non paying parent -still no money a year on.

[tommiitip]

hello ladies

is there anyone out there thats had this experience??

basically-
parent didnt pay, went as far as court, i won, she still didnt pay, a year later its still going on, she left work so couldnt do attachment of earnings, just taken her to court for 2nd time for order of questioning about finances to which she offered £5 per week! it will take 2 years to pay off!!!!!!!

phoned courts who said its that or nothing, im not allowed to make a different offer that i want her to pay. i will have to take further action which is only bailiffs or 3 rd party debt order.

ncma solicitors say bailiffs are waste of time and it look s as if she hasnt got much in her house to cover debt(or so she claims),
and 3rd pary debt is to freeze bank account which she claims is empty anyway.
so solicitors say the £5 per week offer is best way to get money back.

i dont want her knocking my door once a week for the next 2 years!!!! i want this over with now. its been a year already. i just want to give up but im now out of pocket with court costs etc and why should i let her get away with this.

please help,
helen.

[Pipsqueak]

Why are baliffs a waste of time - I know 2 childinders who have gone this route and got their money, although its a bit extreme and perhaps it doesn't work for everyone.

I would fight for my money out of principle. Although if the offer is £5 per week and there is no other option I woud be taking it. What happens if she defaults?

[Hebs]

i have to say

NCMA are

[Little Pumpkins]

going through this too
agree bailiffs are rubbish

just doing an attatchment now

[Hebs]

been chasing a none paying parent since april and still no further forward

[Pipsqueak]

I am honestly beginning to believe that the contracts/permissions are written on aren't worth the paper they are written on. We are in such a vulnerable postion.
Again I think NCMA could do a whole lot more to help us out.

[sunnysmile]

Surely non payment can be written off as loss on your tax return? I normally just leave it and chalk it up to experience, I am in a small area though so I just don't think it is worth the harm it would do my business to have paerents bad mouth me over money.

[tommiitip]

thanks for quick replies-

totally agree, NCMA are useless, i feel totally let down by them. i have been left to deal with this by myself and the stress is unreal.
and i agree the contracts are complete lod of tosh. that dont give you protection at all.

i refuse to let this go out of prinicple, but am realising now there is a strong chance i could end up not getting money at all, and the further i take this the more i am paying out in court costs.

apparently if i pay out for bailiffs thay may not find goods in her home to cover the amount she owes me.

seems like £5 per week offer is the best route to go but- i dont want her knocking my door for next 2 years!!! and i very much dubt she will any way.more like she'll ****** off somewhere and i'll be back to square one.

am so ****** off!!!

[Tired]

Sorry, I can't offer any help, just wanted to say I understand why you are so angry, and I wish you all the best.

[Bazza]

It might still be worth getting a bailiff involved as sometimes the initial letter itself can be enough to provoke a payment. If the bailiff does visit then they will asscertain if there is anything worth taking (Assuming they gain access and make a walking possession agreement). If they dont collect they may pass the debt back to you.

When using private bailiffs, you need to be aware that if they break the law (like harrasment) in collecting the debt, you could be held liable for it.

If you do write it of, then you should be able to get some tax relief on of as already mentioned. Might be worth talking to HMRC to get details.

[Ripeberry]

They do this with pre-schools as well. We have at least 4 famillies that have not paid from last year. Most of them are seasoned fee avoiders and they have now been put on a blacklist with all the local pre-schools and nurseries as they are very bad payers.
We now have a policy that if fees default for more than 4 weeks then we can refuse to have the child anymore. Also they have to pay an extra £10 for every week over the 4 weeks.
So even if the child is not attending, if they still don't pay, it just racks up and we go to court.

[Ripeberry]

Problem is, people who don't pay, usually know how to work the system and are not scared of solicitors letters

[youarewhatyoueat]

Payment in advance is the only way I work.Saves any trouble.Good luck in getting your money.

[Goatgirl]

HI tommiitip,
I agree; the £5 a week is better than more expense and possibly not getting anything back. Is there not some official way to get her to set up a standing order or direct debit which pays directly into your bank, to avoid having to see her?
hope it works out. she may only be paying a bit per week, but it will show her and 'the world' that you do persue fees owed.

bws,
wendy :-)

[tommiitip]

again thankyou for replies,

to ripeberry-
your absolutely right, she isnt the least bit bothered by a solicitors letter. think she's been there and done this a few times before. she probably knows how hard it is to get the money out of her. every time it goes a step further i think surely she must cave now and pay the money but nope.

gonna write to the courts and ask in writing if she can increase the offer and do different payment method. and see what they say. already had a 'no' for an answer when i phoned up the courts but worth a shot writing in. may go to someone different who will give me a different answer. heres hoping anyway.

if not, will look into bailiffs more.

its definatey a lesson learnt anyhow. payment in advance from now on.
not going down this road again.

[Pinkgerbera]

Hi

I get exactly what your going through, im in exactly the same boat. Parent owes me alot of money which courts have ruled she's owes, she has till 19 November to pay but i doubt i'll get it then. Then i'll have to apply to hopefully have it taken out of her wages or get the baliffs in. At the moment I feel she is playing the system and will eventually quit her job. She has already moved house to avoid solicitors letters but luckily I managed to track her down.

Hardest bit is seeing her everyday at school walking past grinning from ear to ear. Boasting that she has a brand new car and her partner has a brand new motorbike grrrrrrrrr gets my goat everytime.

NCMA wont and cant help any more as I have received judgement so enforcing the debt is now upto me.

Hope you finally get what your owed, its such a long drawn out process but Im hoping to get what im owed eventually... im like a dog with a bone lol