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Original poster

A right good Rodgering and the £500 service charge...

299 replies

Hiphopapotamus4 · 21/05/2017 07:53

Sorry for not coming back sooner with an update. To be honest I was a bit creeped out that more than one of you had looked on Rightmove at every single house for sale in the entire county. I mean, there are literally thousands, who has the time for that?!
But also I didn't want to be like the Victorian safe poster and some of you did offer some helpful suggestions so I am back.

The bad news is, this is looking more like a scam. The council don't have any record of it and the local landowners and parish council know nothing either.
Roger called a street meeting and the 10 houses that pay agreed that a "man from the council" had come round years ago to explain what it was for and they have all paid it since. The other house that doesn't pay and us are much newer to the street which explains why we don't pay and neither of our solicitors mentioned anything when purchasing.
Some of them have a direct debit set up and some of them send a cheque. The bank details and address are different to the council tax ones Sad
Roger has reported this to the police and I'm awaiting further updates from him.
Some of them want to keep paying it because they are convinced it's real and don't want to get behind on their payments. Two of them think we are just kicking up a fuss to try and get out of paying it Confused

The general consensus at the end of the meeting was that it might be a scam, but it might not be. I'm convinced that it is Sad

Sad news all round really (but Rodger did come and now my lawn with his new mower!)

OP posts:
MyPatronusIsAUnicorn · 21/05/2017 21:25

Wow, I hope the police can get who it is. I doubt anyone will get their money back.

43percentburnt · 21/05/2017 21:34

gocardless.com/guides/intro-to-direct-debit/guide-for-payers/

You have a right for a refund of any direct debit that shouldn't have been taken.

Are they direct debits or standing orders?

Would a criminal use direct debit?

SteamTrainsRealAleandOpenFires · 21/05/2017 21:40

Just a reminder...please don't start getting in touch with "Watchdog" et cetera/et al. Just leave it all to the HipHop, "Roger" & the Police to deal with it.

Otherwise, we won't get to read about the conclusion to this scam, if HipHop decides not to post any further

Grin
ohfourfoxache · 21/05/2017 21:55

Bloody hell Op, well done for investigating this further.

It sounds like the people who want to keep paying don't want to believe that they've been had.

I feel so sorry for your neighbours Sad

happymumof4crazykids · 22/05/2017 01:20

Omg it's crazy that they all have been paying for something without even knowing what it was for!
Hope the police catch whoever it is that is scamming them all!

OlennasWimple · 22/05/2017 01:34

Can't you send a letter to the same place that some of your neighbours send their cheques, explain that you have just moved in and you want to understand what the service charge is all about and see what they write back?

JennaRainbow · 22/05/2017 04:23

Thank you so much for coming back to update! Gosh what a shitty thing to happen if it is a scam, but well done you for uncovering it! I feel so sad for those vulnerable people. I hope the bastards running the scam are caught.

GloriaV · 22/05/2017 07:18

500 a year from 8 houses (or thereabouts) is not a whole lot of money. Which makes me think that either it is genuine or the scammers are charging a whole lot of other properties too, to make breaking the law worthwhile.

Stormtreader · 22/05/2017 09:54

Dont direct debits have to be set up by some kind of business though?

WashBasketsAreUs · 22/05/2017 10:46

There is always a lot of confusion re standing orders and direct debits.
Direct debits are set up on accounts after you have given permission for a company/ council/ water board etc to TAKE money from your account via a pre agreed schedule. It is only set up by companies, for example i can't set up a direct debit to TAKE money from someone else's account.
A standing order is instructions from the account holder to SEND money on a schedule pre agreed with both parties, so i could agree to pay my friend £ 10 per month for 6 months in the 5th of each month for example.
If it is via standing order, go to the bank and ask to see the standing order mandate that set it up originally if they still have it. That will give you the bank sort code, account and the name. Any problems let me know.

CoraPirbright · 22/05/2017 10:48

I wonder if anyone in the surrounding streets to yours is also paying, as GloriaV suggests. Perhaps get Roger to go and knock on a door or two a few streets away and ask. It might be much wider spread than you know .......

Mrsmadevans · 22/05/2017 14:45

I hope you get somewhere with this very soon op and thank you for replying to us nosy parkers

LancelotLink · 22/05/2017 17:38

It isn't difficult for a company to set up the ability to collect money via a direct debit arrangement.

And it is very simple to set up a company. Much easier than it is to open a bank account.

The chances of catching these crooks through the bank account (if it is a scam) are very slim, unless they are complete amateurs.

Ameliajc · 22/05/2017 17:41

I'm so glad for this update I hated being left in suspense!

TrickyD · 22/05/2017 17:50

Would there be any mileage in contacting your local councillors? They might help to establish whether anyone in nearby streets have also been paying up. They should certainly be able to help investigate any council involvement.

Toomanyspotsforagrownup · 22/05/2017 17:51

I look forward to reading about his in the daily fail....make sure Roger et al get their sad faces ready...

justoneday · 22/05/2017 17:52

So pleased you sent an update. If this gets close to the limit please could you start a new thread and then put the link in this one - I only found this by accident having followed the first one. Thanks.

Jayfee · 22/05/2017 17:57

Shocking. Thanks for the update!

cordelia16 · 22/05/2017 18:01

Thank you for the update OP. I'm feel so bad for your neighbours. Such a terrible thing for someone to do, and for so long. Hope they all decide not to keep paying, at least until they have more information from the police.

wonderstuff · 22/05/2017 18:04

Awful, but there are so many people trying to con money out of old people - when my grandmother got into her 80s it was like vultures circling - from sophisticated operators befriending her to daylight robbery. An official person came to her door, put it on the latch then another came in and nicked anything looked remotely valuable - broad daylight while she was in! She had her diamond rings stolen from her fingers either shortly before or after she died. Hope that the police can get to the bottom of it.

Lovelymess · 22/05/2017 18:24

500 a year from 8 houses (or thereabouts) is not a whole lot of money.

Really?! That is a lot of money, how awful Sad

minisoksmakehardwork · 22/05/2017 18:25

It is possible it's genuine. We are supposed to pay a sum of money to someone for the upkeep of our estate water treatment plant (just does our 30ish houses). None of us pay it though because the building company folded before the upkeep was set up. Instead, the council pay if there is a problem and bill us.

SherbrookeFosterer · 22/05/2017 18:27

Interesting thread.

Worrying how people just pay up without questioning.

Good for you for making a stand.

HighlandMcChancer · 22/05/2017 18:28

Sounds like a scam I feel for the older people some of them will believe anything someone who looks official tell them :-/ has roger managed to find out any more?

chubbylover78 · 22/05/2017 18:31

It's good all the residents went to the meeting but i feel sorry for the ones in denial. Hope you get the answer your looking for and justice is done.

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