Equita Bailiff/kb ba1 - further help wanted.

[andie_303]

ok I'm composing you a letter to send to equita bear with me

[jewelinthedust]

you are most kind! many thanks..

[andie_303]

Account Ref: XXXXXXXX

Private & Confidential

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to you with regard to the account number above.

I have spoken with an agent about this account via telephone and have not received a satisfactory answer.

I ask that you send me a detailed breakdown of my account and specifically the charges you have added.

I take this opportunity to remind you of the court ordered breakdown of these fees and ask you to make sure the charges on my account are accurate according to this.

If not I will have no option but to pursue this matter further through litigation if necessary.

Until I have received this please also be aware that I am revoking the right for any of your collection agents to visit my property. As you are aware any visits should be done by making an appointment and at this time due to your bailiffs harassing and vexatious nature towards my minor child I will not allow this to take place.

Therefore you are duly on notice of this and if you or your agents disregard this I will have no option to report them to the police for harassment and trespass.

I ask that this matter be expedited as a matter of urgency.

Yours Sincerely

[andie_303]

In fact use this one

 

Account Ref: XXXXXXXX

Private & Confidential

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to you with regard to the account number above.

I have spoken with an agent about this account via telephone and have not received a satisfactory answer.

I ask that you send me a detailed breakdown of my account and specifically the charges you have added.

I take this opportunity to remind you of the court ordered breakdown of these fees and ask you to make sure the charges on my account are accurate according to this.

I would also ask that any charges on their are suitably dated with a relevant desciption and that you provide proof of this action taking place.

 

If not I will have no option but to pursue this matter further through litigation if necessary.

I will only accept correspondance in writing and any telephone calls I receive after the date above will be deemed as harrassing in nature and reported to the relevant authorities.

Please also be aware that I am revoking the right for any of your collection agents to visit my property. As you are aware any visits should be done by making an appointment and at this time due to your bailiffs harassing and vexatious nature towards my minor child I will not allow this to take place.

Therefore you are duly on notice of this and if you or your agents disregard this I will have no option to report them to the police for harassment and trespass.

I ask that this matter be expedited as a matter of urgency.

Yours Sincerely

[jewelinthedust]

thankyou very much, coulnd't have said it better myself..

Have today tried to make contact with the Divisional Director of Parking Services for Banes, and been informed by his secretary that he doesn't wish to get involved. Sorry, what exactly is his role in the council, of it's not to ensure that the debt collecting agencies, whose services the council employ, are legitimate?

I think it's about time kb ba1, myself, and others out there who have and are suffering, got together and exposed all this for the [problem] it is, and try to put a stop to it all, for everyones' sake.

[jewelinthedust]

am copying the letter and will send it as soon as I've spoken to my MP again, he's unaware of the latest situation!

[andie_303]

thankyou very much, coulnd't have said it better myself..

Have today tried to make contact with the Divisional Director of Parking Services for Banes, and been informed by his secretary that he doesn't wish to get involved. Sorry, what exactly is his role in the council, of it's not to ensure that the debt collecting agencies, whose services the council employ, are legitimate?

I think it's about time kb ba1, myself, and others out there who have and are suffering, got together and exposed all this for the [problem] it is, and try to put a stop to it all, for everyones' sake.

 

right i'll do you one for the council as well - your council are very quick to back off when it is them who have sent them as their agents.

 

they are taking the p**s with you!

[andie_303]

Jewel I've gotta log off and leave work to go home (hmmm yes a great use of my company time I know) - I will be back on tonight about 7pm and will have a letter from your council you can email this one and it'll get there quicker - then follow it up with a phone call tomorrow afternoon - don't leave it over the weekend

[jewelinthedust]

I asked the secretary if she thought it was a good idea for the council to be burying their head in the sand over all this, and I also informed her that I had just heard of others in the area who had serious complaints in relation to this company, she said something along the lines of 'oh well, we're really not interested'. Are these people fit to be running out local authorities? I'm wary of saying too much, but I couldn't feel more isolated right now, I'm am experiencing at first hand what happens when power gets in to the wrong hands, and how these people appear to close ranks.

