'Incidentally, I believe that when bailiffs seize goods, they work on the principle that they will get 20% of the RRP of an item when they sell it off. Hence they need to take a lot of i-pods, leather sofas etc to collect a £2000 debt.'
Perhaps the £10-20 boxes of clobber were 'excess' seized goods, as that money went into the bailiffs' pockets and nowhere near the creditors.
(Juan Quar is clinging to her front teeth on, Fri 28 May 2010, 10:14, 1 reply)

Well
if that's the case they really were a shower of cunts, not least because the rightful recipient of that cash, the poor fuck who has had to piss about issuing summonses and then once that has all gone through, started climbing another hill to get the judgement enforced, is still waiting for his money.

Bailiffs don't just phone up and tell you they are on their way to grab your stuff, that's not how it works. As I said before, they are actually pretty toothless, and they will ring beforehand to tell you that they are coming to enforce a judgement, they don't want a confrontation, it's better for them to find someone who is ready for them and prepared, if resigned, to settle their debt.

This is the point that most people suddenly wish they hadn't just looked at a County Court Claim and said "Fuck it" as they lobbed it in the bin. They've had plenty of chances to reply to a summons, appear in court to plead their case (and County Court Judges will accept just about any stupid offer you make to pay the debt over long periods of time), or even appeal against judgement. It's only THEN that the bailiff comes to call (once again, after the creditor has stumped up more cash to instruct the bailiff, leaving him further out of pocket), they don't just turn up out of the blue, and it's then that people usually realise all the letters and court bullshit they have ignored for months is actually real, and they have to face up to settling the debt.

In view of the fact that they can't use any physical force to get into your property (they can climb in through a ground floor window if it's open though), bailiffs don't need to be burly thugs, that's purely psychological. They don't generally want to be taking your electrical goods - let's face it, most things are so cheap these days that no-one is going to be going to sales to look for a nice bargain i-pod that someone else has had for 2 years. Fuck it, it's less trouble to buy a new one, or it will net the bailiff about a fiver. Not worth the hassle.

So, they will first ASK to come in. If you tell them to fuck off, off they will fuck, and at a later date may come back with a policeman. Or they will go back to the office, tell the creditor that you live in a council house and there won't be enough stuff in there to satisfy the debt. Most decent people, having a genuine debt management problem, will let the bailiff in for a chat, that's all he is there to do on the first visit anyway. (Though, as has been said, once you've let him in, he can come back and force entry)

It's better for a bailiff to get money from you, rather than him trying to flog your microwave, so he'll try and thrash out a deal with you, if he gets some cash there and then, a good whack of the debt, he'll probably leave happy for now. Or, if you can't scrounge some cash to pay him, he and you will list some of the items that are worth flogging - not tools of your trade, kids' toys or your bed (I think). Basically, he's looking at your big telly, your sofa and any other white goods that are floggable. Once he has a list of stuff that should cover the debt, you sign the list, and he'll probably give you 7 days to get the money, or he'll come back and remove those goods, and those goods only. If you then shift the telly to your Mum's house and say it's hers, I think that he can go and hoof her door in to collect it, but not certain of that.

The other thing that might be worth some cash is your car, so if you have a decent HP-free motor sitting outside, I believe they can whip that away on the first visit (in case you decide to spirit it away and claim that is no longer yours. A car will always sell, a plasma tv might not, and a decent one should more than cover the debt, the interest, plus the bailiff's fees, so they are keen to swipe cars asap. As I said above, it's a lot of hassle trying to eke those fees out of loads of hi-fi separates, regardless of how brilliant and priceless you think they are)

Anyone who ignores all the letters, court documents and then prior notice of the bailiff's arrival, gets no sympathy from me, fuck them. They obviously think that settling their debts is beneath them. If the bailiff comes and takes their stuff, tough shit. It's down to laziness, a failure to face up to responsibilities. As much as I despise the "professional" non-payers, they will at least ensure that the day the bailiff calls, there will be absolutely nothing that isn't on tick or that can be seized as their property. (Which is why I disagree with prior warnings, but there you go)
(Rsoles, Fri 28 May 2010, 14:19, closed)