by not recieving there monthly payments but was wondering whether a conversation i had earlier with GOLDFISH was normal practice ?

I got a text on my mobile requesting me to contact GOLDFISH so i decided to call them as this was the 3rd text.... when i called them i told the chap on the phone i was in the process of trying to set up an IVA and that he should have recieved a letter from me , he confirmed this had been recieved.. then said he had to transfer me to another department. A lady comes on the phone and starts asking for a payment ,i said i had been advised to make no payments as i did not have to fnds to do so and also that i did not want to be seen to make preferencial treatment to one of my creditors , she said 'Well if you dont pay then we could refuse your IVA at the creditors meeting' is this a normal thing for them to say? when i told her i had a basic acc and could not pay over the phone she said i could go into a paypoint centre and pay my bill there... She also said that she would refund my recent charges for late payment if i could make the payment .

It was left that i wanted to speak with my partner before making payments so she is going to call me back on monday 19th to see if i can make the payment.

Although she wasnt nasty or anything , you already have so much doubt in your mind that your IVA may be refused you really could do without people actually saying it!!!

Anyone else experienced this?

Tanya

[freelili]

I doubt very much that she has the aurthority to refuse your IVA, if fact I would stake my life on it. Its more than likey that she wants to secure a payment to reach her target for the day. I think they will say anything to secure a payment and even though they are not supposed to lie, they do.

I would stick to your guns and not make the payment if thats what you have been advised by your IP. If she says that again, I would challenge her, get her name and say youre going to pass this to your IP. It is very wrong that they get away with this and it is a form of 'causing stress' which is illegal.

Good luck with your IVA journey.

[size5]

Standard creditor tactics simply to try and bully you into making payment to them directly. If you follow the advice you have been given then you will be fine and although this must be a very stressful time for you, you are in very safe hands.

[TheMatrix]

Listen to what your IP or advisers are advising, nothing short of bullying

[Moneystinks]

We have had Halifax hounding us also. I have so far been firm and told them that if I could afford to pay then I wouldn't be putting myself through this. I too have been told they would say no to IVA. I have told them that maybe BR would be the only option then......I thanked him for heads up that they may refuse and told him I will look into BR - guess what................he back tracked and said he would call next week and see 'how we were'?

5 minutes later I got another auto messagefrom the Halifax. argggggghhhhhhhhh!

[Homer2418]

Tanya

Is your mobile on contract or pay as you go, if the latter, change your sim card and get a new number.
If its a standard BT phone then aquire a answer phone and leave it running, there'll soon get ticked off with talking to a machine

[connie]

i've had similar. i had offers from lloyds to make a full settlement and they'd write off 70% of my loan. a good offer i thought if only i had the other 30% to pay it off. when i spoke to the guy i said i know its a good offer and i'd pay it if i could. when i mentioned i was going into an iva, he was trying to talk me out of it saying an iva works out an expensive route and i could pay that loan off instead and was trying to get me to borrow the money from family.
they all have there own scare tactics. i dread people ringing.
today seeing as i didn't take them up on there offer i just got a yellow card through the post saying warning immediate payment must be returned with the card card of 15000. sure, like if i had 15000 in the bank wouldn't i be repaying my debt.
i doubt they can refuse an iva just because you don't do as they say over the phone. it won't be that person who decides anyway.

[ianmillington]

It is common practice for some creditors to spread Fear Uncertainty and Doubt amongst people going into an IVA, not only about the process but about the IPs too. It is simply designed to achieve one thing, to squeeze out a few quid.

Those who visit this site are informed far better than most, and they are in the minority I'm afraid. I have lost count of the times when a creditor has chased a client and told them the IP firm has not sent them any papers so they have to pay. This winds up the client who then contacts the IP only to be told that not only has the creditor had the paperwork but the IP holds an acceptance vote from the creditor in question.

Basically it's a case of someone with a target who is prepared to say anything that will help them achieve it. There used to be a time when simply working for a bank meant that one had scruples.

[freelili]

I had a creditor who said your not doing one of those 5 year things are you? They will spit you out, take your money and you'll be paying for 10 years or more. And you will be in court before it goes through. This is the Gods honest truth. I really didnt know anyting but it scared the pants off me.

Mr. Ian did you mention call center staff and scuples in the same paragraph??

[ianmillington]

No Lily, I said "simply working for a bank". [:)] You could generally rely on the old-fashioned bank manager to at least be reasonably straight with you.

Call centres, well I have 4 people manning the incoming calls which I suppose means I have a call centre too! So I'm careful not to generically slag call centres off.

Ian

[Moneystinks]

I used to work in a few different call centres - one of them believe it or not as Barclays. We were inbound call taking staff when I started and then our roles changed to sales and service agents - I left!!

I could not sit and sell products I knew people could not afford that was 9 yrs ago.

[MelanieGiles]

Whether you make token payments or no payments this will have absolutely no effect on the proposals you submit to creditors or the liklihood of acceptance.

[Soulgrowth]

Tanya ... I would completely concur with Homers advice above. Whilst I was going through my IVA proposal I engaged in what turned out to be one very distressing telephone conversation with one of my creditors ... so much so that from then on I had all my home calls re-directed to my mobile which has caller display and didn't answer any number I did not know the origin of ... life is far too short to get involved in such pointless conversations ... your IVA will be set up soon [:)]

Debbie

[pleasehelpme22]

My mobile is a pay as you go with Tesco so will maybe get it unblocked as do have an old PAYG Sim somewhere.... also was thinking of getting home calls rediected ot mobile like you Debbie that way i know whos ringing

Tanya

[kallis3]

My mobile is on a contract, so I simply got them to change the number. As for the home phone, the only people who ever left a message were Mercers and I just deleted the messages and never rang them back. I told them by letter that I would not enter into any conversation with them. All the others just used to ring off as soon as the answer phone cut in.

Don't give in the bullying tactics, just keep telling them you are going for an IVA, can't afford to make any payments then put the phone down.