Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Money matters

Find financial and money-saving discussions including debt and pension chat on our Money forum. If you're looking for ways to make your money to go further, sign up to our Moneysaver emails here.

Original poster

Bailiff coming at 7pm - what are the legal ins and outs??

103 replies

Zephyrrywitchescat · 26/10/2005 17:06

One turned up earlier today but I didn't answer the door.He left a letter saying it was for council tax from our old house which dp is one month late with.
The letter says 'unless you contact the bailiff within the next 3 days we will return with a view to levy distress on your goods blah blah blah.

So, dp called them right away. He is a month late with a payment of 100.00, the letter says today's visit fee is 22.50. The bailiff is demanding 150.00 tonight or is taking our stuff.

Can he do it that quick? dp offered him 50.00 today and the rest on Friday but he said no, 150.00 tonight and that's it. But if we had waited the 3 days to ring him we could have paid it all on Friday!

Is he in the right to do it this way or can we make an offer of payment until Friday?

OP posts:
skinnycow · 26/10/2005 20:09

I had a letter about 6 weeks ago from a debt collection place regarding an alleged outstanding O2 bill from 12 months ago. At the time thye sent me a final bill for £140 after I gave notice. When i rang to query it the chap there said it looks like they're trying to bill you for your free inclusive minutes - dont do anything and if you owe us anything then we'll reinvoice you. So i did nothing and no bill ever came. Anyway upon receipt of Westgate's letter demanding £140 I called them and then had to call O2 who said they'd look into it. They then called me back and said they'd overcharged me by loads of money and I asked them to send a bill showing the amount owed and broken down into various calls etc. Still nothing until another letter from Westgate asking for £140 plus £80 court fee. So i rang them and said "fine send me a summons. At least then somebody will listen when I say I dont owe this" Still havent heard anything

Honestly they're all tossers

kid · 26/10/2005 20:11

Maybe he is writing a receipt out for the £50. Hope they let your DP get back in without trying to follow.

Does your DP have a mobile on him?

monstrousmummy · 26/10/2005 20:13

if they hang around....and you are worried about your dp getting in without them also attempting entry..you can always ring the police.

((hugs)) I know how I'd be feeling if it was me and I'd need a bug hug as I be a bundle or nerves and worries!

kid · 26/10/2005 20:15

At my old flat, we received a letter from the bailiffs demanding money but it wasn't in our name. I still panicked about it though so I can imagine how much worse you must be feeling.

Original poster
Zephyrrywitchescat · 26/10/2005 20:15

It's ridiculous isn't it how .
much companies will mess up with mopney but you can bet as soon as it's your mistake they're on you.

dp has got lots of bits of paper in his hands but he doesn't look amused. He'll come back in through the back garden and i'll let him in.

OP posts:
nutcackle · 26/10/2005 20:17

I rang one bailiff place when they sent several letters here to the previous ocupants. I tld them the people had bene evicted months before hand , but they wanted me to send untillity bills in my name as proof that I now lived here.

I told them to bogg off. If i did that for every letter that gets sent for them i'd be buying the post office out of stamps.

Original poster
Zephyrrywitchescat · 26/10/2005 20:18

uh oh. dp's body language tells me he's getting pissed off now. I don't get why they are prepared to waste all this time when he;s agreed to pay most of what he's asking!!

OP posts:
skinnycow · 26/10/2005 20:19

just call him back in ZWC - its not doing any good him being out there this long.

nutcackle · 26/10/2005 20:19

I agree, tell dp to come back in.

monstrousmummy · 26/10/2005 20:20

shout out of the window that someone important is on the phone....i.e. the bank, the boss whatever and get him in!!

kid · 26/10/2005 20:21

Call out of the window for him, tell him there is someone on the phone for him or that if he isn't in with 5 minutes you are calling PC X back (give a name to make the bailiff panic)

monstrousmummy · 26/10/2005 20:22

great minds think alike kid

nutcackle · 26/10/2005 20:22

Your very controlled ZCat, I would have been out there giving him an earful by now

Freckle · 26/10/2005 20:23

Even if you've sorted the debt problem, still go to see your CAB tomorrow to report the incident and ask them to mark it up as a social policy issue. They keep tabs on unorthodox procedures/methods and, if they get several reports on the same company/bailiffs, will ensure that action is taken to stamp it out.

PeachyClairBingoBabe · 26/10/2005 20:32

At our last house, the tenant before owed £30k in catalogue / other small debts despite being on benefits, they did a bunk and we 'inherited' it. Took ages to sort.

We get bailiff letters now for an entirely different reason. The person who took over our first house decided to use our details to open loads of accounts, and spend. We sorted it a year ago but they've just started chasing again.

If you are worried there's trouble, it may be more prudent to call the police. It might just stop it? A friend of Dh's works as a bailiff and is always getting into fights, it's just not worth going there.

And yes the Council could have called them off, they did us and we pay it back at £15 pcm- it was about the amount you owed.

kid · 26/10/2005 20:36

whats happening now Zephyrrywitchescat?

Original poster
Zephyrrywitchescat · 26/10/2005 20:38

I very nearly went out there! The kids are still up though - they are refusing to go to bed til daddy comes back!!
He's back now though. The guy took the 50 quid but was saying he still wanted 150. He told dp that he had to pay 200 per month from now on for the rest of the debt but dp told him he could only pay 150. The guy kept arguing it and saying he wouldn't accept any less so dp said 150 or nothing and walked away - so he has put an agreement through the door for 150 a month starting next month. Taken the 50.00 and gone.

WTF???? So after all that, they've gone without even getting the 150 they were demanding this afternoon and dp doesn't have to pay now till next month.

Absolute f*ers. !!!!

OP posts:
skinnycow · 26/10/2005 20:39

i thought the debt was £100

kid · 26/10/2005 20:42

So how long will this debt go on for?

kid · 26/10/2005 20:43

Glad he was finally able to get away from him, bit pointless going round and round in circles.

philippat · 26/10/2005 20:47

the reason he stayed so long is that they charge you for his time (usually by the half hour)... how much do you owe in total? I guess the council has sold your whole year tax debt to the baliffs?

wallopyCOD · 26/10/2005 20:59

do you htik dp owes mroe than he is lettign on?

Original poster
Zephyrrywitchescat · 26/10/2005 21:03

yes it's the whole year they've sold over so it was 1665 and it's now 1806 after their 140.00 'charges'

OP posts:
Original poster
Zephyrrywitchescat · 26/10/2005 21:05

the 100 was a month that we missed and that's what supposedly kicked this off.

OP posts:
intergalacticwalrus · 26/10/2005 21:18

Bailiffs are nasty bastards. Reading this has scared the crap out of me, as we have recently recieved a bailiffs letter, which is to do with DP not paying the council tax. (I knew nothing about this) I am now crapping myself. DP reckons he has come to an agreement with the council, but he lied to me about the last lot I am going to show this to him, to maybe hammer home the point that we are in shit unless he gets his act together