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    • In short you never communicate with a Debt Collector, they have no power here at all. The snotty letter is only used to respond to a properly worded Letter Before Claim. The only time you would be recommended to contact the PPC is to send the snotty letter. You do nothing but keep the tripe they send you unless you receive a letter before claim.
    • Probably to do with the Creditor accepting the reduced payments claim as part of the IVA. - Thats my guess anyway.  As for the mount outstanding... 60k is incredible and im pretty sure a DRO wouldnt cover that much even after the new legislation.    For you @Alfy - Please stay headstrong and stop worrying. My viewpoint on debt with debt collectors is simple. You are a figure on a spreadsheet loaded into a database for them to run a collection cycle through.  They dont care about emotions or your situation, they just care about paying off their shareholders and trying to turn a profit.  They use varying tactics to increase the pressure on you to the point where you will break. People then fall for this an either cave in to DCAs before doing their own due diligence on the debts that are purchased or turn to IVAs like you have.    They are better ways to handle this and Im glad you feel better after a good nights sleep - I hope you can keep it up. 
    • Good afternoon,    I am writing in reference to the retail dispute number ****, between myself and Newton Autos concerning the sale of a Toyota Avensis which has been found to have serious mechanical faults.    As explained previously the car was found to be faulty just six days after purchase. The car had numerous fault codes that appeared on the dash board and went into limp mode. This required assistance from the AA and this evidence has already been provided. The car continues to exhibit these faults and has been diagnosed as having faults with the fuel injectors which will require major mechanical investigation and repairs.    Newton Autos did not make me aware of any faults upon purchase of the vehicle and sold it as being in good condition.    Newton Autos have also refused to honour their responsibilities under The Consumer Rights Act 2015 which requires them to refund the customer if the goods are found to be faulty and not fit for purpose within 30 days of purchase.    Newton Autos also refused to accept my rejection of the vehicle and refused to refund the car and accept the return of the vehicle.    It is clear to me that the car is not fit for purpose as these mechanical faults occurred so soon after purchase and have been shown to be present by both the AA and an independent mechanic.   Kind regards
    • Commercial Landlords are legally allowed to sue for early cancellation of the lease. You can only surrender your lease if your landlord agrees to your doing so. They are under no obligation even to consider your request and are entitled to refuse. You cannot use this as an excuse not to pay your rent. Your landlord is most likely to agree to your surrendering the lease if they want the property back in order to redevelop it, or if they wants to rent it to what they regards as a better tenant or at a higher rent. There are two types of surrender: Express surrender in writing. This is a written document which sets out the terms of the surrender. Implied surrender by conduct. (applies to your position) You can move out of the property you leased, simply hand your keys back and the lease will come to an end, but only if the landlord agrees to accept your surrender. Many tenants have thought they can simply post the keys through the landlord's letter box and the lease is ended. This is not true and without a document from the landlord, not only do you not know if the landlord has accepted the surrender, you also do not know on what basis they have accepted and could find they sue you for rent arrears, service charge arrears, damage to the property and compensation for your attempt to leave the property without the landlord's agreement. Unless you are absolutely certain that the landlord is agreeable to your departure, you should not attempt to imply a surrender by relying on your and the landlord's conduct.  
    • I had to deal with these last year worst DCA I have ever dealt with. Just wait for the constant threats of CCJ and how you'll lose in court and how they won't do mediation and they want the judge to question you with a load of "BIG" words to boot with the letter. My case was struck out in the end, stupidity on their part as I admitted to owing the debt in the end going through the court process was just a formality as they wouldn't let it drop despite me admitting the debt regardless. They didn't send the last part of the court paper work in so it ended up being struck out     .
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council tax, baliffs, and ctax benefit


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Hi thanx in advance for any advice i get. Ill try and explain a little about the problems im in. I have just married my husband (on new years eve) we live in a disabled adapted home as im physically disabled and he is mentally ill. He has 3 children and a csa maintenance bill of 6500 which is currently going to the balliffs as they got a liability order. We are in reciept of dla sda and income support. I am due to appear in court on thursday for non payment of council tax. We get full housing benefit but the council tax wasnt completely paid and i was disputing the amount they charged me and the fact that they havent finished doing my adaptions to my home. My disabled toilet has been waiting to be fixed since last january. anyways they decided to take court action so thats that. We had our car repossed in july, i have credit card bills and struggle to make ends meet. The problems started when my husband had a breakdown last year and was subsequently made redundent due to his health. My only assest is my motability car which i pay for monthly.

