dawny1970 Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 tbh i would ask balliffs for court details next time the come and contact courts and explain to them, baliffs have no common sence, next time they come phobe pilice and tell them you are being threatened at the door, other than that, chase court up Posted from Sheffieldforum.co.uk App for Android Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladystiletto Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share Posted June 3, 2013 They have not turned up today which is strange because they came twice in a row last week both on Thursday and Friday and each time adding £200 to the bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geared Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Why has this dragged on for 8 pages, pay the fine directly to the council and tell the bailiffs to FRO. Phone the police if they give you any trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladystiletto Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share Posted June 3, 2013 Why has this dragged on for 8 pages, pay the fine directly to the council and tell the bailiffs to FRO. Phone the police if they give you any trouble. The council will NOT accept payment, we have tried to pay the £97.00 plus reasonable expenses but they are having none of it and are keeping it with the Bailiff who will not accept a payment plan and wants the full £600 plus or he will keep adding £200 to it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H Damnation Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Do they really charge £200 for every visit? Marstons currently charge £215 per visit and £85 admin charge per letter. General advice for people is to deal with this BEFORE the Order of Recovery is made. Up until that point you only ever have to pay the fine, registration fee and any costs the court applies. After that you are in the hands of the Bailiffs unless the debt is returned to the court. Just a final point about a payment scheme. Marstons will have copies of EVERY bit of correspondence ever sent regarding this debt. They will also have a copy of everything you have sent the council/court. I assume the reason that they are asking for the debt to be paid in full is that they will deem you to have had multiple opportunities over more than a year to deal with this but didn't use those opportunities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geared Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Well according to the CAB: If you pay off the debt to the creditor but not the bailiffs’ charges that you owe, the bailiffs can’t take goods from you just to recover their own costs. They'll have to take action against you themselves to get the money back. You should question bailiffs charges where: the charges are higher than the debt itself The bailiffs should tell you in writing how much you're being charged and what for. Check the details carefully to make sure you understand the charges. Question anything you're not sure about. Watch out for charges for: letters you haven't received repeated visits to your home vehicle costs when nothing has been removed multiple charges for the same thing. It seems like what you need to do is pay the debt plus court fee's directly to the court and then deal with the bailiff's separately because it seems like they are not following the law. If the bailiffs are acting on behalf of a local authority and they don't sort out the problem, you may be able to complain to the Local Government Ombudsman in England, or the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales. For more information about complaining to the ombudsman, see How to use an ombudsman in England or How to use an ombudsman in Wales. You could also complain to the bailiff’s professional body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natjack Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Well according to the CAB: It seems like what you need to do is pay the debt plus court fee's directly to the court and then deal with the bailiff's separately because it seems like they are not following the law. The problem seems to be that these aren't court bailiffs, doesn't seem like it's ever been to court. Marstons aren't court bailiffs or sheriff's officers, they're a debt collection agency, appointed by the SCC? So different rules apply? As it seems to be a council thing, have you tried getting your local councillors involved in helping you to sort it out? It doesn't seem good that the local council should be implicated in harassing its citizens and demanding money with menaces? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geared Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 The problem seems to be that these aren't court bailiffs, doesn't seem like it's ever been to court. Marstons aren't court bailiffs or sheriff's officers, they're a debt collection agency, appointed by the SCC? So different rules apply? Maybe they don't have to abide by the normal laws regarding bailiffs? because it sounds like their charges are ridiculous. Sounds like a trip to the CAB is in order, also worth getting in touch with your local MP, the newspaper and again with the council informing them that you have spoken to the media about this harassment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natjack Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Just googled this company, pages and pages of complaints from people being harassed by them, in a lot of cases it's mistaken identity and they won't take no for an answer. Also saw a 'proud announcement' from another debt collector Rossendales that it's been taken over by Marston Group. More misery for some poor so n sos then. Surprised that a local council employs them, tbh. Would definitely contact your local councillors about their methods, they do have some influence in these matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladystiletto Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share Posted June 3, 2013 I will try the local Mp tomorrow and see if he/she can help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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