hello If someone can help me I would be very grateful ... here is my story
I was fined for not having a tv licence .. my own fault and foolish I know ..
at the time I was on benefits and receiving around 70-80 per week for me and my 5 year old daughter ... after deductions including said fine were taken out ..
I was lucky to find a part time job ... 17.5 hours a week I went to the council and the benefits who instructed me what I needed to do who I needed to contact about starting work and then I began my work ..
the next I heard was a loud knock at my door around 8.30 pm .. I looked out the window and there was a man stood with a mobile phone ... I could hear him say that he could see an open window and then I saw him walk toward the passage to the back of my house ... he was pushing my back door ... then after 15 mins of pushing doors and talking on the phone he walked off ... me and my 5 year old were terrified I had no idea who he was and there was no way I was going to ... he left no calling card .
the next day a neighbour asked what the noise was .. id explained I had no idea who the man was he told me it sounded like it was a baliff ...
I rang my local court they checked my address and said that id had a fine from tv licence and it had been stopped by dpw .. id told her I was unaware of this .. she said that I would of had letters .. I assured her I had nothing ... from the court DPW or this agent ... I told her I would pay by instalments again .. and she said I needed to call colectica ..
I called collectica explained the situation told them an agent had visited me .. they denied this .. said that they had only had the account for 2 weeks and no one had visited .. I argued I had seen him they told me I was wrong .. so I said I wanted to arrange to pay this debt then before they had a chance to take it further .. they demanded 115 a month.
I told him I couldn't afford that amount and offered 80 .. he laughed refused and said he would be round that very day with a locksmith . and that 300 would be added to my debt of 500 ..
I rang the courts .. they said there was nothing they could do ... I needed to accept the offer and pay it .. but gave me some advice saying he couldn't enter my house unless it was through an unlocked door .. and that once he had been inside he could then enter by force .
I rang collectica back ... another agent was slightly more pleasant and said if I agreed to it no frther action would be taken and that no more charges would be added .. still disputing that an agent had already called . I told them it would leave me pennyless and that I had nothing worth selling any way but he was insistant ..so I payed the first instalment .
This left me broke .. I couldn't even afford to buy gas .. so a debt build up on the meter .. but it was better than having 300 extra charges on my fine ..
i then hurt my back was off sick and couldn't afford the next payment ..
a week after it was due an agent called early in a morning ( i found a hand delivered letter at 7 am ) threatening to enter by force my debt was now 700 so 300 had been added ..
i rang collectica she refused to speak to me .. said that it was too late it had been sent to an agent .. i rang him and he told me he would be round with the police if i didn't agree to pay on the 24th of this month 115 the agreed payment .. 115 the payment i missed (230 ) and 115 every month after ... ive had to agree but i daren't open a window or a curtain and im scared to open my door ... paying that money will use up everything i have and i don't know what im going to do
ive told them i work 17.5 hours a week .. that im a single parent and i have no way of getting 700 ..that paying 230 this mth and 115 for the next 5 is going to cripple me they don't care ..
I would of been better not working.. i try and better my life and ive ended up worse off .. is there anything i can do ?
I was fined for not having a tv licence .. my own fault and foolish I know ..
at the time I was on benefits and receiving around 70-80 per week for me and my 5 year old daughter ... after deductions including said fine were taken out ..
I was lucky to find a part time job ... 17.5 hours a week I went to the council and the benefits who instructed me what I needed to do who I needed to contact about starting work and then I began my work ..
the next I heard was a loud knock at my door around 8.30 pm .. I looked out the window and there was a man stood with a mobile phone ... I could hear him say that he could see an open window and then I saw him walk toward the passage to the back of my house ... he was pushing my back door ... then after 15 mins of pushing doors and talking on the phone he walked off ... me and my 5 year old were terrified I had no idea who he was and there was no way I was going to ... he left no calling card .
the next day a neighbour asked what the noise was .. id explained I had no idea who the man was he told me it sounded like it was a baliff ...
I rang my local court they checked my address and said that id had a fine from tv licence and it had been stopped by dpw .. id told her I was unaware of this .. she said that I would of had letters .. I assured her I had nothing ... from the court DPW or this agent ... I told her I would pay by instalments again .. and she said I needed to call colectica ..
I called collectica explained the situation told them an agent had visited me .. they denied this .. said that they had only had the account for 2 weeks and no one had visited .. I argued I had seen him they told me I was wrong .. so I said I wanted to arrange to pay this debt then before they had a chance to take it further .. they demanded 115 a month.
I told him I couldn't afford that amount and offered 80 .. he laughed refused and said he would be round that very day with a locksmith . and that 300 would be added to my debt of 500 ..
I rang the courts .. they said there was nothing they could do ... I needed to accept the offer and pay it .. but gave me some advice saying he couldn't enter my house unless it was through an unlocked door .. and that once he had been inside he could then enter by force .
I rang collectica back ... another agent was slightly more pleasant and said if I agreed to it no frther action would be taken and that no more charges would be added .. still disputing that an agent had already called . I told them it would leave me pennyless and that I had nothing worth selling any way but he was insistant ..so I payed the first instalment .
This left me broke .. I couldn't even afford to buy gas .. so a debt build up on the meter .. but it was better than having 300 extra charges on my fine ..
i then hurt my back was off sick and couldn't afford the next payment ..
a week after it was due an agent called early in a morning ( i found a hand delivered letter at 7 am ) threatening to enter by force my debt was now 700 so 300 had been added ..
i rang collectica she refused to speak to me .. said that it was too late it had been sent to an agent .. i rang him and he told me he would be round with the police if i didn't agree to pay on the 24th of this month 115 the agreed payment .. 115 the payment i missed (230 ) and 115 every month after ... ive had to agree but i daren't open a window or a curtain and im scared to open my door ... paying that money will use up everything i have and i don't know what im going to do
ive told them i work 17.5 hours a week .. that im a single parent and i have no way of getting 700 ..that paying 230 this mth and 115 for the next 5 is going to cripple me they don't care ..
I would of been better not working.. i try and better my life and ive ended up worse off .. is there anything i can do ?
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