If anyone can give me any advice on whether i can argue in court that the council havent fullfilled there obligations which is why i havent paid. Also any advice on dealing with debtors would really help, i get phone calls all the time, letters and am forever trying to pay someone. please help xxx:(

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Hi Ibis

 

Sorry to hear your plight and what your going through, If your husband is diagnosed as being mentally ill there is Law companies out there who can take your case on free of charge. They probably will help you out with your credit card dept.

 

On the creditors who are phoning you just send the following letter, amend to suit your personal details.

 

 

Your Street

Town

City

Postcode

 

 

DATE HERE

 

Company Name

Road

Town

City / County

Postcode

 

Re: Harassment by telephone

 

 

ACCOUNT NUMBER: XXXXXXX

 

Dear Sirs

 

I am writing in relation to the quantity and frequency of telephone calls that I have received from your company, which I deem to be personally harassing.

 

I have verbally requested that these stop, but I am still receiving calls. (Delete if necessary)

 

I now require all further correspondence from your company to be made in writing only.

 

I am of the view that your continued harassment of me by telephone puts you in breach of Section 40 of the Administration of Justice Act 1970, and the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

 

If you continue to harass me by telephone, you will also be in breach of the Communications Act (2003) s.127 and I will report you to OFCOM, Trading Standards and The Office of Fair Trading, meaning that you will be liable to a substantial fine.

 

Be advised that any further telephone calls from your company will be recorded. (**Even if you don‘t yet have recording equipment!!**)

 

 

Yours faithfully,

 

 

 

[NAME HERE]

 

 

 

Gaz

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Bl**dy hell, ibis! Forgive me, I'm not one to swear but, my goodness, I thought I'd had a tough time!

I can give you some basic advice and I'm sure many others here will help you too.

First and foremost. Bailiffs. Do not worry about them. Under the National Standards for Enforcement Officers you WILL come under the vulnerable category. This is:

 

Department for Constitutional Affairs - Enforcement - National Standards for Enforcement Agents

 

Those who might be considered vulnerable include the following:

the elderly;

people with a disability;

the seriously ill;

the recently bereaved;

single parent families;

pregnant women;

unemployed people; and,

those who have obvious difficulty in understanding, speaking or reading English.

 

The debt has to go back to either the court (if it was a fine) or the council. These Standards are there to ensure vulnerable people do not have the added stress of bailiffs visiting.

 

If bailiffs do get involved please post in the bailiffs forum and I - amongst many others - will help you.

 

 

Thursday, when you go to court you will probably see a representative from your council and not a magistrate. That shouldn't matter. Make them aware - they should be but some councils pretend the Standards don't exist! - of the fact you are a vulnerable person. They have a duty to help you and make a payment plan with you that is affordable and sustainable. If they say anything ridiculous to the contrary ask to go before a proper magistrate. As far as I am aware every magistrates court accepts and follows the National Standards.

It's late o'clock so I'll look back here tomorrow.

Take care hunni, please don't worry - and congratulations on your wedding. :)

Rae xx

 

EDIT: Hey, so glad there are some late night Caggers out and about for you!:cool:

Edited by RaeUK
typoo
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Thanx so much everyone, god im almost in tears as you have all been so very kind. I suffer with a physical disability and am diagnosed as being a psychotic depressive, my husband has anxiety and depression. I will write to all the companys we owe and state this again. The council i will speak to at the court. In regards to the car, my husband got it before we met on finance, he got it quick really as he had gone bankrupt when the csa first came on and gave him a 28000 bill in order to free up his other debts. The car was defulted as originally we were paying 240 a month for it they took reduced payments for a little while but eventually they sent the repo man round and they sold it at auction leaving us with 6000 bill. currently i pay them 40 a month. We got a motability car as im on high rate mobility and basically cant walk anymore also my husband has 3 children which we have to collect for visitation. thats really the only assest i have. Ive managed to negotiate the credit cards down to affordable payments and frozen interest. currently i have the debt collectors for a phone company that i owe about 80 quid to ringing, so will send them letter below.

