The grumpy thread

[loserone]

You've probably turned it off with a keyboard combination / holding down a fingertip on the dot in the corner.

[MarvinsMom]

almost certainly - i have sausage fingers at the best of times

or as my music teacher used to call them "stupid fingers"......

[Cavcraft]

1 hour ago, MarvinsMom said:

think is, next she'll be in the mirror with her brood all with their very best "compo" faces on complaining on how cruel the landlord is by getting them evicted, how cruel the gubbermunt is by not giving them free stuff that they "deserve", and how the world owes them all a fuckin' living....

The council fucked her off, saying she deliberately made herself homeless. The lady whose house it was was in bits as she'd be renting it to get money support her sick mum (or something like that) and the girl who rented it knew that, yet couldn't be arsed paying and trashed the place.

[outlaw118]

Re:  "Can't pay, we'll take it away"..... welcome to my world.

I'm not a bailiff, until recently my job title was "Debt Recovery Officer".  After a few attempts at telephone recovery via the Company's callcentre in Lincoln or Hartlepool, the defaulting accounts go through a lettering process. And sometimes, more phone calls from an external agency. At some point they will have had a warning of Default Notice, and then an actual Default Notice, which will show on their credit reports.

Then it comes to us, out on the road. We knock, leave a card, up to six times over a period of time. 

The account is then passed to legal who decide what to do next, through an ever-changing set of criteria, including credit scoring, information from Credit Agencies, and information gathered by us - car on the drive, are they working?, that kind of thing.

The percentages change all the time, but they're using Charging Orders more often than not on people who own their property, and they've started to get CCJs and then escalate to the high court for firms like DCCBL to enforce.

MOST of the time they'll get a resolution (I attended a case where the bloke wasn't happy that his Ferrari 348 got lifted up in the air)  but you get a few that really haven't got a pot to piss in, and they're the ones that need help - which is where I come back with tariff changes etc. I might add, all of this information re help is printed on the bills, and freely available on the website or through the CAB.

It never ceases to amaze me, given that they've been written to, phoned, text messaged, emailed blah blah, that "Don't know nuffink abaht it m8" is a very common response.

And the state of some of the shit-pits people live in, you wipe your feet on the way out.

A good 75% of the "Can't pay" is resolvable, if they actually can be arsed to engage with you. The "won't pay" is a lost cause, and they seem to think nothing will happen "Coz my mate ain't paid nuffink for years and you ain't done nuffink", which is a dangerous approach. See that 63 plate Mondeo outside? We'll have that. 

 

TL:DR pay your bills, if you can't don't bury your head.

[HillmanImp]

I had one on these years ago over unpaid parking tickets. The thing is I genuinely had never heard anything. It had been to court in Northampton and I owed something like £600.

Seems they'd been sending everything to a different address. Apparently that doesn't matter, I should check the post at an address that I lived at over 2 years ago just on the off chance. 

After a bit of trying to wriggle out of it on the basis I genuinely didn't know, I just paid up as it was my own fault for not paying the tickets in the first place. I used to change my cars and residences so often I used to gamble on them never being able to find me and until then it had paid off. Seems that the worlds a lot more organised than it was when I started driving. 

It was squeaky bums for a while though as that was just 2 tickets, I know there were loads more that they hadn't got me for. 

Won't be doing that again. 

[beko1987]

I bury my head, it's easier. Any bailiffs come round the entire contents of my house won't cover anything, neither will my car. They won't see the value of the vacuums either. 

Is it true that if it can be proven things aren't yours they can't touch it? 

[BorniteIdentity]

Just now, beko1987 said:

I bury my head, it's easier. Any bailiffs come round the entire contents of my house won't cover anything, neither will my car. They won't see the value of the vacuums either. 

Is it true that if it can be proven things aren't yours they can't touch it? 

Far be it for me to lecture you on the merits of defaulting on your commitments, but is that viable long term? Or, indeed, wise?

Sounds like we’ve got the expert on here, but it was my understanding the clothes couldn’t be taken - and also vehicles needed for work up to a certain value. 

Agents can’t take something that is not yours, but trust me when I say the hear “not mine m9” every single bastard day. You’ll need to prove it; they may take it and return it at another time. 

Again, no lecturing here. But if you’re in persistent debt then please get some good, free advice. Step Change have helped a few people I know. 

[loserone]

Christ, don't bury your head.  Call them up, pay off £1 a month if needs be, but keep engaged.  Most of the time they'll even just write it off if you keep that up

[beko1987]

Oh I'm paying every month, but the minimum as I can't afford any more. Having £37.40 a month left of my wages is getting tiring, and the youtube money goes straight into the zx or behind the till at Aldi. 

