CCJ for unpaid student utility bills

[rvp_legend]

Hi Guys

 

Bit of advice needed guys.

 

A girl I have recently started seeing told me that she has a CCJ against her name

 

relating to her house share and an unpaid utility bill she was unaware of.

 

the utility company were owed approx £1k from an 8 bed house and my Girlfriend was the named person on the utility contract.

 

They then left the house,

utility company pursued the debt,

my Girlfriend probably buried her head in the sand as girls sometimes do and

then next thing is a letter from court stating she has a CCJ.

 

Queue the month to pay and satisfy the debt.

..she leaves it until the last minute,

has been in constant contact with the utility companies solicitor

who have stated on at least five occasions verbally that the deadline was 5pm today to make payment

 

- she calls up, and then they say..

oh actually I have just re-read and the deadline was 5pm on Monday this week.

 

When my Girlfriend told me this I was in shock

- surely this is complete professional negligence?

 

Said girl now faces 5 years on the CCJ register,

wont be able to get mortgage, loan etc...severely affecting her financial future.

 

What would you guys advise to do next?

 

My advice was;

 

Complain to them asking for their complaints handling procedure

Complain to the Law Society

Complain to the Legal Services Ombudsman

Request that said Solicitor applies to court to set aside the Judgement or state it has been satisfied so she can get removed.

 

Failing that I would be inclined to sue them for ruining my financial future...

 

I fully expect at least 10 posts on how daft this is and should never have got to this stage but am hopeful at least one person responds with something useful!

 

Many thanks in advance.

[dx100uk]

what was the date of the judgement please

 

dx

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

First raise a Formal Complaint with either the senior partner or managing partner of the law practice concerned.

The law firm was acting on behalf of the utility company and acting upon its instructions so copy the complaint

to the CEO of the utility company.

 

 

A formal complaint means that it must be properly investigated and responded to within 56 days, if the response is

inadequate then take it to the relevant regulator (s).

[rvp_legend]

The judgment was the 14t July and they continually stated it was 'a month' and therefore the 14th August. However it was in fact 28 days but this was never mentioned, even when i called up they to pay some installments they stated it was a month from the judgement.

[rvp_legend]

I have just checked the court documents and it states 'paymet must be made within a month for you to be removed from the list' i.e the 14th August which is what the solicitor said, however when i called up to pay she said oh it was actually the monday 11th we needed to pay by - which was never ever mentioned in correspondence previously.

[BRIGADIER2JCS]

I have just checked the court documents and it states 'paymet must be made within a month for you to be removed from the list' i.e the 14th August which is what the solicitor said, however when i called up to pay she said oh it was actually the monday 11th we needed to pay by - which was never ever mentioned in correspondence previously.

I think the confusion is between Calendar Day which varies from 28, Feb. to 30/31 for other months.

For technical/business 4x7 days (28) is used I've always understood it to be a 28 day time scale to avoid the judgement being recorded.

 

 

I am aware that guidance documents from HMCTS do state " within one month".

I would still contact the solicitors, and check with the court manager for their view on this.