Debt collector charge.

marcmanu

Hi again.
got behind on council tax, offered to pay £20 p/w which was refused.
anyway, it went through the usual process and got sent out to debt collectors (hammond hillman)
I received a letter from then which on it the amount was wrong by about £80. I sent a letter back but never received a reply!
got onto council who said they would contact them with an updated amount. A month went by when they knocked on my door, handed me a letter, i read it and the amount was still wrong! and they added a further £18 for there visit that day!told him amount was wrong,iwrote to you, but you never replied, he said i should have starting paying, they would have refunded me if it was wrong, i told him would he pay for something he knew was priced more than he was supposed, he didnt reply!
Anyway, i asked what shall i do and he said to contact his office with an offer of payment, now after he left, i read the letter thoroughly, and it said, due to the fact we was unable to secure the debt, £18 has been added to your account.. but not once did he say to me have you got the money, how are you going to pay etc.
I wrote to them again, sent registered and photocopied, stating that i was never asked to pa\y the debt at the door, or to come to an arragement, this was 2 months ago, and never got a reply.

does anyone know if i am in my right to refuse to pay the £18? i also have a witness who was here and will say that the collector did not once try to secure the debt.
Also is it common for them not to reply?
Thanks guys

fwor

I've never been in your situation but, from what I've read, it's very hard to get away from these charges. As you probably know by now, the only interest these debt collection companies have in your debt is how to make maximum profit out of it.

I'm fairly sure that the fact that he turned up at your door, identified himself as a debt collector and handed you the letter will be considered an attempt to secure the debt. They may ask as well, but it doesn't matter if they don't, as it's all stated in the letter anyway.

I suspect it is very common for them not to reply to letters, because it's in their financial interests not to.

You should also think twice about refusing to pay any part of the debt such as the £18, because the debt will still be considered as outstanding and they will continue to add extra charges on top! It would probably be better to pay in full "under protest", and then try to get it back later.

pippin49

Hi, is unusual for council not to accept offers of repayment. £20 a week is a substantial amount to offer them. Go to your own council's debt advisor and get an income and expenditure report done. He will make sure head of finance gets the report and reviews your complaint. All action should then be stopped and debt sent back to councils finance dept. The service is free. As for Hammond Hillman and co, tell them to get stuffed. As far as I am aware it is now illegal to take door step payments. So the bloke gave you a letter to frighten you into paying and charged you for delivering it. Get advice from CAB and the debt forum on here as well. Hope this helps

Enfieldian

Bailiff companies can charge for the first and second letters when collecting against a Council Tax debt.

The other charges that they add are dubious to say the least (for example levy charges when they have not perfomed a levy, van charges to collect on a levy that does not exist, etc, etc....)

You are best off paying the council direct if possible as their figure will not include any additional bailiff charges and will go straight to paying off your account. If you pay the bailiff they will take their fees first (while adding new ones) and very little will actually reach the Council.

If there is no outstanding bill with the Council then the Bailiffs can whistle for their "fees"