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What do you do if you're ripped off and don't know where to turn? | 0:00:01 | 0:00:04 | |
I did outline all the faults in the vehicle. He rejected all those. | 0:00:04 | 0:00:08 | |
A court of law backs you, but you still don't get your money? | 0:00:08 | 0:00:13 | |
Little did I know how long it would take to try and recover the money from him. | 0:00:13 | 0:00:17 | |
Sorry. | 0:00:17 | 0:00:18 | |
It's time to call the sheriffs. | 0:00:19 | 0:00:22 | |
We have every right to enter the premises by force if necessary. | 0:00:22 | 0:00:27 | |
We will be entering that building. | 0:00:27 | 0:00:29 | |
Sheriffs are High Court enforcement officers, | 0:00:29 | 0:00:33 | |
who recover what a court judgment says is owed. | 0:00:33 | 0:00:35 | |
The writ orders us to come here and seize goods to the value of this debt. | 0:00:36 | 0:00:41 | |
They're the experts in getting cash that's rightfully yours. | 0:00:43 | 0:00:47 | |
£1,323. | 0:00:47 | 0:00:49 | |
But fighting for the underdog isn't a job for the faint-hearted. | 0:00:50 | 0:00:53 | |
Mind yourself, Lawrence. | 0:00:53 | 0:00:54 | |
I will back that truck straight through your windscreen! | 0:00:54 | 0:00:57 | |
Debtors aren't pleased to see them. | 0:00:57 | 0:00:59 | |
They're harassing me! | 0:00:59 | 0:01:00 | |
Because they hate paying up. | 0:01:00 | 0:01:02 | |
-Are you happy for me to leave some paperwork? -No, I'm not! Go away! | 0:01:02 | 0:01:07 | |
In today's programme... | 0:01:09 | 0:01:11 | |
David Hart bought a beach buggy to enjoy with his son. | 0:01:12 | 0:01:16 | |
But he found out it was stolen. | 0:01:16 | 0:01:19 | |
There's my dream on the back of a low-loader going up the road. | 0:01:19 | 0:01:23 | |
When the sheriffs go to get David's money back from the man who sold it to him, | 0:01:23 | 0:01:28 | |
things turn nasty. | 0:01:28 | 0:01:30 | |
-You're entitled to your opinion. -I'm going to take your head right off your shoulders! | 0:01:30 | 0:01:34 | |
I'm here doing a job, aren't I? | 0:01:34 | 0:01:36 | |
The sheriffs brave a torrential rainstorm, as they visit a pub | 0:01:36 | 0:01:40 | |
on behalf of a former employee who'd been unfairly dismissed. | 0:01:40 | 0:01:44 | |
-We're looking to collect some money. -You're not having this jumper! | 0:01:44 | 0:01:49 | |
And a customer wants his money back from an art gallery | 0:01:49 | 0:01:52 | |
who didn't give him the print he'd paid for. | 0:01:52 | 0:01:55 | |
But before the sheriffs can get his cash, they need to get in. | 0:01:55 | 0:01:59 | |
He's in! | 0:01:59 | 0:02:00 | |
David Hart owns a care home for people with Alzheimer's and dementia. | 0:02:07 | 0:02:11 | |
It's a demanding job, but David still enjoys his work. | 0:02:11 | 0:02:15 | |
It's a 24/7 occupation, really. You're always on call. | 0:02:15 | 0:02:20 | |
There's no holidays. There's no weeks off. | 0:02:20 | 0:02:23 | |
You can get it covered by other people, but you're literally on call 24/7. | 0:02:23 | 0:02:28 | |
Two years ago, David had a heart attack and it changed his approach to life. | 0:02:28 | 0:02:33 | |
When I was in the hospital, that is THE most scariest thing ever. | 0:02:33 | 0:02:37 | |
I actually asked the nurses, "Am I going to die?" | 0:02:37 | 0:02:41 | |
And that's scary, really scary. | 0:02:41 | 0:02:44 | |
And they said, "If you have any problems, you're in the right place." | 0:02:44 | 0:02:48 | |
Sorry. Erm... | 0:02:48 | 0:02:50 | |
And I thought, "Yeah. I know I'm in the right place." | 0:02:50 | 0:02:53 | |
But it still doesn't make it any easier when you're thinking about what you should do, | 0:02:53 | 0:02:58 | |
what you would like to do and what you can do. | 0:02:58 | 0:03:01 | |
