Equita Bailiffs and Council Tax Arrears

latinhse

latinhse wrote: »

Ive had at 6am this morning a letter posted through my door from the above named bailiffs giving me notice of their intentions to remove goods!!! I have emailed them and asked them to call me and offered them 12.50 per week to clear 688.00. I don't want to ring the 0870 number they have as I only have a mobile. Will be on tender hooks now waiting to see if they accept my offer. My don't they start work early:(:(:(:(

diamondgal007

I managed to sort mine out. If u want I can PM u.
Let me know.

x

latinhse wrote: »

Ive had at 6am this morning a letter posted through my door from the above named bailiffs giving me notice of their intentions to remove goods!!! I have emailed them and asked them to call me and offered them 12.50 per week to clear 688.00. I don't want to ring the 0870 number they have as I only have a mobile. Will be on tender hooks now waiting to see if they accept my offer. My don't they start work early:(:(:(:(

RAS

latinhse wrote: »

Ive had at 6am this morning a letter posted through my door from the above named bailiffs giving me notice of their intentions to remove goods!!! I have emailed them and asked them to call me and offered them 12.50 per week to clear 688.00. I don't want to ring the 0870 number they have as I only have a mobile. Will be on tender hooks now waiting to see if they accept my offer. My don't they start work early:(:(:(:(

A good starting point would be that letter demanding they provide a break-down of their charges. Could save you £150 or so.

umpa05

hi could u please help i have recieved a letter on 10th of this month from the bailiffs saying bailiff removal payment due in full 24 hours . so i phoned them and they said i need to pay 914.16 thats for 2 seperate amounts of council tax for my handicapped daughter i told them that i dont have it so they said that i have untill monday to pay £416 then they will put me on a payment plan once its paid i told them my dad was trying to help get the money but i have only got £200 of this and cannot get anymore as i only get paid £35 a week income support after stoppages im worried they are gonna come in an take everything please help thanks

clredwood

my story is very similar to everyone's on here. I had a debt of £300 of c/tax which went to a bailiff after my local council tax office never replied to my letter. Anyway, I set up a direct debit of £60 pcm which has been running since May 09. Due to ill-health i had to give up my part-time job and await for my benefit to be sorted out. I had to cancel my direct debit for Equita as all i had to live on was my £20pw child benefit.
my ill-health has now got to the stage where i need a major operation which i will be admitted into hospital on the 24th of this month. Yesturday(08-09-09) Equita called with a removal notice and demands full payment within 24hrs. Bearing in mind that i was down to my last payment to them, i was going to pay them the £60 they requested in 2 payments as my benefit is paid fortnightly. I contacted the bailiff this morning who told me i had to pay £296 within 24hrs. I explained my reason for cancelling the payment which although he said he sympathised, (yh Right) he could not grant me either my 2 payments of £30 or until the end of the month to pay it in full. He said he would return today as i could not pay it and he would remove my goods. Then he said he could give me until friday to find the money, he has given me a time for whe he is going to return on friday. I am not refusing to pay this debt in anyway what so ever but i don't know what else to do. All i have is my tv and white goods in my house. I have got to hide all of my son's personal items ie: xbox, laptop etc etc as i don't want the bailiffs to take them. I have nothing else to give them. I am going to contact a law office tomorrow but i'm worried sick and i can't cope with this stress and anxiety this is putting me under and being so close to my major operation in 2 weeks. I will be unable to return to work for at least 3 months. Any suggestions would be gratefully received.
Many Thanks for your time.

chamki7

can someone help please?

i missed my payment last month (by accident) to equita.. now they are demanding full payment.. i advised them that i can not pay the full amount... but then she said i need to pay £250.00 within 24hrs to stop any further action i.e removal of goods. they sent me a letter 14.9.09 stating they have been trying to contact me (which was a lie)!
she was being very unreasonable.. and didn't seem interested in what i had to say. i genuinely forgot to pay, they wont accept D/D so i have to the call the 0870 number, which can be very expensive, and then they charge me £1.00 each time i use my debit card each month. which i think is unfair!

what do i do to stop them from taking my goods.. i am aware they can not force entry. but wont they add on fees for attending my property?

i just need to get them off my back

Jessknowsbest

Hi chamki7,

About your message above....first thing's first: relax, take a deep breath and conserve your energy because now is the time to "screw the bailiff" criminal-bailiffs.!!!!!!!!!.com/index.htm (sorry about the lack of links, but as a new user, I'm not allowed to post them - don't forget to add the https://www.)

