Non-motoring > "'I have never been to Wigan and I don't smoke" Miscellaneous
Thread Author: R.P. Replies: 9
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New Thu 17 Mar 16 18:44 
 "'I have never been to Wigan and I don't smoke" - R.P.
Keep away from Wigan..

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-35822623
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New Thu 17 Mar 16 22:24 
 "'I have never been to Wigan and I don't smoke" - Haywain
Given these circumstances, I would have reappeared at an upstairs window with my air-rifle and told the bailiff to heffoff.
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New Thu 17 Mar 16 22:39 
 "'I have never been to Wigan and I don't smoke" - Old Navy
I am sure you would not be so brave once the police armed response unit arrived. :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 17 Mar 16 at 22:40
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New Thu 17 Mar 16 22:50 
 "'I have never been to Wigan and I don't smoke" - bathtub tom
>>Given these circumstances, I would have reappeared at an upstairs window with my air-rifle and told the bailiff to heffoff.

I had a bailiff at my door once, an obvious case of mistaken identity. When he re-appeared a couple of weeks later I answered the door with a tea towel in one hand and a damn great knife I was drying in the other - he never came back. I read in the local paper that the guy they wanted was successfully prosecuted.
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New Thu 17 Mar 16 23:54 
 "'I have never been to Wigan and I don't smoke" - zippy
One of our sales guys was with a new customer explaining the product when a guy in a hi-viz jacket starts looking around his brand new fully kitted out BMW X5.

Sales guy pops out to ask what is going on an Mr Hi Viz explains that he is the bailiff coming to secure some assets.

Sales guy made his excuses and left.
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New Fri 18 Mar 16 07:15 
 "'I have never been to Wigan and I don't smoke" - R.P.
Having dealt with a number of them over the years, I have to say their foot-soldiers do fit the general stereotypes. I suppose they do have to put up with quite a lot of crap, but still no excuse for the general standards of behaviour. HMG have now "regulated" them which actually looks like a licence to print money. The local authorities have contracted their debt collection out to firms which appear to be superficially ethical.

Can't see the point of chasing money from people who have none in the first place. There must be a better way.
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New Fri 18 Mar 16 08:06 
 "'I have never been to Wigan and I don't smoke" - Bromptonaut
Absolutely same experience as Rob. People on benefits of less than £100/week, often sick and vulnerable, are intimidated into agreeing to pay £40 week to bailiffs. When, inevitably, they default the bailiff goes back again, adding more fees. If guidance was being followed then £3/week would be reasonable.

Worst offenders are those acting for Councils over unpaid Council Tax.

A robust report from the Local Government Ombudsman a few years ago has made little real difference.
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New Fri 18 Mar 16 09:51 
 "'I have never been to Wigan and I don't smoke" - Harleyman
>> Can't see the point of chasing money from people who have none in the first
>> place. There must be a better way.
>>

Part of a bailiff's job is to seperate "can't pay" from "won't pay"; and there are far less of the former than there are of the latter. Bailiffs are very much an instrument of last resort these days and it usually takes a fairly lengthy period of non-payment before their services are actually required. There is a long list of things they cannot remove from a home, especially if there are children in the house, and AFAIK they can only enter a property using force with both a warrant and a police presence.

I suspect that folk would have a more understanding view of bailiffs if it was their own money or property which was being recovered from a non-payer.

I have failed to resist the temptation to add that, like lorry drivers, they're only doing what they're paid to do. ;-)
Last edited by: Harleyman on Fri 18 Mar 16 at 09:53
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New Fri 18 Mar 16 07:29 
 "'I have never been to Wigan and I don't smoke" - Dog
>>I would have reappeared at an upstairs window with my air-rifle and told the bailiff to heffoff.

A man after me own art, but wivva Rolson felling axe waving about.
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New Fri 18 Mar 16 17:33 
 "'I have never been to Wigan and I don't smoke" - Fullchat
I must admit to viewing the Cant Pay We'll Take It Away programme revolving around the work of High Court Bailiffs.
There are some sad stories particularly about some genuine tenants falling on hard times being evicted and others who take the pee out of the system and exploit landlords then just for good measure trash the properties.
They also have to deal with some rather nasty, manipulative cheats who take the aggressive route.
Last edited by: Fullchat on Fri 18 Mar 16 at 17:35
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