50 Months In To IVA (Ebenegate) - Feeling Off

[IVAFeb2025]

Hi all,

Apologies for the long post ahead, just seeing if anyone is/has been in the same boat.

I’ve browsed these forums for years and always made me realise I wasn’t alone with debt and taking out an IVA. Lately, however, it’s really playing on my mind as I’ve looked over past documents/emails and remembered phone calls and it feels as though I’ll be in it even longer than anticipated or even potentially it failing. Here’s my background:

Debt: £40,000.00

Took out IVA in February 2019 with Vanguard with Creditors Meeting changing the term from 60 months to 72 months paying £172 per month (I knew payments would increase throughout the years).

Annual review with Vanguard stayed the same for another 12 months and changed jobs due to losing my job due to COVID.

IP stayed the same but Ebenegate took over the administration of my IVA in August 2020.

Annual review for 2021 and my payments increased by £41 p/m.

Sent in wage slips for going over my monthly threshold with overtime for 3 months but no reply.

Annual review for 2022 held and an additional £37 p/m added (now £250 p/m). Also they said I owed £173 to which they gave me several options: lump sum, 6-month catch-up or extension to IVA (took the 6 month catch-up of an additional £28 p/m). Kept paying this amount as there was several months where I done overtime.

Spoke to them about COL increases and rent increase but nothing back, always someone will be in touch.

Car HP come to an end and balloon payment needed. Emailed Ebenegate about it and said as monthly payments don’t exceed £250 (was paying £261) then that would be fine. This was originally noted on IVA at the start that I would want the balloon payment to be financed at the end of the current term. (Still nothing on COL).

Declined loan for balloon payment but parents took out loan and payment is only £226.

Sent in documents requested for 2023’s review in December - still not heard anything back and it’s been 4 months.

Looking back at my Annual Report I received just after the 3 year mark in March 2022 (the last one I received), my IVA duration has been extended by 6 months according to the report (78 now instead of 72).

Apparently my IP has changed too (from Peter Jackson to Tim Pope), but never received anything (whether you should or shouldn’t, I don’t know) from anyone.

I feel like I’m banging my head on a brick wall speaking with Ebenegate. I’m fulfilling my part of the contract when sending in wage slips with additional income on but they’ve not responded to COL or my rent increase. I normally have a response in January about what’s happening with the Annual Review and what payments are due going forward.

I never worried when I was with Vanguard at the start of my IVA and to be honest, it’s not the payments that are getting to me, it’s the fact that Ebenegate are supposed to be administering my IVA but never help.

I don’t want my IVA to fail after coming so far and it’s not the payments that are bugging me, it’s the added duration for no apparent reason.

Do I just continue making my payments of £278 per month and await a response and not chase them? I went back through 2022 and I went over my threshold several months again equalling £300 in total. My current pay is £100 per month more than my threshold, but that’s not taking into account the COL through 2022/23 & £125 p/m rent increase.

It feels as though I’m being set-up to fail all of a sudden. I’ve never had a notice of breach, but I feel as though one could be coming due to Ebenegates incompetence or am I just worrying too much? I can afford the payments still and don’t want to go chasing Ebenegate after I’ve done everything they’ve asked, but in the same breath I don’t want to seem as though I don’t care about the IVA and for them to potentially try and make it more difficult than it already is.

Original Duration: 72 months
Apparent Current Duration: 78 months
Payments Made: 50 (£10,695.06)
Payments Missed: 0
Payment Break: 0

Thanks for reading.

[kallis3]

Hi,

Ebengate are not known for their customer services and do get bad reviews on here. It's unfortunate that you were transferred to them. You should try emailing your IP directly and saying you want answers. You should continue to make your payments and make sure you keep copies of any email correspondence you have with them. Your IVA terms should remain the same as they were when you entered into the IVA.

[Breezy]

The Insolvency Service cite Mr Pope's details as:
Name
Mr TIMOTHY JAMES POPE
Company
TJP Insolvency Limited
Address
8, The Mews, Fulford Chase, YORK, YO10 4QN
Telephone
07710 302564
Fax
IP Number
8090
Licensing Body
IPA
Email
tim.pope@tjpinsolvency.co.uk

As Kallis suggested, try contacting him direct. After all is said and done it is his responsibility. If no joy you could escalate a complaint to his regulatory body via the Government Gateway.

