BRISTOW AND SUTOR VISIT TODAY, re Council tax. Can someone please advise???

[palomino]

Did he knock first - or was it very surreptitious?

[codecheka]

he knocked first then rang the doorbell. The kids didn't answer so he put yet another notice of intention to take my stuff through the door then sat in his car for fifteen minutes!

[classylady18]

Hi

 

I have had the same dealings with Bristow and Sutor and they were awful everytime i tried to speak to them they would add more and more onto the debt owed and threaten to take all of my possesions including my car.

 

I tried to make offers of payments, which they said were not enough - after receiving a letter from B&S in April this year demanding almost £900 i decided to ring my council and tell them the amount that B&S were chasing me for - after a lengthly conversation with the council it was agreed that i infact only owed around £280.

 

I told them all about the extra charges, letters etc that i had recieved from B&S and told them i would not deal with them anymore. The council agreed for me to pay them in two installments of £140 to clear the debt and they contacted B&S and withdrew my account from them.

 

The council were really shocked to see how much B&S had added on as 'charges' so they made a formal complaint themselves.

 

Id try contact your local council and explaining the situation. Tell them you feel very intimidated by the bailiffs actions and want to pay the council direct.

 

I hope this helps

[codecheka]

Hi all,

I ahve had a letter from B&S today.

My offer of £20.00 per month has been rejected (although they cashed the postal order I sent to them as my first instalment!).

They are demanding 5 payments of £150.00 per month which is WAY more than I can possibly afford.

My 'agreement' will be cancelled if I miss any of the £150.00 payments and they will come and sieze my goods!!!!!!!!

 

I find out though that I owe £400.00 LESS than they were trying to charge me!

 

So, the question is, what do I do. I can't afford the amount they are demanding, and I don't see why I should detail all my incomings and outgoings to them, as that is private. They don't have a court order asking for that information.

 

I can guess this is going to be a lengthy process with them......

 

Please, any advice????

[Ell-enn]

Hi, you need to get in touch with the council (if possible visit their offices in person) and tell them what B & S are asking you to pay, ask them for a copy of their complaints procedure and then make a formal written complaint regarding the bailiff company's fees. If possible take some paper and pen with you and write the complaint while you are there! They must properly investigate your complaint and any action should be halted while this is done.

You should head your letter "Formal Complaint under XXXXXX Council's Complaints Procedure"

 

In Sequenci's post earlier you can see what the fees should be for visits. the council are ultimately responsible for the actions of the bailiff company they employ and they should be advised of the amount B & S are adding to your account.

 

Kind Regards

 

Ell-enn

[codecheka]

It would see from their statement of account, that I owe on 2 bills, so they have added their bailiffs fees to each bill, £42.50 per bill!

 

Unfortunately, our councils offices close at 4pm, so I cannot get there till monday now! No reason why I cannot make a formal complaint without their procedure, I can at least write a letter so they have it for monday morning!

[Ell-enn]

Remember to send your letter by recorded delivery - we wouldn't want them to say they didn't get it!

 

Ell-enn

[codecheka]

Oh Absolutely!!!!!

[codecheka]

Hi,

A small update....

The council have finally replied to the letter I sent them on 7th August!

 

Apparently they cancelled my single occupier discount last october because I didn't return a form asking if I still wished to claim it! I didn't get the form, so didn't send it back. So they cancelled the discount and now I owe an additional £299.25!!!! I have lived on my own with my 3 kids for the last 6 and a half years and have NEVER had a review form to fill in in all this time.

The bailiffs fees according to the council are £65.00, although I have been charged £84.00!!!

Bristow and Sutor want me to pay £150.00 per month which I just don't have! The council say in their letter that they will expect the arrears to be paid within 6 months... I wish I could do that. I wish I could pay it right now!!!

 

What can I do about the extra £299.25? I don't think it was fair to add this on at all....

 

What do you think???

[tonycee]

Single occupancy

 

Fill i the form and date it from when they cancelled.

 

Send it off with a letter of explanation.

[tonycee]

P.S.

 

Tell B & S to ***************** ( Go away )

[robin9342]

Have you applied for council tax benefit? I know you are working, but unless you are particularly well paid, you may well be entitled to some CTB and HB.

[codecheka]

I do get some housing benefit, but unfotunatley I don't get the council tax benefit. I used to get it a few years ago, but I think the goal posts have been moved in regard to that!

[robin9342]

As you are a single parent on benefit, you are classed as vulnerable. Write to the council explaining that you are in a vulnerable group and request that they call off the bailiffs and that you pay the council instead.

[gdhfs]

It may be worth contacting your local CAB.

 

They cashed your postal order in relation to your original offer.

 

On a commercial basis this would be considered an acceptance of your offerred terms and would also invalidate the further charges.

