Scott and Co Reclaim Council Tax

anotherangrycitizen

Hi there,

I missed my council tax payments last year over two months (2 payments) and subsequently was handed over to Scott and Co to set up a repayment plan and a direct debit. I was told I had to pay around £230 a month back over the same period (my normal payment was £175).

Is there any way I can claim this excess money back? I understand that Scott and Co claim admin fees but over 60 pounds more per month is ridiculous considering I was a young man struggling to pay my bills!

any help much appreciated.

A.

National_Debtline

Hi A

I am assuming that you are based in Scotland as Scott and Co don't handle any such work south of the border as far as I am aware.

I would not be at all surprised if total costs and fees in this case did indeed genuinely amount to something like £120. The obtaining of the summary warrant by the council alone wil have resulted in a 10% surcharge on your bill, before any of the sheriff officer fees were taken into account.

I would suggest that you ask Scott and Co for a copy of the fees - if one was not already provided by them at the time - so that you can assess whether you have been overcharged. If you believe this is the case, I would suggest you complain formally to S & C to begin with and then escalate the matter to the Sheriff Principal and/or the Society of Messengers-at-Arms and Sheriff Officers www.smaso.org

The fees as they currently stand can be found here:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2013/345/pdfs/ssi_20130345_en.pdf

Regards

Dennis @NDL