Bailiffs fees

The_cabbage

Hi there,

I have been billed £407 for being in a bus lane, the original fine was £75. I have a few questions,

1. Is that bill even legal, the size of the fees? They claim a £98 driving offense fee and a £75 mandatory fee and then seem to have added over £200?
2. What is it's legal backing? The letter from the Bailiffs (Bristow and Sutor) claim a warrant was issued, but no details of the magistrate or court).
3. All the letters sent from Bedford Council were obviously sent to my old address which I changed about a week after the offense, the bailiffs have obviously checked DVLA at a later date and got my actual address. I have appealed to the council, does anyone have experience of their appeal system, have I got grounds to only pay the £75?

By the way I am guilty of driving in the bus lane, followed the Tom Tom and missed the signs somewhere I had never been, pillock :-(

fatbelly

The compliance fee is £75, the enforcement fee is £235.

235 +75 + 97 = 407

I can't say how the fine went up from £75 - court fee maybe?

You may be able to do a statutory declaration - see here

http://bailiffadviceonline.co.uk/index/magistrate-court-fines/i-do-not-know-about-this-court-fine

The_cabbage

So they could take the enforcement fee without a home visit?

takman

This is why you should always setup a mail redirection service when you move house. I did it for 12 months when I last moved and it didn't cost much, it seems to have gone up to £59.99 for 12 months now but I would still recommend it to avoid situations like this.

fatbelly

The_cabbage wrote: »

So they could take the enforcement fee without a home visit?

No - but they probably delivered the enforcement letter by hand

National_Debtline

Hi there,


Fatbelly is right. If the bailiffs have hand delivered anything they will be able to justify the enforcement fee. If you have had nothing hand delivered you could consider a complaint to Bristow and Suter and ask them for proof of a visit (i.e. a log). If they cannot provide this you could ask them to remove the enforcement fee. If you do and you can pay the remaining balance (£172) before another visit you may get it waivered, but it would be rare they would agree to this.


I am afraid the option of paying the original £75 charge is no longer an option. If the council recalls the debt from the bailiffs their fees would be removed, but this is also very rare.


Make sure you keep your home secure, do not let the bailiffs in and hide your car. If they gain peaceful entry or seize any items outside your home, there are more fees and a risk of you losing your belongings.


Laura
@natdebtline

Guest101

National_Debtline wrote: »

Hi there,


Fatbelly is right. If the bailiffs have hand delivered anything they will be able to justify the enforcement fee. If you have had nothing hand delivered you could consider a complaint to Bristow and Suter and ask them for proof of a visit (i.e. a log). If they cannot provide this you could ask them to remove the enforcement fee. If you do and you can pay the remaining balance (£172) before another visit you may get it waivered, but it would be rare they would agree to this.


I am afraid the option of paying the original £75 charge is no longer an option. If the council recalls the debt from the bailiffs their fees would be removed, but this is also very rare.


Make sure you keep your home secure, do not let the bailiffs in and hide your car. If they gain peaceful entry or seize any items outside your home, there are more fees and a risk of you losing your belongings.


Laura
@natdebtline

Or you know, pay the fine

sourcrates

Guest101 wrote: »

Or you know, pay the fine

You think a £407,00 fine is justified for wandering into a bus lane in a strange city ?

Hey, thanks for your helpful input guest !!!!

takman

sourcrates wrote: »

You think a £407,00 fine is justified for wandering into a bus lane in a strange city ?

Hey, thanks for your helpful input guest !!!!

It's not a forty thousand pound fine!, it's only a £407.00 bill :rotfl:

The fine for driving in a bus lane was £75 which seems a reasonable deterrent to stop someone doing it again. The rest of the fees were due to them not paying the fine and letting it get to the stage of bailiffs taking over which obviously costs money.

Yes I know they moved house but if someone chooses to not use the mail redirection service then that's the risk they take.

sourcrates

takman wrote: »

It's not a forty thousand pound fine!, it's only a £407.00 bill :rotfl:

The fine for driving in a bus lane was £75 which seems a reasonable deterrent to stop someone doing it again. The rest of the fees were due to them not paying the fine and letting it get to the stage of bailiffs taking over which obviously costs money.

Yes I know they moved house but if someone chooses to not use the mail redirection service then that's the risk they take.

I'm a profecional driver, I was caught driving in a bus lane in York, there was no signage to say it was a bus lane, not visable anyway, turns out there was a tiny sign 12ft in the air.

Also turns out York city council didn't have the legal right to call it a bus lane, fines of £400,000 odd quid had been sent out to totally Inocent motorists.

It went to court, the council lost, then lost again on appeal, had to repay all the fines, oh dear !!!!

It's not the law I have a problem with, it's the application of it, like fining people who have to cross a bus lane at a junction, and other such unscrupulous activities by councils to feed the cash cow, then employing bailiffs like these scum bags when you don't pay.

Like me old dad used to say "sumat ain't right lad" !!