Written by John Kruse, one of the leading experts on Bailiff Law, this consumer friendly guide is essential reading for anyone who comes into contact with a bailiff.
The book is easy to understand and clearly explains the rights
a bailiff has, and also what they cannot do when collecting debts and repossessing goods etc.
I've posted the next bit on a number of threads before written by a poster over a year ago and I can't quite remember who it was - it's a message for everyone who has been trodden on - enjoy:
This is not about money - it's about you! read it... it's about someone on forum feeling worthless.. read it..
“Ruminations:
This was a liberating day - surprisingly so, in some respects.
Got up early, having decided to set the ball rolling. Drove my long-suffering wife (it's our 23rd anniversary on Sunday - your felicitations will be most welcome) to work and went to have a cup of coffee while waiting for the banks to open. A multi-shot black coffee with cream. Woke me up a bit.
Banks opened: I went to the Portman Building society first and asked if they had a basic bank account. No, is the short answer. They can't do standing orders and DDs, so no use to me, then. Looked for Co-Op: none in (market city in SW England). So I went to Lloyds TSB. I've banked with them before - 30 years ago, when I was a student. The moment I stopped being a student, they demanded the entire overdraft back. Immediately. So I switched - to NatWest, as it happens, but that was a long time ago and I've been with Midland, Barclays and NatWest again, since then.
Didn't have the right ID so I had to go home and get it. Went back. Explained that my credit rating was likely to be bl**dy awful - CCjs, debts registered - from bad times in the late 1990s, what with negative equity and everything. Lost £ooos on my house. Bad times, bad times. I've been grateful to NatWest for the account, the overdraft, the loan (which was for the charges racked up on my account, in essence) - everything. She said it would probably be OK: discharged bankrupts are able to have the Cash account. I wouldn't get a cheque book for at least three months but they would do SOs and DDs.
So we went through the opening procedure. As it turned out, the ID-ing was fine: they got me from the Electoral Roll and whatever else they use. Then: she said 'Now we do the credit scoring'.
Gulp!
(she took a deep breath, too!)
She pressed the button and....all fine. Nothing registered. I looked at the screen, so did she. I couldn't believe it, and neither could she, quite, because of the harrowing tale I'd told (briefly) about the problems, the CCJs (last one - 2 years ago - was Inland Revenue not agreeing the arrangement I'd put forward. The Court accepted my arrangement but gave judgement, in any case). I couldn't believe it - but then: all the financial issues, the CCJs and so on (except for Inland Revenue) were more than 6 years ago. Apparently, I was the first person for ages she didn't have to call head office about.
This is interesting. It was liberating - you can hardly believe the weight I felt fall from my shoulders. I've tried, over the past year or so, to negotiate loans from NatWest, either at my own instigation or by them suggesting and - no go. Don't rack up on the credit scoring.
I had thought - no, I'd firmly believed - for so long that I wasn't worth anything, that I was lucky to have a bank that would allow me a cheque/debit card, that i was, indeed, deeply fortunate to be allowed an overdraft and, a few years ago, a loan.
The experience of opening the parachute account helped me to realise something. It's a commercial relationship, nothing more (or less). But it was much more than that. Much, much more than that. It's about the relationship I've had with NatWest.
Psychiatrists, or maybe psychologists - counsellors and therapists, anyway - have a term for what's been going on between me and NatWest. It's called a co-dependent abusive relationship. The submissive partner - me, in this case - has feelings of worthlessness, and comes to depend on the abusive partner - the bank. The feeling of worthlessness is such that you become grateful for anything, no matter how humiliating it is. They have all the power, you have none, but they are prepared to notice you and pay some attention. They treat you with contempt - which, from their point of view, is no more than you deserve: you're a useless, submissive worm. But you are grateful: after all, no-one else will give you anything, you know that. You know it and believe it, deep in your heart.
Wrong.
Other people, outsiders, wonder why you stay in such an abusive situation. They wouldn't, they tell themselves. But you might. You might be gradually ground down, as I was. You might feel, or even believe, that you deserve the abuse. So you accept it, and you effectively beg for any attention you can get, no matter if it reinforces the appalling, negative image you've built up of yourself. You accept the refusals, the dismissals, as just, and no more than you deserve. You embrace each positive reaction as a huge favour. But it's all an abuse. As the introduction to the site says, the banks play on our innate feelings of morality, of equity and of justice and fair play. We have been brought up to believe that the banks are pillars of society, that they are above mere trade and commerce, that they are something Other. But they aren't: they're in business, like your mechanic, the market trader, the sandwich shop, Tesco's, anything. They are no more than traders and they actually produce: nothing. Not a damn thing. They add nothing of value, they merely facilitate transactions, nothing more.
So, opening the parachute account was a big step. Actually deciding to do it was, in fact, the Big Step. I have decided to be abused no more. Not only have I decided that, I've taken a real, positive and concrete step to do something about it, to do more than just talk about it or fantasise. I have decided to move away from the situation where I've been abused.
