Unpaid parking ticket, bailiffs want £500!!

[neil earley]

I agree its a ludicrous amount based on the original fine of £50!! what gives them the right to increase it to £500 based on its a year later !! bloodsuckers to say the least not only is it unjust but putting people in fear of having their goods seized and the worry and stress it has caused, shame on them I say.

 

[subaqua]

You've been caught bang to rights. If your diligence in appealing to cause a delay in proceeding was extended to having your mail diverted to your new address you'd have received notification of the outcome of your appeal and been able to settle.

You can not shake the bailiffs off. As far as the debt goes, the only way is up. You'll be very lucky to negotiate the debt downwards. At best you should be able to negotiate settlement by installments.

it is possible though. I turned 18 a few months before the financial year change and the Local Authority i lived in wanted an extortionate anount for 2 months "poll tax" ( yes "Poll Tax" not council tax) i refused to pay being a poor YTS apprentice. case went to county court I didn't attend was found guilty and then the bailiffs came. which was fun as everything in the house belonged to my parents except my tools and clothes , which they cannot take. they gave up after a few months . the council wrote to me again asking for payments so i offered £1 a week to pay off the original debt only. they realised they were onto a loser and accepted.

in the case posted though, deal with the council and folow Brains advice about with reference to previous letters. and make sure you have "copies of what you sent and when"

 

[vernon]

Something that needs to be addressed - the credit rating of the original poster. If the debt has been processed by the courts then the judgement will appear on his credit profile making it difficult to get loans and mortgages.

It's vital that the debt is settled and that it shown to be settled on his credit record to repair the damage.

 

[Cubist]

I ha

I've read it perfectly. You're accusing him of trying to "wriggle" out of the fine, when in fact, he moved and totally forgot about it, which I have done wih other payments before by mistake and paid them straight away. The big thing here is the half a grand payment they want... that's extortion.

haven't accused him of anything. Your BS about contracts is irrelevant. This isn't a payment, its a fine for an offence which he had committed. He has admitted trying to delay payment and the amount now owed will include what it has cost to engage the bailiffs to track him down. These things cost money. It isn't extortion, it's reality.

 

[Cubist]

it is possible though. I turned 18 a few months before the financial year change and the Local Authority i lived in wanted an extortionate anount for 2 months "poll tax" ( yes "Poll Tax" not council tax) i refused to pay being a poor YTS apprentice. case went to county court I didn't attend was found guilty and then the bailiffs came. which was fun as everything in the house belonged to my parents except my tools and clothes , which they cannot take. they gave up after a few months . the council wrote to me again asking for payments so i offered £1 a week to pay off the original debt only. they realised they were onto a loser and accepted.

in the case posted though, deal with the council and folow Brains advice about with reference to previous letters. and make sure you have "copies of what you sent and when"

Thereby adding a criminal deception into the mix? What brilliant advice that is!

 

[Silver Fox]

I've read it perfectly. You're accusing him of trying to "wriggle" out of the fine, when in fact, he moved and totally forgot about it, which I have done wih other payments before by mistake and paid them straight away. The big thing here is the half a grand payment they want... that's extortion.

Of course the OP could have paid the fine in the first place then non of this would have come about.

Sorry, but appealing to delay paying does have a whiff of 'wriggle' about it.

 

[addictfreak]

I wonder how many of you would be as sympathetic if the OP had got his ticket for parking in a cycle Lane.

 

[Matt1705]

In my defence the appeal did have grounds, just in didn't expect to win.
We moved house a while after and hadn't received a response so assumed that was that and forgot about it.

I was asking for genuine advice on how to deal with the current situation, not criticism on how stupid I was in the past ;-)

 

[Monsieur Remings]

Most local councils are pretty good at wriggling out of their obligations too - I'm thinking, ironically, the state of some of the roads and the way that council tax is extorted from people every year, at an entirely fictitious rate, for the service of absolutely bugger all.

I'm sorry for your predicament but would go to CAB and try and negotiate instalments, don't aggravate the bailiffs - these people are the true scum of the Earth - and best of luck. Put it down to experience and remember we are taxed for everything whether it's called a tax or not and everything from parking fines to speeding fines fall into this category of just another tax.

 

[Drago]

Either pay the current amount in full, or seek some proper legal advice.

 

[Archie_tect]

+1 for CAB... and go into the Council offices and explain. Until they have considered your appeal and given you their appeal decision in writing then it hasn't been fully resolved, so you can't just offer to pay the original fine because you queried it at the outset.

 

[snorri]

You have successfully stalled payments by 12 months by shifting house........move house and forget about it for another 12 months?

 

[subaqua]

Thereby adding a criminal deception into the mix? What brilliant advice that is!

can they prove it?

 

[neil earley]

Lets be fair its a year late, thats not a crime its the amount they want now which is tenfold what the original amount that in my opinion is a crime! Find out if the bailiffs are employed on behalf of the council, if their not and sold the debt on , you have no legal contract with the bailiffs, so they can go and sling their hook. If debt is with councill contact them and explain your situation EG moving house and see if you can come to an agreement. ps as you been advised record everything . Best of luck and I for one are on your side

 

[addictfreak]

I think you will find that the charges that can be levied by Baliffs are laid down in law. Which doesn't mean they won't try to get more out of you of course.

Having already wasted a year and incurring extra charges, it would be more sensible to have got advice from CAB or a solicitor and not a cycling forum.