Debt Relief Orders (DRO) - Information & help thread

thepurplegoldfish

I did a DRO in June. I now looking for contents insurance, when I'm looking on the comparison websites, one of the questions is; Have you or anyone in your household been declared Bankrupt, seems like a silly question, but what do I tick Yes/No.... By Bankrupt do they include DRO's? Or do I tick no, because I didn't go bankrupt, but instead did a DRO. Help

thepurplegoldfish

gavinh wrote: »

i am unemployed and was going to apply for a debt relief order after months of struggling and then realising i had to throw my hands in the air and give up.
i spoke to legal aid and they advised me not to start a DRO if i planned to start working again within the next 12 months (which i definitely do). so instead they have asked my creditors to accept £2 a month for a while, which im waiting to see if they will accept. (i guess they have to cos they cant get blood out of a stone).
anyway im just wondering, was this definitely the right advice i was given, NOT to take the DRO?

If you are going to be working within the 12 months, you'll probably have more than £50 disposable income each month, which means your DRO would be cancelled and you'd have to pay back all the money anyway, so you'd be better off saving your £90 DRO fee.

However if your in a hellish situation with debts etc, maybe staying out of work for the 12 month period ( not ideal, nor am I suggesting that people do this) but maybe it would be better in the long run, really depends on people individual circumstances.

thepurplegoldfish

SimIsOnTheUp wrote: »

Hiya PandaPaws,

Keep it simple.

I wouldn't take the risk.

Just open a new account with a completely unrelated bank, so that all your future income is safe. Be sure to keep your OR informed and I'm sure everything will be fine.

You don't need any possible hassle down the line if you're going for a DRO, so it's a safer bet finding a new bank, so that all your priority bills are paid safely on time.

I have a Co-op Cashminder account, which has been brilliant for the past six years.

It's a basic account (Visa Debit Card / no cheque book / no overdraft / online banking / DD / SO facilities), but their customer service on the phone is the best I've ever experienced.

I think Co-op will even open an account for undischarged Bankrupts, so even though you're going for a DRO, they should still open an account for you.

Try giving the Co-op a call.

Hope this helps,

Good Luck,

Sim.

PS - I wouldn't trust Santander / any related bank of theirs with my money in the future, due to having rather poor customer service with my A&L (now Santander) bank over the phone! Move to the Co-op. You won't regret it

I hate Santander (Abbey National), they messed up my DD/SO ended up with some payments missing, some over paid, some paid the wrong amounts on the wrong days, all down to a customer service rep (india), that cocked everything up, I ended up with over £1000 in charges for their !!!! up, they knew they were in the wrong, but trying to get that through to them in their Indian Call centres, JESUS. After months and months of phone calls and letters etc, I just added them to my DRO and moved to the Co-op Cashminder Account, I love the Co-op Bank, I too have all the same benefits as above, including online banking ( not all basic account have this).

I highly recommend Co-op, even after my DRO has ended and my credit file looking alright again, I'll never change to another bank, nor to another current account. This account is perfect, all the banking facilities anyone could want without the chance of going overdrawn and getting into more debt. Also as mentioned above the customer service is A* and its in the UK.

Hope this helps

cd36uk

gavinh wrote: »

i am unemployed and was going to apply for a debt relief order after months of struggling and then realising i had to throw my hands in the air and give up.
i spoke to legal aid and they advised me not to start a DRO if i planned to start working again within the next 12 months (which i definitely do). so instead they have asked my creditors to accept £2 a month for a while, which im waiting to see if they will accept. (i guess they have to cos they cant get blood out of a stone).
anyway im just wondering, was this definitely the right advice i was given, NOT to take the DRO?

I hope interest and charges have/will be frozen?

I was quite horrified at how much was added every month to my debts in charges etc. I was worried that if my DRO wasn't granted I would be left with even bigger debts than when I started!

So it makes sense to get that sorted or your £2 a month will get you nowhere.

As mentioned by thepurplegoldfish, the possibility of staying out of work for 12 months and applying for a DRO is something perhaps worth considering.

cd36uk

thepurplegoldfish wrote: »

I hate Santander (Abbey National), they messed up my DD/SO ended up with some payments missing, some over paid, some paid the wrong amounts on the wrong days, all down to a customer service rep (india), that cocked everything up, I ended up with over £1000 in charges for their !!!! up, they knew they were in the wrong, but trying to get that through to them in their Indian Call centres, JESUS. After months and months of phone calls and letters etc, I just added them to my DRO and moved to the Co-op Cashminder Account, I love the Co-op Bank, I too have all the same benefits as above, including online banking ( not all basic account have this).

I highly recommend Co-op, even after my DRO has ended and my credit file looking alright again, I'll never change to another bank, nor to another current account. This account is perfect, all the banking facilities anyone could want without the chance of going overdrawn and getting into more debt. Also as mentioned above the customer service is A* and its in the UK.

Hope this helps

I recommend Co-op too, my only gripe with them is that the internet banking is not updated quickly (debit card tranactions take a day or so to show up, meaning your balance on screen looks higher than it really is) and to get an accurate balance means a phonecall (0845 number) or trip to the atm machine.
But the pros outweigh the con. The account was easy to open in just one phonecall (no I.D)

thepurplegoldfish

In relation to the 0845 number to call the Co-Op, you can use 01695 53760 it's the landline number for the Co-Op automated service, i've been using in for months, saves on the premium numbers, also if you're calling from a mobile it'll come out of your minutes.


Hope this helps.

fatbelly

thepurplegoldfish wrote: »

I did a DRO in June. I now looking for contents insurance, when I'm looking on the comparison websites, one of the questions is; Have you or anyone in your household been declared Bankrupt, seems like a silly question, but what do I tick Yes/No.... By Bankrupt do they include DRO's? Or do I tick no, because I didn't go bankrupt, but instead did a DRO. Help

The answer is 'no'

You have taken advantage of an insolvency solution but not been declared bankrupt.

They need to reword their question

PandaPaws_3

Thanks all for your suggestions, I will enquire about a co-op account. I'm a bit worried that I already have two current accounts and am applying for a third now, and whether this looks dodgy for some reason! A basic account sounds like a good idea, though, think I'll go for that

Orville

Hi. Just had a meeting with the CAB who suggested the same as the CCCS and go for a DRO. She mentioned i would need a valuation of my car through parkers guide. I have got this but would like to know what part of the valuation do they go by.

Independent Dealer £935
Private Good £755
Private Poor £495

Is it the Independant dealer part of the Valuation or the private poor/private good etc.

Do they also take the milage as it is or do they use the average that the site says it should have done..?

fatbelly

Orville wrote: »

Hi. Just had a meeting with the CAB who suggested the same as the CCCS and go for a DRO. She mentioned i would need a valuation of my car through parkers guide. I have got this but would like to know what part of the valuation do they go by.

Independent Dealer £935
Private Good £755
Private Poor £495

You're going to qualify on whatever figure, so Private Good or Private Poor will do nicely