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MARSTONS PCN charges - please help!
Hi Everyone,
A friend who's a solicitor recommended this forum as a place where I might get some good advice regarding bailiffs and their charges. She said keep it sweet so here it is:
I'm a community medical practitioner so I'm always driving around and last year I unknowingly drove through a bus lane three times and received 3 PCNs from the council to my old address.
As I didn't know about them they were passed to bailiff companies to collect, so when the bailiffs tracked me to my new house I challenged the PCNs with the Northampton CC and the local council (Sheffield).
Of the three one was dropped and the other two were upheld, as I had not informed the DVLA of my new address in a timely manner apparently.
Anyway, although I offered to pay the debts directly with the council, they passed them back to bailiffs (Marstons) once the challenges had failed.
So, on the 1st of April a Mr...... called around and left me an "Important Notice" letter demanding £293.60, of which £194 is "PCN Fines" and £99.60 is "Admin Fees". Then on the 3rd of April he posted a "Removal Notice" letter demanding £596.68, but with no breakdown of the total.
Two reference numbers at top of both letters shows that he was attempting to collect both of the outstanding PCNs.
I was away at the time, and when I returned to find both the letters I emailed Marstons to request a written breakdown of fees, when and why they were incurred; and also to inform that my car is an essential part of my job and clamping or removing it would both deprive me of my means of employment and endanger the patients under my care.
I received an email this morning with this breakdown:
"Ref .......
Penalty Charge £97.00
Letter Fee £11.20
Attendance / Levy £69.08
Charges
VAT £16.06
Total £193.34
Ref .......
Penalty Charge £97.00
Letter Fee £11.20
Attendance / Levy £69.08
Charges
VAT £16.06
Total £193.34"
No other information was provided, just a suggestion I contact their enforcement agent, Mr.......
So my questions are:
- do the charges seem reasonable? I was told by my solicitor friend that bailiffs can't charge two Attendance Fees when attending for two separate PCNs on the same visit - is this true?
- the email that Marstons sent me today is saying I owe them £386.68 in total, so how can Mr...... letters say I owe £293.60 and then £596.68? Is he trying to rip me off?
- Finally, what do the members recommend as my next step? I want to sort this out and don't mind paying my fines; I do mind getting ripped off though, especially as I've read so many horror stories by other posters on Legal Beagles. My friend said that if they do try and charge too much I could do a form 4 complaint to the council - is this wise?
Anyway, so much for keeping it sweet, eh? Thanks in advance for any help or advice people can give me. x
A friend who's a solicitor recommended this forum as a place where I might get some good advice regarding bailiffs and their charges. She said keep it sweet so here it is:
I'm a community medical practitioner so I'm always driving around and last year I unknowingly drove through a bus lane three times and received 3 PCNs from the council to my old address.
As I didn't know about them they were passed to bailiff companies to collect, so when the bailiffs tracked me to my new house I challenged the PCNs with the Northampton CC and the local council (Sheffield).
Of the three one was dropped and the other two were upheld, as I had not informed the DVLA of my new address in a timely manner apparently.
Anyway, although I offered to pay the debts directly with the council, they passed them back to bailiffs (Marstons) once the challenges had failed.
So, on the 1st of April a Mr...... called around and left me an "Important Notice" letter demanding £293.60, of which £194 is "PCN Fines" and £99.60 is "Admin Fees". Then on the 3rd of April he posted a "Removal Notice" letter demanding £596.68, but with no breakdown of the total.
Two reference numbers at top of both letters shows that he was attempting to collect both of the outstanding PCNs.
I was away at the time, and when I returned to find both the letters I emailed Marstons to request a written breakdown of fees, when and why they were incurred; and also to inform that my car is an essential part of my job and clamping or removing it would both deprive me of my means of employment and endanger the patients under my care.
I received an email this morning with this breakdown:
"Ref .......
Penalty Charge £97.00
Letter Fee £11.20
Attendance / Levy £69.08
Charges
VAT £16.06
Total £193.34
Ref .......
Penalty Charge £97.00
Letter Fee £11.20
Attendance / Levy £69.08
Charges
VAT £16.06
Total £193.34"
No other information was provided, just a suggestion I contact their enforcement agent, Mr.......
So my questions are:
- do the charges seem reasonable? I was told by my solicitor friend that bailiffs can't charge two Attendance Fees when attending for two separate PCNs on the same visit - is this true?
- the email that Marstons sent me today is saying I owe them £386.68 in total, so how can Mr...... letters say I owe £293.60 and then £596.68? Is he trying to rip me off?
- Finally, what do the members recommend as my next step? I want to sort this out and don't mind paying my fines; I do mind getting ripped off though, especially as I've read so many horror stories by other posters on Legal Beagles. My friend said that if they do try and charge too much I could do a form 4 complaint to the council - is this wise?
Anyway, so much for keeping it sweet, eh? Thanks in advance for any help or advice people can give me. x
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