|
legal
guide to UK motoring, sections for law enforcement, Driver licensing,
learner and new drivers, buying and selling, speeding fines, owning a
vehicle, wheel clamping, traffic information
|
 |
| |
Top
Steer Comment – Congestion Charges
Many
of our country’s angry motorists think Ken Livingstone should
follow the internet trend and “Scrooge Himself”. They are reeling
from the costly repercussions of not paying the London congestion
charge on the day (otherwise known as the tax for working or
visiting our capital city).
The daily charge began at £5 to get folk used to the idea, then
like all stealth taxes it was raised to £8. Calculating the
fines for not paying - is based on the intricate formula: ‘think
of a number, double it….etc’. It started out as a fine of £50
for not paying on the day (laughably referred to as a ‘concession’
because the full fine was really £100, but half was waived by
paying within a certain period). |
|
|
|
Invariably,
busy city types forget to pay and now, some months after the
‘offence’ took place, many are receiving notices from a company
called ‘Equita – certified bailiffs’ – asking for £158.16. The
trouble is, they don’t tell you what the amount refers to, and
before you’ve had an answer to your indignant letter…. Equita’s
bailiff’s are clamping your vehicle and demanding up to £500
to release it!
Frantic phone calls follow and Equita’s bailiffs insist their
notification process has included sending out a ‘charge certificate’
months ago, followed by a ‘debt registration certificate’. Strangely
enough, these are frequently never received – surely such wake
up calls should be sent out by ‘Recorded Delivery’ or registered
post? Or are they just making the most of it while the going’s
good?
‘Equita-certified bailiffs’ next letter further down the line,
runs something like this…..
‘As you have failed to accept our offer to pay half of your
debt this month and the balance next month, your file has been
passed to our removals team.’
So in desperation to stop the Equita ‘removals team’ from removing
your car for ‘auction’ you pay up! |
Following
on from the Northern Rock fiasco, the credit crunch will bite
harder in 2008 as people reach the end of their borrowing and
repayment abilities. Some of the big names on the high streets
are clinging on waiting for others to fold first. A bit like
the world’s strongest man contest – every account and sinew
is stretched to the limit, there’s a lot of gnashing of teeth,
trembling and grimacing, before eventually something snaps…
If other bailiff’s are operating with similar methods to Equita,
the painful process of debt collection will cause misery for
more than just the city motorists. The real rub about all this,
is the total lack of responsibility or accountability of these
organisations. One would have thought that the huge surplus
of funds from motoring fines, would entitle the poor motorist
to have these bureaucratic demands sent out by ‘recorded delivery’.
Kevin Smith - South London
Have
your Say on UKMotorists
Simply fill in the form and click on Submit
To express your views
|
|
|
|
|
