There is a payment due, there are two left for this year and they want both payments plus the court costs. I am going to see if I can borrow the money off my mum and pay it all off but if not I will call them on Monday to see if I can just pay some each month. I will definitely mention that I have not received prior notice. I live in a flat and I am sure that some of my post is not reaching me for some reason. Until now I didn't realise that they could take you to Court for not paying dead on time, I thought it was only for arrears. They have received monthly payments from me without fail ever since I have lived here. I was quite shocked. I need to set up a direct debit and see if they will take the money out when I have it in my account. I have to budget very carefully as I live on my own and have to pay everything out of my (very low) salary. Thanks everybody for your replies anyway, it is very much appreciated.

Having given this some thought, should I just call the Council tomorrow and try to arrange to pay something each month as I have read through some other threads and it seems that Councils can take you to Court for not paying on the due date, something I was not previously aware of. I would be grateful for any advice as I am really worried.

Hi, I really hope somebody can help me. I have made regular monthly payments on my council tax but some of the payments have been late by a week, occasionally a couple of weeks. However, I have never missed a month, and am not in arrears but I received a court summons for arrears and now have a Notice of Liability Order for £196.00. Having done some reading up I understand that if your payments are not dead on time they can make you liable for the full amount but I do not, to my knowledge, remember receiving a notice imposing this. I have continued to make monthly payments. I only received it when I got home from work today so haven't called the Council yet. I am scared to death as I don't have the full amount and don't want to get involved with bailiffs or have them contact my employer. Can anybody give me any advice?

I understand tiglet. I can't help that the thought has crossed my mind though. And my dad - well different era and all that but he may have a point. Anyway, I still intend to make a complaint about these people, whoever they are.

Done.

Sorry, I didn't mean to cause any offence and would be happy to have my comment removed if that is the case. I just wanted to make the point that these people do not seem to act in a manner that a bona fide company would act which makes me suspicious about dealing with them at all. If they want to harass me then fine, but to then call people who are connected to me, does not seem to be the actions of an above board financial institution.

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This has also happened to me. My parents have now changed their telephone number although HFO still have their address. I am considering contacting both the police and trading standards about their behaviour - surely they are not acting legally by threatening and intimidating people who are totally unconnected to the matter they are calling about?

Has there been any updates on this yet? Are OFT still investigating?

Hi again So I have been reading some of the threads about HFO. I want to get them off my back and pay this off so do you think I should start by asking for a copy of the CCA to make sure that they have the right paperwork and to check that they are authorised to demand the money from me? Should I also contact Barclaycard to find out exactly how much I owe in case charges have been slapped on top? And finally should I send a telephone harassment letter and adapt it to tell them to stop threatening my family? And finally I guess if I do all of the above, I will need to give them my new address and telephone number? Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks CitizenB I appreciate the support as much as the advice. I didn't know a forum such as this one existed otherwise I would have done something positive before now and definitely not have buried my head in the sand about this. I have just been too scared and at a loss about how to handle things.

Hi This is my 1st post to the forum although I found it about a week ago and have been reading up on my predicament. I signed up today because I am now worried sick. I'll keep it as short as I can but this HFO bunch have been sending letters to me addressed to my parents home (I no longer live there). I have been ignoring them because this debt which is a Barclaycard debt was previously with another DCA who rejected my offer of £120 per month repayment and said they would take me to court if I did not pay £375 per month. I was terrified and my financial situation was not very stable at that time so I just avoided the issue and since then its just been passed from one DCA to another. Anyway after complete silence for about 18 months, HFO got involved and started calling my parents demanding to speak to me. When my dad said that I had moved out over 12 months previously, they apparently went ballistic and said that they were debt collectors and would blacklist my parents if they didn't provide my new address and telephone number. My dad lost his temper and told them to go ahead, he couldn't care less but when he called me to tell me what had happened I was mortified. I have tried to keep this whole mess to myself and didn't want my parents finding out. I know I should have sorted this mess out ages ago and not let it get this far but what should I do? I want them to leave my parents alone but I'm sure they will continue to harass them. Should I call them myself even though the advice on the forum is not to speak to them. Should I write and let them know my new address? I want to pay off the debt but I can't afford excessive demands for payment and I know they are bullies. I have told my parents not to get into conversations with them in future and my dad has said that I should just ignore them and not give them my new contact details. What do you guys think I should do? I am not trying to dodge the debt but I do not know hoto deal with this, My head is swimming and I feel so embarrassed.