Has a smoll pay rise at work though so it might increase to maybe £45 a month, woo! 

(just having a bad day today, everyone's excited about payday and I couldn't be less fussed as I don't see any of it anyhow). 

Using YouTube money this month for the hotel for cannock though, fuck everything else! 

[barrett]

I don't know how often people read this thread, but if you read this and it applies to you PLEASE STOP QUOTING PICTURES IN YOUR REPLIES. It's absolutely infuriating having to scroll down a page and seeing the same images over and over and over again. The general etiquette on this website is to never quote an image unless it's absolutely necessary. Please take note anyone who has signed up in the last year or so...

 

THANKS

[loserone]

4 hours ago, MorrisItalSLX said:

Can you see all the little brown dots on the ceiling of my laundry?

They are all spiders.

Are they good spiders?

 

? Sorry @barrett

[New POD]

15 minutes ago, barrett said:

I don't know how often people read this thread, but if you read this and it applies to you PLEASE STOP QUOTING PICTURES IN YOUR REPLIES. It's absolutely infuriating having to scroll down a page and seeing the same images over and over and over again. The general etiquette on this website is to never quote an image unless it's absolutely necessary. Please take note anyone who has signed up in the last year or so...

 

THANKS

BALLOCKS to that. Are you on dial up...

 

 

Joking....point taken.....and probably will act on it..

 

 

[outlaw118]

1 hour ago, HillmanImp said:

Seems that the worlds a lot more organised than it was when I started driving

Yep, fortunately or unfortunately depending on your point of view, new technology and data processing will mean it's a lot harder to just run away and hide. Soon, if it hasn't happened already EVERYONE will have an identifying number attached to them, with data collated from many sources, including date of birth, NI number, previous addresses blah blah blah. Big brother really is watching. Some debts have a lifespan, some don't. And in either instance it will depend on where in the debt recovery process it's got to. For instance a Charging Order on a property will last until you sell the property, in 5, 12, or 56 years, and if the company to whom the debt is owed has got any common sense, and one continues to default on bills payable, ie utilities etc, they'll apply for a variation order so the debt on the original order will increase. Then it's up to THEM when they decide to collect on the debt, again they may want to wait until the property is sold, or, as in my company's case, they will start possession proceedings when the outstanding reaches £5k. So, in layman's terms, (hypothetical figures OBVS)  Property value £250,000. Mortgage (known as first charge ie to Halifax) £100,000. Second charge (Secured loan for Horsey Horseless Gti Turbo Convertible) £20,000. So theoretically there's £130,000 in equity. New charge for not paying your credit card £5297.45. Once the fees and shizz are added on that's more like £7500. Property gets repossessed by third charge company - who are adding fees left right and centre at this point - Sold for less than market value for quick sale, as they have no obligation to hang about, realises £190,000 ( repo'd houses invariably go for less than real value, because either the previous owners are skint and the place is a tip, or buyers tend to be wary that they'll move in, and the house is "blacklisted", which is no longer the case as much as it used to be).

Fees / expenses, interest (all a con - £150+vat for a letter etc) will quickly eat into the remaining equity, to the extent that from the sale you'll be lucky to see £50,000 back. All for the sake of the cost or 20 fags a week. (All this bollocks was not aimed at you @HillmanImp !)

Quote

57 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

Is it true that if it can be proven things aren't yours they can't touch it?

 

Yep, the onus is on you to prove they belong to someone else, sales invoices, receipts with names on and shizz. A V5 document is NOT proof of ownership, so just because you've got it registered in your auntie's name, it won't stop someone having it away. 

Re: Value of items; unfortunately it will depend on a) the bailiff, or the bailiff's company policy, and b) the type of writ they're waving at you. Some bailiffs I've encountered will take stuff as a part payment, they won't neccessarily not take something just because it doesn't clear the debt. Eg, a person owes £5000, but has assets that'd bring £1500 at auction. Some will have them away, and expect further contributions from the debtor until the debt is cleared.

Quote

57 minutes ago, BorniteIdentity said:

But if you’re in persistent debt then please get some good, free advice. Step Change have helped a few people I know.

 

^^^ This^^^^
Absolutely, definitely. Stepchange, Payplan, the CAB. 
I don't mind admitting that I got myself in some serious debt a few years ago, signed up to an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA), paid them an amount that was agreed via means test each month for 6 years and the remainder gets written off. It's a form of bankruptcy and it fucks your credit for a while, but it's better than being made homeless, which was a very real possibility at one point.

