Equita - How much can they charge in fees

[Mr_Brightside]

Got home from hols to be greeted by no less than 3 letters from Equita, relating to three separate parking charges.

The sum on each is £92.88.

I'm being paid on Friday so I'm going to have to take the hit.

I have had no visit from a Bailiff as yet.

What's worrying me is this.

What additional fees are they going to try and hit me with?

I seem to recall in the past Equita charged above the 92.88, even though no Bailiff had come knocking (at least that's what I assume since there was no evidence of a visit.)

Back then the woman in the call centre said "we're charging this since we have now requested a bailiff to attend." At the time I just paid up.

Since then I've been fuming about this. In effect they have charged me for talking amongst themselves.

If, when I phone up on Friday, they try to apply these extras again what should I do? Is there anything I can say to fight them off?

For additional charges to be levied must a visit have taken place? And does a bailiff need to do anything to prove they have paid a visit (e.g. posting a letter through my door.

[Happyolddog]

Re: Equita - How much can they charge in fees

Hi Mr Brightside.

Costs and Fees

The costs and fees charged by the Bailiff depend upon the type of debt.
County Court Judgement


No charges for signing a walking possession agreement.
A fee for the issue of a warrant to seize goods. The creditor pays the fee and it is added to the debt. The amount depends upon whether the judgement is from a normal county court or a bulk centre county court.
Amount of Debt County Court

• £125 or less: £15-£20
• More than £125: £35-£40

These are rough guidelines.

[Guest]

Re: Equita - How much can they charge in fees

Even bailiffs cannot charge for work that has not been done, such as visits that are booked, but have not taken place and although they are permitted to charge for letters, the charges must be reasonable.

You are also entitled to and must be provided with, a breakdown of fees and charges, so ask for one.

[Ellis27]

Re: Equita - How much can they charge in fees

Equita are a nightmare to deal with, they will try anything to avoid giving a breakdown of costs. I would phone Nationaldebtline 0808 8084000 who will give you a clear picture of exactly what the bailiff can and can't charge. They are really helpful, they saved me over £200 when I had problems with a bailiff.

[Amy]

Re: Equita - How much can they charge in fees

If they will not supply you with a list of charges, then you should send a Subject Access Request here Bailiff - SAR - Legal Beagles

The company is left with no option but to supply you with all the information they hold on you, as long as you provide the statutory maximum fee of £10. This will include the charges applied to your account.

[Mr_Brightside]

Re: Equita - How much can they charge in fees

Many thanks for the replies so far.

I suppose when it comes down to it, my dilemma is this.

What should I do if, when I phone tomorrow, they try to charge me with fees for visits which have not taken place.

Should I pay in full? Should I only pay for the fine and the letter fee....refusing to pay the rest?

I hate the idea of paying for phantom visits...and then going through months of wrangling to try and get them back.

[Amy]

Re: Equita - How much can they charge in fees

If you telephone they will undoubtedly charge you for visits that have not taken place or similar, so don't telephone them.

Instead, write to them as suggested above.

[Mr_Brightside]

Re: Equita - How much can they charge in fees

Thanks for your advice once more.

God knows what they're going to try. I just know (from previous experience) Equita will try it on i.e.

"we've requested a bailiff to attend...and we're passing the cost onto you" If they do this maybe I should ask for them to confirm in writing and take it from there.

I have had no contact from any bailiff...apart from the TAKE FORMAL NOTICE LETTER from Equita*, so I've nothing to write to them about.

So the only way I can determine what they're asking is by phoning them I suppose.

If I don't the next time I hear from them the fees will astronomical no doubt. Other posters here have suggested you have to pay up before you can try and claw the money back through a form 4.

I'm just trying to work out how to deal with this when the inevitable happens.

* BTW the table of fees at the bottom of this Equita letter is in such small print I can hardly make it out with my reading glasses on. Surely this is discrimination against a large percentage of the population with even mild visual impairments, let alone serious ones. Might this come under the Disabilities Discrimination Act or similar law?

[Amy]

Re: Equita - How much can they charge in fees

Are these fines from the County or Magistrate court?

[Mr_Brightside]

Re: Equita - How much can they charge in fees

Are these fines from the County or Magistrate court?

Hi Amy,

This is the letter from Equita. I received 3 of these relating to 3 PCN's.

I have asterisk'd passages that might identify me.

"TAKE FORMAL NOTICE

Re ********* City Council

We write with reference to the unpaid penalty charge notice owing to ******** Council for your vehicle ***********.

A warrant has been issued by Northampton County Court and passed to us. We therefore require the sum of £92.88 by return of post.

Failure to discharge this debt will result in our bailiff calling without further notice to enforce the warrant.

Yours sincerely

(word processed signature) Bailiff Manager

Bailiff Manager
Equita Limited"

There then follows a table of fees in such a small font I can barely read it with my reading glasses on.

The only telephone number provided on the letters is 08706 060 101

[Amy]

Re: Equita - How much can they charge in fees

A warrant has been issued by Northampton County Council and passed to us. We therefore require the sum of £92.88 by return of post.

I assume you mean Northampton County Court here?

If so, it would appear to me that the maximum Equita can charge you in this instance is £11.20 per letter per fine.

How much were the original parking ticket amounts?

[Mr_Brightside]

Re: Equita - How much can they charge in fees

I assume you mean Northampton County Court here?

If so, it would appear to me that the maximum Equita can charge you in this instance is £11.20 per letter per fine.

How much were the original parking ticket amounts?

Sorry bit of a freudian slip there

"Northampton County Court"

Total amount due from *********** council for each was £80 (including £5 court registration fee) at the time of being passed to Northampton County Court Bulk Centre.

[Mr_Brightside]

Re: Equita - How much can they charge in fees

**UPDATE**

The original demand on the letter is £92.88

Rang Equita call centre today and...as expected... they now want £125.08 per ticket.

So the additional fee requested is £32.20

No bailiff has been to visit at this time.

I asked the woman why they were asking for the increased amount.

She said this was because the fees had "escalated." I asked her what this meant. She was very vague about this...said something along the lines it was for bailiff action.

I said there had been no bailiff visit and in my view this extra fee was illegal. At this point she started arguing they were legal.

She said she could not answer any queries about the additional sum and I would have to write to Equita to ask for a breakdown.

She repeatedly asked for my card details.

I said I had been more than willing to pay the £92.88 but since she was asking for this extra money I had no other option but to refuse. She said I could pay this amount but money would still be outstanding on my account.

I said I would look into filing a form 4 complaint against the company....and ended the call.

I'm off to my sisters wedding today so will be writing a letter to Equita on Saturday pm. Any suggestions as to what I should include in this letter?

[Amy]

Re: Equita - How much can they charge in fees

As previously advised, simply write to them and request a breakdown of their charges.

[Mr_Brightside]

Re: Equita - How much can they charge in fees

Just a quick update here.

Have written off asking for a breakdown of fees. In the meantime received 3 letters.

All arrived four days after the date printed on the letter....

amongst other things the letter states.

"Unless we receive full payment of £125.08, or reach agreement for payment within 24 hours, further enforcement proceedings will be started against you. This will incur additional charges which will be added to your debt"

Envelope marked TNT post. No date mark or anything.

No doubt the reply within "24 hours" clause is yet another ploy to con me out of more dosh. It is obviously impossible to respond within 24 hours of the date on the letter.

Not had any visit from Mr Balliff. Or if they've been there's no evidence of it.