Yes, I've been lucky in the credit scoring and not everyone will get the same. But the Big Step was the decision to do it. My next tranche of income is going in to the new account. The standing orders and DDs will be transferred shortly before the next lump of income. The NatWest account will be in dispute and probably over the overdraft limit but I no longer worry about it. I'm not worried about the charges they'll levy because I now know they're illegal. I'm looking forward to finding out what my life will be like when I'm no longer putting up with someone looting my account to the tune of £300 or £400 a month.
NatWest isn't my children, it isn't my car (which needs to be repaired); it isn't the updated computer I would like to have in order to do my work, it isn't my wife's birthday present and it isn't my mother, who lives over 200 miles away and I haven't been able to get to see for over a year because I couldn't afford it. It isn't the heating oil company, who'd threatened to close my credit account - leaving me without heat this winter - because the DDs had been bounced - and while there was money available. It isn't the local authority, whose DD was bounced yet again this month, because of the charges. NatWest doesn't deserve any respect from me: it hasn't shown me any. It deserves neither consideration or fear from me.
I have my parachute account. I don't care that I won't have a chequebook for a few months. It will be a while before the case comes to court but, in my mind and in my heart, I'm now free.
I did same as you looked around for a basic account, most virtually kicked you out the door, but my wife found NatWes't basic account, so we signed up with a joint basic account, our credit rating was also bad (so we thought)
so they would not offer us anything else, ok, we have our fallback Bank now, so start the claims against the other bank.
A few months later (nearly a year) we saw a problem coming our way, (I am disabled an get 2 small work pensions) but my DLA is paid every 28 days not every month, so eventually it caused a problem, so we went to the branch and sat down with the manager and explained the situation to him and all I wanted a £50 overdraft for !1! day to stop this causing me to go into the red, I was gobsmacked at his answers, "Why should we help you, you don't deserve any help because you are a bad payer and have always gone overdrawn every month, so NO we can't help you, he then got up and walked out of the room and a lady staff member came in and told us he was like that with anyone who had a basic bank account. He can review it after 6 months to give you a normal bank account, but its not very often that he does, even the staff don't agree with his attitude, but we have to do what we were told. So no help there, date came debt bounced charged £38 and put us into the red and the rot started again.
Apparently getting a cheque book is at the discretion of the branch manager, normally they will review your account after no less than 6 months, but if they see you have gone overdrawn or sailing too close to the wind they will refuse to change your account, we have been with them now for 2 1/2 yrs accumalated over £1400 in bank charges ,(which are being oursued for back now under Financial hardship case, but aint they stalling that one as well), we have gone to a smaller bank who are so much more helpful will listen and even help you if the situation is beyond your control.
So if you think you will get a cheque book in a few months forget it, I have recently been told by a friend in the banking industry that they want to see a minimum of 2 years without ANY errors or oversights....
So I'm sorry tobe the bearer of bad news but start looking elsewhere my firend because the bank that opens on a saturday morning to help you, doesn't want to help you in any way or form... roll on when I can tell them to stick it right there.
So if you think you will get a cheque book in a few months forget it, I have recently been told by a friend in the banking industry that they want to see a minimum of 2 years without ANY errors or oversights....
I think it depends on who's dealing with the application. I applied to two banks, the Coop & Natwest, the Coop turned me down flat but offered me a basic a/c for SOs, DDs, debit card etc. Natwest however were no problem, they sent a chequebook & guarantee card up to £250 which if I was so inclined would enable me to overdraw by £5000 I don't even have a credit record, no loans, CCs, mortgage not even a mobile 'phone contract. The irony of it is, my wife who is also with Natwest has a basic a/c with no chequebook & every time she applies for an upgrade she is 'knocked back' although she owns property, has a good job with a reasonable income, a respectable bank balance + a reasonable credit record. So what's going on?
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Sarah PLEASE DONATE IF SUCCESSFUL - Every little helps
PLEASE, Do not Private Message me with basic questions, start your own thread and PM a link if you wish, but I will not be able respond to all individual questions as I am very busy on numerous other things and anyway, others cannot learn from PM's. It also stifles contributions from the vast talent base this site offers from it's contributors and I'm not all that clever really! Thank you.
A click on the scales below is appreciated if my posts were helpful
Do not regard my postings or suggestions as professional advice. If in doubt seek a professional opinion.
Sarah PLEASE DONATE IF SUCCESSFUL - Every little helps
PLEASE, Do not Private Message me with basic questions, start your own thread and PM a link if you wish, but I will not be able respond to all individual questions as I am very busy on numerous other things and anyway, others cannot learn from PM's. It also stifles contributions from the vast talent base this site offers from it's contributors and I'm not all that clever really! Thank you.
back. Immediately. So I switched - to NatWest, as it happens, but that was a long time ago and I've been with Midland, Barclays and NatWest again, since then.
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I don't even have a credit record, no loans, CCs, 
Thank you.
Originally Posted by andrew1
