Rossendale Bailiffs Help

[mollymoo123]

Can anyone advise me I have had a big problem with a bailif from Rossendales coming to my home (I did not let him in) he came to say he wanted moneys for outstanding council tax £119 plus £24.50 & £18 = £161.50. ( baring in mind this debt was for 2008/09 whilst I was out of work and the job centre failed to inform the council so it was a admin error and I was told they would sort it but never did so I incurred this debt.

The bailif was very rude and abusive I told him to leave and closed the door.. the next this I had a levy pushed through my letter box saying they were going to take my car which is very dispropotional to the debt and charged me £288 pounds. I rang the council but they would not talk to me told me to go to Rossendales. Rossendales were very rude and abusive and told me I had to pay everyone right away would not talk to me they said I needed to speak to the bailiff.

I rang him not on my phone because I knew he would ring on my he told me the car belong to him now and he would be back the next day to take it. I told him I needed it because I worked 136 miles in a day for work.. he told me he wasn't bothered I could catch the bus.. I sent are you out of your mind I would loose my job and then he wouldn't get anything.

He told me he wanted payment over the phone my bank details my office number my home phone number etc. I would not give him anyof these his attitude was very threatning I was working from home that day but lost a days work because of this man.

He kept rining (its was my sons phone) saying he wanted his money.. but he changed his tune when my son spoke to him. but that didn't stop him ringing him at 7am the next morning.

By this time I tried to pay the council my debt but they wouldn't take it. so I paid Rossendale on line telephone system the full amount less the fees he put on.

My question can this person do this? can they take my car for a debt that has been paid? and if you pay Rossendale over the phone do they forward the debt to the council?..

I rang the council and gave the the ref numbers that I had paid the debt on but they still said I owned over 200 pounds.

I wrote a letter to the council complaing about my treatment of them saying my car belong to this bailiff and that I needed my car for work and how can they do this but they replied but said nothing about my car. so I wrote again I also copied my MP into the email but still not answer.

I am now living in fear that my car will be taken and therefore, I will loose my job I am a single parent... and bearing in my before this happened I knew I owed council tax for 2009/2010 which I paid in full a few weeks previous and sorted out this years council tax so I had every intention of not with-holding any payments to the could. I want to know where I stand I am going round in circles keeping my windows closed making sure I go to work earlier than normal.. but I sometimes work at home so I don't want this treatment of me to happen...

Please advise urgently.

[WendyB]

Re: Rossendale Bailifs Help

Haven't you already got a thread dealing with this? If so, it's best if you keep to the one thread, otherwise you will get duplicated answers and people will be answering on different threads. Best to keep it all in one place.

Admin, can you merge threads please....

[mollymoo123]

Re: Rossendale Bailifs Help

Yes I have but I am new to this site and I haven't had any replies to my problem....

[Amy]

Re: Rossendale Bailifs Help

The other thread you posted on had a link to the bailiff guide. I was hoping you would click it and come back with any further questions.

Anyway, here is the link Bailiff Guide - Legal Beagles Consumer Forum

Did you pay £119 to the bailiff or £161.50? Was the £119 the full amount owed to the council or did you never owe this amount in the first place?

[mollymoo123]

Re: Rossendale Bailiffs Help

The debt was £71 + court cost of £48.00 making the debt to the council .. In my despration because I didn't know what was happening I paid Rossendale through there telephone payment system £119 + £24.50 +£18.00 which was Rossendales fees. I paid this and told the council the ref numbers I had paid it on so they would make a record to ensure the debt was cleared. and as I said the next day this person said I now owed £300 plus he was taking my car.

I never let this low life into my house or signed anything I made it plain to the council I wouldn't be paying anything else. But I have not had a reply back from them yet..
------------------------------- merged -------------------------------
Also I looked on the Certificated Bailiff site and his name was not listed at all. Can you tell me why do they insit payment directly to themselves.. is it because they keep a percentage and send the rest to Rossendale? I suspect this is the case because I have a feeling this is how they make there money. I also told the council I would not pay for van which he said he had when he visiting more than 10 people using the same van and charging the an amount for each visit.

[Amy]

Re: Rossendale Bailiffs Help

Do you dispute that you ever owed any money to the council because it was an admin error? Or are you happy that you did owe it and are disputing the further charges?

Sometimes the online certificated bailiff register is not as up to date as perhaps it should be, there is a telephone number to call the MoJ direct in the bailiff guide and they will have an up to date register of names.

With regard to fees, you are completely correct although it's not a percentage that they take; they take the fees and then pass the remaining money on to the council, thereby leaving money owing on the liability order.

