Debt collection in Germany - anybody know?

[BertieBotts]

Wondering if anybody can help.

I have a bill of just over €600 that I owe, currently it is with the Hauptzollamt.

They first attempted to seize my wages, but this was unsuccessful because they are too low. I eventually got hold of somebody via email to talk about this, and got an email back saying "habe ich die Vollstreckung eingestellt und die Pfändungen aufgehoben."

My translation of this wasn't great so I thought that was it and I had to go back to the original debtor. They sent me back to the HZA, so I emailed again asking how to pay. They have asked me to make an offer, which I have. Now they have written back saying that an enforcement officer is coming soon and I must give all of my documents to him

I am a bit worried about this. I know in England, it's not advised to let a bailiff into your house, but I don't know what the rules or laws are here.

Help! What should I do? Should I email back asking what I have missed? The money is not a problem, we can pay it off within 12 months or quicker, what I am stuck with is the procedural side.

"habe ich die Vollstreckung eingestellt und die Pfändungen aufgehoben."

this means that the recovery of assets/monies has been stopped.

have you looked at toytown about the bailiff process. when I lived in germany I only had to deal with bailiffs from the other side (and i's so long ago I assume much has changed).

beware toytown is full of ten headed vipers with scorpion tails, but you can get brillant advice in english from there.

That's what I understood as well, but the first part translated as "set the execution" which I now think means they started another process? I don't know, it's so confusing when you don't speak the language very well. Normal language is hard enough but legalese is worse!

I will try Toytown, need to go and pick DS up in a minute.

einstellen = to stop something
it means hat his part of the process has been stopped. I assume that it will then be refered back to the court.

this might help

OK, well that's what I understood as well. So after that email, I waited for a payment request from the original debtor, which didn't come. I contacted them, had to wait for them to call me back with somebody who spoke English, they did, said that I had to speak to the HZA.

So then I sent the HZA an email, email being the only reliable communication I'd had with them, asking to pay and how.

Their reply:

mittlerweile sind wieder 4 Beitragsrückstände bei mir in der Vollstreckung ([removed]) mit einem Gesamtbetrag
von derzeit [amount] Euro.
Bitte machen Sie einen Vorschlag zur Ratenzahlung (Ratenhöhe und Anzahl)

My (google) translation:

now are back 4 good standing with me in the enforcement ([removed]) for a total
from the current [amount] euros.
Please make a proposal to pay in installments (installment amount and number)

I replied to this offering an installment amount and number as asked. Now they are talking about enforcement agents (Vollziehungsbeamten) and I am worried - I don't want to deal with bailiffs, have them in my house scaring my child. I just want to pay the money! I can't pay it in full but I'm trying to find out how to pay it in installments.

My friends local to me are saying I ought to contest the debt, as well, but TBH I am so exhausted with trying to deal with this that I would rather just pay it. But they aren't letting me just pay it!

Thanks for toytown link. I have read some but none really answering my question.

I ended up sending another email to the person I was speaking to. They said that an enforcement agent will visit "soon" and that I have to speak to them but I still don't know what documents they require. They are talking about collateral and seizable income. I think that our income (mine, certainly) is below the seizable amount, so then what would they do??