Money wellness DRO

T33totaller

Morning,

I am so glad I found this forum last night. I paid my fee Friday and I think my application was sent in. Now I'm just anxiously waiting to see if it's accepted. I went through money wellness my question is has anyone else used them and how long did it take? 

The waiting all weekend has been killer I know the weekend doesn't count as it isn't working days. I also started panicking as I didn't get sent a barcode and paid via BACS but checked the gov website and this is fine to do. Phew

I'm so glad I came across this forum last night though most of my worries and concerns have already been answered by having a good read.

Just one more thing. My wages fluctuate a little bit & I am I receipt of universal credit. So my income is always the same my UC drops if my wage rises. So in regards to changes over the next 12 months as long as my income is the same (UC and wages combined) then I'm fine? 

Thanks for any replies.

Grumpelstiltskin

Money wellness is not a company usually recommended on here but if you are happy with them no problem.

What exactly did they charge you, just the basic fee or did they add anything on?

It is a pity you didn't find this forum before you signed up to a DRO as we could have advised you if it was the best way forward. 

T33totaller

They charged me the flat 90, so far I've been pleased with them it's just this waiting bit now. Why would they not be recommended? It's a minefield finding the right support so many different views. Step change tried to get me to take an IVA out and we're really pushy. I struggle with depression and anxiety and potentially have ADHD I was so overwhelmed and I luckily managed to say how overwhelmed I was... Told them I needed a few days. I was bombarded with calls from them money wellness were nothing like that and really helped me. 

I'm happy with the DRO plan my income isn't going to get better if anything it's going to get worse. I need to cut down working hours because of my mental health.  I'm just anxious now waiting 

Grumpelstiltskin

Money wellness are part of a company called Gregory Pennington who in the past have had a bad reputation, so we are a bit wary about their change of heart.

Being cynical I wonder how they are making money if you do a DRO, they have a reputation of pushing IVAs where they do make a good profit.

T33totaller

That is strange because they were not pushy with an IVA at all.. I wonder if they'll put the DRO through to fail and then try and push that then? Oh gosh 😳 

I just want it all dealt with, I don't want to take any credit ever again. I'm so stressed and feel so stupid for getting into this mess in the first place. The waiting for a decision is crippling me. A time scale would be helpful I think. MW did say a few working days but from what I have read on here it's taken weeks for some people. If the Insolvency Service needed more information would they call or email me? I'm worried I'll miss their request somehow. 

sourcrates

@T33totaller

Gregory Pennington (money wellness) are one of the companies chosen by Government to process DRO`s as an intermediary, so don`t panic, all is well.

The £90 is the standard statutory fee.

You have been accepted, the application would not have been submitted by your intermediary if there was any chance of it failing, you will be notified in due course.

Only around 4% of applications fail, and that is usually due to either fraud coming to light, or the fact you've had a DRO in the previous 6 years.

T33totaller

Thank you sour crates. There's definitely no fraud or previous DRO here. Just someone getting in deeper than they thought without realizing. 

I've learnt so many lessons, grown so much as a person in the last year. I really want to be able to start next year living within my means and without the added stress of finance. Life if hard enough as it is.

I'm really hoping I get the decision soon so I can just relax. Thank you so much for your response. 

sourcrates

The waiting times have gotten a little longer in recent years, it used to be 48 hours for approval, now it can take days.

Your intermediary has a list each section has a tick box, they go through your application prior to submission, and make sure all boxes are ticked, they won`t submit it otherwise, and if they had any queries, they would have come back to you.

Once submitted its a virtual gimme, only the reasons stated earlier can lead to it being rejected.

T33totaller

I'm still waiting... It's killing me but no news is good news I suppose

Kazzytc

I strongly recommend that you steer well clear of these people. They pushed me into continuing with a consultation which was obviously distressing me. I asked them to destroy my information and withdrew my consent to my information being shared by 3rd parties and requested confirmation of this in an email. This was not complied with because the following day I received an email pestering me about their dodgy services. My trust has been breached and I have warned them that unless they comply with my request I will be reporting them to the ICO and the Ombudsman. They are pushy, they are there purely to get information out of people and use it against you given the way they disregard your requests for compliance with data protection laws. These people are decidedly dodgy and I would not go near them under any circumstances whatsoever. Beware.

Dot24

Hi all, newbie here and I can see that this thread is an old one, however, I am supporting someone who has a DRO through Money Wellness. He doesn't have any written confirmation regarding this and all correspondence appears to be through SMS messages. My concern is that he has been the victim of a scam but just wanted to ask anyone who has dealing with this company if this has been common practice?

Thank you in advance for any information or help you can give me - this person is homeless and I am extremely worried about him.