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so I overlooked payment of my council tax, a total of £433.43.
on the first notice I received from Chandlers Ltd (Bailiffs) I paid £301.00 and gave my mobile number, advised that as a chef I was working very long hours and its hard to meet up but I'd pay ASAP.
just got home after my car broke down on the way to work to discover a note from Chandlers advising that I owe £351.93, I called and questioned this and he said it was charges, I asked for a breakdown/statement of the account and he said that they couldn't send it as it was "for his eyes only", We established that the outstanding Council Tax amounted to £133.xx I said I'd pay that immediately over the phone but that I couldn't cover the charges as I didn't have the cash available and I would also like to see a statement of my account detailing all the alleged costs. He then refused to take payment stating that he would be at my house at 6am tomorrow to take property and that anything taken would be at 15% of its value and that I would be charged £50.00 per item per day whilst its stored until public auction, as well as all the other visiting costs etc.
I remembered that the £300 or so I paid was done on an automated line and I dug out that number and paid off the remainder amount of the Council tax but not his charges.
He then called back and said he'd had another look and would reduce his charges by £70-£80 if I made payment before 9:00pm, I told him that I'd just paid the amount equal to the outstanding council tax and I was very concerned at what seemed his unreasonable charges.
He then continued in his aggressive manner that he would be seeing me at 6am regardless and it was going to cost me even more.
This seems very wrong, I'm in no way flush with cash, very distressed and shocked that a Council Representative would seek to profiteer in such an unscrupulous manner from someone in obvious financial hardship.
STW Massive, what's your views on this? should I be at the door with my 66's tomorrow morning?
he seems to be acting illegally. If you know what time he's going to be coming round I would make myself scarce at that time as they can't break and enter. inform the council of this thug and see if they can put a leash on him as you have paid.
http://www.insolvencyhelpline.co.uk/debt_basics/bailiff-guide.php
http://www.debthelpuk.co.uk/bailiffs.html
Check the law very carefully on this, labour changed the law on balifs a couple of years ago, and they do basicly have cart blanch to force entry. If you feel threatened call the police, and although the police will probably side with the balliff, make sure they record everything that happens so a lawyer can go over it later (if it comes to that).
Agreed, speak to the council ASAP, get them to confirm that the debt is paid. Be incredibly polite with them and I'm sure they'll do what they can. I've had dealings with unpaid council tax and they've always been willing to help/remove fees and the like, especially now you've paid.
You've paid up to the council, ignore him and move on.
Have a look [url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/bailiffs-at-your-door-quick-question ]here[/url]
good advice, but it seems the baliff can use reasonable force to get in, be if forcing his way past you or coming in through an open window. DON'T open the door to them in the morning
Check the law very carefully on this, labour changed the law on balifs a couple of years ago
Got a link for that?
My understanding was that the only people allowed on your property without your consent are the Royal Mail and people with court orders. Bailiff or no, if some thug turned up on my doorstep without a court order I'd be seeking to have the police remove him under trespass laws.
Either way, he absolutely cannot remove property without a court order, so you can add theft to his charges.
If this has changed, it'd be good to know.
How long has this been going on? Seems odd that the council would send in the heavies for a missed payment. Are you sure he's not just a chancer?
From the link above,
"There are fixed fees for bailiffs collecting council tax; for example, from 1 April 1998 fees for the first visit by a bailiff are £20 and £15 for a second visit, where no levy or seizure is made."
I think he's taking the p155, and needs reporting immediately.
My understanding was that the only people allowed on your property without your consent are the Royal Mail and people with court orders.
I can, if I suspect a fire.
"he would be seeing me at 6am" - he's legally bound to come at a "reasonable" time. That sounds unreasonable to me.
I can, if I suspect a fire.
I'm guessing you're a fireman or some such? So, what, you can enter my house without my consent if you 'suspect' a fire? Is there anything you have to do to qualify that? Seems awfully convenient if you want to have a sideline as a cat-burglar.
Anyway. I need to look this up again I think. I'm working from memory and it's a couple of years since I last read up about it all. (We had a run-in with a debt collector chancer of the 'threatening letters / non-existent debt' variety.)
they never did. a bailif cannot break and enter, only the police have that right and then only with a court order.
Do your homework on this, not usual for this kind of thing ime...How many letters have you had from the council? I would do my upmost to keep him out of my house if i were you...it don't ring right to me...and i have been in the same position, albeit 13 years ago, but still, seems well suspect.