[emandcole]

Hi Jewel,

Glad you've got in touch with the forum here. Unfortunately you appear to be at the hands of a particularly sad individual who has definitely overstepped the mark. Follow the advice on here and between us all you'll get through it. The council appear to have adopted a shocking approach by ignoring you, I believed they had a legal responsibility to control any agent they instruct and it appears they're trying to ignore you.

 

As well as the MP I'd also consider a complaint to the local government ombudsman about maladministration of your council. Equita are well known for breaking all of the rules and they do this because not enough people complain/know their rights. It's vital these companies are brought to account and the charging is ridiculous. It has to reflect their actual costs and usually they have little in the way of those, it's pretty much made up.

 

Follow it through, don't feel victimised as you're simply another one of the many thousand in the same position. Once you have evidence of what the bailiff has been up to submit a form 4 complaint against him in the court that issued his licence. If the proof is good he'll lose it and you'd have done the world a great service. Picking on kids is just not on, hope your daughter is ok . Keep us all posted.

[andie_303]

Jewel here's your council letter

 

 

Serious Complaint

 

Private & Confidential

 

 

Dear Mr XXXXXXXXX

 

I am writing to you with regard to your instructions to Equita to collect a debt with regard to an unpaid parking ticket.

 

I spoke with your secretary today and was informed that neither yourself nor the council as a whole wishes to get involved with complaints regarding this company and it's agents.

I find this incredible as these agents are acting upon your instructions therefore it is assumed that you are aware of their behaviour which I deem and can prove to be illegal.

 

I have been visited by Mr XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX an Equita bailiff on (date) at which time I was out of the country, he was told by the minor child that opened the door that I was not home and yet he then disclosed details of why he was there, again I emphasise this discussion was taking place with a minor, he acted in a threatening behaviour even telling her he would come back and take property from our house.

 

This is completely unacceptable and as I'm sure you are aware is a serious breach of both the Office of Fair Trading guidelines and the Data Protection Act.

 

I have also been notified that since the file has been passed to Equita they have added costs and fees that amount to an additional £325! - I have asked for a breakdown of these fees on numberous occasions as I believe that they are inflated which is also illegal, Equita have refused to provide me with this information.

 

The bailiff concerned has also threatened that I will be arrested for non-payment of this debt, I have spoken with my local police station about this and I have learned this is incorrect, I believe this was a direct attempt to harrass and intimidate me by deliberatley using threating and false information - another breach of the office of fair trading guidelines.

 

I would now ask why the council and yourself as head of this section refuse to involve themselves in complaints about your agents?

This company and it's representatives are conducting themselves in an illegal and unethical manner whilst on Banes Council duty and if you decide not to deal will this complaint I can only take from that that you and your council sanction such activities.

 

I have brought this to the attention of my MP and will take this further to the local press, I will also be lodging a complaint with the Office of Fair Trading with regards the breaching of their guidelines and a Form 4 complaint with HMCS.

 

I ask that you acknowledge this complaint and investigate this matter fully and to the best of the councils ability.

 

Yours Sincerely

[jewelinthedust]

Dear All, I have this morning spoken to the secretary of my MP again, and am going to see him this afternoon at his surgery. I will be telling him that the Divisinal Director of the Parking Services in Bath whose secretary i spoke to yesterday is not interested and 'doesn't want to get involved' in this case, or indeed in anything connected with this situation regarding his own bailiff, so my hope is that the MP will lobby him to look at the contract he has with them etc. I thnk Andie very much for the letter templates, I'm taking them along to the MP, I think he'll approve of them as they're very well written! I am really hoping I can make contact with kb ba1 as she appears to have suffered equally at the hands of this company, and I too am seriously considering this form 4 complaint, meaning there will be two lodged against him. I would like to ask her if she would be prepared to back an initiative to get BANES to review their contrsact with this dubious company.

