Dealing with Marston

Pleasehelpme12345

Hi All,

Complete newbie here so bear with me!

I had council tax arrears which were sent to Marston. I set up a payment plan and was paying £168 per month. All payments were made on time, in full.

In December I had to take 2 weeks off work unpaid due to my daughter being ill. This meant that my income was much lower for January. This meant I struggled to make the full payment of £168.

I did make a payment of £100 and asked if I could pay the full balance off in Feb (£186). They said yes.

They have now said that my payment plan has been broken and that enforcement officers may come to my house. I have said I could make a small token payment (around £20 to show I am willing to pay) but they have said the £186 needs to be paid in full. I will not have this money until 23rd Feb when I next get paid.

This is really starting to affect my mental health. I could understand if I refused to pay but I have not and all payments up to now have been paid.

Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with them? If they come to the house I am going to incure more fees that I just cannot pay!!!

ManyWays

Do you have other debts as well as the CT arrears, eg loans, cards,

Brie

Will paying the £20 leave you enough to pay rent and buy food? If so I would suggest you go ahead and pay that.

I presume that the payment plan was set up on the basis of you paying the £168 on pay day. On that basis it is unreasonable for them to expect you to pay that any earlier. So it's just the £68 that is overdue. Tell them again that you are paying £20 to show willing (if you can afford it) and reiterate that you will pay the rest that is overdue along with the normal £168 on payday as originally agreed.

They aren't monsters but they like to play the heavies to ensure they get your attention. I don't think they will add to the bill if they come to the house. If they do show up (unlikely at this stage), don't let them in (even if they need the loo and it's bucketing with rain) and simply tell them you are complying to the best of your ability and that any communication is best in writing.

Meanwhile as @ManyWays has asked - do you have other debts? perhaps you could fill out a SOA (see the link below) and post it here and we can see if we can help. Early questions - do you pay for a TV licence? do you watch live TV or use BBC iPlayer? If not cancel your licence and if you have been paying by DD you may be eligible for a refund due to paying 6 months in advance. Alternatively you could cancel your DD and start paying again in 6 months. Ask me more questions about this if you need more info.

sourcrates

Typical bailiff, they will be looking to charge you their enforcement fee of £235.

They can do this if you fail to maintain payments agreed at the compliance stage, and they have to make a return visit, its such a con, never believe what they tell you on the phone, this is why come hell or high water you should always stick to agreements made with bailiffs, no matter what, as they will always use the slightest excuse to charge you this fee, that`s how these thieves work.

Ignore the smiley helpful faces you may see on the telly, in reality they are the enemy, and you should always treat them as such.

How much is left on the debt you owe them?

Pleasehelpme12345

I owe £186 plus a few odd pence which I can pay in full on 23rd Feb.

I have never missed a payment and have only ever struggled to pay once, when I paid £100 instead of £168 so it wasn’t like I paid nothing

sourcrates

If there is a return visit, assuming you didn`t let them in last time, rinse and repeat again, never let them in under any circumstances.

Try and get them paid off on the 23rd, and if they do charge you the £235 compliance fee, post back for advice.

Pleasehelpme12345

They have never visited before as I set up the payment plan and have never missed a payment.

Brie

The purpose of a visit is to put pressure on you. You might get round this if you keep them informed and pay what little you can when you can. Once you're up to date they'll back off.