Debt collection agency went back on agreed timespan to clear debt

[mimi1979]

I had a fine of £90 for a driving ticket from the court, i was going through some financial troubles so as instructed on the back of the court fine letter i wrote in asking for more time to pay, i didnt hear anything than received a letter from a removal contractors who had added £50 to the original fine, i called the court who told me it was my responsibilty to chase the letter asking for more time i accepted that and called the removal contractors who informed me i had to pay £35 per week i stated that i couldnt afford it, i was told the fine had to be paid by the end of the month i stated i would pay in full when i got paid on the 26th of the month, woke up on the 26th to find a clamp on my car called the bailiff who informed me the fine had risen to £465 :o i am not disputing i owed the £140 just angry that a agreement was made to clear the debt by the end of the month only for them to send in bailiffs 5 days before the deadline. I intend to sue the removal contractors how do i go about doing this? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[sequenci]

who is the bailiff firm?

[mimi1979]

Drakes

[Eddownrobway07]

I had a fine of £90 for a driving ticket from the court, i was going through some financial troubles so as instructed on the back of the court fine letter i wrote in asking for more time to pay, i didnt hear anything than received a letter from a removal contractors who had added £50 to the original fine, i called the court who told me it was my responsibilty to chase the letter asking for more time i accepted that and called the removal contractors who informed me i had to pay £35 per week i stated that i couldnt afford it, i was told the fine had to be paid by the end of the month i stated i would pay in full when i got paid on the 26th of the month, woke up on the 26th to find a clamp on my car called the bailiff who informed me the fine had risen to £465 :o i am not disputing i owed the £140 just angry that a agreement was made to clear the debt by the end of the month only for them to send in bailiffs 5 days before the deadline. I intend to sue the removal contractors how do i go about doing this? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Hi mimi1979,

 

am disgusted by bailiff on this one, but this proves never, ever speak to these organisations on the phone,however tempting - everything in writing and keep everything you send and recieve.

 

do you have a copy of the letter you sent asking for more time to pay?

have you paid anything yet or agreed installemnts, if so is it in writing?

 

You need to cover all bases on this one to stop it getting any worse and to potentially have the fine reduced back to the original £90.

 

 

complaint Letter to office of fair trading and financial ombudsman

- :

anyway you need to write a letter of complain expressing your dissapointment in the way your case has been dealt with by the bailiffs/debt company concerned. You need to make it as detailed as possible, include:

 

dates

times

whom you spoke to - if you remember

what was said and then agreed

attach a copy of your letter asking for more time to pay - if you still have

 

once this letter is written, write another, this one to the bailiffs :

 

Repayment Letter-:

 

Tricky, the bailiffs will want payment nonetheless, write a letter to bailiffs with a budget of what you can genuinley afford each month, important you attach a copy of your payslip for thier reference and state your outgoings. At the end of the offer state that you require written assurance that no interest or charges will be added to the balance.

In this letter advise you are making an official complaint about the whole episode and send a copy of your complaint letter with this repayment letter.

 

will leave some addresses below, make sure each address is writen at the bottom of each letter:

 

1.Send a copy of both letters to the bailiffs by rec delivery, keep the reciept so you can prove it was signed for and recieved.

 

2.Send both letters to the following:

 

c.c. Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR

c.c. Office of Fair Trading, Fleetbank House, 2-6 Salisbury Square, London EC4Y 8JX

c.c. your local Trading Standards Dept - google trading standards in your town/city

 

You might get a letter saying you need to 1st lodge your complaint with the bailiffs ect, but at least the complaint has been started and eventually will be investigated, you might have to resubmit the complaint a few in a few weeks time. Keep copies of all letters you send and recieve so you can further the complaint if nothing is done to resolve.

 

I am not an solicitor and this is only my personal advice.

 

any probs just ask

 

 

Edd

[Eddownrobway07]

p.s. make your repayments regardless, you must show you are happy to pay the debt, but you have issues you want addressed as well.

[mimi1979]

Thank you for your advice, i have already paid the fine because they clamped my car and I had no choice as they charge a daily fee so I paid it but want to sue them to recover the costs which ended up at 465 pounds instead of the original 90 pounds. I will do what you suggested and keep you posted, thanks:)