This link gives you handy hints for dealing with bailiff situations and plenty of letter outlines, to explore every loophole. The most invaluable tips are "do not talk to the bailiff" and "never let the bailiff into your home". Bailiffs are trained not to negotiate and will often insist that nothing short of full payment will halt proceedings against you. This is not strictly true. If you can demonstrate willingness to pay something, and do this in writing, you have a good chance of avoiding immediate, full payment. I would also be wary of any bailiff who is demanding a set, round amount, which is not 100% of the debt in question.

Being in a similar situation myself, after losing my job in April, I have thrown myself into researching what my rights are and, based on advice from the local council, citizen's advice bureau and debtline, have formulated the following plan of action (I will let you know how it goes):

1) I will call the bailiff (for the last time!), telling him that I am recording the call (yes, I will), for legal purposes, and informing him that I am writing to his head office, to request a breakdown of their seemingly excessive charges (£194.50 - for reference, see herefordshire.gov.uk/docs/Enforcement_Agent_Charges.pdf), before making arrangements to pay and requesting that all action is halted, pending this confirmation. If he insists I must pay the full amount, I will simply repeat my previous statement until either he accepts it or becomes abusive. Either way, I win.

2) I will send a letter to Equita, as outlined above (post 49 shows a good example - forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1565473&page=3 - this one's just an h t t p / prefix) and proposing manageable payment by instalments (to demonstrate, in writing, willingness to pay). I will also include a breakdown of my income and outgoings, to demonstrate how reasonable my proposal is. This will be sent by recorded delivery, and a copy emailed to info @ equita.co.uk.
3) I will write to the local council, requesting that they take back this debt from Equita and enter into a payment agreement directly with me. I will include a copy of the correspondence to Equita and, again, send it by recorded delivery. Whilst the council are not obliged to take back the debt, there is a chance they will decide to do so. If not, sending this letter may still give me the grounds I need to file a court appeal, if I encounter further problems with Equita (e.g. failure to respond to my letter and/or properly account for charges).

I was also told today by a council official (in hushed tones!) that, since they cannot enter my property, I could just refuse further communication with the bailiffs and simply ignore them if/when they call. This would apparently force them to return the debt to the council as "unpaid", allowing the council to deal directly with me. This sounds a little risky to me so I think I'll leave it until all the reasonable options are exhausted.

Well, sorry for the ginormous post but I hope it helps.

misstiny_2

Please can someone HELP!!

I apologise in advance for rambling on but I think its better to start at the beginning to help you understand my situation fully!

I am in need of some advice as I have equita baliffs on my case threatening to remove my goods from my home because of an unpaid PCN. The contravention as they call it happened in may of last yr when I let a potential buyer test drive my car, he stopped on a box junction not realising he did not have enough space behind another car and my back wheels were captured on the cameras, at this time I said to him I was concerned I would recieve a notice at which time he agreed that he would pay it should I get one regardless of if he buys the car....
He didnt end up buying it but I did recieve a PCN charging £60, at which time I contacted him, gave him the details and he confirmed it was paid.... About 3 months later I recieved another notice saying it was unpaid and now asking for £180 plus £5 for registering it with the court. At this time I called TFL and told them that it wasnt me driving the car and that the person that was said they had paid it but they said that it was my responsibility any how as I was the registered keeper and that payment was not recieved. I contacted the test driver and he said he had done it and he didnt know what had happened, maybe a problem with his debit card but said he would pay it again then later called and told me had paid it and gave me the payment reference number they gave to him, so I thought everything was fine.... Now I realise how stupid I was!!

About another 3 to 4 months later in december 10 I recieved a letter from equita stating that the dept had been referred to them and that they wanted £198.16 in full (£11.20 being a statutory fee the other £1.96 they dont account for) and to send it by post, I tried calling the test driver and his number is no longer connected so could not reach him. As I can not afford to pay that amount in full I called the number on the letter to arrange a method that I could pay it off. I explained to the lady that I was on benefits and the situation that led for this to be and she accepted payments of £20 per wk and sent me a letter that can scanned at local paypoints to make payments.