[IVAHelp123]

Thanks for the replies Kallis & Breezy.

Yeah, I don’t have any intention of not paying them, but as I said, it feels like I’m just at a dead end with Ebenegate. From what I can gather across the internet, they’re renowned for lack of communication amongst other things so I’ve sent one last email to Ebenegate hoping to get a response before getting in touch with the IP.

The automatic email reply from their email says Peter Jackson is still my IP and they’re still going through a transitional period (from August 2020).

Just wish that they were audited/looked at better like myself and others are who are in IVA’s.

Thanks for the information.

[Katymac]

I’m having the exact same issue with Ebengate. My agreement was 60 months. I’m at 60 months now. I took 3 payment breaks over 5 years so expected to see and extension of 3 months. I have now been told it is 67 months. Called, emailed and am getting nowhere. I have missed no other payments apart from the 3 agreed breaks. Really don’t know what to do.

[kallis3]

Are they expecting you to make payments after the 63 months? You do need to clarify this. Ebengate are terrible at communication. Email your IP directly and also tell them you will be making a complaint and this might spur them into action/

[Katymac]

Yes they are.
I finally had this back from them but I have no idea what it means. I was never short of payments and always paid the correct amount throughout my IVA.

As per your chairmans report your Iva was approved on 60months.

As You had 3 payment breaks and 2 additional pays( (may 2019 there was AIC)due in they paid half but not the remainder)

Note that there were two reduced payment during Covid where the difference was added to the end, but your supervisor has updated this to one.

Hence this has been corrected on our side and your length of IVA is 66.

[IVAFeb2025]

Ebenegate still being Ebenegate with everyone who has an IVA run through them then Katymac!

As above, I’ve kept track of everything and sent requested documents before the yearly anniversary date (February start of my IVA, always sent documents December/January prior to the anniversary). I’m still non the wiser with them for my annual review for 2023. I’ve lost all faith in my IVA and I am continuing to pay as per agreement, however, I’ve saved any potential “extras” until my “new” threshold is announced. Although it may not be true, my wages have exceeded my threshold by approximately £100 per month, but that’s not taken into account my rent increase since November 2022 by £125 per-month, plus the energy price rises, fuel and general cost-of-living.

Current timeline with Ebenegate for 2022 annual review:

Sent “requested” documents in December 2022 & January 2023.

Requested my “annual report” in April.
Received annual report in May which stated that last communication with my case officer was in February 2023 and that an I&E review has not been received by the debtor (me) and are currently pursuing debtor (me) and may revert to the creditors in due course. However, one good thing was my duration that was back to the original 72 months and not 78 months as per the previous years annual report.

Multiple emails/phone calls with regards to my I&E straight away on receipt of the annual report. All documents that are requested sent to Ebenegates “generic” annual review email address aswell as my “case officer” 1 week after receiving their email address (locked out of old email so had to request email address).

End of May I receive a text message asking for documents for annual review. Again, phoned up and got confirmation that they’ve had the documents. Also emailed as well and received email confirmation from Ebenegate stating that they’ve received my documents and will be notified of the outcome once it’s been assigned to a case officer, I’ll be notified of the outcome.

Since February I’ve not had no correspondence from “my” case officer. Still now I’m waiting. It’s 11th August 2023 and since the 1st May 2023 (nearly 15 weeks ago).

Currently paid 54/72 payments and only 2 payments short of what was originally agreed. So the creditors (and probably Ebenegate/IVA firm) are gonna have at least 18 months of extra money and I’m ok with that because that’s what I signed up to with Vanguard in 2019 and still got my out of a horrible spiral of debt!

I’ve lost all interest in dealing with Ebenegate and although I have maintained my payments, I just feel like I’m “done” with them. I’ve just got my fingers crossed mine doesn’t get extended as I’m already in it for 6 years!