I so appreciate the help you have given me and will let you know how i get on xxxxx

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Thats for sure postggj! But, unfortunately, it's all about the money. One argument that's often trooped out - and I mention it as it's one ibis may come across - is that the National Standards are 'simply guidelines'. Not law. To me, a guideline is what it says on the tin. It's a guide. You may meet it, you may not. It's just an average you sort of aim for. The National Standards are also what they say on the tin. A Standard. This is the Standard you work to. It may not be law but it's what's expected of you as an Enforcement Agent. And, as the Agent is a sub-contractor for the council, it's the Standard councils should also acknowledge. Some councils try to ignore it as they want the bailiff to get the money for them. Bailiffs - who have a responsibility under the National Standards to hand the file back if it relates to a vulnerable person - are disinclined to do so as they lose their illegally inflated fees.

What gives these 'simple guidelines' their teeth - imo - is that they are recognised and observed by the magistrates courts and have also been debated and recognised by the Houses of Parliament. If they are good enough for those two bodies then they are good enough for local authorities.

Rae.

[i still need to go to bed!]

Edited by RaeUK
typoo
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Hey ibis [this really is my last post. I'll be blaming you when I struggle out of bed on the morrow... ;) ]

Apart from everything else, it sounds like you have a lot of debt you need to get a handle on. That's nothing to be ashamed of, so many of us are sharing your boat...

I think you need to try and prioritise some of them. After all, if you're on a fixed income, the first priority is to survive. [Lol at all the press stories of people living it up on benefits. If you can get through from monday to Sunday comfortably than you're doing something dodgy...]

Personally I've had a bit of a hit and miss relationship with CAB but it may be worth your while to seek their advice. Council Tax, I'm afraid, is one of those debts we have no choice about. It has to be paid. As far as I'm aware witholding it is not an option for any reason. You need to make an offer that you can afford. No matter how small.

Best wishes.

Rae.

 

EDIT: Forgot to mention 'your' motability is not yours. It is not an 'asset' it belongs to motability. Which means no-one can take it from you. So, er, it's yours...:p

Edited by RaeUK
typo
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Hi im not sure if im posting in the right forum so forgive me if i am not. Basically i am due in court for non payment of council tax on thursday. I am on benefits and have been disputing the amount owed with the council in regards to disabled discount etc. My main argument is that the council havent fulfilled there obligations to me as a disabled tennant. They have not installed my disabled toilet making me reliant on my partner for help in this department. They havent repaired the property so i am unable to open doors etc as they have rotten away. I filled in a form with them over the phone to pay in instalments and they said they would contact me to discuss it which they havent done. they are seeking a liability order. I have no legal representation at the moment as i havent been well physically and emotionally, could i ask for the case to be ajourned till i get advice. I have massive debts, 3 step children to help support and a husband who is menatally ill. Life is really hard so any help would be really apreciated xxx

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You have two things there. You say you dispute the amount you owe and you haven't had the agreed facilities fitted.

 

Forget the facilities, that will have no effect at all on the judgement. You cannot withold the tax because they haven't completed work required. That will be seen as refusing to pay.

Basically the question is, have you had a bill and have you paid that bill. If the answer is no I haven't paid the bill then unless you can actually show the judge that you are not liable for that amount, then the liability order will be granted. The argument 'I shouldn't be paying that much' is not a viable excuse.

 

If you can show without doubt that the bill is wrong, then go to court and put your case forward. If you cannot show without doubt that you owe it, then don't bother going to court as the judge will have no choice but issue the liability order.

 

Unfortunately the court cannot take into account your ability to pay, only if you owe it or not.

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Ibis, if you haven't already look and post in thedebt forum too. You'll find many helpful people there as well who can go through individual debts/creditors with you and work out what you should be paying and what may be disputed. Never talk to a creditor on the phone. They won't help. There are many template letters you can send to get them off your back and give you some breathing space.

 

Congratulations on your wedding and good luck!