Ring the Council direct and pay them!!
I think he is trying to play you, call his bluff, but make a complaint in writing to the council tax office, also report his threatening behaviour to the police, you could always try the clerk of Courts for advice.
Council tax may be different but with any other debt is it not a case of
1 - You don't pay
2 - They chase you for the money and you ignore them
3 - They take you to court and win
4 - You refuse to pay and after 28 days they can send the bailiffs in
So unless you missed all of those steps, it sounds very dodgy
Read the op and spoke to my wife shes a housing officer she says that your unpaid council tax has been passed on to the bailiff as an unpaid debt this is only done after severall letters asking for payment have been sent and all of this information is passed on to the debt company baliffs don't have any legal right to enter your property unless you leave a door or window open but and it's a big bad but they do have the legal right to recover cost from you so the advice is get on the phone to the debt company and sort out some kind of arrangment.
no good going to the council they have passed on this debt and as far as they are concerned its old news and dealt with sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings but thats the way it is from the info surpplied.
Cougar - MemberCheck the law very carefully on this, labour changed the law on balifs a couple of years ago
Got a link for that?
[url= http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5375668.ece ]http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5375668.ece[/url]
It's not worth anything if it's not in writing.
Get address of the bailiff and write to them stating that you have paid all arrears. Request that they send a breakdown of their costs and without this you will pay nothing. Don't let them bully you, it's just intimidation.
Don't open the door to them or leave any windows open. Pull the curtains if you like.
that link sais "proposing" did they do it?
Oh and councils screw up all the time on this kind of thing, when I left the UK, I got a rebate of the council tax I had already paid. I got my mail forwarded to my brothers, and when I returned to visit after a few months I opened it to find threatening letters from a bailiff. I phoned the council to explain the situation, and they washed their hands of it saying it was down to the bailiff company. Phoned the bailiff company (squires I think, but that could be wrong) and they got all heavy and demanding, so told them to fork off.
Hope it causes me no problems if I ever return to the UK, but my experience is that bureaucracy has a total failure to apply common sense, and will go to any length to cover up its mistakes. I used to see these stories where some farmer sprayed the town hall with muck and think what a nutter, but I have had several experiences that now makes me understand the frustration, and I dare say if I had access to a muck spreader could see myself doing the same.
Do you have a few well-sized mates who fancy a very early pint in your front garden? Some body who plays rugby and enjoys the scrum? An Aussie-rule footballer? A bare-knuckle cage fighter? 😉
You get the gist, good luck!
I'd suggest to him he seems to have a faulty calculator. First off he can only charge £24.50 for a first visit, £18 for a second visit (usually if he doesn't see any payment), a walk around/listing your items can be £49, and that's it. No more charges can be added. You can in fact claim back charges from a bailiff if he over charges you.
You can also make an official complaint against the bailiff addressed to the court that issued his certificate. Phone the Ministry of Justice Public Register of Bailiffs on 020 3334 6355 and ask which court issued his certificate, then download the complaint form
Whatever you do though if he calls tomorrow, DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR
happen to own any bombers?
MSP > interesting. Ta.
I'm guessing you're a fireman or some such? So, what, you can enter my house without my consent if you 'suspect' a fire? Is there anything you have to do to qualify that? Seems awfully convenient if you want to have a sideline as a cat-burglar.
Normally we have a big white, yes white fire engine with us.
[img] 
[/img]
I could also quote you this...
CHAPTER 5
POWERS OF EMPLOYEES AND CONSTABLES
Powers in emergencies
25 Powers of authorised employees in relation to emergencies
(1) An employee of a relevant authority who is authorised in writing by the authority for the
purposes of this section (an “authorised employee”) and on duty may—
(a) if the employee reasonably believes that a fire has broken out, do anything the
employee reasonably believes to be necessary for the purpose of—
(i) extinguishing the fire; or
(ii) protecting life or property;
(b) if the employee reasonably believes that a road traffic accident has occurred, do
anything the employee reasonably believes to be necessary for the purpose of—
(i) rescuing people; or
(ii) protecting them from serious harm;
Part 2—Fire and rescue services
Chapter 5—Powers of employees and constables
(c) if the employee reasonably believes that an emergency other than a fire or road
traffic accident has occurred, do anything the employee reasonably believes to be
necessary for the purpose of carrying out any function conferred on the authority
in relation to the emergency; and
(d) do anything the employee reasonably believes to be necessary for the purpose of
preventing or limiting damage to property resulting from action taken as
mentioned in paragraph (a), (b) or (c).
