Effect of an Attachment of Earnings on Credit Rating

jonboy_40

Good afternoon all,

I was wondering if anyone could help.

Last week my employer contacted me to say that they had received an Attachment of Earnings Order from the London Collection & Compliance Centre, relating to unpaid fines. I had no idea what this related to but after phoning them it transpired that the DVLA never received the change of address for my car when I moved in April 2014. As a result, I never received a car tax reminder in October and so only taxed my car at the end of December when it got clamped. However, unbeknown to me, the DVLA had already fined me twice but all correspondence had gone to my old address, as did the court summons for the unpaid fines.

I have this morning been to Highbury Magistrates Court and had the convictions reopened and dismissed as I settled with the DVLA. I now have to wait 10-14 days and should get a refund on the amount that will be taken from my salary this week.

My big concern is around my credit rating. Will the attachment of earnings affect this despite the fact that the convictions have now been dismissed. If so, is there anything I can do about it?

PaulW922

No not in this case because the fines are criminal in nature - it is an offence to drive or use your car on the highway without taxing it - If the attachment of earnings order was for a civil debt - which some so called 'fines' are - then that would be different. The same applies to speeding tickets - even though they are fixed penalties and can be enforced as if they were civil debts, they remain technically criminal.