Bristow Sutor.

[Mountbatten77]

Just to start by saying hello, I'm a new member so please forgive me if i'm posting in the wrong section. I came across your site after typing in details of Bristow Sutor. It was a relief to realise that my family are not the only ones effected by this awful company.

Last monday my sister was visited by a gentleman from Bristow Sutor in relation to an unpaid parking ticket. While i make no excuses for my sister who did not pay the bill, she does however have a very good reason for not doing so. For the last 18 months she has been fighting injuries she sustained in a road traffic accident. She lost her left leg, has a titanium rod in her spine, a smashed pelvis and to top it all, her three year old daughter was killed out right, and as a result neglected to pay it.

Anyway, to get to the point, this chap turned up while her husband was out. Thinking he was there to discuss repaying the debt, she foolishly invited him in so as not to have her business dicussed on the doorstep. He would have quite clearly seen her wheel chair, and it is physically obvious she is disabled. Instead of talking repyaments, he took it upon himself to walk around her property making a list of all things he would take, including her sofa's, TV, DVD, laptop, microwave, tumble dryer (and many other things) all for a bill of £228. The laptop alone is worth more than that.

At ten o clock that evening my brother in law returned to the property to find my sister unconcious after taking an over dose of her medication. This man scared her half to death, sent her into such a panic, i believe it was the last straw for her. She had left a note simply saying "I cant take any more"

Fortunately my sister has survived, and is now making a recovery in hospital. He had demanded £38 per week to pay off this bill, my sister and her husband do not recieve any form of benefits, pay full rent and poll tax etc, and she also has to pay for her own prescriptions, which some weeks total over £20. I made the first payment yesterday morning, my sister says he did NOT explain what he was doing when looking around the property and making a list of items to take, he simply asked her to sign the forms, told her the repayment he wanted, and then left. I am concerned my sister may have been forced to sign something that she didnt understand. Heavy medication, and her condition of PTSD means she really isn't with us at the moment.

I would like some advice, if possible, how to deal with this company as my family and i are furious about the situation....they could have been responsible for taking my sisters life. Is there any way of getting the papers she signed legally over turned? We have never had dealings with companies like these, and just don't know where to turn.

Many thanks for reading.

[kanine]

Re: Bristow Sutor.

Hello Mountbatten,

I am outraged to hear of this situation, I am sure the very experienced members of this site will come along and advise you accordingly, While not just the same as you situation we are fighting for our financial lives as the result of a very ill relative being forced to sign documents by an individual. It is deplorable for someone to do this to your sister, sadly there will always be people, that are by nature bullies who will cross a line that no responsible person would.

Best of luck with it, you will get excellent support on this site.

[UnitedFront]

Re: Bristow Sutor.

Can I just say, firstly, I hope that your sister makes a full recovery from both this event and her initial injuries. With your support and that of her husband etc I am sure she will.

Others will doubtless be along shortly; but I have been in not dissimilar positions before (with regards Council Tax as opposed to parking fine) and I had some relative success by writing to the local authority to whom the money was owed. An appropriately worded letter to the right person had the bill recalled from the bailiff company (something the local authorities will have you believe can't be done) and I arranged to make far reduced payments directly to the local authority.

I'm not entirely certain whether this could be done for a parking ticket - but I don't see why not. Who was the original issuing authority?

Obviously, if the debt can be recalled from the bailiff company then the walking possession is no longer an issue, so long as payments are kept up to date directly to the issuing authority.

Just a final thought; an appropriately worded letter might (even just a small chance) see the local authority cancel the ticket. Although a long-shot.

Either way, I would personally be ensuring that I kept up to day with the payments to B&S (however much it pained me to give the shysters any money) whilst I was contacting the issuing authority.

Also, make sure your sister complains to the local authority and to the relevant trade body - bailiffs are supposed to leave vulnerable people alone!! Unfortunately these b@*****s work on commission most of the time. Citizens Advice have details about where to complain:

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/englan...t_bailiffs.htm

I really do hope your sister makes a full and timely recovery.

All the best,
UF.

[Inca]

Re: Bristow Sutor.

:bump:

[UnitedFront]

Re: Bristow Sutor.

Just giving a polite bump to the thread.

[bluebottle]

Re: Bristow Sutor.

Did this bailiff make clear his reason for being there or did he trick his way in? If the latter, he may have an invalid levy. Also, it is not for the bailiff to decide on what repayments are, especially if the bailiff company holds a OFT Category F Debt Collection Licence, which B & S certainly holds. OFT Debt Collection Guidelines make it perfectly clear that debtors must not be forced into paying more than they can realistically afford. A complaint to Trading Standards and OFT Credit Fitness Team may well be in order.

[Mountbatten77]

Re: Bristow Sutor.

Thank you for replies, and good wishes for my sister. The ticket was issued by Bassetlaw council who cover north Nottinghamshire. The bailiff simply said to my sister when she opened the door, are you mrs *****? She said yes she was, he told her he was there about an unpaid parking ticket. He did not at any time inform her of being a bailiff nor did he ask her permission to look around the property. My sister has said he was even poking around her book case and asking if her book collection had any first editions in it he then presented her with the list of possessions and asked her to sign it.

He even had the nicety to tell her 'not to get up' when he went into the kitchen and that he 'would see himself out' so it was plainly obvious to him she was disabled.

