Help! Notice to serve a Statutory Demand and I dont know what for.

[Bloodyworriednow]

Have received a notice from Redwood Collections to deliver a Statutory Demand and I have had no previous paperwork.
Have recently moved house, previous landlords did not pass on post (even though we have asked repeatedly) so presume all previous demands have been lost.

The only thing I can think that it might be is a previous employer who I left in a hurry due to terrible H&S (in my work we go to prison if there is an accident due to negligence- probably whole other thread though) I had unfortunately had training and this employer has a history of chasing for training costs, so I am guessing is this.

Can they serve an SD if I dont have a record of any previous demands? Can I write to them and demand a detailed breakdown of this supposed debt? Will this stall the delivery of the SD?

I clearly need to get this sorted but I have no idea what/who I am fighting against!
Desperate for advice, cant afford solicitors at all.

Thanks in advance

[wales01man]

Re: Help! Notice to serve a Statutory Demand and I dont know what for.

Can I say No one goes to prison without a court case and conviction.
The SD can be dealt with using the excellent advice you will receive from others on here.

[Bloodyworriednow]

Re: Help! Notice to serve a Statutory Demand and I dont know what for.

Thanks for quick reply.
Have read other threads and there is always great advice here! Am hoping someone can help.

[Amethyst]

Re: Help! Notice to serve a Statutory Demand and I dont know what for.

Redwood collections deal with quite a few different lenders and debts so I really have no idea. They do seem to send statutory demands on statute barred debts tho (so over 6 yrs old). But without any info there's pretty much nothing you can do at the minute to work it out.

I'd write to them generally asking what the debt is and informing them you have had no contact from them prior to this letter and are unaware of owing any debt to them at all, and I'd also send them (separately) a CCA request for in the event of it being an old loan/credit card etc ( see http://www.legalbeagles.info/forums/...y-of-Agreement)

[Bloodyworriednow]

Re: Help! Notice to serve a Statutory Demand and I dont know what for.

Hi Amethyst! Thank you so much for quick reply. I wasn't sure about the legality of writing to them to demand infomation but will do so immediately.
I really dont think its a loan/ credit card, loan is nearly paid off and is only £400 outstanding and we pay regularly, only CC is massively in debt but we pay more than minimum amount every month and I'm sure would have had notification if was regarding that.
I will send off CCA request as well just in case though.
When I have more information I'll come back here, so glad I found you, am literally shaking with fear this morning!

[Amethyst]

Re: Help! Notice to serve a Statutory Demand and I dont know what for.

Get those letters sent off, then have a read of a few threads in our Stat Demand Successes forum and some of the stickies at the top of this forum and hopefully that will set your mind at rest a little. Not a lot we can do defending it wise until we know what the debt is.

If you do get the Stat Demand, don't panic, just come back on here and post up all the information you have on it and we'll help as much as possible xx

[Bloodyworriednow]

Re: Help! Notice to serve a Statutory Demand and I dont know what for.

Hello, have had reply from correspondence, it is from previous employer, they want over £6800 for training costs etc. I am faint with shock, I can barely afford to pay bills never mind this, please please help me!
They ignored my request to rearrange an appointment to deliver the Statutory Demand by hand tonight, will actually be at work, but in their letter they threatened (prob me being emotive!) to display it publicly if I am not there to receive the notice this time. Can they do this? I am in a really bad place now aren't ??

[Amethyst]

Re: Help! Notice to serve a Statutory Demand and I dont know what for.

They might be meaning publish it in the Gazette - which is a legitimate, if old fashioned, form of service. Be interested to see a copy of the letter though as it sounds quite intimidatory.

Can you tell us a bit more background on these training costs;

The only thing I can think that it might be is a previous employer who I left in a hurry due to terrible H&S (in my work we go to prison if there is an accident due to negligence- probably whole other thread though) I had unfortunately had training and this employer has a history of chasing for training costs, so I am guessing is this.

Have you had any notification of your ex employer claiming these training costs prior to this stat demand notification ?

[Bloodyworriednow]

Re: Help! Notice to serve a Statutory Demand and I dont know what for.

No, nothing I can remember, but we moved house and despite repeated requests our previous Landlord has so far not bothered to forward any mail we hadn't changed address for, so we could have had 100 letters! I am assuming they got our new address when we went on electoral roll etc.

RE training I'm a Gas Engineer and when your "tickets" are up you generally get sent on training by your employer, he is trying to recoup the cost of training, plus my pay for that period of training, and some van fees.

[Bloodyworriednow]

Re: Help! Notice to serve a Statutory Demand and I dont know what for.

I was so desperate to distance myself from the company before something happened I didn't think about this. I have probably been a complete idiot tbh.
When I was at the company lots of engineers left and he would just confiscate their last pay packet to recoup costs, there were rumours they has taken others to court also. He couldn't take my pay because of the date I left (not deliberate just the way it worked out)

[Bloodyworriednow]

Re: Help! Notice to serve a Statutory Demand and I dont know what for.

*they have rather not has

[Amethyst]

Re: Help! Notice to serve a Statutory Demand and I dont know what for.

I don't suppose you have a copy of your employment contract ?

[Bloodyworriednow]

Re: Help! Notice to serve a Statutory Demand and I dont know what for.

should have thought of that. have found digital copy they sent me, and having read it I think you're going to say theres nothing that can be done.
"30.2 The Company reserves the right, without the need for further written authority from you, to deduct from your final pay and/or from any other sums due to you (including any payment owing in respect of the Company bonus scheme) any amounts owed to the Company, including but not limited to outstanding loans or advances, overpaid expenses or any other overpayment, repayment of training costs or relocation allowances, the cost of repairs to or replacement of Company property (including company vehicles) damaged or not returned by you, personal telephone calls made on Company mobile phones, excess holiday pay, or invoices. Should your final payments be insufficient to repay these amounts, you will be required to reimburse the Company for any outstanding balance remaining."

If I am in the wrong then can I stop the bankruptcy by offering monthly payments. If I had known before about this whole bloody mess I would have done so in the first place. I dont own anything to sell!

[Amethyst]

Re: Help! Notice to serve a Statutory Demand and I dont know what for.

'' repayment of training costs''

Ok that's fair enough. On what grounds are training costs repayable though - anything else in there?

You mention you left because of Health and Safety standards - anything regulations/laws etc that they were breaching specifically ?

When you agreed to undertake training was the cost / repayment of etc mentioned to you ?

[Bloodyworriednow]

Re: Help! Notice to serve a Statutory Demand and I dont know what for.

They were so down on staff they were forcing a 1 week on 1 week off call out pattern which meant working from 8am to as late as 2am sometime then starting again at 8am having got up at 5 every other week, so everyone exhausted and making mistakes. Putting tighter and tighter time limits on calls so engineers were being bullied into leaving GAS appliances unsafe and unfinished. Sending apprentices out on their own due to lack of engineers. Final straw was really bad, and I quit the day after I found it, they put a whole factory of people at risk because they pushed an engineer to go on a call out.