www.iva.co.uk

Hi
I have managed to secure Steven Nicholson,CEO of the CCCSVA and
finance director of the CCCS,for an interview at his offices in Leeds.
I will confirm a date once I can secure a day off at work but it
will be during May.
Steven has also invited myself and guests to view the operation of
the CCCS on the day of filming and I have suggested Melanie Giles
accompany me.
This is a great opportunity for all of us to better understand the workings of the CCCS and I am glad that Steven will be able to reply to any questions/criticsms that we may have regarding the CCCS.
Regards

Wow well done you, Andy - that will make interesting viewing[:)]

Sure Melanie will have a field day watching how they operate also!

I am looking forward to the visit, as a lot of the adverse comment received by this organisation actually seems to relate to the fact that they will not engage in debate

Prior the the visit, I am hoping that Andy will launch a survey on iva.co.uk to see what forum members feel is a sensible budget over the following areas, for a single person, married couple and each child. They key arears I am interested in are:-

Housekeeping (Food, toiletries and cleaning materials)
Clothing
School and Educational Expenditure
Social and Leisure
Medical Expenses

I hope to be able to provide some substance behind my argument that the CCCS allowances have no bearing on modern family expenditure to see if they are likely to be reviewed, and I hope to understand a little more of how creditors themselves actually influence (or not!) the running of this operation.

It is kind that Steven has taken time to contact Andy, and I feel sure that we will bring back positive reports of the working of their own IVA team and how they compare to the rest of the marketplace.

That is a fantastic idea Melanie, I am sure there will be a great response from the forum members.

It will be so interesting to see how they justify the low allowances.

When I spoke to them they said I could only have £10 a month for hair, but could have £55 for magazines and newspapers and £20 a month for cigarettes!

I am of the age where I need to have my hair coloured[;)] every 6 weeks and cut and work in a very customer facing job where I have to look smart. I have never known anyone who could have a cut, colour for £10 a month!

That's excellent new Andy - well done ! Look forward to the interview.

Sorry there is an error in my earlier post [:I][:I]

They would not allow £55 for magazines but £5[:I][:I]
Whoops sorry x

Melanie the school and educational expenses are such a necessity, my daughter will be entering her GCSE subject years and textiles is on of her chosen subject and I wouldn't want to hold her back but I also know this subject is very expensive.

I have just noticed this thread - well done Andy. Hopefully a number of positive benefits will come out of this. What I am hoping for is:

1. To understand them a bit more
2. For the CCCS to understand that the allowances they set (presumably to try to keep the banks happy) have not kept pace with costs of living.
3. For the CCCS to understand that we are all supposedly on the same time and that the term "Licensed Insolvency Practitioner" is not an insult.

Ian

And -

To say Thank You to CCCS for the brilliant and informative leaflets they send out about the various Debt Solutions that made me - and I am sure many many others - decide on the correct path forward.

As someone in Year 2 of an IVA - CCCS saved my sanity when I had no idea where I was going. Thank you to them and - despite the somewhat strange postings that criticise CCCS - please tell them that they are great people and I hope they will continue their great work.

I am sure that we will pass on your personal message to the team Optimist.

Well Melanie - I am a long term supporter of CCCS and do get a bit disheartened when they come in for grief -

When I first started missing payments I received (several!!!) copies of the BBA "Dealing With Debt" small booklet. One option listed therein was to contact the CCCS and I knew that Creditors would not send me down a pointless path. So - I contacted them. They (CCCS) sent me detailed stuff about each option and after a reassuring phone interview told me that an IVA was an option. CCCS passed my details to a well known IVA Provider but I had already gone my own way to my current provider. Charge from CCCS? - absolutely ZERO.

Thank You CCCS!!!!

Can I just add to this thread - I am sure that I am not the only one who has received jolly good advice from the CCCS. In my view they are a very good organisation who give you some very good advice on what to do (and all for £ ZERO). If there are others - like me - who have reeived spot-on advice and help from CCCS then please let Andy know - I do not understand the CCCS "knockers" and hope that we can give a balanced opinion.

They do well for my daughter, who is in a DMP with them, they've turned her life around too, I personally apart from the guidelines IP's adhere to have no direct dealings with them

I don't think that anyone really knocks the CCCS as an organisation. They play a good part in the debt recovery industry, offer a free service to those who wish to avail of it, and are now producing what I am told are good quality IVAs at commercial rates. I often refer clients to the CCCS, where they have expressed an interest in a free of charge DMP.

The majority of the criticism which is levied on this forum, other forums, and the media and national press is the setting of benchmarked expenditure figures which stipulate how much peopole can spend on certain areas. Some of them are very tight, and even the CCCS themselves acknowledge that they are needy of update - and I understand that this is ongoing at present.