dont want a phone interview, is it ok?

beelucky

hi,
im planning to go b/r end of september, but i would prefer to have a face to face interview rather than by phone. its mainly because of the privacy aspect, my wife always seems to have somebody calling round for a brew or something and i dont feel it would be right under the circumstances to speak on the phone. so my question is can i insist on a in person interview and would that annoy the O/R?

dennis.

fiveyearplan

Does your wife know you are going BR? If so can't you insist on privacy for such an important phone call?

fermi

I can't see that it would be a problem for the Insolvency Service / OR. As long as they can make a meeting room/office available for the interview, I can't see what difference it would make to them.

It seems an alien concept in the modern world, but there are a few people that by circumstance or choice don't have a phone or private access to one.:eek: (scary)

Whatever your concerns are, you really should talk to the IS/OR and get a definite answer.

rog2

Hi BL - I had a face to face interview - it lasted 3 hours, and went into detail that I didn't even realise existed. I was physically and emotionally drained by the end of it. I realise that my bankruptcy was as a result of a creditors petition and, it would appear, nearly all creditor petition bankrupts have to have a face-to-face interview.
That said, the OR was quite polite, thorough yet non-judgemental and DID give me the opportunity for a refreshment break. However, I would not wish my interview on anyone, and I personally would have preferred a telephone interview.
You WILL be given the chance to AGREE a time, so perhaps your wife could arrange that her friends don't call round on that day?
I think, though, that it is a good idea that your wife is around, during your interview, in case there are any points which affect her.

psycrow57

Hi there

When they called to arrange my interview they asked if it was ok to do it by phone, or if I'd rather come in. I said I wanted to do it by phone, as I'm disabled and it's just easier that way. (I even had to cancel the appointment at very short notice, as I was admitted to hospital and they were lovely about it - I was also in hospital when they first called and I told them that I didn't know when I would be out but could always do the interview from there. They basically told me not to be so daft and to not worry, just call them back when I was out to arrange it.)

Is there some other reason you would rather see them face to face? If it's merely a privacy issue, maybe you could ask them to call on your mobile (if you have one) so you can take the call from another room and keep out of the way of any visitors (I had mine on my mobile)?

Does your wife know about the BR? Obviously it's your business but I'm very glad I told my partner as it was a very emotional time (although not as scary as I expected!) and I needed the support.

wherediditallgo

Before my OR interview, I was toying with asking for a face-to-face one, as I know I can sometimes come across as a bit nonchalant on the phone when I'm nervous, plus I thought they'd be more likely to understand my situation if they could actually meet me. In the end, my OR rang me & asked if I was OK to talk on the phone, then started the interview - I'd received nothing in the post to warn me about it, so we were halfway through it before I realised what was happening! :eek: It was all over in a few minutes. I'm glad I didn't add to my nerves by having to travel to the OR's office, plus I'd have been none too happy at taking a day off work for approximately 15 minutes sat in front of someone.

If your only reason for wanting a face-to-face interview is for the privacy of it, I suggest you talk to your wife and explain that on that morning/afternoon, you don't want anyone coming round, no friends/family/workmen/neighbours. Discuss the interview with her, & impress upon her that it's vital you have privacy to take the call as it's your future financial well-being at stake, & you'll need to be able to discuss your accounts etc without risking visitors hearing your business.

If your wife doesn't know you're BR, I think this would be a very good time to tell her about it. It's very hard to hide that you're BR & if you're asked 'have you ever been BR?' at any time in the future, it's a legal requirement for you to answer 'yes'. She's not going to be remotely happy if she's sitting in the room at the time & that's the first she's ever heard of it. There's also how you'd deal with the situation if she wanted you both to apply for some credit, post coming to the house, etc - keeping the secret will add to the stress levels that you went BR to reduce. If you haven't told her, it would help your new start to tell her now, though I realise it's going to be quite a difficult conversation.

backontheup

beelucky wrote: »

hi,
im planning to go b/r end of september, but i would prefer to have a face to face interview rather than by phone. its mainly because of the privacy aspect, my wife always seems to have somebody calling round for a brew or something and i dont feel it would be right under the circumstances to speak on the phone. so my question is can i insist on a in person interview and would that annoy the O/R?

dennis.

Put yer foot down son, and insist on a 'woman\yap-free' afternoon.
The OR interview is far more important than fearing upsetting the neighbours. On the day, she can always refuse entry to anyone and say that you are ill on the settee. Its your home - not a community centre ;-)

fiveyearplan

Put yer foot down son, and insist on a 'woman\yap-free' afternoon.

I have to agree with this. Much more important than upsetting neighbours.

beelucky

thanks all,
yes she does know about the b/r but she just cant help opening her gob at the most inappropriate time. its differant of course when coronation streets on!!!

btw im prepared for the worst (ie restriction order) because i have continued to use my c/cards even after i should have known i had no realistic way of paying them back. if im given a r/o it may not be a bad thing, at least it would stop me from getting in trouble again. im 55yo and in very poor health and to be honest i am just past caring about it. if i won the lottery it wouldnt make my health return, ill be very lucky to see my 65th birthday. ive got nothing to look forward to but a life on benefits so in effect whatever i get 5yrs or 15 yrs will not matter.
keep smiling dennis;)

psycrow57

Technically I also kept on spending after I knew I couldn't ever sort it out - like you, I became extremely unwell and buried my head in the sand by basically living on credit that I knew I could never pay back because I had so much to deal with in terms of health problems, facing up to the money problems just seemed impossible.

If your ill health has contributed to your debt (which I'm sure it has), the OR should be very understanding - I know mine was. Dealing with illness is expensive, and is very traumatic - often meaning you lose track of your debt and try to avoid dealing with it, which is understandable. I don't know how much you owe, or exactly what the circumstances are, but I'm sure they'll be fair with you.

Sounds like br is just what you need - losing sleep over debt is the last thing you need when you're already so ill.

JCS1

The OR will have no issue if you prefer a face to face interview, just request one rather then one by telephone.