 

[LightBulbFun]

55 minutes ago, barrett said:

I don't know how often people read this thread, but if you read this and it applies to you PLEASE STOP QUOTING PICTURES IN YOUR REPLIES. It's absolutely infuriating having to scroll down a page and seeing the same images over and over and over again. The general etiquette on this website is to never quote an image unless it's absolutely necessary. Please take note anyone who has signed up in the last year or so...

 

THANKS

to be a bit pedantic, the old forum software just never included photos in quotes

and now the new software does, it wasn't that people were consciously not including photos in quotes in the past

its why you will see even long timers quote things with photos left in as you just hit quote and reply without giving it much thought

(for what its worth ill generally only quote a message or one with images, if I know my reply will end up on the next page, or if the post im quoting is a few pages back, saves people from having to jump around if they have not seen the original post, not that photos in quotes bothers me personally but I am mindful as I know it can be an issue for others)

[Tadhg Tiogar]

4 minutes ago, outlaw118 said:

...., if it hasn't happened already EVERYONE will have an identifying number attached to them, with data collated from many sources, including date of birth, NI number, previous addresses blah blah blah. Big brother really is watching....

Already happens in China. Has been taken a step further in Xinjiang Province, where all the Muslim population are subjected to facial recognition, regular mobile phone surveillance, and security officials actually living in the homes of the populace in order to record everything said or done, whilst also engaging in re-education of the residents - the ones they haven't already detained. A sort of concentration camp within a concentration camp. 

[rainagain]

On 1/20/2020 at 10:51 PM, SiC said:

You're not the only one in this boat. We got an offer accepted on a house at the weekend (yay), but our buyer wants to exchange at the end of the month and complete mid February (boo). That gives us 4 weeks from now to get all the Conveyancing, mortgage changed, survey and everything else done. Almost certainly going to end up with friends and family. 

Also annoyingly our fixed rate mortgage deal ends on the 29th Feb. If we complete before then we have a £1800 charge - even though we'll have paid that months mortgage payment. May just have to take it on the chin as we want zero risk of loosing our buyer. Especially as it's our fifth so far on this house.  

Reading all these house buying problems, I can’t help but think that the house buying system in England compared to Volvoland sounds like a sack of shit 

[HillmanImp]

Regarding the selling of houses, I once had a case where an old lady died and her son carried on claiming the pension for about 5 years. 

He was eventually caught when we moved to an electronic check to make sure people were alive as opposed to asking them to sign a piece of paper (this was about 13yrs ago). 

He did a runner as it probably would've been a custodial sentence and we took possession of the house through the court and sold it for fucking peanuts, but enough to cover the loss to the pension scheme and most associated costs. 

They guy may have been in a really shit situation which resulted in him being driven to doing this or he may just have been a dick head. 

Either way he lost a shit ton of money trying to defraud a relatively small amount, so it really didn't work out well for him. 

[SiC]

You seem to get away with many sorts of theft with only a minor slap on the wrist. Some, like nicking a scooter won't even have the police investigate you. However defraud the Taxman and he'll throw the book at you and lock you up for a long time while shafting all of your money from you.

[beko1987]

Stuff paid for Feb, will rethink another day. Cannock excitement is taking over now so a bit of happiness is here

[Roobarb]

5 hours ago, MorrisItalSLX said:

Can you see all the little brown dots on the ceiling of my laundry?

They are all spiders.

Wow - no flies on you!

[Cavcraft]

1 hour ago, barrett said:

I don't know how often people read this thread, but if you read this and it applies to you PLEASE STOP QUOTING PICTURES IN YOUR REPLIES. It's absolutely infuriating having to scroll down a page and seeing the same images over and over and over again. The general etiquette on this website is to never quote an image unless it's absolutely necessary. Please take note anyone who has signed up in the last year or so...

 

THANKS

 

Amen, x a million. The eBay thread can have five pictures of the same car on one page.

[DoctorRetro]

15 minutes ago, SiC said:

You seem to get away with many sorts of theft with only a minor slap on the wrist. Some, like nicking a scooter won't even have the police investigate you. However defraud the Taxman and he'll throw the book at you and lock you up for a long time while shafting all of your money from you.

Yep, the one reason that of all the money I owe, my priority is paying back HMRC the money they accidentally gave me many years ago. Still my fault of course... 

Agreed about not burying your head on debts. 

The best way if things are a bit tight is to start making a token payment, this goes wonders toward how future debt collecting goes and how they treat you. 

@outlaw118, While we are on the subject, why is it that low value debts, say 500 quid ish, they seem to chase with more fervor, yet if you owe thousands, the chasing is a bit more laid back?

Is it to do with the fact* that debts under a grand are not worth going to court over? 