 

Cashing your postal order could be deemed as accepting your terms

[codecheka]

Hi all,

I have written to the council asking them to take the debt back, and that I will pay it at a rate of £40.00 per month.

They won't play ball however, I seem to have come up against the most officious woman in the council... it's probably her I owe the money to!!! LOL. She has misread all the concerns in my letter (deliberately probably), and I don't see the point in correcting her yet again!!!

 

Anyway, she wants all my incomings and outgoings and wants to attach this to my earnings. I don't want all and sundry knowing my personal stuff.

 

So, what I have done is pay an amount through their online system. I have used the council tax number on the order, which comes up as my old address, so I don't think this will be taken off my new council tax bill (but feel free to correct me if I am wrong!).

 

Bristow and Sutor want more money from me than I can possibly afford and they are ignoring my correspondence.

Should I contact them, and let them know that I am disputing the amount that I owe and tell them I have paid the council directly???

Oh, and apparently, as there are 2 liability orders they can charge me twice for each visit they made. Is this correct????

 

Thank you in advance

[Fair-Parking]

NEVER contact a bailiff!

 

Further you only owe what is written on the liability order and not a penny more. No bailiffs fess will be written into that order. Yes bailiffs can ASK for fees by law, but they cannot enforce them.

 

Pay the council direct and make sure that the council understands that the money you send is for council tax and no other reason. They must accept it.

 

Take no notice of officious council employees.

[codecheka]

Thank you, I appreciate your reply.

I just didn't want another visit from the bailiff!!!!

 

As I said I paid this months payment direct to the council via their website, I've given up trying to reason with them. They want their money paid within 6 months apparently.

It aint gunna happen I afraid....... of course I am an eccentric millionaire who just doesn't want to pay all in one go!!! LOL I wish!!!

 

Thank you again x

[Topsy27]

Codecheka, the repeated advice on here is NOT to answer the door because once they've got their foot in it, you're not going to be able to shut it again.

[codecheka]

No, the door was only opened to them once, by my daughter whilst I was at work.

 

I was just concerned that they may pay another visit if I didn't inform them that I was going to pay the council direct.

[ashmk]

They always sit in there car for a while after knocking. Its all part of the act to scare you. Let them sit there doodling on there notepad trying to look official. In the end they will get bored and goto mcdonalds for another healthy lunch.

[codecheka]

Hi all, a bit of an update for you.

After arguing with the Council about the total amount owed on the arrears, it turns out that I was correct and the total amount I actually owed was just under £300!!

I have been paying £50.00 per month dircetly to the Council via their website, making very sure that the council tax reference number matches up with my old address and not the new council tax for my new address.

The total now stands at £200.00, and another payment will be made this coming friday.

I have had yet another 2 visits from the bailiff this week!!!!!!

Strangley, though, on the letters he's pushed through my door have a total of £367.00!!!! But if I can pay in full when he comes back I will only need to pay £265.00!

 

I have sent an email to B&S, stating that I am paying the council directly as B&S refused to accept my repayment offer. That they have got a VERY different total to the one that the Councils own website has..

 

The reply came today, stating that their total of £265.00 was made up of outstanding costs?????

What costs???

 

I have emailed them back asking for a complete statement of 'costs', to be sent to me in writing.

I have told them that I will continue to pay the council at the rate I have detailed above, and that when they can send me proof that I owe an extra £65.00 on top of the £200.00, then I will be prepared to discuss it.

 

However, their amount doesn't match up with the bailiffs amount, so what on earth is going on? He has added an extra £102.00!

 

Can someone please advise???

[codecheka]

Oh, I forgot to add, B&S informed me that as there were originally 2 liability orders they can charge me for 4 visits, even though there is now only one reference number.

Is this correct?

[codecheka]

Sorry to be a pain, but could someone please advise me?

I've had another email today, and they are telling me if I don't contact them by 7th december then recovery action will continue!

 

As I told them I have been paying this account every 4 weeks directly to the council, and they (deliberatley?) misread my email to them and took it that I was paying every week and gave me a payment agreement to that effect!

 

Anyway, they are insisiting that they don't have to send me a breakdown of the fees as they attached it to an email, this though was not a breakdown of the fees and I could not really make any sense of it, and the initial £20.00 I sent them was taken off their fees and not the arrears!

 

Help!!!

[Heathliver]

NO they can't charge you for 4 visits as they are very well aware after a ruling by a costs judge (TT originally posted this). They are supposed to supply a breakdown of costs with each pieceof paper they leave and as far as I am aware can not refuse to supply a breakdown when requested (although most do)!

As no WPA or levy is in place (please advise me if otherwise) they can only charge the basic £24.50 (1st visit) and £18.00 (2nd visit).