(2) An authorised employee may in particular under subsection (1)—
(a) enter premises or a place (by force if necessary);
(b) move a vehicle without the consent of its owner;
(c) force open and enter a lockfast vehicle;
(d) close a road;
(e) stop and regulate traffic;
(f) restrict the access of persons to premises or a place.
In Scotland there's an accelerated process for getting a court order from a council tax debt.
How did you overlook to pay?
Why not pay over 10 months like the majority of us do and then this won't happen again
One of the few debts you can go down for so I wouldn't piss about too much if I were you
He'll park round the corner, get someone to clamp the prick,
Mr Nutt - chuck me an email. He's NOT acting illegally (used to be barca2 but I forgot my log in).
Don't chuck stones at me but I spend half my week sending bailifs after people for unpaid c/tax.
Incorrect/unqualfied but well intended advice on here can cost you a lot of money.
"You've paid up to the council, ignore him and move on." Please don't tell him that.
"My understanding was that the only people allowed on your property without your consent are the Royal Mail and people with court orders. Bailiff or no, if some thug turned up on my doorstep without a court order I'd be seeking to have the police remove him under trespass laws.
Either way, he absolutely cannot remove property without a court order, so you can add theft to his charges.
If this has changed, it'd be good to know.
How long has this been going on? Seems odd that the council would send in the heavies for a missed payment. Are you sure he's not just a chancer?"
Sorry Cougar, for the most part, you're wrong. The court order has been obtained. That would have been the liability order the council obtained at Magistrates Court before they were able to instruct the bailif company.
'caps lock' THE ONLY BAILIFF WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO ENTRY IS A COURT BAILIFF WITH A COURT WARRANT 'caps lock'
its is extremely unlikely that the bailiffs from chandlers has such a warrant nay its impossible as ...can you guess the answer?... yes, he is not a court bailiff, therefore he has no powers of entry.
he could stroll through an open door, or if you are daft enough to let him in, then he is then in. then he can take goods.
i suggest you do not let him in
happy to give you real proper advice, but you'll have to mail me.
Having read some of the well meanng advice on this thread I'd strongly advise everyone to pay their council tax without fail at each and every statutory payment date. You could get yourselves in a whole heap of bother :-}
The court order has been obtained
Do we know this for sure?
bruneep > that's a bit impressive.
yes, the council can't instruct a bailif company, apply for attachment of earnngs, attachment of benefts, place a charge on the property, begin bankruptcy proceedngs or do anythng other than send letters without issuing a summons and obtaining the liability order first. Even after the summons is issued, the council would MUCH prefer to reset a payment plan directly with the liable person.
Council tax may be different but with any other debt is it not a case of
1 - You don't pay
2 - They chase you for the money and you ignore them
3 - They take you to court and win
4 - You refuse to pay and after 28 days they can send the bailiffs in
So unless you missed all of those steps, it sounds very dodgy
is the same as I was thinking - is this the first you have known about a 2010/11 bill or a very late 2009/10?
I seem to recall that the balif has to come on their first visit and make a note of your contents then giving you 7 days to pay the debt before returning to seize the goods. IIRC on the second visit they are allowed to use whatever means they need to use to gain access.
too much time watching daytime tv while searching for a job!!
I'd been signed off work, receiving only SSP, the council were aware of this and said that they would look into it and that I would be eligible for benefits. The council said they would let me know.
Then I got a letter from said firm, I spoke with one of their 'bailifs' a guy who said that I was going to be due benefits and he was surprised that it had got this far, I gave him my mobile number, he never called or left any messages. I then phoned them and paid the £300.00 The next I hear is this letter coming through the door and this guy being threatening today!
I shall not be opening the door, all windows will be closed, I'll be calling the council, the court and perhaps the papers.
I'm astonished that he was claiming £200+ in charges and didn't want to provide any statement or offer an arrangement to pay any charges over the original sum owed.
Good amount of stuff on the web on this but I'm sure you've already seen it. I was amazed to see that once they had been in your house once, even for a pee, that they can then break in again in the future. Although as always with web stuff it is difficult to know if it is up to date with current rules.
I would put CAB top of the list to call as there does seem to be some rules on what they can charge and what they have to tell you
Alex, got your email. You shall have a reply as soon as I get chance.