*I was in debt collection years ago, and this was regularly mentioned. May have just been that company's policy... 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

33 minutes ago, SiC said:

You seem to get away with many sorts of theft with only a minor slap on the wrist. Some, like nicking a scooter won't even have the police investigate you. ...

In Ireland, you can even order the murder and dismemberment of a (drug-running) teenager without the Guards ever guessing you were the brains behind it.

[3VOM]

Quote

Mortgage (known as first charge ie to Halifax) £100,000.

The mortgage company will almost certainly have a clause in the mortgage that says you pay for all the costs if this goes tits up in these sorts of circumstances.

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Yep, the onus is on you to prove they belong to someone else, sales invoices, receipts with names on and shizz.

Which is nearly impossible for most things. How many of you have a receipt for the TV, car, bicycle etc. to hand? I think in some situations the bailiff is supposed to list what they are intending to take and the debtor can dispute it, but all bailiffs will have lots of experience of debtors going "not mine" to avoid goods being lifted.

Also, can not take tools of trade, equipment and cars under £1350 worth total if you need it for work or study. Other restrictions apply too e.g. motability, blue badge.

Quote

Absolutely, definitely. Stepchange, Payplan, the CAB. 

There is an agreed format of income and expenditure statement that most lenders, creditor types, etc. are signed up to, if I remember correctly. If you sit down and fill one out with the help of a charity a lot of people will accept the figures and agree repayments on that basis.

Also see StepChange Debt Charity Debt Remedy Tool https://www.stepchange.org/start.aspx

[outlaw118]

@TheDoctor as far as I know, it'll be just that £500 and less tend to be easier to collect. And tbh it's a lot to do with policy, but someone said to me years ago, that a £500 debt is YOUR problem, but a £5000 debt is THEIR problem. Probably not so mucj now though.

[beko1987]

Tbh they could take everything i own and take what it gets off the debts, bar my pc (but someone else bought that and has all the receipts for that so ownership could be proven there if needed) and it wouldn't be the end of the world, all my shit was either free or sub £50 anyway

ZX could be signed over too, although I imagine any bailiff worth his salt would just laugh and throw me the key back

Its nowhere near that stage yet mind, but I pay every month and nowt happens to the balance. I'll increase the payments when I can and see what happens. Or do this stepchange thing, one proper look at my finances would immediately raise concerns anyway so I imagine I'll be alright there. Its part of the reason I fix vacuums, nice hard fairly untraceable cash that's usually gone the day after I get it

[outlaw118]

38 minutes ago, Cavcraft said:

The eBay thread can have five pictures of the same car on one page

@Cavcraft I put something to this effect on the hints and tips thread Billeh, wasn't sure who to tag in to have it looked at though.

[BorniteIdentity]

4 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

I pay every month and nowt happens to the balance.

This is what the banks now call persistent debt. There’s a nice explainer here https://www.stepchange.org/debt-info/persistent-credit-card-debt.aspx

I worry for you, man. Genuinely. Please put some feelers out. If you continue paying minimum, then you might find that credit cards etc are frozen. Perhaps no bad thing, but worth bearing in mind if you use them to bail you out of the shit. 

[MarvinsMom]

1 hour ago, SiC said:

You seem to get away with many sorts of theft with only a minor slap on the wrist. Some, like nicking a scooter won't even have the police investigate you. However defraud the Taxman and he'll throw the book at you and lock you up for a long time while shafting all of your money from you.

not if you are Ken Dodd.......

[beko1987]

I cut them up long ago now, so I'm fine with them being frozen! The annoying thing is a year or so ago I was debt free (through ignoring them for 8 years until it went away) but now I'm right back in. Not horrific (sub £6k) but it's becoming a bit of a pain! 

It's even more of a pain now I'm surviving on my own wage! I did say I'll lob the few hundred quid a month from youtube at it but it just never happens. I get my yearly bonus in march too, but that will be a few hundred quid at most and I do fancy a new car/it'll get spent on the zx as its getting a bit tired now. 

General depression doesn't help. Am going to go and register at the doctors tomorrow (they fucked up when Amy moved her and the kids to the new address and they took me her and eva off and left 4 year old Charlie here... I'm fully expecting I'll explode if they try to ask why it happened as it was their fault). Buying weed every month which sort of helped isn't fab either and needs knocking on the head, I've not had any for a week and all the thoughts and feelings are right back and un-supressed, so actual legal medication is needed I imagine (which will probably cost more in prescriptions than illegal means, because earning £25k a year means of course I can afford it, now let the pregnant mother whose husband earns £90k a year get her free creams and lotions...)