Ive been to visit my sister today and it's simply tearing us all apart, she won't even go to her home address and wants to stay with our parents. I did take over the paper work and contacted the company via phone to inform them about my sisters attempted suicide. All I got was a 'put it all in writing' not even a I'm sorry about this....

[CleverClogs]

Re: Bristow Sutor.

I did take over the paper work and contacted the company via phone to inform them about my sisters attempted suicide. All I got was a 'put it all in writing' not even a I'm sorry about this....

That, then, seems to be their first sign of honesty - as they are certainly not sorry they treated a vulnerable person with a disability in that way.

Perhaps a complaint to the Equality Commission might help to educate Bristols & Hooters?

[labman]

Re: Bristow Sutor.

Hi Mountbatten,

As you know I've exchanged a couple of private messages with you regarding this which goes against what would normally be accepted on the site. So everyone knows the state of play following those private messages, I'm posting up what I've suggested you do so far.

We established that your sister put the suicide attempt directly down to this happening. Clearly this is extremely distressing for all involved, but may not be able to be blamed on the bailiff. I understand also she is too scared to return to home at present out of fear of the bailiff returning. There were also some errors on the bailiffs part in the way he gained entry - your sister was not aware he was a bailiff and he showed no ID whatsoever. This was certainly imprudent of him given your sister's obvious disability.

What I’m battling with at the moment is whether or not the bailiff actually did anything majorly wrong. I understand you will find this very annoying, but it's best you know the truth. There appear to be 'small' issues in terms of not showing ID etc... but that boils down to one person's word against another's. In terms of the levy, he took account of your sister's disability and specifically said, 'Don't get up, I'll see myself out.' Equally he was polite, not aggressive - you get the picture.

This does not make it any more pleasant for your sister but it is probably enough to cover the bailiff's back in terms of having done anything significant wrong.

Your sister's inability to cope with what happened may show an error of judgment, and is certainly a cause for complaint. It is also worth getting in touch with the CEO of the council, explaining what has happened, point out their vicarious liability for the conduct of their appointed enforcement agents and the fact your sister clearly falls within the category of vulnerable under The National Standards for Enforcement Agents, and asking them to stop enforcement action and say you'll pay the council directly.

Have a read of this as well:

http://www.legalbeagles.info/forums/...rking-Offences

Are you aware how the bailiff's fees are made up. If not, please send Letter One from here:

http://www.legalbeagles.info/forums/...Useful-Letters

We can then look to see what fees are lawful and unlawful.

Finally, if you could post up the list of items levied upon exactly as they appear in the paperwork left by the bailiff we can have a look at those to see what may possibly be challenged.

[CleverClogs]

Re: Bristow Sutor.

Finally, if you could post up the list of items levied upon exactly as they appear in the paperwork left by the bailiff we can have a look at those to see what may possibly be challenged.

From what was posted, none of the items listed was the sole property of the wife; the items listed are either joint property or the property of her husband.

If none of the goods belongs solely to the debtor, won't the levy be invalid?

[gravytrain]

Re: Bristow Sutor.

Jointly owned goods can be levied as long as one of the owners name appears on the order.

[wales01man]

Re: Bristow Sutor.

Am i reading support for the bailiff on this thread?any decent human being seing a lady in a wheelchair with only one leg would think twice before deceiving her not saying who he is and going round the house listing goods some it seems cannot be levied it beggars beleife that someone could act like this,
I realise he would not know how and why the lady was in a wheelchair but even a moron could realise there is a problem all this grief for a few bob im amazed these bailiffs can sleep at night

[gravytrain]

Re: Bristow Sutor.

Am i reading support for the bailiff on this thread?

Nope, it s very serious,but you have to make sure you complaints are founded in fact, otherwise they wriggle out of any allegation of wrongdoing.

[wales01man]

Re: Bristow Sutor.

I had asked what a descent human being would do to avoid disputes about bailiffs actions why dont they record everthing i know some council parking officers record it all are bailiffs scared of people seeing them for what some are,once again we hear one side only but guaranteed the bailiff would say the opposite My sincere hope that this lady can come through this

[UnitedFront]

Re: Bristow Sutor.

I certainly have NO support for the bailiff!!

For my part, regardless of anything else, I would still be writing to the local authority explaining about the crash, the disability and the ensuing financial difficulty. I would point out that the bailiff action is likely to exacerbate the financial difficulty and so, in light of the local authority's anti-poverty strategy and objectives, I would respectfully ask for the debt to be recalled from the bailiff company so that direct payments could be arranged directly to the council. I would include a small cheque or postal order 'as a gesture of goodwill' and wait to see what happens.

When I did this with my council tax debt that had gone to Bailiffs the council did recall it and, in so doing, the bailiff charges were removed from the debt. This put me back into my original position and made clearing the debt a damn site easier.

We can debate the rights and wrongs of the bailiff (in this incident many wrongs in my view!) But ultimately what we need to try to achieve is a situation where OP's sister can start to move on and recover without this stress holding her back.

When I contacted my local authority regards my council tax, it was resolved within a couple of weeks - I addressed my letter to the head of the council tax department. It is always worth trying to go to the high end of the management chain. The sooner the better, in my most humble opinion.