Magistrates Court will refer you to the council (they have no dealngs what so ever with the bailif company), the council will pass you over to the bailif company, the bailf company will ask you "have you got the money?" and all they want to hear is "yes". Anything else is white noise.
I take no pride in how I earn one half of my living.
cheers for that, can they force entry with a magistrates liability order? what about all the stuff that doesn't belong to me?
They can only gain entry by peaceful means i.e. open door or window (see small window comment in the email I've just sent). Once they've been in, they have carte blanche.
Theoretically, they can only take what's yours but they will assume it's all yours unless you can prove otherwise. They'd REALLY rather not get in to taking goods though as it's loads of hassle, unprofitable in most cases and could end up with it being Nulla Bona (see your email again).
The best bit of advice I can give you is pay him in full if you can but keep all doors and windows tightly closed. Peaceful entry is the undoing of most liable people when bailifs come calling.
Check to see if you submitted a c/tax ben claim. The council should have inhibted the account if you did but then the inhibit would only cover the days where benefit was entitled. If the amount outstanding is for a period where benefit was not entitled, you'll be knackered. C.tax is calculated and charged on a daily basis.
They can't break in but if there is an open door or window that they can get through, they can and will.
My understanding was that the only people allowed on your property without your consent are the Royal Mail and people with court orders.
This is a side note to the rest of the thread but: Royal Mail don't have any special status. What actually happens is that there is an assumption that landowners give an "implied licence" (permission) for people to use their drives/ paths/ doorsteps for legitimate business. This is why posties, meter readers, doorknockers etc are not trespassers. However, the implied licence won't exist if there's something to suggest that it doesn't exist e.g. a sign that says "absolutely no entry" or something. Whatever is reasonable under the circs.
There is no implied licence from the occupier to enter someone's house - but of course if you have a search warrant or a statutory right etc you don't need permission.
So any rude awakenings this morning MrN?
not yet....
The more I read of this online I think he's acting fraudulently,
I have paid the original amount outstanding of £434.43
They have never gained entry to my home nor have they ever met with me to discuss any form of repayment.
The only notice of Bailiffs attendance I have received is the one that came through yesterday which implied that I owe £351.93.
Simple math says that they are trying to recover an additional £217.93 which I must assume are their charges.
Original debt: £434.43
less payment 13th May: £301.00
26th May visit letter stated: £351.93
less payment 26th May: £134.00
This leaves a "balance" of £217.93 which must be their charges?
now then...
Looking on the National Debt Helpline (Gov. source) it clearly states the following:
For a visit to your home where no entry is made and a list of goods is not made (i.e. a levy is not made)
£24.50 for a first visit
£18.00 for a second visit
No further charges for further visits
well no Levy has been made, no walking agreement has been made, I have no record of any visit apart from yesterdays one has occurred. This all seems to be very untoward and suspect no?
where on earth can these £217.03 charges have come from?
I didn't get a mail Mr Nutt, so i guess you have sorted it.
If you want to read about this , its all on the Shelter website, link below
http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/paying_for_a_home/council_tax/council_tax_arrears
I'm guessing at the moment, there is no liability order and Randalls are just harassing you to pay in full.
They will continue to do this until they get the money in full including any costs they have added on, or the Council tell them you have paid.
They won't negotiate, they won't listen, they just want money, in full, now. They will try to get into your property, and they may try to take your goods.
so the easiest way to deal with this is to pay the bill in full (the full liability, not with additional fees) direct to the Council, or contact the Council to discuss a repayment plan and request they call off Randalls. but tbh if Randalls have been called, this suggests you have not paid what you owe and the Council have called Randalls as you have not paid what you owe...
posted after yours. Mr Nutt, if you have paid the full liability, then you do not owe Randalls anything.
I would suggest you call the Council ASAP Even call their out of hours number.
like i've said Randalls will keep trying to recover the money until the Council tell them to stop, or you give them money
if you have paid the bill in full to the council, you do not owe any further money. and Raqndalls are harassing you
Hi Steve, sorry Its not Randalls its Chandlers Limited, I appear to have paid the Liability of £434.43 but I just don't understand where this additional £217.03 could have come from?!? I paid Chandlers Ltd on their automated payment line I wish I'd paid the council direct!!
chandlers, randalls, they are all the same!