We have both suffered and are best placed to do this, also there is strength in numbers. How many others are experiencing this right now, with this same individual? I was told at the CAB when I visited, that there are four others with complaints lodged at the CAB against him. Its the only way to change things. If she lives in BA1, she's under the Bath Liberal MP. He fully knows about this company, as I've been to see him and discussed it with him, unfortunately he's not my MP, but I wonder k p, would you be prepared to drop him an email informing him of your case also? It would lend weight to the case..

[andie_303]

Jewel,

 

Thats good - MP's tend to kick ass when they get involved - i've spoken with this bailiff on Kb's case and he's a nasty piece of work but he got a taste of his own medicine with me.

 

I hope you get to sorted and let me know what6 your mp says

[jewelinthedust]

I'm almost certain it will be the same bailiff we both had, there's only one apparently who handles the Bath area for Equita. The same one the four other complaints are about! we will get to the bottom of it all hopefully, and yes, I agree about his telephone manner!

[Mumof21985]

I am also have problem with equita baliffs! His communications skills are so so poor. Equita are a disgrace to speak to via phone, I have been cut off in the middle of conversations.

 

I will also be making a complaint against them

 

Good Luck!!

[jewelinthedust]

hi 'mum'!

Are you in the Bath area? Would you be interested in lodging a joint complaint against him? I feel certain its the same person.

[Mumof21985]

I am in Birmingham, so most likely we have different baliffs in charge? The baliff in charge of my case is awful, I don't think he has been tought how to communicate!

[jewelinthedust]

Can someone tell me whether its possible to PM kb ba1?

The press want to do a story on Equita etc, her contribution would be really helpful, it could be anonymous too.

[jewelinthedust]

Am sending form 4 complaint to Torquay county courts, where my bailiff is licensed from today, and am sending the letter to Equita that Andie wrote me, asking for a breakdown of fees etc. Am very depressed and have had enough right now. Lifes' too short for this rubbish!

[Faz_London]

can i ask for a back dated account of all my dealing with equita for the last 10 years ????

[andie_303]

Can someone tell me whether its possible to PM kb ba1?

The press want to do a story on Equita etc, her contribution would be really helpful, it could be anonymous too.

 

 

click on her user name and then you can PM her from there

[andie_303]

can i ask for a back dated account of all my dealing with equita for the last 10 years ????

 

 

yep - write and ask them for all data they have conerning you - you will probably need to do a SAR and pay £10 as they're probably not gonna just give it you out the kindness of their hearts. But if you send that they have to comply within 40days

[Faz_London]

yep - write and ask them for all data they have conerning you - you will probably need to do a SAR and pay £10 as they're probably not gonna just give it you out the kindness of their hearts. But if you send that they have to comply within 40days

 

 

thanx. i have just writen to them again requesting the info as they just ignored my request the 1st time round. what is the correct procedure ?

[kb_ba1]

Hiya Jewel!

 

So sorry I've not been on the forum for a while. Have had a lot going on in other areas of my life (it never ends). At least we're in touch now after your story in the paper. Will make sure we keep the other caggers updated once we meet.

[jewelinthedust]

Dear All, sorry, it's been a while I know..I've been so caught up in all this.. there is a story on page four of this weeks' Bath Chronicle on whats happened to me thus far. The Form Four complaint is going ahead, waiting to hear about the outcome of the Bailiffs' report. The Director of parking Services has only just got back to me, probably due to news story, so am contemplating what i will be requiring of the council, though largely it will be altruistic, meaning that if i win my case I will be lobbying them to finish their tenous rleationship with the notorious Equita. That's a given. In fact they've already indicated this might happen. I can say that I've had several responses from people in a similar situation, I'm glad I put my email on the bottom of the story!

The more we all stay in touch with each other, the more supported we all feel. I don't want to read any more stories in the press, or on here, about single mums, ill, disabled and vulnerable people getting bullied and traumatised by these blackmailing extortionists. Change is coming..I will keep you updated!