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Hi All,
Hoping to get some advise on this. So I have found out that at some point earlier in the year I have driven in a bus lane in Stockport and committed a driving offence. I feel like this happened in February because it was the only time I went through Stockport. I never received any letters. Fast forward May I started to receive phone calls from Northampton (I don't answer numbers I don't recognise because get fed up of sales calls) and started getting text messages from a company called Equita saying I owe money for a local authority. I reverse Google search the number to find many people labelling it a scam bailiff company, as there are many scams going on and you just have to be careful, so I ignored the text messages thinking if I haven't received any letters then I don't know anything about a debt, it can't be legitimate. So earlier int he week, My wife received a text message from the person living at our previous address, there has been a hand delivered letter from Equita and sent us a picture of the letter. At this point I now know it is very legitimate. So I called the bailiff who was dealing with the account to find out that it is for 2 bus lane fines and I now owe £409, which i couldn't believe, as if I had known I would have paid the £30 reduced rate for each and could have avoided any further action. To be fair the bailiff has offered a payment plan of 3 payments for it and I agreed and made the first payment, but it's just not affordable really.
We moved house November 2022 and I had changed my driving licence address with the DVLA February 2023, so I am thinking surely the letters should have come to the correct address and I should be able to appeal easily as it will be DVLA's fault for not updating, but after reading up on forums on similar situations it appears that I should have also updated with the car V5 document, which I had no idea and I think this is where I have gone wrong.
Question is, because the letters didn't come to my address and I had no idea about the debt, is there anything I can do to appeal to anyone to try and get the debt down somehow? I know much of it is my fault but it is so unlucky to be in this situation that none of it was avoiding the situation just simply not knowing.
Thanks in advance
Tariq
Hoping to get some advise on this. So I have found out that at some point earlier in the year I have driven in a bus lane in Stockport and committed a driving offence. I feel like this happened in February because it was the only time I went through Stockport. I never received any letters. Fast forward May I started to receive phone calls from Northampton (I don't answer numbers I don't recognise because get fed up of sales calls) and started getting text messages from a company called Equita saying I owe money for a local authority. I reverse Google search the number to find many people labelling it a scam bailiff company, as there are many scams going on and you just have to be careful, so I ignored the text messages thinking if I haven't received any letters then I don't know anything about a debt, it can't be legitimate. So earlier int he week, My wife received a text message from the person living at our previous address, there has been a hand delivered letter from Equita and sent us a picture of the letter. At this point I now know it is very legitimate. So I called the bailiff who was dealing with the account to find out that it is for 2 bus lane fines and I now owe £409, which i couldn't believe, as if I had known I would have paid the £30 reduced rate for each and could have avoided any further action. To be fair the bailiff has offered a payment plan of 3 payments for it and I agreed and made the first payment, but it's just not affordable really.
We moved house November 2022 and I had changed my driving licence address with the DVLA February 2023, so I am thinking surely the letters should have come to the correct address and I should be able to appeal easily as it will be DVLA's fault for not updating, but after reading up on forums on similar situations it appears that I should have also updated with the car V5 document, which I had no idea and I think this is where I have gone wrong.
Question is, because the letters didn't come to my address and I had no idea about the debt, is there anything I can do to appeal to anyone to try and get the debt down somehow? I know much of it is my fault but it is so unlucky to be in this situation that none of it was avoiding the situation just simply not knowing.
Thanks in advance
Tariq
