Help/advice needed with Baliffs

Camax81 · 13 June 2018 at 10:59AM

Hi, hoping someone has had a similar experience and can give me some advice and urgent reassurance. Due to low income and being out of work last year I fell behind with my gas account with Eon. They kept offering payment plans I couldn't afford and long story short I had an enforcement officer from HCE Group come to my house yesterday requesting £3360 to be paid within 24 hours. My debt with Eon was £2196 so the rest must be their fees which seems like a lot. It is not that I am unwilling to pay I cannot afford to pay. I contacted Step Change yesterday who suggested I contacted Eon to see if they were willing to take the debt back on but they are not. I ran through and completed an expenditure form with step change which they emailed to me. I text the Baliff and asked an email address to send it to and he directed me to send it to the one on the letter which I have.
Has anyone had a similar experience? How long will it be until I hear back, what happens next? Help!

sourcrates · 13 June 2018 at 11:16AM

So they took you to court, and you obviously did not defend the claim, any reason why not ?

Its more problematic now as they have escalated it to the high court.

Basically ignore what they say, just pay what you can afford, as quick as you can, if they call do not let them in, they cannot break in, but can enter through an unlocked door.

National_Debtline · 13 June 2018 at 1:07PM

Hi Camax81 and welcome to MSE,

I appreciate that bailiffs can be worrying, but try not to panic. If these are high court enforcement officers chasing a CCJ (that has been transferred to the high court) then they cannot force entry - as long as they haven't been inside before. Keep the doors locked, do not let them in, and hide anything valuable outside.

You can apply to the high court for something called a 'stay of execution'. It is an application to suspend the bailiffs in favour of a payment plan. It is done using an N244 form, that can cost up to £50 to submit but if you are on benefits or a low income this could be waivered with an EX160. You will need a budget to do this, and a bit more advice regarding the process (as it can be a bit technical).

However, before you do this, can you confirm that Eon are no longer your supplier? It is rare for a current fuel supplier to sue you when they reserve the right to disconnect. If they are still your supplier then double check your paperwork as there may be a risk of disconnection and that means you need different advice to what is above.

Laura
@natdebtline

Camax81 · 13 June 2018 at 5:53PM

Hi, it is not an excuse but due to personal reasons I have had a lot going on and completely lost track of when I needed to respond to them by. This is the only debt I have and not something I have a habit of doing.

Yes, Eon are still my supplier. In fact when I contacted them yesterday they advised that even though they could not help or assist with the debt that had been passed to HCE group they were more than happy to assist me with setting up a direct debit for my Gas account with them for payments moving forwards.

Camax81 · 13 June 2018 at 5:54PM

When you say pay what I can afford as quick as I can do you mean to go on their automated payment page and submit a payment? I don't get paid until Wednesday of next week so until then it wouldn't be very much at all.

fatbelly · 13 June 2018 at 8:30PM

If they are still your supplier then set up a payment arrangement for ongoing use, block the bailiffs (though they will be annoying) and wait for them to return the debt.

Eon have a charitable trust you can apply to, but I doubt you will get anywhere with it at the moment

https://eonenergyfund.com/

Is there a reason why eon did not install a prepayment meter when you got into difficulty? Any reason, that it, apart from them being a bunch of useless ****s?

Camax81 · 13 June 2018 at 9:24PM

How do I block the bailiffs? I guess my concern is how many times can they come out to my house adding additional fees before the debt is passed back?

sourcrates · 13 June 2018 at 9:57PM

Camax81 wrote: »

How do I block the bailiffs? I guess my concern is how many times can they come out to my house adding additional fees before the debt is passed back?

Usually 3 visits, fees are capped, Google is your friend.

Just lock your doors, and tell them your not granting them access.

National_Debtline · 14 June 2018 at 12:40PM

Hi Camax81,

I would just like to clarify that the high court bailiffs can charge you the initial compliance fee and 2 visit fees. As long as they do not gain entry or make a valid controlled goods agreement, there are no more fees they can charge (although they can charge statutory interest at 8% per annum). I am afraid I cannot agree that the bailiffs may only visit 3 times and so I would suggest that you continue to take the precautions against them entering your home/ seizing goods until you are able to file the stay of execution in the high court.

Don't worry too much about sending a payment to the bailiffs at the moment, instead you should confirm with Eon that they are treating your ongoing bill as a separate issue to the arrears they have already sued you for. If that is the case, give Eon a meter reading, confirm how much you are using and that you don't owe any arrears since the judgement was obtained.

Using this information you can create a SOA and then start the stay of execution application. Bailiffs can renew warrants and Eon can consider other enforcement options if no payment plan is done through the court, so making a payment plan through the court would help prevent further action.

Laura
@natdebtline

Camax81 · 14 June 2018 at 2:28PM

Hi Laura, Are you able to PM me at all and help me with the SOA? I have contacted Eon reference moving forwards and am awaiting a call back.

National_Debtline · 14 June 2018 at 2:37PM

Hello again,

The best thing I can suggest is that you give us (or one of the free debt charities) a call to do a full SOA. You can start getting the figures together using the sticky on DFW but it is easier to discuss over the phone/ face to face with an advisor. Best of luck,

Laura
@natdebtline

Help/advice needed with Baliffs

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