***URGENT*** - Rossendales Debt Enforcement visited re penalty notice

[GarlickFiend]

Hi,

The keeper of the vehicle received this through the post from Rossendales regarding an apparent penalty charge notice, and requiring a response by the 17th August:

[GarlickFiend]

The keeper emailed the following to Rossendales on the 17.08.18:

A copy of the completed enquiry has been included below:


Full Name The Keeper
Contact number XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Company n/a

Reference number XXXXXXX/XXXXXXX

Email address XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

How can we help you?
Hi,
I have received a letter from you - a Notice of Enforcement - regarding a £98.00 debt to XXXXXXXCity Council for non payment of a penalty charge (for which you are claiming £173.00). However, this is the first that I have heard about this matter.
Looking at your letter, I can assure you that if I had been notified that this was going to court, I would have paid (if not earlier, as fines are usually affordable in the first instance).
Could you please advise on who I need to contact about this please, as an invoice for £173.00 when I have had no prior correspondence on this matter seems a little excessive, and I would like to find out how it can get to this point without my being properly notified.

With very best wishes,

XXXXXXXXXXXXX
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Keeper received this response back from Rossendales on 22.08.18:

Private and Confidential

Thank you for your enquiry.

Our Ref: XXXXXXXX

Before we can reply to any email, we need to be confident we are replying to the account holder.

Normally we would look for the account holder’s name in the email address. As this email address does not contain the account holder’s name, we are not able to reply.

If you are the account holder and want to use this email in the future, you need:

• To call us
• Complete our normal data protection checks
• Confirm this email with our team.

Until this has been done, we will not reply to any other emails from this address.

Yours sincerely


XXXXXXXXXXXX
Customer Care Administrator
Customer Care Department
Rossendales Limited

[GarlickFiend]

Today the Keeper received both a letter through the post:

[GarlickFiend]

As well as a visit from a Debt Enforcement agent, who left this handwritten/ hand delivered letter raising the owed fee to £408.00:

[GarlickFiend]

Could really do with some urgent advice please, if anyone is able to help?

Thanks in advance,
GarlickFiend

[Kati]

ploddertom??

[Amethyst]

Have you tried speaking to the council to find out what the original penalty charge was and when ?

[GarlickFiend]

Have you tried speaking to the council to find out what the original penalty charge was and when ?

No, just emailed Rossendales as above. Wouldn't it be too late to speak with the Council now?

[Amethyst]

Regards the 'debt' probably yes, but I think you do need to find out what the charge is for, how come it's got to bailiffs without your having received any notices at all, and if it may be an error of somesort ... then you have a base position from which to deal with Rossendales.

Kati tagged ploddertom who has more experience in dealing with bailiffs to hopefully look in and help on that side of things. Did you respond to rossendales request for you to confirm your identity to enable comms via email btw?

[GarlickFiend]

I have to email the council - they don't have a contact number apparently, I'll do that in a sec.

I hadn't phoned Rossendales to confirm the email - that was a today job as I had the day off, but apparently they don't waste any time!

[GarlickFiend]

Ok, I’ve emailed the Council and waiting for a response. Spoke with the Debt Enforcement chap who was very friendly and is giving me some time to hear back from the Council.
I’ll update as I hear more.
Thanks

[ploddertom]

As a Council Penalty Charge Notice this does need dealing with. Did ou receive a letter from Rossendales headed Notice of Enforcement before the current letter? Did you receive any notifications from th Council about an outstanding ticket? When did you last move?

[GarlickFiend]

Hi Ploddertom, thanks for your reply. I received a Notice of Enforcement from Rossendales which was responded to in time via their website messaging function. I didn't confirm my email address with them in time though, (they sent out the next letter the same day that they emailed me to ask me to confirm my email).
The debt enforcement officer said that he received no notes from Rossendales, certainly none saying that I had emailed and was in dispute over the matter. He is going to give me time to hear back from the Council he says though.

I don't recall any communications from the Council about an outstanding ticket, and I haven't moved for almost 2 years.

[ploddertom]

You need to know what address all initial communication was sent to. For PCNs this is the address the vehicle was registered to at the time the offence was committed. Many change the address of their Driving Licence when they move but forget about their V5, others do the V5 but forget their Licence.

[GarlickFiend]

You need to know what address all initial communication was sent to. For PCNs this is the address the vehicle was registered to at the time the offence was committed. Many change the address of their Driving Licence when they move but forget about their V5, others do the V5 but forget their Licence.

Hi Ploddertom, the communications were sent to my current address, same as licence and V5. I've raised a complaint with Royal Mail, but didn't really get a satisfactory response.
Anyway, the Council put a hold on it and advised me to fill in an Out of Time Statutory Declaration, which I did and which is now with the Court to take action with, hopefully they'll revoke the thing and I can pay the original charge.
Cheers. :-)