Thread title edited to remove commercial website details

[Joa]

EDIT: the website was set up and is run by a member organisation of the Enforcement Law Reform Group. The site provides a great deal of useful information. It is not publicly funded, so it will charge for their helpline calls and £1.50 for downloads. Please be aware: it is a commercial website- you pay EDIT.

 

 

Did not have the time to have an in-depth look and the helpline costs are a bit steep, but the website has been recommended by AdviceUK (umbrella organisation for welfare and money advice in UK)

 

*I have edited my post in view of demon's post below. I agree with CAG self-help ethos but I think people are entitled to make an informed choice.

[hukaz]

just want to say , I've used these guys, they are most helpful and are very up to date with their info.

[Recycler]

bump

usefull info & clear advice on how to deal with bailiffs

[demon_x_slash]

I'd remove the link if I were you, Joa - mentioning/reviewing commercial sites isn't against forum rules, but linking to one is. If you just leave the name and recommendation, I'm sure people will be able to find it on Google

[catmac79]

i have just rang EDITand i would highly recommend them to anyone with baliff problems.They have put my mind at ease and are getting me a letter sent out which i can forward to rossendales and the council this is a fantastic service and i am grateful for their help:D

[Joa]

bump

This is great link- can we possibly have it a sticky?

I know, I know- they charge, but if you are a in a very tight spot, sometimes coming to the CAG forum and waiting for an advice and getting a reply which may not be correct-is not the best course of action.

The helpline provided by this website does cost but few quid may be worth it- let the callers decide.

[caro]

I agree that people should make informed decisions, but as the site owners of CAG having constantly rejected suggestions of charging people on CAG for any help, in case those in most need were prevented from accessing the information they need, (not even for templates), I don't think I can really make this a sticky.

 

Is the £1.50 a one off fee, or per template, and do people get to see what they are buying before paying to ensure that it meets their needs?

 

I'm happy to leave the thread though as I'm sure the advice you give is in good faith, and may be useful for others.

[caro]

Actually Joa, I've looked at the site more closely and see that the description of the templates is very vague, and if it is not suitable for that persons needs they have wasted money that they cannot afford. Neither is there apparently any advice on the action required, depending on the outcome of the original letter.

 

In light of this I am removing any reference to the site, especially as many links to it have been removed before. It is quite simply against the ethos of CAG.

[Joa]

These are useful comments-maybe the description of the templates could be better, so people are fully aware what they are paying for. I just thought that we are not here to nanny adults and remove choices just in case but the owners decisions need to be respected.

I have recently seen a client who was accosted by bailiffs and had to part with £700 (part cash, part jewelery )because she was told they don't accept installments. Are you sure she would have not preferred to spend couple of pounds on the telephone helpline? Not only the bailiffs were not court appointed or even introduced themselves fully, they intimidated her and threatened to "report her to DWP" Can you name (without checking, off the cuff) any state-run, free, 24/7 bailiffs helplines? Are you at all aware of the attitude displayed by the police when you tell them about bailiffs irregularities? So some out of the thousands visiting this site could really appreciate an alternative source of help, albeit a commercial one.

So once again, thank you for looking after all of us who post here and keeping the forums ticking over but treat us as grown ups with an ability to make our mind up.

[caro]

I can't help you on the bailiff queries I'm afraid Joa, but what I do know is that if people need help on this site, people will help if they can, and they can't might advise, for example, suitable letters.

 

We aren't here to nanny people as you say, but to empower them to help themselves, and helping them to find the information that they need free of charge. If people don't like the information on this site, or find it doesn't suit their needs no-one is stopping them from looking elsewhere on the internet, in the libraries, at CAB etc.

 

The site you pointed to provides advice of a different kind. It costs £1 a minute to talk to them, and in the disclaimer they admit that they are not professionals. People have to pay for letters that they can get on this site completely free so why suggest a site where they need to pay for them. I wonder if they are regulated or registered, and what kind of insurances they have in place should things go wrong for their vulnerable customers.

 

Frankly I see little difference between the tactics of some bailiffs, and the ambulance chasers looking to profit from people in a situation that they may have been in themselves for all I know. I wonder where they gained the knowledge to set up that website. Shame on them.

[Jeanjaquessmoothie]

Well done.. You've made what could've been a helpful post pointless, this could've been helpful to people, now it's a waste. Why not just delete the thread if you're not happy with it!

[Lula]

I think that this is really unfair on Caro, most of the time there is someone around on here to help for FREE, there are others posts to glean for information, I think you do Caro a grave injustice there Jeanjaques and I think an apology is in order and it looks to me as though you are here to post pointless inanities to cause trouble, please cease and desist as it is really tiresome

[caro]

Well done.. You've made what could've been a helpful post pointless, this could've been helpful to people, now it's a waste. Why not just delete the thread if you're not happy with it!

