Equita piling on costs

[melita]

Hi all
I have a problem with Equita keep piling on Costs to a small debt which i originally owed to Birmingham City Council.
It all started when i got behind on my council tax and was refered to equita
I had aproximately £200 to pay off when i lost my job and had to move from my rented house to stay with a friend
I notified equita that id lost my job and offered them £5 a week till i was on my feet and back in work
They kept refusing the offer and kept adding charges
They then sent a balif out to my friends house where i was staying i never saw the balif just found a letter which said id been charged more money and threatened to take property from the house which was scary and also embarrassing as its not even my house
I read some where on the internet that i should just send the £5 a week regardless of them not accepting the offer as if it did come down to court i was doing my part
So since december i have been sending in a token payment of £5 a week
Ive still been receiving threatening letters but no more charges till today
I heard my door bell ring when i looked out the window which was litterally seconds after the ring i just saw the tail end of a person getting into a car, i went to the door and found another balif letter from equita which Said theyve added a further £235 to my debt for the visit. Im running a total debt of £579.97 now and i cant see no end to this.
Ive just typed in google Equita Copuncil Debt and this site has came up so im hoping somebody can give me some advice

[ploddertom]

Re: Equita piling on costs

You need to ask the Council how may Liability Orders they have against you, how much each one is for, when they were obtained and when they were passed to Equita.

You then need to ask Equita to give you a list of the fees they have charged and when they were applied. If they are collecting for more than 1 Liability Order then you need this for each debt.

[ploddertom]

Re: Equita piling on costs

Meant to add you also need a list of dates from both of any payments made.

[melita]

Re: Equita piling on costs

Thanks Ploddertom
What happens when i get the info

[ploddertom]

Re: Equita piling on costs

Post it up and we'll try to sort fact from fiction.

Are you aware that Birmingham City Council has hived most of its office functions to a company called Capita? Are you aware the Capita own 2 Bailiff Co's one of which is called Equita?

[melita]

Re: Equita piling on costs

I didnt know that no.
Sounds Rather suspicious

[ploddertom]

Re: Equita piling on costs

I didnt know that no.
Sounds Rather suspicious

What you have to remember is that when you ring the Council the chances are you speak to a member of a private company and in this case they can be very evasive. They have no interest in helping you and you would not be the first to be given misinformation that favours them passing duff info so you fall foul of their bailiffs. Just be wary.