Bristow and suitor

[laydekayde2k12]

Hi just in need of abit of advice i have spoken to citezans advice and national debt line im a 25 year old single mum of 1 i suffer with autisum i had a debt with council tax of 159.00 which was past to these creatures they then added fees and an enforcement agent came to my door to write down what i had available to take he barged in i had spent several hours in hospital with my lil girl that morning he barged his way past therefore i did not know what i was signing due to my condition was very upset about my daughter and vunerable at the time anyway time went on i then seeked advice i payed the council my debt i owed them and now theae vile creatures sent a letter telling me i had until 5pm today to pay 389.00 which doesnt add up because the paper they send is £75 and agent out is £235 anyway i rang them they said it was out of there hands been passed onto their bailiffs who i phones he was very rude i explained my condition explained how if they attend my property i wpuld need a appropriate advocate or social worker he said how do you still have your child if your disabled after ringing again he threatened to gain entry with police and locksmith which i bcame very fearful and scared of my own home crying constant every car goin down the street i panic. My social worker phoned them to negoatiate i offered them £145 all i could afford he said legally they have to take whats offered but in this case he wants it in full because we phoned them reading my rights as a vunerable adult they have to be sensative he further on said they are going to be gaining entry with a locksmith and can have my locks changed? This was because of an unpaid council tax bill of £159 which i have payed fully to cheahire east need advice if not i been told i can seek legal action?

[Milo]

Re: Bristow and suitor

Hi just in need of abit of advice i have spoken to citezans advice and national debt line im a 25 year old single mum of 1 i suffer with autisum.

I had a debt with council tax of 159.00 which was past to these creatures they then added fees and an enforcement agent came to my door to write down what i had available to take he barged in i had spent several hours in hospital with my lil girl that morning he barged his way past therefore i did not know what i was signing due to my condition was very upset about my daughter and vunerable at the time anyway time went on i then seeked advice i payed the council my debt i owed them and now theae vile creatures sent a letter telling me i had until 5pm today to pay 389.00 which doesnt add up because the paper they send is £75 and agent out is £235.

anyway i rang them they said it was out of there hands been passed onto their bailiffs who i phones he was very rude i explained my condition explained how if they attend my property i wpuld need a appropriate advocate or social worker he said how do you still have your child if your disabled.

After ringing again he threatened to gain entry with police and locksmith which i bcame very fearful and scared of my own home crying constant every car goin down the street i panic. My social worker phoned them to negoatiate i offered them £145 all i could afford he said legally they have to take whats offered but in this case, he wants it in full because we phoned them reading my rights as a vunerable adult they have to be sensative he further on said they are going to be gaining entry with a locksmith and can have my locks changed?

This was because of an unpaid council tax bill of £159 which i have payed fully to cheahire east need advice if not i been told i can seek legal action?

It is such a shame that you had not made a payment arrangement when you received the initial letter from Bristow & Sutor as this would have avoided the bailiff visit and the fees would have only been £75.

After the bailiff visited your home you said that you took advice and was told to pay the council direct. Who was it that advised you to pay the council direct?


If payment was made after the visit what usually now happens, is that the council will have forwarded your payment onto Bristow & Sutor so that they can deduct their Compliance Fee of £75. The balance of your payment (£84) would then have been split with approx 60% going towards the council debt and the balance of 40% going towards any remaining bailiff fees. As things stand at the moment, you have only paid approx £60 to the council.

When the bailiff came into your home, what items did he list down on a Controlled Goods Agreement?

With regards to your health, are you taking any medication and if so, has Bristow & Sutor been made aware of this?

[laydekayde2k12]

Re: Bristow and suitor

I have aspergas syndrome unfortunately there is no medication for that. The council were aware fully of my condition and bristow and sutor also the bailiffs are aware of my condition he was very rude. What they had listed wouldnt of been enough to of covered it all anyway he barged past me.

It was the council who advised me to pay them. I had made a payment arrangement but i had lost my bank card so had to wait for new card at the time to reset direct debits also ive had alot on with my daughter due to her being in hospital so it wasnt i deliberately missed payments my mind was else where.

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And also i had filled in a excemption form which was signed from the doctor handed it to the council they assured me all was well so i thought all was ok obviously not

[Adamna]

Re: Bristow and suitor

What kind of advice is this Milo?

The OP has clearly said that the bailiff barged past her. She is acknowledged as vulnerable, and has a young child (about which they have been abusive and insulting). The bailiff has made unlawful threats about breaking and entering with the police and changing her locks. These 3 things should be of concern to an advisor.
What is the real shame is that the council failed to deal with her circumstances, not that she didn’t make a payment arrangement with the bailiffs (‘only’ £75 as a fee being a misnomer to someone in poverty). You’ve not asked about the process that would lead up to the debt being passed to the bailiffs, and whether it was correctly pursued. She states that the debt was £159 which she has paid in full. This should be of concern.
I don’t imagine myself qualified to give advice, but then I don’t make a living from it. From the little knowledge I have, it seems to me that the OP has reason to make a serious complaint, and needs assistance.

[wales01man]

Re: Bristow and suitor

A serious complaint is needed whether the bailiff will care is another matter the Council may but will they actually do anything to help in this case maybe but for future debtors???????

[laydekayde2k12]

Re: Bristow and suitor

I also have a adult social worker he intervened and spoke to the bailiff he told them how i made an offer of 145 to them which i shouldnt have to as the debt is payed he said the bailiff was being unreasonable my worker saod the bailiffs words which i have in writing was as follows " legally we have to accept and offer of any payment offered but in this case we want it in full" my worker is writing a complaint also

[laydekayde2k12]

Re: Bristow and suitor

What gets me is i refuse to pay they can take me to court it would be completely pointless as it costs 75 pound for their letter 275 for an agent to come to your property i apparantly owe 389 so dont know where the extra add ons come from the bailiff was stuttering on the phone when i brought it up i have it in voicemail also.

What is bad is there could be somebody worse off than my self they would be taking advantage of them also its compeltely wrong for any company to treat you that way especially when they are brought on via a council whoch runs services for disabled ppl elderley children ect

[laydekayde2k12]

Re: Bristow and suitor

I dont think so tbh as ive payed the debt through the council not bristow and sutor only because the council advised me to with a witness present and they told us they will send the updated account to bristow and sutor which i think my account was updated and bailiffs thought o yh well we want our fees which winds me up because i know ppl who owe over 1000 they should be out chasing them instead wasting time picking on people like me