I made the first payment but fell behind and missed about three weeks due to financial difficulties and they sent a letter saying they are coming to remove my goods from my home within 48 hours, the letter was dated tues 25th jan but I didnt recieved the letter until monday 31st jan, three days after the 48 hrs they had given me on the letter!! which I have no doubt was intentional!!!!!!!
I tried calling them all day monday and tuesday but all I got was an automated message saying their lines were having technical problems and to call back later. On wednesday i finally got through and after keying in the reference and etc the message informed me that I had been referred to one of their baliffs and that I should contact them and gave me the number.

I called him straight away at about 4.30pm and I told him I was calling in regards to my dept with equity, he asked me my name and postcode then told me call back tomorrow as he didnt have his laptop to access my details/account, at this time I said ok, but I added "will I be able to make an arrangement to pay it wont I?" he said "yeah, dont worry darlin just call back tomorrow and we'll sort sumink out". I called again the next day (thurs) about 4pm, I explained I had called yesterday and wanted to make an arrangement, he asked me my name and postcode again then asked me to confirm if the address he was reading was correct. From the second I said yes his whole attitude and tone of voice changed and he aggressively said that I couldnt have an arrangement as I have already had one and that he had already planned to visit my home tomorrow to remove my goods (which would be today), he said that unless I can pay the full amount now he would be coming. I explained that I have been having financial difficulties which is why I missed payments, that I am on benefits can could not afford to pay in full but wanted to arrange payment in installments, and offered to pay the arrears now but he said, "NO, WE NEED IT IN FULL OTHERWISE WE'LL HAVE TO ATTEND TOMORROW" I went on to try and make some kind comprimise but he didnt reply and I was left feeling an akward silence, so I said "IS THERE NO ARRANGEMENT WE CAN COME TO BECAUSE I DONT HAVE IT" then he said "OK, WE'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW THEN" I was so stunned I didnt know what to say so although I thought f**k you, ignorant c**t (please excuse my language) I said ok and put down the phone.

I then scraped together every penny I had (what was supposed to be for groceries, gas and electric) and borrowed the bulk of it to gather the money to pay him. I called him a few hrs later and told him I had managed to borrow some money and asked him how he wanted me to pay, he (now being polite) said I could pay by direct debit but I informed him I only have a basic bank account that doesnt have that facility (and would not trust to give him my bank details in any case) so he said he would collect it from me tomorrow (which was today) he added that he had removals to do so he would have to take time out to come to me (but wasnt he planning to come to my home anyway, thought he was coming to remove my goods, but I ignored this thought and agreed) and we confirmed 10am.

He called me about 9.50am and said that he would be a bit early if that was ok (still being remarkable nice and polite considering the manner I had recieved the prior day), I said yes and he said he would be about half an hour and would call me when he was outside and I could come out to meet him (which I prefered to keep him as far away from my door as possible as I felt uneasy) and I had the exact amount of £178.16 for him.

When he came I went out and he was sitting in his unmarked white van, he rolled down the window and greeted me "MORNING!" I was not impressed as I had not forgotten his aggressiveness toward me but I without attitude said morning back. I then proceeded to ask him if he had a reciept and he replied "yeah, of course darlin" and began to look around the inside of the van as if looking for something, then looked at me as if he were waiting for the cash, i then said while handing him the cash "HERES £170 AND HERE'S" thats where he cut me and said "HOW MUCH, WHATS THIS, YOU OWE 500 AND SOMETHING" (to be honest I didnt hear the something I was too stunned), I said "WHAT??" he replied "YES! I TOLD YOU ON THE PHONE" I said "NO YOU DIDNT" and I pulled the letters I have recieved out of my pocket, meanwhile he was shoving me back my cash and grabbing the letters out of my hand then he said "SEE! LOOK AT THE DATE ON HERE, THATS WHY" I argued that I had been trying to call him all week and wanted to make an arrangement that I did not have and would not pay that amount as I do not know where those charges were from, i added i have not recieved anything as such in writing. He said "EVERYTIME I COME OUT IT COSTS AND I TOLD YOU ON THE PHONE, AND YOU KNOW WHAT TODAY WAS GONNA BE FREE BUT NOW IM CHARGIN YOU AND YOU NOW OWE £600 AND SOMTHING" by which time he had raised his voice and had become aggressive! Again, I told him not only did I not have it but all I will give is what I owe so he shouted "IM GONNA BE COMING TO REMOVE YOUR GOODS ON MONDAY THEN!" and for a while we were going back and forth him telling me that he told me about the charges on the phone and unless I pay now hes coming back on monday and me saying no you did not (which he didnt) In the end I walked off and he sped off in his van shouting at me that he'l be back monday.