So if you have paid the full Ctax liability to the Council, then you are not liable for anything further, unless its court costs (which it isn't)
you really need to call the Council. it wouldn't be unheard of, for someone to have paid a debt in full, and the bailiffs not be informed.
alternatively, the bailiffs may be trying it on. Tell them to take the debt to court, they won't win.
Alex (& Steve Austin)
He's almost certainly not acting fraudelently and there very definitely WILL be a liabilty order. They can send it to bailifs or carry out any other recovery without the L/O from the magistrates.
If the years charge which has been passed on the bailifs (I'm guessing previous year(s) as we've only just completed our first summons run for 2010 - court date 10/06/2010 - we have just over 1500 accounts having L/O's granted on that day) has been paid in full BEFORE the bailif company made contact, the council are obliged to recall it and the bailif company have no costs incurred to recover.
If you've paid directly to the council AFTER the bailif company have made contact. they will still chase you for fee's.
I have to go to work now....yes, to the Recovery/Bailif dept. Stockport Council.
so they can chase me for the fees? but how can the fees be £217.03 when they've only visited once to put a Notice of attendance through my door?
surely the maximum they can persue is:
For a visit to your home where no entry is made and a list of goods is not made (i.e. a levy is not made)
£24.50 for a first visit
£18.00 for a second visit
No further charges for further visits
that would be the sum total of: £42.50
where could they get this £217.03 from?!? it doesn't make sense!!
I've paid Chandlers £434.43, they have never made a 'Levy' or listed my items etc, I just don't get it!
Moral of the story? Would have been less hassle just to pay your council tax on time?
Hilarious Pawsey_Bear, I do hope you've not been up all night thinking of that.
Can they not charge interest on the debt? That could add up quite quickly, firstly interest on the whole amount, then on the outstanding. But I would guess they have to tell you the rate beforehand?
(Haven't a clue by the way, just adding my two pence as to what the charges [i]could[/i] be)
I don't know, I've never been informed of any interest charges, when I spoke to him (the bailiff) yesterday he said that they were charges for is visit, he later called back when I'd said these charges seem unreasonably high and said that he would knock off £70-80 pounds if I paid in full before 21:00hrs, when I asked for a statement or a formal breakdown of these costs he said he couldn't give it to me as it was "for his eyes only". He also went on to imply that it "sounds like there will be a breach of the peace then" when I said "if you return tomorrow I would want the police to be in attendance", he then said "sleep well and I'll see you in the morning" in a very menacing tone.
I get the impression that his intention was that to cause me as much distress as possible, well he's succeeded in that!
They are a private bailif company, not county court bailifs. They have to go to the county court to be assesed as 'fit and proper' persons to be bailifs and get the court seal on their license before they can be employed by the commercial bailif company.
The company then set their fee's per letter, visit etc.
Dukes and Marstons bailifs charge £125:00 per visit (per bailif) and £150 if they bring a van. It is rare that they will take goods (see previous post on here and email to you "Nulla Bona") but if they do, that visit alone is £150 per person (2 people) and £150 for the van. £450.
One of out bailif company's is based on Merseyside, we're in Cheshire. They wouldn;t even submit tender for the work if they could only charge county court bailif fees.
The council(s) are obliged to ensure that the bailifs they put under contract keep their fees reasonable. I suspect the bailfs would like to charge a whole heap more.
He does however have to give you evidence of how the costs have mounted up.
One other thing you can do is contact the council and ask them for dates of when the initial bill was issued and and when the reminder(s) and summons was sent. They have to prove issue but not receipt ALTHOUGH I am aware that we **sometimes** reset recovery back to reminder stage from summons if somebody kicks up a real fuss. I believe there is yet to be a test case on whether proof of issue and NOT receipt is valid for recovery action. It's an area that councils don't want pushed as if it's ruled proof of receipt is required, that will mean recorded delivery for summons notices and a big increase in costs. That means higher council tax, more people going in to recovery....not really much help to you Mr Nutt but you never know.
I'm now officially late for work.
PS. No, they (council or bailif) can't apply interest to council tax debt.
Check with the CAB. One of the links I read said that they have to provide a breakdown of costs when asked (passed through the letterbox, don't open the door), BUT as always this is the internet - check with real people
I think the general advice here is to disregard anything that contradicts Mr Monksie 🙂
I think it just shows that the whole system is based on an asumption of avoidence (which I have no doubt does happen), rather than the fact that many people can be in hardships or that the system can make mistakes.
