Jacobs threats....Help please

[Merseyblue]

I had a debt due to CT arrears. Jacobs managed this debt of £330 and I'd made an agreement to pay £30 a week which I had been doing and there was only £100 left to pay. I received a letter yesterday (dated 18/06) The letter informed me that I had missed a payment last week and to contact them. I emailed them last night and apologised for my oversight as I had thought I'd paid it. In this email I said I'd pay £50 tomorrow (meaning today Friday 25/6) and £50 next Friday effectively clearing my account with them in the same time scale.

Today I received a hand delivered letter through my letterbox threatening removal of goods of they dont receive a payment of £335 today. I called Jacobs to calmly explain the situation. They told me I needed to call the agent direct. I did this and got a woman who dismissee everything I had to say and was aggressive using a disgusting tone basically saying they'll come round at 6am to remove goods. This has stressed me out so much. I made one small mistake of missing a paymemt that I thought I'd made and offered to rectify it as soon as I got theor letter.

Can anyone advise or offer some reassurance, this has totally made me feel sick. Thanks in advance

[monkeynuts]

Firstly, you have an agreement with Jacobs, when making that agreement did you sign anything? Did they enter you property?

Secondly you only have £100 left to pay, make the payments regardless. If you can make it right away and clear it then do it.

A bailiff may only remove goods if you have entered into a signed controlled goods agreement.
Here is information on a CGA: https://stopthebailiffs.uk/controlled-g ... -2013.html

If they haven't entered your property and you haven't signed anything then they haven't listed the goods to remove.

Should they knock on your door - do not let them and follow this advice on protecting your car just in case they feel like clamping it:
https://stopthebailiffs.uk/how-to-prote ... ement.html

[Merseyblue]

Thanks for the advice....they've never entered my property and the agreement to pay £30 a week was accepted by them via email so I've never signed anything. I got a letter on Thursday in the post (dated the 18th) so i emailed them back apologising for my missed payment and offered to pay £50 yesterday and £50 next Friday. I tried to access my account to pay the 50 yesterday but they had locked me out. Then i got a hand delivered letter asking for an immediate payment of 325 or they will remove goods. I tried to speak to her on the number provided....I tried to explain the situation but she was HORRID amd spoke to me like crap telling me she would be around at 6am to remove goods. She has posted a similar red letter again at 7.30am this morning saying she will be back later.

Thanks dor your suppport, good to know Im not alone with this

[Merseyblue]

Yes my car is my main worry.....its only worth about £500 bit i need it to get to work on Monday....I work in mid Wales for the NHS as a child mental health practitioner.....Im sure it wouldnt look great on them if they seize it. Although I don't believe thos company cares....I actually believe they see all their bad reviews and bad reputation as a badge of honour!

[monkeynuts]

If they have locked you out then pay the council direct against the LO or CT number for the arrears. Make sure that its for the arrears and not this years CT. To keep your car safe, park it on private land (not your own drive), however if its only valued at £500 then should they clamp it your argument would be exempt goods https://stopthebailiffs.uk/bailiff-clam ... hicle.html

Should the bailiff call when you are home you don't have to speak or deal with them.

[zeke]

You need to stop calling Jacobs. You have signed nothing with a bailiff, and nothing between you is contractual.

The threat of coming round at 6am is confrontational and is the practice of Jacobs.

If your car is on finance, then it's off the table. 

If you use your car in your work, then its exempt goods. It’s not exempt if you use it for commuting.

If you visit customers (patients) at their addresses, then it is exempt because you are using it in your employment, and you can make a claim to exempt goods.  

Claims to exempt goods nearly always work out very expensive for bailiffs if they obfuscate an exempt goods claim. Well into five figures.

Jacobs is not a company. It is Simon Jacobs who works from home in Merseyside and has a virtual office nearby. 

This came to a head when a bailiff took a car and trashed it by breaking open the driver’s door and broke open the glove box and stole an iPhone. The owner has connected th4 iPhone to the car battery to track the vehicle on Google Maps. When the signal stopped transmitting, the owner investigated and found the wrecked vehicle.

The owner claimed against the creditor, the council. Not the bailiff, and this revealed there is no company called Jacobs. It was Simon’s own neck on the line for paying the council.

This rather unusual arrangement is not illegal, and allowed by regulations to have an enforcement agency operated by an individual, but that makes him personally liable for claims from councils and creditors for enforcement gone awry.

Simon is well known for calling the police when bailiffs come unstuck. But he toned it down after a string of failed prosecutions against debtors and the police force taking a hit for an unlawful imprisonment and false arrest claim.

Monkeynuts has given expert advice. Ensure your car is exempt, and put your car on a neighbour's allocated numbered parking space. The bailiff cannot touch it, otherwise he lands a big bill.

[Merseyblue]

Thanks for this Zeke and Monkeynuts.

Just one other thing my first letter received Thursday (It was dated the previous Friday 18th) notified me of broken arrangement and askes me to contact them which I did via email offering payment of 2x£50 to clear account. Then the next day I got the removal of goods notice and request for £335.

Aren't I supposed to gwt 7 days notice? Even if they count it from Friday 18th it's not 7 days as Sundays aren't included are they?

Also when I spoke to the agent she acknowleged that I had emailed them suggesting she'd read the email....So they've read it, not responded and sent out an agent regardless.

[monkeynuts]

Was the first letter a Notice of Enforcement?

[Merseyblue]

The first letter was headed in red BROKEN ARRANGEMENT - REMOVAL PROCEEDINGS AMOUNT DUE £100

The following day a hand delivered letter stated REMOVAL BALANCE DUE £335

[monkeynuts]

The most likely scenario is that the very first letter you received, which would have prompted you to make the arrangement initially was the NoE. As you replied to that and made an arrangement to pay then a bailiff wasn't needed to attend the property. As they say the arrangement was broken then a bailiff attended and it would be after 7 days from the NoE.

However if you didn't get the NoE then there are step you can take - however the NoE is the prompting that bailiffs are involved.

[rriley1991]

They are currently intimidating me with a council tax debt I've broke the agreement twice once I didn't have the money the second time my bank card was froze they also had a problem with their recurring card payment system 1 month and tried to send the bailiffs out they are absolute scum I am a vulnerable single father I suffer with depression and anxiety they won't accept my agreement of £20 a month and want £210 in full in 6 days or they are sending bailiffs out I live alone with my 4 year old son I don't want them showing up but there's nothing I can do about it I spoke to the national debt advice and they told me to not let them in they can't force entry if they haven't been in your property before and just keep offering the £20 a month the debt help guy told me if I haven't got the money they can't get blood out of a stone but what happens if they arrive when I'm ready to take my son to school I'm going to have to open the door then they can get there foot in the door I'm snookered really

[zeke]

If you can get the council to take back the liability, it takes Simon Jacobs and all his fees (£310) out of the loop.

Here is a list of options that you can consider

https://stopthebailiffs.uk/stop-council ... ement.html



You can also see whether the enforcement is compliant with the regulations.

https://stopthebailiffs.uk/council-tax- ... check.html


If any of these apply to you, let us know and we can give you the remedies available to you.

In the meantime. Do ask for a statement of account showing all payments you have made, and a list of liability orders they are enforcing.

Then check it against your bank records of payments made, and you might find there are missing payments or they have been overzealous with their fees.