 

That is a matter of opinion. I am not the type of person to shy away from a discussion, and have given another point of view. I have explained my reasons for my action although I'm not required to. In fact I hope that I have made the point not to go to people who are looking to make money from you in your hour of desperate need. Threads are not deleted off CAG, and I very rarely close them and leave them open in case others might wish to post. If not, it will soon disasppear anyway. If Joa would like me to close it I will do so, otherwise I see no particular purpose in closing it.

[tomtubby]

I have kept quiet so far so PLEASE, if my website is to be the subject of such attacks then could I at least be given the chance to answer the critics.

 

Some of you may remember that a few months ago the moderators on CAG not only moderated me but REMOVED the facility for viewers to search for any previous posts that I had made over the past 15 months. I even had my pm facility blocked.

 

This was because somebody mentioned my companies website on CAG.

 

As I have only ever been interested in assisting individuals with bailiff queries, I started using a new account (something I have never never done before) and I lost my old name of Herbie and resorted to being Tomtubby....in effect I lost all of my past records here.

 

Some of the moderators know this, and I have promised that I will not ever mention my website. To date I have kept that promise.

 

About the Website.

 

I earn practically nothing at all from Downloads. The reason for this is that when responding to a query on any forum......I immediately send pm messages with the password and instructions to download as many documents as they wish......always for free !!!

 

The very last thing I wanted was a have a telephone helpline. This happened becasue of the huge number of e-mails we were receiving.

 

The majority of calls last approx: 6 minutes. During that time I will search the bailiff register, provide a template Subject Access and give the caller the password to gain unlimited access to the donwloads area of our site. Even more importantly, if the call is likely to be complicated etc, I insist on calling the person back...many times on their own mobiles.

 

But by far the most important point to note is that the majority of calls are before 8am and after 7pm(when other advice agencies are closed).

 

Nearly all callers telephone when either a bailiff is clamping their car, when police have been called or when they receive notification that a bailiff is due to arrive in a few hours. In others words when they require immediate help.

 

Just look at the posts on the bailiff's page on CAG tonight:

 

Desperatly need advice fast....

Help please someone.............

URGENT, quick advice............

HELP PLEASE ! Council Tax.....

Bailiff's threateneing....

Help please on what the bailiff means......

 

Finally, regarding the following comment from Caro:

 

"I see little difference between the tactics of some bailiffs, and the ambulance chasers looking to profit from people in a situation that they may have been in themselves for all I know. I wonder where they gained the knowledge to set up that website. Shame on them"

 

I find this comment from you unwarranted.

 

A very big thankyou to all of the people who have been e-mailing us this evening after Caro's posts.

 

Sheila.

[Joa]

I wanted to reiterate that i have received information about this website from a magazine that is sent out to registered, quality marked welfare advice organisations, like CAB, DIAL, Shelter, etc. It is a serious, downright pious magazine, which strictly vets it's contents.

If this website was good enough to be reviewed and advertised by AdviceUK- are CAG's criteria not a little bit to restrictive?

[caro]

I would like to make the point that as there is no mention of a website on this thread it cannot damage any reputation. If you want to provide free advice, then I'm sure that CAG would welcome any information that you wish to provide, and if you would like templates in the library, I'd be happy to get them put there once checked. I'm sure that if you wish to answer the threads mentioned no-one will interfere with that. If you have a genuine desire to help people free of charge then I see no problem with that. If you prefer to give your advice on your own site then you can do it in any way that you wish, but if it charges people who are desperate then CAG cannot provide links to it. We will simply do our best to help people freely if we can, because CAG too answers desperate calls for help on the forum at all times of the day and night.

[caro]

I wanted to reiterate that i have received information about this website from a magazine that is sent out to registered, quality marked welfare advice organisations, like CAB, DIAL, Shelter, etc. It is a serious, downright pious magazine, which strictly vets it's contents.

If this website was good enough to be reviewed and advertised by AdviceUK- are CAG's criteria not a little bit to restrictive?

 

Sorry Joa I missed this. Personally I feel that CAG's criteria are spot on. We are happy for links to sites that operate free of charge if we feel that the advice is good. For example why would we point people to a site charging £1.50 for a SAR, when plenty of other sites provide them for nothing. With over 160,000 members the site owners could have pocketed around £240,000, minus operating costs, and with all the other letters they could be millionaires by now, but they are passionate about helping people without charging. Is there something wrong with that?

[tomtubby]

Caro,

 

Yes there is something wrong. Unless I am mistaken, you alone, are making a decision to prohibit adult viewers from accessing advice and making their own choices.

