Do you think it worthwhile to try the water company first to see if they will take the debt back and accept an arrangement - now I am back working I could clear the debt within 4/5 months

Working on behalf of Simon Williamson

I contacted the court as soon as I received the Notice of Enforcement and was told that the only way to stop the HCEO attending my property was to pay in full within 7 days which I could not afford to do. I asked if I should go back to the water company and make an arrangement with them but was told it was now out of the water company's hands. I will the fees which are legal but £932.14 is madness.

I was aware that I owed the water rates but received no paperwork other than my annual water bill. I received nothing from the court until 2 weeks ago when they informed me that the HCEO would be attending my property. I did not know about a court hearing.

The letter he left was a Notice of Attendance to which he added 8% interest and £932.14 enforcement stage fee.

No she signed nothing just told HCEO that me and my husband were both out and took the letter from him

Can anyone offer some help regarding a visit from HCEO yesterday evening. I have an unpaid water rates bill for £1214, then received a notice from the courts (without any warning from water company that it was going court) that a HCEO would be attending my property. They came last night when I was out and left a letter with my mother saying they want £1214 plus 8% interest and £932.14 enforcement stage fee. My mother's car was on my drive and as she had no proof with her that the car was hers they have listed this is goods taken into control. I have every intention of paying this debt (but not the fees) and am returning to work in a couple of weeks. I can offer them £50 per week to clear this debt but will definitely not be letting them into my home! Any advice as to my next actions would be appreciated. Should I contact the water company, What will happen if I deny HCEO entry but pay weekly direct to water company? Will they eventually give up and pass the debt back to water company?

Thank you so much for this information ericsbrother. However, I received a call from the company Friday morning and they said that I could keep the product and get a 60% discount (no thank you) or return it to them and get a full refund to my debit card within 10 days. I returned it the same day (recorded delivery) and will wait 10 days to see what happens. If the refund does not appear on my statement I will follow your advice. When I first contacted my bank about this they said that although what this company have done is not good business practice, it is not illegal unfortunately. Will keep you informed of developments. Thanks for the help.

Hi, I'm not sure where I should post this but here's a brief outline of how I have been "conned". I saw an advert online for a free 2 week trial of a product called LIFT & GLOW PRO (supposedly a super duper cream which instantly reduces the appearance of wrinkles and lines on its very first use). I only needed to pay £1.99 p&p for a cream that was normally mega expensive and way out of my price range. I completed the form and paid the p&p by debit card on Friday 29th March. As it was easter weekend the product didn't arrive until Thursday 4th April. I was unimpressed the first time I used it - the packaging was cheap and nasty and the pump action dispenser didn't work properly. In a word, it was "crap". On 16th March I checked my by bank account online and saw that a payment of £84.71 had been taken by this company. I contacted them straightaway to query this payment and was told that as it has been a 2 week trial period, and I hadn't cancelled the agreement, the full price of £84.71 was payable. I explained that I had seen no mention of this on the order form and was told that it was "in the terms and conditions" on their website. I told them I was unimpressed with the product, and certainly not willing to pay £84.71 was something which was no better than a cheap moisturiser. I also pointed out that I hadn't had a 2 week trial as they took money 12 days after I received the product to which the lady replied "well it was despatched". She cancelled any future orders there and then (otherwise I would have been sent a replacement product every 3 months and charged £84.71 each time) and said that someone from customer services would get back to me about my concerns. I phoned my bank to make sure no future payments could be taken! I went straight onto their website and right at the bottom of the page in very small lettering is a link to their Terms and Conditions which confirm exactly what the lady on the phone had told me. A further search online showed hundreds of unhappy customers who had all been "conned" by this company in a similar way. Some people even cancelled within a couple of days and were still charged. I received an email from customer services on 18th April saying that they couldn't get me on my mobile. I confirmed my mobile and landline numbers. Lo and behold just after I had gone to bed that evening my mobile rang twice, followed by my landline - 10.30pm. I told the caller it was not an acceptable time and to call back the following morning. I have heard nothing more since. I am really angry about this and want to take every action possible to get this money back. The money they took was my food, gas and electric money for the entire week (I had to lend money from a relative to feed my kids). I could really kick myself as I have never been tricked by these kind of companies in the past. Can anyone explain whether I have a valid case against this company, as (1) I did not knowingly give permission for money to be taken from my debit card (2) the terms and conditions were not set out and explained clearly (3) I had not had a 2 week trial as the product arrived 4th April and I was charged on 16th April. Surely this kind of practice must be covered by some consumer regulation or another? Any help would be appreciated.

I am in need of some urgent hel regarding outstanding council tax and bailiffs. I initially offered to pay the bailiffs in installments but was unable to pay agreed amount due to unemployment. Met with them at the council offices to make another payment arrangement but they refused to agree to anything unless I let them into my property to take an inventory of my goods. I have refused them entry and now don't even open the door to them. I have this morning received another letter saying that they are going to go back to the council and recommend committal or attachment to earnings. I am now getting in a real panic about this and considering getting myself into more debt to pay them off. PLEASE can anyone offer some advice asap. Thanks.

Thanks for the advice BankFodder, I will send off an SAR this week and keep you posted.

Hi gemspan, I am sure I read somewhere that any arrears fees, solicitors costs etc. should be kept separate from regular mortgage payments and added at the end of the mortgage so as not to incur interest. Aren't any fees they charge supposed to be an accurate reflection of their true costs and not a profit-making [problem]. I am sure that the £500 solicitors fee they added to my mortgage is not costing them an extra 5.000% interest!! Good luck with your claim.

I didn't send off an SAR as I have kept every piece of documentation relating to my mortgage including letters, statements, litigation papers etc. Do you recommend sending the SAR in case they have file notes or internal documents that I haven't seen? The arrears currently stand at £824 (about one and a half months payments). Also, as all the charges were added to my mortgage balance and the monthly interest worked out on the total, should I be claiming back the monthly interest? Any help and advice is much appreciated.

Having lost my wonderful dad at the beginning of this year, my claim against Redstone seemed a lot less important so its been quite a while since my last post. I am now fighting fit and raring to go but need to some advice about my request letter. Having read (numerous times) the article about the FSA's findings in respect of Redstone's treatment of their customers, should I tailor my request letter to include some of the points made by the FSA or just send the bog standard letter? I am not sure, from a legal point of view, what I should and should not include. I am preparing a draft letter at the moment which I will post later and would appreciate and help and advice that anyone can give. mrsflatbroke

Hi keyboard_junkie1978, I appreciate the advice but I am a bit confused about reclaiming missold PPI from Redstone. We have an interest only mortgage with them but no payment protection insurance. Can you explain what it is you claimed from Redstone. Was it the solicitors costs and interest which they added to your account, or was there some kind of insurance included within the mortgage agreement of which you were not aware. If so, how did you find out about it?