Debt collection agency wants a witness statement.

[Lenniekye]

Hi,

I have a debt collection agency (JBW) chasing me for roughly £500 or more. (£490, but they notified me it has increased but not by how much).

The debt has amount because of a unpaid Dartford bridge crossing. The debt was £72.50 before JBW acquired it.

I was unaware of the unpaid charge until a unsealed letter was delivered to a previous address of mine from JBW and my family member notified me about it.

After numerous emails between JBW and I, I finally found out what the debt was for and the original amount of the debt.

JBW have asked me to fill out a witness statement to help me stop proceedings. I fear that they will just use the information on the statement against me (i.e my current address) to continue to harass me and most likely increase my debt.

I have no idea if a witness statement will actually help me in my situation.

Could anyone please advise on the best course of action. I will be greatful for any help.

Thanks

Lenniekye

[warwick65]

Re: Debt collection agency wants a witness statement.

JBW are a bit more than a DCA I believe, aren't they a firm of bailiffs?

If they are bailiffs you need to be a little bit more careful

Have they said what they want you to put in the WS , maybe they are trying to trick you into signing a statement of truth that isn't true- not a good idea
@charitynjw [MENTION=87380]Diana M[/MENTION] @Amethyst

[charitynjw]

Re: Debt collection agency wants a witness statement.

JBW are a bit more than a DCA I believe, aren't they a firm of bailiffs?

If they are bailiffs you need to be a little bit more careful

Have they said what they want you to put in the WS , maybe they are trying to trick you into signing a statement of truth that isn't true- not a good idea
@charitynjw @dianam M @Amethyst

I believe they wear both hats, enfocement agents & debt collection, whichever is applicable to the situation.
But why £490?
I think some clarification (What is allegedly owed & why) is needed.
It is reckoned that circa 3.5 million 'unpaid Dart Charge' notices have been issued in the last 2 years or so.

[Kati]

Re: Debt collection agency wants a witness statement.

Hi [MENTION=103235]Lenniekye[/MENTION] ... is it a Te7 or Te9 out of time witness statement they have said you should put in?? https://www.gov.uk/appeal-against-a-...ce/out-of-time

4. Getting more time to challenge a court order

You can ask for more time to challenge a court order (‘order of recovery’) if you:

• were contacted about a penalty charge notice (PCN) you didn’t know about
• were contacted about a paid or cancelled PCN
• didn’t get a response to your formal challenge (‘representation’) or appeal

Do this by making an ‘out of time’ challenge to the order of recovery.

Making an ‘out of time’ challenge

Use an ‘out of time’ form to explain why you’re making a late challenge. Send it with the form you need to challenge the order of recovery.
The ‘out of time’ form you use depends on whether it relates to:

• a parking PCN
• a Dart Charge PCN
• any other PCN - for example for driving in a bus lane

What happens next


Bailiffs will be told to stop any action while your ‘out of time’ challenge is considered by the council or authority that issued the PCN.

You can find the pdf version of the Te7 (Dart Charge) form here (http://hmctsformfinder.justice.gov.u..._forms_id=2712) but I'll attach a copy to this post for ease