BAILIFFS !!

[BobA]

Send the (thieving, scheming, immoral scum) bailiffs a letter via 1st class mail stating that payment has already been sent, and then send the cheque via TNT mail 5 days later!! If the procedure is good enough for them, why shouldn't it be good enough for you to use?!?!?!

[Cabby]

Sent this to my MP....about time I tried out this 'Democratic Representative' thing........

TICK......




Dear Mr Davey,

Below is my record of some events this over the last 10 days or so.

Following below that is something I found on the internet doing some research on the situation facing my son.




Came home Thursday(10/5/2012) to find a hand delivered letter from a bailiff (for my son who no longer lives here- he let me open it)

Notice of Attendance;
Demanding £390.

Itemised by me NOT them.

£175 for court parking fine (OK).

£215 for having to attend my premises due to no response to previous demand letter for £175.

Come home yesterday Tuesday(15/5/2012) to find the 'Previous' letter delivered (TNT mail) for the £175 5 DAYS LATER!

I suppose the other way round would be legal, but THIS....

You surely can't justify levying a charge for not responding to a letter that arrives 5 days later! (Interestingly, typed 2 days(8/5/2012) before the attendance....wonder when they posted it?)


I told him to ring them and offer to pay the £175 but decline the £215 Attendance charge as they visited in error.

And from an online bailiff advice service, the same scenario is happening routinely.


Sending letters by second class mail:Despite many contracts with local authorities stating that letters must be sent by first class mail, many bailiff companies are sending letters by either 2nd class mail or even by TNT mail (which can take 3-5 days) to advise that they will be visiting a property unless the debt is paid within 5-7 days!!If this were not bad enough, in many cases we are also finding that the actual letter in the envelope is dated up to 5 days before the date of posting. This tactic will ensure that a bailiff visit will be made which will of course attract an addittional fee before you have had the opportunity to either pay the amount required or reach a payment arrangement with the bailiff company before a visit is made.

Please don't advise me to enquire about this with Kingston Council as they have a vested interest in this as they will have appointed these bailiffs in the first place.

An enquiry from you will be regarded far more seriously.

Please deal with this as urgent as these 'people' are trying to levy more and more 'charges' on a daily basis.

This is surely worth raising again in Parliament. These people are council appointed predators and we need our MPs' to stand against them.

Thank you,

Kevin Barrett

[Chad]

tock

[Youlc]

Good luck !

[winxp-master]

Keep us apprised

[hotbulb]

Good luck !

Good luck indeed... as there's no election in the offing, your MP may have other, more pressing, matters to attend to....... The summer's coming and many MPs "need" to go on fact-finding missions to sunny parts of the globe!

[Lulu]

TICK...

Good on ya Kev, a bit of democracy in action, eh? Your MP should be in a position to exert influence here, so let's hope...

...TOCK

[AlanH]

Sent this to my MP

Good luck with that.

[monkeycbr]

They are duty bound to respond to written letters within a given timescale - I also advise that you send the exact letter details in an email direct to them - they have a shorter response time for emails

[pdsquire]

Regulations for private bailiffs are spectacularly complicated and I can't remember off the top of my head what the remedies are. What is absolutely clear though is that unless and until you pay them what they have demanded, the charges continue to accumulate at a staggering rate.

Rather surprisingly though, they can be reasonable if you ring them and speak to them patiently and politely - this was always the first action in advice surgeries I've run.

Accordingly Kevin, I'd get your lad to your house and in his presence (because they will need his permission) ring them, explain that the first letter didn't arrive until Tuesday and ask them to waive the charge for attending the house.

If they won't, ask them to point you to the provision in their licence that permits them to charge for a visit. Ask whether it allows a charge to be levied if, as a matter of fact, the first letter had not been delivered.

If not (and I doubt they would be able to levy a charge in that circumstance) ask them how you can appeal the levying of that charge. I would expect there to be a reference to the magistrates' court, but it varies according to where they are, who they have contracted with etc etc etc.

There is absolutely no point in having a go at the person on the phone. If they can help you they are more likely to do so if you are polite. If they can't because there is a statutory or contractual procedure, no amount of shouting will change that.

Finally, it would be irresponsible of me not to take issue with the comment above that your son has not received the letter if he doesn't live at your address. He is deemed to receive it if it is directed to the address he has given to DVLA. If he wants to argue that he lives elsewhere he will necessarily admit he has committed a criminal offence by not giving an accurate address and he may find it difficult to get insurance hereafter. I know you know that, Kevin, but others may not.

Cheahz,

Philip