Some advice

jester1470

For the past 6 years I have been paying off a debt to Scott & Co for council tax I owed at £100 a month, When i changed jobs a few years ago I asked them for an update on what I still owed, and they told me it was approx 3500, so for the last 27 or so months i have been paying my £100 a month, I asked them this morning how much i still owed and they said £1300... Now doing the maths 3500-2700 does not equal £1300, I have queried this and they say they don't know why there's a discrepancy so I have demanded they send me a fully itemised bill of every payment I have made, has anyone heard of this before, I have recently got together enough money that i was intending on paying off the final £800 or so next month and getting the whole thing finished, now I discover I can't do that as they say I owe them £500 more, I'm not sure which total owed they have messed up, but the 2 definitely don't tie together as far as I can see.

Anyone had similar problems with Scott and Co ?

rockm87

Are they charging you a fee for using their services?

I'd use the Step Change, theyre free

sourcrates

Scott & co are sheriffs officers as well as debt collectors, if you have not already done so, request a statement of account in writing, from them.

jester1470

They shouldn't be charging anything as far as I know, they're just recovering the council tax debt, that should be a set amount, it certainly shouldn't as far as i can see be going up by £400-500. i called them to get an answer and they say they don't know why there's a discrepancy but insist the amount I owe is the higher amount. I am looking forward to seeing their itemised bill when I get it !! I just wondered if anyone else had similar problems with Scott and Co.

Tixy

Are you in Scotland?

I am not sure if the enforcement agents are able to continue adding fees to council tax debt in Scotland.

Definitely insist on a full statement of the account to understand what you are being charged.

jester1470

Hi, yes I'm in Aberdeen, I guess they're going to tell me that they were wrong when they told me what was still due 2.5 years ago, but what annoying was I'd worked out how long I had to go and worked out everything based on that, and realised I could afford to pay off what was left in a oner and now I find I may have an extra 6 months worth to pay, though really I think they should have been sending me a statement anyway to let me know how I was doing. I am looking forward to getting their statement, they said they would email it to me, but no sign so far.

sourcrates

jester1470 wrote: »

Hi, yes I'm in Aberdeen, I guess they're going to tell me that they were wrong when they told me what was still due 2.5 years ago, but what annoying was I'd worked out how long I had to go and worked out everything based on that, and realised I could afford to pay off what was left in a oner and now I find I may have an extra 6 months worth to pay, though really I think they should have been sending me a statement anyway to let me know how I was doing. I am looking forward to getting their statement, they said they would email it to me, but no sign so far.

A written request would be better, gives you a paper trail then, if you need to take the matter any further.

jester1470

Having spoken again to Scott and Co, they're saying that the figure was correct but later that day the council asked them to reactivate another debt. It seems coincidental that the council would do this the same day I ask for the total i still owe - and 6 years after any other activity - and never inform me they had added nearly £500 onto my debt, I spoke to the council and they do concur with Scott and Co as to what i still owe but say they didn't ask for anything to be reactivated in 2013 and that all warrants were served in 2007, it sounds to me like Scott and Co messed up and gave me the wrong figure when I asked 2.5 years ago and are now lying about it to try and cover that fact up. It's really messed up my plans to pay everything off now and stretched things out. I think I will make a complaint to the financial ombudsmen as this isn't on, surely if you add something onto the debt like they say they did they should inform me. The council reckon that the debt has always been that.

Grumpelstiltskin

Jester You do need to write to them using snail mail asking for full statements. Send it recorded and keep a copy.


Phone calls will be of no use to you if you want to take it further.


Also ask the council if they can send you a letter repeating what they have told you over the phone.


You will need evidence if you want to take this further.

jester1470

I have been told that they've now found another council tax debt, this one is 14 years old and added it since I complained, I have written asking for a full statement and an explanation of why I was given the wrong total in 2013, and not informed that the total had gone up. They said they did inform me but had the wrong address for me, which seems strange as I've been at this address for 14 years and the council tax debt was for this address s I'm not sure what other address they had, the funny thing is in order to have sorted out me paying back they must have had the correct address, so I'm not sure what they're playing at. I also got a new statement from the Council on what I'm due. that came by email today yet doesn't seem to include this new debt they say they discovered yesterday so I have no idea what's going on.