Grant Thornton and my IVA

UpToMyNeckInIt

Yes, lots of posts on various forums about former MDC customers being hassled by GT. This tells me this is a genuine wide-spread problem, rather than a customer mistakenly thinking their IVA was complete when is wasn't..

Either that, or something dodgy was going on in the final throws of MDC management – eg: issuing ‘completion’ paperwork, when the IVA was still open, just to get customers off their backs.

My understanding is that, once you have your completion certificate, together with your final report showing all payments up to date with your creditors, then any windfall you get after that should be yours to keep (after all, your IVA is ‘Complete’).

Saying all that, GT may have their widely-reported faults, but they do know what they are doing, so I cannot imagine they are doing anything illegal.

Also, what seems to be happening with some former MDC customers, is that they have not been removed from the Insolvency Register (do check). Send them a copy of your completion paperwork if that affects you. Don't know whether this has anything to do with GT's stance on this matter.

The Financial Ombudsman is not the correct body to approach in these matters. The Insolvency Service has a very good ‘How to Complain about your IP’ type guide.

In summary, you have to follow the official process, ie: Dealing direct with your IP in the first instance, before then complaining to their regulator.

You should also take all your paperwork along to your local CAB office: They used to offer free a ‘duty solicitor’ type service (I wonder if they still do so?). If they do, at least you can get an official, impartial legal opinion on where you stand. ‘Contract Law’ is very relevant here.

Best of luck.

UpToMyNeckInIt

To elaborate on my previous post: This is generic and does not specifically relate to any one firm:

If wanting to complain about our IVA companies, we are advised in the first instance, to utilise the relevant firms complaints procedure, which has to be the first port of call if normal communications haven't resolved the matter.

However, some firm's complaints procedures are either:

a) well hidden; and/or
b) overly arduous and unreasonably lengthy (which might well form part of an escalated claim to Regulators).

Indeed, there have been numerous reported instances where even invoking the internal complaints procedure has fallen on deaf ears!

After this we are advised to complain to the Regulatory body. Your IP's regulators should be, according to regulatory guidelines, published on all of it's correspondence and it's web site. In some cases it is not!

You can track down your IP's Regulators here:

http://www.insolvencydirect.bis.gov.uk/fip1/

To make a complaint, I understand the best route is via the new government gateway:

http://www.bis.gov.uk/insolvency/contact-us/IP-Complaints-Gateway

Judging by the recurring complaints on this and other forums, this is a common problem and:

Either those complaining here are not challenging their IP's; or
IP's are simply not listening; and/or
Customers are not escalating unresolved problems to the Regulators.

As helpful as these forums are, if you have a genuine cause for complaint, there is no substitute for following the above advice in the first instance.

Desperado1

Hi, I have had a running battle with GT after successfully completing my IVA in Sept 2012 and receiving my completion certificate from MDC Sept. 2012. I heard nothing for months then GT stared hounding me with letters stating my IVA was still 'active'. This has caused uneccessary stress, stress that i thought i had put behind me whilst in the 6 year IVA! GT are trying to claim back my mis-sold PPI. I have claimed back some myself, yet they insist my IVA is still active (i have certificate and have been removed from insolvancy register), and they want the remaining ppi claims to go direct to them to disseminate to my creditors?! They have already received one ppi payment. My understanding is that i successfully completed my IVA, indeed i have my certificate to prove this, plus i am no longer active on the insolvancy register (removed), yet all GT keep saying is that i need to contact them regarding my ppi claims and that until all ppi claims are made (throught them), i remain 'active' in an IVA??? I have sought advice and although it is still a grey area i have been told to forget GT and get on with my life as i am no longer on the insolvancy register and completed my IVA GT cannot retrospectively open my IVA? Is this official?? Please help??

crowey_2

we to had an iva with mdc and we made our final payment on 15/10/12. the account has since been passed to gt without us receiving our completion cert. they are now demanding we fill in ppi paperwork before we can have this cert despite us protesting.


Can they do this? seems like blackmail to me!


Jen

cardomon

Nearly two years since my final payment and despite having signed an agreement to not claim back any PPI in October 2013 I still don't have my compleation certificate. No letters nothing from GT.

longtermplanner

2 years!

I suggest you (and everyone else who is getting fed up with the delays) write to GT with a formal complaint, see http://iva.grant-thornton.co.uk/disclaimer. You might mention "Our approach is built on service excellence." which their website proudly proclaims haha

Give them a set period, I suggest 1 month, to get you your completion certificate or say you will be putting in a complaint about them to the Insolvency Service.

cardomon

Yes mate two years, I paid my final payment while it was still under Tenon in May 2012.
To be honest I wish I'd never gone down the IVA route. BR would have been easier cheaper and quicker as i had no property or decent assets. Problem now is I should be starting to save for retirement and i can't until the IVA is done in case they try to take it off me.

cardomon

Well I hope this is my last post regarding this issue.
Having phoned GT three weeks ago and being told that they would be in touch with 10 working days as a matter or urgency, my compleation certificate arrived in the post this morning.
The actual date of engagement was 19th April 2007 with Unity Debt solutions, and the first wheels had been put in motion Feb 2007, so its been a long road.
When I first entered this I honestly thought the people at Unity genuinely cared, they seemed to want to help.
When they were taken over by Tenon I felt they were more sympathetic to the creditors, and their lack of any real help when I was laid off was dreadful really.
Then finally GT who are obviously just in it to try and cream off as much as they can with little regard for either me or my creditors.
I would urge anybody thinking about an IVA to think very carefully. BR may still hold a stigma with some people, but with hindsight I wish I had gone that way. 7 years+ has been a long time.
Good luck all.