 

These are adults...not children.

 

If you read my post above, you will see that CAG took away my right to answer queries on here......all because 2 posters complained at a charge of £1.50....even though both admitted that they had never visited the site.

 

Because of the fuss that was made at that time, I was moderated.......and what has happened to those two posters. They went back to posting under their own subject areas.....and have never returned here to help those in desperate need. Need I say more.

 

In a peverse way I was vey pleased today to receive calls from 3 individual bailiffs......(on my charge line of course).

 

One seeking advice one how to speed up his application for a general certificate, another seeking advice on changing his certificate and the third.......to ask if I could let him have an easy "to understand" scale of fees for outstanding PCN's.

 

On a daily basis, we even receive e-mails from bailiff companies to advise when a bailiff has renewed his certificate or when a new member of staff has been employed.

 

Believe me Caro, our costs are quite high and I would love nothing better than to have charitable status. When time permits then this will be done......

 

Goodnight.

[jonni2bad]

Caro, ...Unless I am mistaken, you alone, are making a decision to prohibit adult viewers from accessing advice and making their own choices...

 

Yes, you are very much mistaken Herbie.

 

The site's owners took the decision to withdraw links to your website, not one Moderator.

 

You have been made aware of this decision in the past so I would respectfully ask that you either follow the decision or move on - there really is no middle ground.

 

...Believe me Caro, our costs are quite high and I would love nothing better than to have charitable status. When time permits then this will be done...

 

Do you not think it has cost a fortune for the owners of this site to set up and run the CAG for this length of time? Do they charge for the services offered?

 

Until such time as you stop charging for these services, the rules about linking will remain in place.

[caro]

Might I also point out that CAG does not have charitable status either.

[Guest ChloeJane]

I have kept very quiet as this thread went on.

 

Herbie (TomTubby)

 

You are and have been indeed a great friend and I value your opinion and what you say and do, you know this. Though, and I say this at risk of losing a friend at times you fail to listen or see anothers point of view in an arguement or debate.

 

Yes, you should be entitled to some sort of funding for what you do. It should come from a source that upholds the website and all that you have on it for information researched. You further have the right to advertise. I have always believed though that the information should be free and rightfully so. The Government allows the abuse.

 

** Edited to appease Tomtubby**

 

While you hold amazing credability within the Industry which is not disputed nor argued, all that is being stated is that you hold power with knowledge and do not openly share it and that is your choice with the hours and hours of research you have done. You have a right to be paid for this, but the arguement here is by whom.

 

So in closing.....all CAG are saying is, that your site can't be advertised here for the above reasons. Not that they don't appreciate your help nor that they disagree with your reasons for having to charge, or do they dispute your knowledge in the area, only that it goes against site policy, whereby the information should be Free, based on the abuse should not be allowed to happen at the start.

 

Reclaim your rights is what the Consumer Action Group is about. Rights you have and again, rights you can excercise if you use any site for information.

 

CJ

[tomtubby]

Thank you for such a speedy response.

 

Could I please request that this thread remains open to viewers....but closed to any more posts.

 

I would appreciate this. Thank you.

[tomtubby]

Goodnight.

[caro]

I'm afraid not. It is not your thread in the first place and we do not close threads on request. The chances are that if anyone wanted to post on it, which they are welcome to do so within the forum rules, they would simply start another thread.

 

It would be pointless censorship to try and prevent people's right to reply. Indeed you would not have had the right to reply yourself had I closed the thread earlier as was suggested then.

 

Good night.

[seanamarts]

Again this site has made me extremely angry where the Mods are concerned.....

1. Tomtubby DID NOT provide the link in here some one else did in the first place and does not deserve the childish attack from caro

 

I wonder where they gained the knowledge to set up that website. Shame on them.

 

I would of expected this from a rogue poster in favour for bailiff action not from a Moderator.

 

Herbie/Tomtubby has helped many many people in here FREE OF CHARGE, she searched data, she phoned me, emailed me all in her own time also quick to respond in any help that I needed, and if it wasnt for her I would of given up the fight along time ago. Not only has she done this for me but many many others FREE OF CHARGE...........

 

Websites dont come cheap I know I build them and have one myself, which I may add was asked to take down or change the fact that I have prints for sale in my website, and for the record proceeds for those prints go to a charity.

Unlike this forum Tomtubby's website do not get donations

 

I admire Tomtubby for coming back to this site after the way the Mods treated her last time, I presume she did so to help others not promote her site and her advice has been more than helpful to posters here and she should not have to put up with the way that certain Mods have treated her.

I thought this site was here to help people in similar causes not trying to put people down for helping