Do Bailiffs really have your debt in their hands?
Jim Wheble posed undercover as a trainee bailiff to see just how much power they really have when chasing outstanding debt.
Bailiffs are supposed to act as court enforcement officers but Jim was shocked at the underhanded way that they lie, cheat and terrify people into settling debt that didn’t even belong to them.
Jim’s first undercover assignment was with the Drakes group. He shadowed a bailiff who was recovering a £400 debt for a driving fine. However, when they reached the home of the young man, his mother explained that he no longer lived at that address.
Although the bailiff knew that legally there was nothing he could do as the debtor had moved, he barged passed the terrified old woman and started making a list of all the brand names of items in her home. Although he knew that he could not take the woman’s washing machine, he told her that unless he received payment for her son’s debt that afternoon, he would return with a locksmith if necessary, to remove the appliance from her home.
The bailiff explained to Jim that a washing machine is a woman’s weakness and she will do anything to hold on to it.
The terrified woman paid her son’s debt the following afternoon, even though she was not legally responsible for his outstanding bills.
The bailiff left the premises with a rye grin on his face, explaining that fear was his weapon of armour against the vulnerable.
These actions show that one should seek immediate debt advice before paying a bailiff or any debt collector. Help is just a phone call away and could prevent you from being bullied or harassed by a bailiff into paying someone else’s debt.
Debt Advice News posted on 29/10/2007 14:00:53
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