You are also completely correct that the van fees should be divided up between the amount of debtors visited in one day.

[mollymoo123]

Re: Rossendale Bailiffs Help

I did contest the outstanding debt I escalated it to the Job Centre who said I didn't need to do anything they would deal with it.. I told the council this.. but they wouldn't listen. I am really angry about this.. I would go as far as going to prision rather than pay this low life anything considering the abuse he gave me.

Also can he legally take my car for a debt that was £76 and due to what I consider being on the vunrable list being a single parent. and I need this for my job as I travel over 136 mile a day to get there so it would be imposible if I didn't have it... Honestely if he tried I would phone the police and he would have to drive over me... its distusting the items I have read on here I had no idea how wide spread it was... I am going to the MP about this and I don't intend the council just to let it be swept under the carpet its just wrong...

[Amy]

Re: Rossendale Bailiffs Help

What I'm trying to get to the bottom of, is whether the original £76 was legitimately owed or not.

[mollymoo123]

Re: Rossendale Bailiffs Help

No it wasn't I was unempolyed and in receipt of housing benefit apparently this amount wasn't paid to the council.. I only paid it when I had a bailiff at the door... when I originally got a letter from the council I informed the job centre who told me it was a admin error and they would deal with it directly... Well obviously they haven't that is why I paid it I do intend to re-claim this back from them... I tired and tried telling both the council and Rossendale this all to no avail... I am just completely worried about them taking my car... 2 years ago I lost my job nearly lost my house, and was made bankrupt so when this person came to my home my mind set completely revereted back to that time... I will loose my job if they took my car.. I managed to keep it when I was made bankrupt because I would have needed it for a job... how can they take this now???... This man said it belong to him now.... I am not sleeping I have a demending job I am going through this its effecting me badly.

[Amy]

Re: Rossendale Bailiffs Help

Right ok, I think the best course of action is to send a formal complaint letter.

I realise you have written already, but you need to follow this up and if I were you I would add a paragraph telling the council that you will be issuing a claim for the return of your money and the claim will include an amount for the distress caused to you by their incompetence.

[mollymoo123]

Re: Rossendale Bailiffs Help

Thanks for this... but can they legally take my car? for a so called debt of £76 when its worth £4000 and would cause me undue stress and the loss of my income? I am sure any law wouldn't allow this... but reading these posts and looking into how these people work its seems bailiffs have a license to take anything by force and threating behaviour and they call it legal... how can this be correct???.... I will indeed send a formal complaint to the council.

[Amy]

Re: Rossendale Bailiffs Help

Oh sorry, I forgot about that part.

The thing is with cars, is that they are easily levied, cause the maximum amount of inconvenience and upset and usually result in swift payment, which is why they do it.

Put a paragraph in your letter about the threatened removal of your car for a debt you don't even owe, but for the time being you should keep it away from your house - just until this is sorted out.

[WendyB]

Re: Rossendale Bailiffs Help

I've read this thread about 5 times and it's finally making sense.

This is the way I see it.

There are two issues here.

Firstly, there was unpaid Council Tax of £76, plus 48 costs plus 2 visit fees - total 161.50, which you paid to Rossendales. They are now trying to add a further 288 and threatening to levy your car.
You need to get them to back off on this - if you paid the C Tax and their charges, on what grounds are they imposing these further charges.

The second issue is whether you actually owed the £76 in the first place. Well, technically, as the Council didn't know, for whatever reason, that you were unemployed and therefore entitled to C Tax benefit, then, yes, as far as the council were concerned, you did owe it, so they pursued it. You then paid it.

The point is, presumably, that as you now no longer owe that money to the council, presumably they are no longer chasing you for it?

Get a statement of account from the Council detailing exactly what has been paid, and exactly what you owe now, if anything.

Get the bailiffs sorted and out of the way first. The overpayment to the Council can be sorted out later, it's the least of the problems.

[mollymoo123]

Re: Rossendale Bailiffs Help

I have just rang the council and now they say that the outstanding debt is still showing as unpaid... I am fuming about this I paid this but Rossendales have not sent it to the council... God this is causing so much stress.. I totally refuse to pay Rossendales anymore money its just theft... Can you advise if I send money directly to the council will they refuse to take it?

[Amy]

Re: Rossendale Bailiffs Help

The council are absolutely wholly liable here and they must deal with this. They employ the bailiffs, not the other way around.

Send the council proof that you have paid, get the name of the person you're talking to and tell them you will name them in your complaint letter and insist that they get this mess sorted out today and recall whatever perceived debt is still with Rossendale.