2 Weeks before CCJ is permanent! TPS DCB Legal.

Smiling_Assassin17

Hi guys

Apologies if this stage has already been discussed, but I looked though the discussions for a few hours last night hoping for some reassurance, but didn't get exactly what I needed to do next. 

So, long story short (strap yourself in!)
- car battery died
- AA came out and said Halfords in round the corner, charged my battery enough to go get new battery fitted
- Managed to get my car to crawl round the corner and parked up just as the battery died again.
- waited hour & 1/2 to get battery fitted - got it sorted and drove home. 

Started getting letters through from TPS saying I owed like £60 - not paying that as my car couldn't actually move - ignore. 
Letters from DCB Legal - ignore, ignore ignore....
Court letter comes through...actually fill in the form and send it to the address stated well within the time frame. 
Got a letter back saying that I had sent the letter to the wrong address and now the time had passed. 
So it has now come to the point where I have been slapped with a CCJ which has tanked my credit rating and have till the 04/05/25 to pay it...£284. 
I've looked at getting the claim "set aside", but that's like £303 and If I lose, I really count afford it due to recently moved house and planning a wedding! (stressed much?!)

I'd like to know what my options are - how do I go about getting the CCJ sorted and removed, whilst not having to pay for something that I literally had no control over. 

I'd really appreciate any helpful guidance. Cheers. 

Coupon-mad

Court letter comes through...actually fill in the form and send it to the address stated well within the time frame. 
Got a letter back saying that I had sent the letter to the wrong address and now the time had passed. 

Where did you send your defence and why?

Smiling_Assassin17

I sent it to DCB Legal - I know it sounds a bit silly, but I was certain that's where it needed to be sent to. They sent me a letter back saying that they received my letter with my defence and it had been disposed of. I sent it as it was a GOV document and thought it was getting a bit serious now and needed to try and send an explanation. 

Coupon-mad

Oh dear. So sorry. Completely wrong.

It did not tell you on the claim form that you could just reply to DCB Legal. That was not an option.

The claim gave you a password for online defence and/or an address for the CNBC if you wanted to defend by post.

If you'd come here in March, we'd have helped you defend by email (which is the route we recommend for the CNBC) and you'd never have paid a penny.

Happy wedding plans but I am sorry to say you must take this on the chin and pay it in full on DCB Legal's Portal immediately.

Smiling_Assassin17

Yep. I thought as much - left it really late as I thought I would just get out of it by ignore, which had been a successful tactic of mine in the past. Even spoke tp Halfords, they said that they could've had it struck off it I'd gone to them sooner. Really gutted as I am genuinely in the right, but understand that this is a product of my own ignorance. Lesson learned.