Well I'm glad you stuck around to pass on your knowledge after sorting your daughters problem!

I was actually meaning deduction of unlawful charges plus reasonable compensation for being defrauded, or perhaps that would be pushing my luck? I will pay the council all the missed payments up to now in a lump sum then as much as I can afford each week (£15) until the debt is cleared.

Ok, thanks hallowitch, I understand now. I have read a few posts regarding Jacobs and I would definitely rather not deal with them even if they did agree a payment plan. I think I have decided on my plan of action... 1. I will send a letter to Jacobs asking for a screenshot of my account and an itemised breakdown of fees within 7 days. A copy of this letter will also go to the council. 2. Once the 7 days have past or when I receive the details of fees (showing unlawful charges) I will forward them onto the council with a letter of complaint asking them to take back the debt with reasonable compensation deducted. Does this seem like a good course of action? Thanks again.

Thanks for that hallowitch! Just want to make sure I am clear on what those regulations mean...does part 2(b) only apply if the charges in part 1 (24.50+£18 ) have not been made? Can I be charged 12½% on £100 and 4% on the remaining £195.69 as well as the £24.50 and £18 or are the charges in part 2 only valid if a levy has be done? Sorry if I have made that sound confusing

If I understand correctly, the bailiff should only have charged the £24.50 + £18 and cannot charge any more. If I continue to ignore the bailiff when he comes on Friday and make regular payments to the council online, eventually the debt will be handed back to them? Is it recommended to send the council a letter stating my intentions and reasons for not dealing with the bailiffs (unlawful charges)?

I though it sounded a bit dodgy, the person I spoke to at the council even said they had told Jacobs only to charge £90 for this fee as they usually charge a lot more! The bailiff has not been in my house and I do not own a car.

Hi, I'm hoping someone here can help me as I've been reading these threads for a few days now and I'm still at a loss as to what I should do... I missed payments on a £330.69 council tax bill. I was paying by instalments at £5 a week leaving a balance of £295.69 when handed to Jacobs bailiffs. I received a letter from Jacobs asking me to contact them to arrange payment. I called them and offered what I could afford (£60 a month) but they refused so I phoned the council and told them this and asked if I could pay it to them but they said I need to deal with the bailiffs. I have not been back in touch with Jacobs but I have since had a removal of goods notice with a balance of £430.19 on 02/12/09. I then phoned the council again to tell them I would not deal with the bailiffs as they are adding charges on for nothing. The council said that the charges were the £24.50 + £18 for the letters and the rest is an enforcement fee as the bailiff is not from my area and needs to cover his expenses for travelling etc. I have just had another removal of goods notice put through the door tonight (09/12/09) with an amount due of £480.19. The bailiff has hand written on this: "URGENT, REMOVAL FRIDAY 9AM-3PM" I would be extremely grateful for any advice on what I should do in this situation as it is really starting to get me worried. No-one wants to take my money unless it's the full amount (which I don't have).