I think the whole system is morrally corrupt and frequently targets the most vulnerable.
It is also this kind of actions by the mechanisms of government that contributes to the createan of the "broken socioty" that is much publicised. It is this kind of treatment that leads people to say "fork them if thats how I get treated I will take what I can from now on".
I think it just shows that the whole system is based on an asumption of avoidence
Actually, I think it's the assumption that if you don't contact the council that you are avoiding it.
I don;t know the specific circumstances but I'm sure most councils will accept a 'I'll give you what I can - how about 'x' per month?' it's when there's no communication at all fromt he person owing money that the system just chugs along to the point it has.
And as above - I think private bailiffs can charge pretty much what they like...
Whether he can charge 20 quid for a visit or £150 - he's not actually made a visit yet has he? So what are the charges for?
Actually, I think it's the assumption that if you don't contact the council that you are avoiding it.
See my previous post. IME council’s are disorganised inefficient animals which make wholesale mistakes and cock ups, but will never admit liability and would rather turn their customers into victims in order to cover up. I know the majority of the population will think this is nonsense, but a significant minority have felt the effects of the stupidity and bureaucracy of the "the state", and the quite horrendous impact it can have on your life.
ps. MrNutt, if you can lay your hands on a muckspreader, I would pay the council a visit.
muckspreader? I'm feeling more blowtorch inclined!
well still not a knock at the door, is this usual procedure? I'm going to call them...
not read all this, but ill chip in with my experiences,
same position once, didnt pay, went to court and bailiffs
i paid the council via cheque
bailiff added on £200 as i didnt pay him
i went to the local CAB office
they rang the bailiff company
all sorted, never heard from them again
The council here are pretty reasonable TBF.
Many years ago I was self employed and waiting for money to come in I waited and waited in the mean time I omitted to Pat my C/Tax they sent the letters etc etc When I got the final reminder I rang them they let me pay a nominal sum 20 quid of something as a gesture........and I payed the arrears in full when I got paid.
They will help you if you ring them......
Mr Nutt you need to contact the council asap by phone and follow it up in writing.
well I've just spoken to the Bailiff (on phone) I asked for a breakdown of the charges and he told me the following:
£42.50 Standard fee when passed from Council to Bailiffs (schedule 3 & 5, regulations 14,39,45) "charges connected with distress" (I guess thats how much it costs to distress someone?!?)
then there's a Levy fee of: £26.00
and an attendance fee of £150.00 (so that was his visit yesterday)
he then said (he spoke with quite a different attitude from yesterday) "as you seem a genuine kind of bloke I'll knock off £70.00 if you make the payment today and I'll phone the van and tell them not to come around now cos they've bigger fish to fry anyway"
so I now have to pay £149.43 immediately, which I'm going to do.
so that's me completely cleaned out, my cars ****ed and I can't afford to fix it which means I'm screwed for getting to work (its an hours drive each way). What a horrible shit state of affairs.
So its pay up, then I'm getting straight on to the bastards at Wat Tyler House (Swindon BC head office, oh the irony!) to sort out both this years CT and also any benefits I'm due from last year, whilst I'm at it I'm gonna get on to the Inland Revenue to see if they can give me a rebate (which I think I'm probably owed) and then looking at selling all my worldly possessions, turn into a 15 yr old female chav, get up the duff and then spend the rest of my life on the social!
GGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHH!! *gritted teeth*
right then, where's the nearest dairy farm/oxyacetylene store!
Probably the wisest course of action fella, end of the day even if the charges seem excessive I doubt the council would be shipping off debt collection work to people who act illegally...hope you get stuff sorted!
Business concluded but it's never a happy story.
Just in case anybody else is heading toward a similar situation, CALL YOUR C/TAX OFFICE if you even think you may have a bit of a problem. Even if you've not had a bill and are thinking you've got away with it or it will arrive soon. It could be lost in the system and ultimately, if the computer is registering issue and payments not being made, it's going to get messy.
I've just read the comment about CAB and bailifs dropping their fee's and not pursuing.
That's almost certainly because the bailifs for what ever reason have decided not to pursue (although I'd want that confirming by them if I was you) and I very strongly suspect it has very little to do with CAB. They're about as much use when it comes to the nitty gritty of stuff as Christians Against Poverty.
it has very little to do with CAB. They're about as much use when it comes to the nitty gritty of stuff...
But their info. is still good - no?
