Baines and Ernst?????? HELP!!!!

cazub40

Hi, I was wondering if anyone on here can help me out please!?
I was contacted about 6 weeks ago by Baines and Ernst about doing a debt management plan. I ran through some questions with them and they said it was definately do-able as the man said and went ahead with several phone calls and started the procedure very quickly. They were quite pushy to start with but at the same time very helpful. Within a week a man from the company picked up paperwork from us and took it away to set up the DMP. In the meantime as I hadn't heard from them for a few days I contacted them and they said they were actually going to put me on an IVA because it would suit us better. They advised me to change banks,as I bank with my main credator, which I did quickly and transferred all my direct debits etc. They then told me that I had to pay the fees to them in the first month and arranged a date to pay this to them. I stopped paying my credators and paid them £600. When I checked my bank account they had taken £1200!!! I chased them for a 2 days asking them for my £600 back for which they claim they never took in the first place. I faxed a copy of my bank statement to them and they finally paid back the money. Since then, over a week ago I had heard nothing and everytime I call they say that my IVA is ongoing!?!?! I have now tried for the last 3 days to get answers from them and have finally found out that my IVA hasn't even been started yet and that they are no longer dealing with it and it has been referred to a company called Grant Thornton. I contacted Grant Thornton today and they have no record of me at all. I contacted Baines and they said that they paperwork will be sent to Grant Thornton tonight. I have then contacted Grant Thornton to tell them this, the lady on the phone was very nice and helpful and explained that it shouldn't take long to deal with my IVA once they get the paperwork from Baines but I am concerned that Baines have taken £600 from me!? What exactly was this for if they have referred my case to someone else to deal with?? Do I ask for it back? They told me 6 weeks ago to stop paying my credators and took the money from me to allow me doing this and now I have my creadators on my back and an unplanned overdraft of which I am being charged £10 a day!!!! Sorry this is so long...I need some advise asap as I am slowly going insane....seem to be worse off now than I was before. Yes I was struggling with my debts but I was managing (only just!) to pay them and now I am behind with every and having demanding letters and phone calls!! HELP PLEASE!
Caroline

FoggyBrain_2

Hi. I am sorry to hear of this situation. Basically, and it is done now, you should not have dealt with a company who cold called you. Baines, in this instance are acting as introducers and the £600 is their fee for collating your details. On the plus side, this should speed things up when GT get going.

The O?D fess etc, although galling, will be rolled into the IVA, and, in the grand scheme of things, won't make much difference to the overall debt, and, indeed, more than that is likely to be written off when the IVA concludes.

Might I suggest you opo over to https://www.iva.co.uk for more help and advice? GT also post over there and forum members can email the advisor directly for help.