I could not believe what I was hearing and worst still his actions, I have never felt so violated in my life! I have 2 children and have had to deprive them of the things they need to give him every penny I had and that wasnt good enough!


now I dont know what to do...???? PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN!!!!


I do not know his name as he only identified himself as the bailiff from equita, I tried calling him after he left (and after I calmed down) to find out his name and also the exact amout he says I owe so I can ask equita for a breakdown of their costs so I can compare it and maybe find proof of him extorting me, but his phone was swiched off. I also tried calling equita but they will not take my calls and keep referring me to the number the the said bailiff

Also, I thought the best thing I could do is take the money and try to pay it at the paypoint (if it will still work) so that at least the dept is cleared which im hoping would give them less reason to harass me!!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?????

81maggie

the problems I have encountered while trying to sort out my accounts with Equita.

I had a arrangement in place in order to pay for my parking penalty I got the dates confused and rang up to pay my installment and was told it had been passed to the bailiff. I was told in order to pay I will have to contact them. I contacted the bailiff who told me that the bill had now increased by £180, when I asked can he explain why this was he replied he didn't know and he just collected the money that he is told to. He said he wanted all the money and I said I couldn't do it all in one go but I did have the £80, he then told me that there was no point continuing the discussions and then proceeded to hang up the phone.

I found this very rude and was shocked at this behaviour how was I expected to try and sort this out with him behaving this way. I then proceeded to try and text him to find out the amounts I owed, when I had no response I then called the call centre.

Upon calling the call centre I explained what had happened and basically I was told that I had to speak to the bailiff, I explained that I was very reluctant to speak to him and he had been so rude and unapproachable, I asked the operator if they could call the bailiff and find out how much I owed.

The operator came back to me and told me the bailiff was happy to accept £344 for my parking fine and would hold payment on the Council Tax so we could sort out the parking fine first, but I would have to ring him to set this up.

I rang the Bailiff and he agreed that if I paid the parking fine on Monday he would let me set up installments for the council tax at something like £50 a month. I asked if I could have a breakdown of the charges as I still wasnt happy and the extra £180 I was been asked to pay for only being late in my payment by 1 day. He said that if I paid it off he would give me a breakdown afterwards. I agreed to this and I was afraid that if I didn't he would remove my car this week as threatened.

I decided to ring back Emily the Operative who kindly helped me set up my agreement for payment of the parking fine as I was really unhappy and not satisfied with the additional £180 that had been added and as no body could explain what this was for.

Emily was not there but I managed to speak to somebody called Sam (operator number 725) I explain what had happened and she spoke to her Manager and said that they could see I had set up an arrangement with Emily and that if I paid £115 which brought me up to date she could set up the arrangement again and that it would only leave me with a final payment of £89. I asked if I could also set up an arrangement for the £242 for the council tax and she said once I made the £115 payment she would look it to it for me. Sam was very helpful and friendly after the experience I had with the bailiff she was very kind to me and helped me resolve my payment issue.

I made the payment later that afternoon, but I was very nervous about ringing back the bailiff to sort out payment for the council tax but also I had to make him aware that I had been put back onto my agreement so would not be making a payment to him on Monday. I asked if he would now be aggrieved and was told that his job is to recover outstanding money so he would be fine. This was not the case.

When I rang him he was very angry as he said that he was on the phone with his manager as they should not have taken the payment from me as it was his to collect. I asked if I could set up payment for the outstanding council tax which he responded now I had done what I had he will now be adding on fees to this as he hadn't before and told me he would ring me back to let me know what is happening.

I am very upset with the behaviour I have encountered. The rudeness was not necessary and the threatening behaviour was also very intimidating. I am a single parent of two and am trying my best to pay off my debts but I have been left worrying all weekend as to what the bailiff is going to do next, whether he will allow me to pay in installment, whether he will add on extra fees.

I have called the bailiff today and he has told me I now have to pay £466.63 which is £200 more than friday. I said what about the installments and he said he wants it all now. I said I havent got it all and he promptly hanged up the phone.

I have contacted my local MP who will be looking into this for me. Can somebody please tell me if he will be able to remove my car from my premises. I have read that he cant come into my flat unless I open the door to him.

Can anybody give me some advice.

RAS

maggie

Please can you start you own thread, not least as parking fines are different to Council tax and the advice on this thread may not help you.