We have heard over many months if not a couple of years now about unfair bank charges. Where an unpaid direct debit can go from a £25 non payment fee, to a further £25 to write and tell you they have not paid it...now it is £50. Then because it is an overdraft that the bank have not agreed then charge you £15 per DAY until the account is brought back into the black.
So very easily that £25 can end up costing someone hundreds of pounds...unfair.
Now we come to the Baillif.
I have a neighbour who is a decent guy, a single Father of three who works tirelessly six days a fell into arrears with his council tax last year, and tried to work out an arrangement with his local council to pay the arrears off.
He mangaged it for a couple of months but then he could not make the extra payments so the council stopped the arrangement....no problem there I thought.
BUT then they passed it over to a Baillif company to collect the debt. He got one letter from them demanding payment with veiled threats and then last week whilst he was out at work a letter was hand delivered through his door. A letter demanding full payment within 24 hours or they would seize his property. Also a veiled threat that even if he was out they could use force to enter his home, which btw they cannot.
Anyway he managed to get the money together by asking his Father for the money and then rang the baillif. The baillif then informed him that the original bill had increased as there were further charges, for the home visit to his home last week.
The ammounts?....£160 for the visit and a further £50 in " administration " fees. That is a total of £210 added on to a bill that was £412, that is half again in charges.
He had no choice but to pay it and because I like a Google, I spent a while last night finding out if these charges are lawful...they are not. There are set guidleines in place to say what is " reasonable ". But this is the laugh, you then have to take the baillif company to court to get back your charges, which to do this will cost you £300, which in his case is more than the charges itself.
IF there is anyone out there who have had dealings with these kinds of people before or who could possibly go down this road now or in the future, then pm me as I have wealth of knowledge now into the workings of the baillif, and their tactics and what is not legal. Plus I found an excellent web site with experts there to help.
Unfair banking charges? Look at the Baillif's as well in that and they are just as bad if not worse, as they use underhanded ways to frighten you into paying up.
As this neighbour said..." maybe I should just give up work ".
Anyone one of us could go down this route in the future, and the baillif is certainly not your friend and NEVER ever ever, let them into your home willingly...EVER. You will lose certain rights if you do.