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Thanx conniff that helps me alot, its kinda difficult to know what rights i have and what rights the council have etc, but you have cleared that up for me. cheers for replying and i wish you a happy new year xxx:)

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Hi i was due in court this pass thursday for non payment of council tax, I am assuming the council got there liability order, but i havent heard anything. I was going to go to court to defend myself but i had a bit of an accident and my husband had a relapse of his mental health condition brought on by worrying about this. Hence i didnt go. There are lots of issues with my local council, about there standard of care towards disabled tenants. But anyways, should i have had any kind of contact with them or at least heard from the baliffs? Do i just wait and see? Hopefully someone can point me in the right direction....Cheers xxxx

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You wont here anything from the court if the order has been granted, what you will receive is a regulation 36 notice (request for infomration form) sent by the council which must be sent to you before a bailiff can be instructed.

 

If you have doubt about the order being issued then contact the council on Monday and query it with them.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi sorry to post about this again, but im stressing so bad at the moment, im seriously thinking of getting voluntry sectioned. Ill fill you in briefly. Me and husband disabled, in reciept of dla, income support and hb. Council say we are not getting full council tax benefit even though income support says we should be. Council took me to court to obtain liability order, which i am assuming was granted as i have just recieved a bill for 200, original bill was for 90, but court fees etc bumped it up. The bill isnt asking for payment as it says the amount is subject to court proceedings. Im worrying that they are now going to try and make an example out of me and that they are taking it further through the courts. I have rung the council and sent them 5 emails which have not been replied to. Im in dispute with council as its took them a year to fit my disabled toilet etc. when i do speak to them they say they have no record of me contacting them. I cant cope anymore. me and my husband struggle enough as it is. The council wont help at all. Last year our car was repossed, Im paying off rent arrears and trying to support husbands children from previous relationship. We just never seem to get a break. any ideas.....?

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You have lots of threads from past issues-will take a look and merge with this so we can have some background.

Have a happy and prosperous 2013 by avoiiding Payday loans. If you are sent a private message directing you for advice or support with your issues to another website,this is your choice.Before you decide,consider the users here who have already offered help and support.

Advice offered by Martin3030 is not supported by any legal training or qualification.Members are advised to use the services of fully insured legal professionals when needed.

 

 

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so 4 threads merged-if you can just confirm theres nothing else or that theres anything out of place ?

Have a happy and prosperous 2013 by avoiiding Payday loans. If you are sent a private message directing you for advice or support with your issues to another website,this is your choice.Before you decide,consider the users here who have already offered help and support.

Advice offered by Martin3030 is not supported by any legal training or qualification.Members are advised to use the services of fully insured legal professionals when needed.

 

 

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No thats pretty much it. I have been to cab, but there advice was limited. I am sorry for posting so much, its just i aint to right in my head (lol) i try not to upset my hubby with this and just dont know what else to do. Fortunately as of this week i have the credit card debts on payment plans, mbna want income and expenditure forms but say all they want is £22 a month depending on these forms. My main concern is the council, i already lost one home when i got divorced (the 1st time) and couldnt face it again. The csa i dont really know what to do with them? i think i just gotta get a grip. Thanx for putting my threads/posts into one im not very computer literate (as you can probably tell)

The only dca im dealing with is bpo who want £10 a month but have yet to send me anything in writing despite requests, i think they only agreed this cause the guy who rang me got a bit abusive on the phone, so i think they were trying to stop me complaining.

The car repo is £40 a month to pay of the outstanding debt after the car went to auction.

Thankyou for helping me xxxx

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Hi ibis, just popping by to pass on my best wishes to you and hubby.

You seem to be having lots of hassle with the council!

Have you contacted MIND? I don't know what level of advice or support they can offer you but I'm sure they'll want to listen to you. Here's a linky thing to their 'how can we help you?' page:

 

How we can help you | Mind

 

As for your other debts, if it were I then I'd shuffle them around into some form of priority. And paying for a car I don't have would be close to the bottom of the list! That - in my world - would be £20 a month towards council tax and £20 a month to other priority debts.

Have you considered other action? Depending on the size of debt, there is bankruptcy - the down side, as far as I'm aware, is that you have to pay up front to be declared bankrupt. No idea how much it is these days. There is something else which came in recently, the name of which escapes me! I recall it being mooted as a smaller, cheaper version of bankruptcy...

 

Best wishes.

Rae.

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