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Original poster

BAILIFFS

26 replies

hifi · 17/04/2008 13:33

WE HAD A VISIT FROM BAILIFFS YESTERDAY, DH HADNT PAID A PARKING TICKET FOR £155.
they said they had sent a letter in feb, we didnt get it, so the whole bill came to £644, thats £489 for bailiff services. i tried to look up on the net while they were outside and lots of sites mentioned reasonable charges but didnt really specify.
is this what they can really charge?

would like any info on what anyone else has done, challenged them on costs and won. this isnt the first time its happened and dh is usually organised in paying them.

OP posts:
Beelliesebub · 17/04/2008 14:09

Did you let them in to your house?

SquonkTheBeerGuru · 17/04/2008 14:09

OH GOD, tell me you did NOT let them in

avenanap · 17/04/2008 14:13

You need to go through the letters that you have recieved regarding the parking ticket, find the notice, the summons (sp?), all of the letters from the bailiffs and take them to the CAB before you pay any money. DO NOT under any circumstances, let them into your home or let them take an inventory of your things. It is illegal for them to ask you to pay money if you have not recieved adequate notice and opportunity to pay so you need to check this. Go and see the CAB.

Iklboo · 17/04/2008 14:16

Yes, go and see the CAB. They will phone them and tell them on your behalf you ain't paying.
They HAD to send you a notice telling you they were paying a visit. If they didn't they're not legal.
Bad question.....has DH been hiding the letters??? Sorry to ask but that happened to my friend

Original poster
hifi · 17/04/2008 14:21

we paid, they threatened to take the car. we didnt recieve any letters, they said they had sent them. dh hasnt hidden any letters, he wouldnt have wanted it to get to this stage. so i could heve stalled them by asking them for notice?

OP posts:
Iklboo · 17/04/2008 14:22

Jeez - it could have been a bloody scam!

Original poster
hifi · 17/04/2008 14:22

they came at 8am so i couldnt phone anyone.

OP posts:
avenanap · 17/04/2008 14:23

Ohhh. Was it cash/something you can stop? It'll illegal for them to do this if you have not had the correct notice. You need to contact the council (as they are technically acting as agents of the council if it is for parking) and complain. Go and see the CAB as you should be entitled to a refund.

Original poster
hifi · 17/04/2008 14:25

yes it was the council, dh paid by visa i think.

OP posts:
avenanap · 17/04/2008 14:34

Be aware my advice may be wrong so I strongly suggest you contact consumer direct (they are like trading standards/oft all in one) before you do anything

I don't know if this is classed as a purchase though. Have you phoned the council an told them what has happened? You are within your rights to contact the Office of Fair Trading for this, the bailifs have to give you written notice that they have been appointed by the council to chase you for the debt, then they should give you time to respond/grovel/set up a payment plan/pay. If they have not done this they are breaking OFT rules (I think it's the OFT?). This makes the council and the bailiffs liable for prosecution and a hefty fine. Contact the council, tell them what's happened and that you have not had the notice period, then contact the credit card company and see if you can stop the payment. The go to the CAB and get some correct and accurate advice. Have you had a notice from the council saying they intend to take you to court over the unpaid ticket? If not, tell the council this, also tell them you are going to stop the payment as it will be difficult and take ages for you to get your money back.

avenanap · 17/04/2008 14:36

'I don't know if this is classed as a purchase though' Sorry. Should have cut this out. I hope it all works out for you.

FeverishFish · 17/04/2008 14:37

you cant only haev had ONE letter
how do people get tot hsi stage
byt the time you get baliffs oyu wil ahev at least tow fromt he court as well

avenanap · 17/04/2008 14:44

I've spent time working at the CAB, companies like this do this all the time because people don't know what their rights are.

Original poster
hifi · 17/04/2008 14:44

we arjust as confused, no court notice, no letter. i have just had a quick look on line and they say they can only charge £222 for the first visit. i did question the amount of one visit and they said because they had to bring a van to take the car.

OP posts:
Original poster
hifi · 17/04/2008 14:45

avananap, do people every get re embursed from these companies?

OP posts:
FranSanDisco · 17/04/2008 14:52

We had a similar incident 2 years ago. We hadn't received any letters but they clamped dh's van. He paid up £600 +. He was sure he had paid this ticket. The bank evenutally sent him copies of the cheque for a fee and sure enough he had paid the £50.00 ticket months back. We are still in the process of trying to get the money back from Drakes (bailiffs) via Transport for London (the ticket issuers). It's an ucking nightmare how they hold you to ransom. DH was saying he had paid and they didn't want to know or make a call to anyone. There was "nice" guy and "thicko". For a self employed carpenter £600 is a lot of money and he couldn't lose his van as he couldn't work.

avenanap · 17/04/2008 14:54

Sometimes they do, sometimes not. They one you have delt with sounds like one of the dodgy ones to be honest so your best bet is to phone the credit card company. Give the council and consumer direct a call, CAB if you can. I've got to collect ds from school but will be back later. Let me know how things go.

Beelliesebub · 17/04/2008 16:50

Just a thought but do you subscribe to which magazine because I think that if you pay an extra charge to them they can supply advice and actually take them to court..... alternatively there's always Watchdog!

Original poster
hifi · 17/04/2008 17:01

thanks everyone, i have left a message for dh to hold the payment. i will get all paperwork off him then try and see someone at cab.

OP posts:
shabster · 17/04/2008 17:25

Believe me when I say, from experience, there are times when you only get one letter.
In 1992 my son was killed in a RTA. A month later my husband was made redundant and my employment finished also. We were in a dark, distraught place. The mortgage company wrote to us ONCE and told us we were behind by one month with the mortgage.

They did telephone us and even after we listed to them our circumstances (which involved both of us crying on the telephone) there solution was for us to pay two months mortgage that month - with what, we asked. There reply was - it is not our problem.

Within a month the baliffs had come to our home - very early one morning, evicted me and changed the locks. In one day I walked the streets to find somewhere else to live. When I eventually did find somewhere I was allowed to go back into our house and get my property BUT only because I almost had a nervous breakdown at their offices and told them all about my little lad.

I shudder when I see the word BALIFF - I dont understand how anyone can do that job. They certainly would never get the better of me now - stronger and much, much wiser.

I know now that there are many more things I could have done, but my grieving robbed me of reason.

I hope you get your money back hifi.

avenanap · 17/04/2008 18:19

Ohh, shabster, that's made me cry. That's awful. There are different rules for mortgage companies, they can begin proceedings after one missed payment. It's an evil thing to do.

Hifi, I hope it all works out for you. Did you contact the council?

Original poster
hifi · 17/04/2008 18:27

dh not back til late will do it tomorrow.

OP posts:
avenanap · 17/04/2008 18:29
Smile
shabster · 17/04/2008 18:30

avenap - it has meant that we now rent our house and I would never, ever, ever buy a house again. Would have to think twice even if I won the lotto.

Makes me panic and shudder every time I think about it.

avenanap · 17/04/2008 18:46

I'm not surprised. It was an evil, nasty thing for them to do. There would be public outrage if a bank/mortgage company tried to do that now. It's horrid.