Mostly staffed by (very well meaning) volunteers with very little specific training in any area but access to a heap of books on various legislations, rules, terms and conditions etc.
I don't doubt they can help in various ways to some degree but the amount of times they've been on the phone to us while they have a customer on another line who have called them urgently because they have a bailif at the door asking us what the customer can do to stop the bailif.
In the first instance, why would I nake my job harder by saying don't answer the door, close all windows and doors AND curtains (they can't do a sneaky valuation of property then) pray you haven't left the car on the drive etc. and in the second instance, shouldn't you already know this if you're a CAB?
Good to see some excellent advice for the OP from those in the know. Not a sterling outcome but sounds as if it's sorted at least.
I was harassed by a debt collection agency for a couple of years. Long story short - basically I bought my way out of my car insurance contract after being messed around for months. I'd paid up and sent through all documentation several times but never got a certificate of insurance.
I got a three day producer from the traffic cops - the insurance co claimed I'd never been insured with them and denied ever having received any money / documentation from me. I faxed through bank statements showing the payment and copies of the letters thanking me for my payment but just came up against a brick wall.
The cops turned up at my work (I drove for a living back then) and shouted the odds in front of my boss and colleagues - called me a liar and much worse.
Eventually the insurance co sent out a temporary cover note for the day I got stopped by the police. Needless to say, after I'd paid my late fees to the police I immediately wanted to cancel my 'non-existent' policy. It was at that point I had to buy myself out of the contract - a one off payment of £100 which I made over the phone under heavy duress.
Two weeks later a letter came through the door demanding "the outstanding balance of £420". Phone calls only resulted in the same demand for cash and a complete denial of any payment from me. I swore at them horribly and vowed they wouldn't get another penny from me.
Another week and the letters started arriving from a debt collecter, threatening all kinds of unpleasantries should I choose not to pay the original sum plus added fees of another couple of hundred quid. I just kept ignoring them all and a year later moved away. The collecters then managed to get a hold of my elderly mother (unbeknownst to me) and threatened to empty her house unless she coughed up, which she did!
That did solve the problem but left me in the same mood as Mr Nutt in terms of considering flame throwers. Had to pay my mum back almost a grand too. GRRRR!
Unrelated rant over, sorry....
"The collecters then managed to get a hold of my elderly mother" - That's well below the belt and I strongly suspect they had no right to even mention the debt. DPA and all that plus it was your (assumed) debt, not your mother's.
I've just got a trace result back which I requested earlier this week. The guy is Spain (I have his rather nice sounding full address), he's getting a bailif warning letter :-}
I have his rather nice sounding full address
It's not got "Galapagar" in it, has it? Much as I like meeting new people...
I've just got a trace result back which I requested earlier this week. The guy is Spain (I have his rather nice sounding full address), he's getting a bailif warning letter :-}
I didn't realise that Spain came under the jurisdiction of Stockport MBC
You think if you move out of the area you are no longer required to pay any outstanding council tax?
I'm trying not to giggle.......no, failed, I truly guffawed :-}
I've just gone back over the thread and I saw your post about owing council tax and being abroad MSP. The bailif will return the account to c/tax after three failed visits and if c/tax can't trace you, they'll let it go for now but they will periodically carry out a new Experian and LOCKTOR trace and if you're located in the UK or overseas, depending on the amount outstanding and the council's policy on recovery, they may begin recovery again on you, Council tax debt is not Statute Barred. It's like murder, never closed.
Just to be clear, I don't owe any council tax, in fact the council gave me a rebate because I had already paid the full years due. After doing this someone has screwed up and tried pursuing me for money that I clearly do not owe, but as is usual with bureaucracy and authority they are unable to understand the reality of the situation, and refuse to use common sense.
well that's them paid off, actually it turns out I've3 just overpaid by about seven quid the following conversation transpired:
Him: "oh hang on, that means we owe you now then"
Me: "you've got until nine o'clock tonight to pay or I'll be around your house at 6:00am then"
Him: "well I'm staying at the Premier Inn at the moment, would you like my room number?"
Me: "nah its ok, you're not my type"
Him: "eer, um"
Me: "well that's our business concluded then, apart from the money you owe me of course"
Him: "yeah, well I did let you off some charges, ask your mates how many bailiffs they know that would do that"
Me: "yeah, very kind of you mate, try not to ruin anyone else's day today eh"
Him: "yeah ok, cheers"
Me: "cheers, have a good day"
FIN.