[Katymac]

That sounds horrendous!
Yes - exactly the same here with regards to annual review and had the same thing on my report - that my I&E not received despite me sending it on time.
Annual review due in August (60 months in) and have heard nothing from them.

[IVAFeb2025]

Hopefully you’ll get yours sorted soon Katymac. Although in the long-term it’s massively helped me out, it’s stressful us and others going through this horrendous system that Ebenegate employ.

I never missed a payment and always emailed in overtime etc to which they never replied. And as I said above, my term was extended from 72 to 78 months in 2021/22 but reverted back from 78 months to 72 months 2022/23. I honestly don’t know how they get away with what they’re doing. With Vanguard, it was so easy and straightforward, but most importantly, fast.

Hope you get yours all sorted and please, if you wouldn’t mind, keep us informed of/if anything changes.

[IVAFeb2025]

So, here I am again. I sent multiple documents in 2022/2023 for annual review (December 2022, May 2023 & August 2023) and eventually got my 2023 review done later in October 2023. So going through it, they said I “owed money” as per previous year, even though I sent it documents when I went over said threshold. So basically:

Annual review December 2021: You owe £175. Told them I sent in the months wage slips as per agreement and never got a response. They offered: 1) pay set amount in full; 2) spread the cost over 6 months (a catch up plan they called it); 3) extend the IVA by 6 months. After having confirmation verbally and an email stating it being a “catch up plan”, I opted for option 2, pay the extra over 6 months.

After the 6 months I continued paying the extra money going forward for an additional 15 months incase they tried anything again. Behold in October, they done the annual review and originally said I owed them money. Explaining the cost of living, my rent increase and me continuing to pay more than the agreement, I asked them to calculate it again and they actually said I overpaid and to adjust my payment before starting the new agreed payment in November.

So annual review was 10 months late (October 2023) and they’ve requested another review in February (2024). As per all documents have been sent in on the 26th February 2024 and confirmation via email on the 4th March 2024 that they’ve received the documents. It will be 14 weeks tomorrow since I’ve sent them and 13 weeks tomorrow for their acknowledgment - still no update.

Annual Reports

So each year I receive my annual reports, never missed a payment, never had a payment break and never had a breach. So this year I noticed, again, the duration of my IVA on my report had been extended by 6 months. Now, as previously said, it happened in a past annual report. I’ve never had any notice about my IVA term being extended, ever.

Original: 72 months

Shown on annual reports:

2020: 72 months
2021: 72 months
2022: 78 months (no reason given and said it must be an error)
2023: 72 months
2024: 78 months (said it was due to the catch up plan in 2022 - but told them it was a catch up plan not an extension and have email confirming it’s a catch up plan and they’ll let me know tomorrow (Monday 3rd June 2024).

But why would they change the duration, change it back and then change it again without any acknowledgement to why? I thought any extension had to be agreed by all parties, especially if I had any breaches?

I’ve asked for my IP’s contact details as his old details aren’t correct, emails keep bouncing. But anyone dealt with anything similar?

Duration extended without any communication.
EbeneGate not carrying out the reviews in supposed set time frame.
Using P60’s alone, I’ve never exceeded my threshold, hence me sending monthly wage slips when I have, as per agreement.

Thanks for any reply and sorry for another longwinded post! I should be 64/72 payments now, not worrying about the administration of my IVA!

[kallis3]

Sorry about all of these problems but Ebengate are not being good at the moment. Double check on the IR to see who your IP is now as I believe it mave changed.

Just to let you know that this site is not constantly monitored now. Try this one now https://theivaforum.co.uk/forum/

[IVAFeb2025]

Hi again kallis3,

Yeah, I’ve posted across several forums and hoping to get somewhere.

Thanks for the advice and in doing so and checking the IR, it can’t find my details… I’ve found them in the past and got the details when my IP changed.

Should I be concerned about it not being currently found?

Thanks again.

[IVAFeb2025]

Sorry, found it now and it’s still the same IP. Think I’ll get in touch with Credit Fix as that’s where he’s down as working for.

[kallis3]

Do give it a try - can't hurt. Do give the link I posted a try. The advice is good. Let me know how thing pan out. I am on the other forum as well but under a different name as are several others.