So I thought... That's when I think it all came into perspective then. | 0:03:01 | 0:03:05 | |
Spend some more time with the people that you love NOW, cos you never know. | 0:03:05 | 0:03:10 | |
David used to enjoy going for long motorbike rides, | 0:03:10 | 0:03:15 | |
but after his heart attack he decided to spend more time with his family. | 0:03:15 | 0:03:19 | |
I thought that I should share a little bit more. | 0:03:19 | 0:03:23 | |
So I thought I would buy myself something where my son, my daughter and my wife | 0:03:23 | 0:03:29 | |
could all join in, type thing. | 0:03:29 | 0:03:31 | |
And I thought, "Oh, I know what I'll do. I'll buy a beach buggy." | 0:03:31 | 0:03:35 | |
I've always fancied one, but I've never had one. | 0:03:35 | 0:03:39 | |
David sold his motorbike and saw a beach buggy advertised for £4,000 on eBay | 0:03:39 | 0:03:45 | |
by a local man called Colin Humphreys. | 0:03:45 | 0:03:49 | |
The buggy was just what he wanted. | 0:03:49 | 0:03:51 | |
So he sent Mr Humphreys a £500 deposit and went round with a friend to pick it up. | 0:03:51 | 0:03:56 | |
He pulled it out | 0:03:56 | 0:03:58 | |
and it wasn't really what it was cracked up to be. | 0:03:58 | 0:04:03 | |
Really. It had, erm... It wasn't running right. | 0:04:03 | 0:04:08 | |
It didn't go right. There were bits and pieces missing. | 0:04:08 | 0:04:11 | |
It wasn't finished. It didn't have any number plates on it. | 0:04:11 | 0:04:14 | |
It just wasn't as tidy as it could have been. | 0:04:14 | 0:04:18 | |
David decided not to buy the buggy, after all. | 0:04:18 | 0:04:22 | |
I said, "I'm sorry. | 0:04:22 | 0:04:24 | |
"But it's not how you described it and it wants a bit too much work doing to it. | 0:04:24 | 0:04:29 | |
"And I'll walk away, I'm afraid. | 0:04:29 | 0:04:33 | |
"And I'll just arrange to get my deposit back." | 0:04:33 | 0:04:36 | |
And he said, "OK, fine. No problem at all." | 0:04:36 | 0:04:39 | |
But David didn't get his deposit. | 0:04:39 | 0:04:43 | |
Instead, he got a surprise phone call from Colin Humphreys | 0:04:43 | 0:04:46 | |
saying he was willing to take a much lower figure for the buggy. | 0:04:46 | 0:04:50 | |
I said, "£2,000." | 0:04:50 | 0:04:52 | |
He went, "No, no." Definitely, that wasn't happening. | 0:04:52 | 0:04:57 | |
So, in the end, we decided on £2,500. | 0:04:57 | 0:05:00 | |
David and his son, Jack, were thrilled with their new wheels. | 0:05:00 | 0:05:04 | |
David applied to the DVLA for the buggy's log book. | 0:05:06 | 0:05:09 | |
But rather than sending David the log, the DVLA gave him some bad news. | 0:05:09 | 0:05:15 | |
I was told that somebody else had claimed ownership of the vehicle. | 0:05:15 | 0:05:19 | |
I said, "Well, I don't see how, cos I have the vehicle in my garden." | 0:05:19 | 0:05:23 | |
He said, "No, somebody else owns it." | 0:05:23 | 0:05:26 | |
David called the police and told them what the DVLA had said. | 0:05:27 | 0:05:30 | |
They came down. They said it WAS stolen. | 0:05:30 | 0:05:34 | |
Arranged for it to be picked up, which was gutting. | 0:05:34 | 0:05:37 | |
There's my dreams on the back of a low-loader going up the road and I've done nothing wrong. | 0:05:37 | 0:05:43 | |
David phoned Colin Humphreys, who said he'd reimburse him, but he never did, | 0:05:43 | 0:05:49 | |
so David took Mr Humphreys to the County Court. | 0:05:49 | 0:05:53 | |
Mr Humphreys claimed he bought the buggy in good faith | 0:05:53 | 0:05:56 | |
from a person who later reported it stolen. | 0:05:56 | 0:06:00 | |
But the court didn't accept this argument | 0:06:00 | 0:06:02 | |
and Mr Humphreys was ordered to repay David's money, plus court costs - | 0:06:02 | 0:06:06 | |
over £3,500. | 0:06:06 | 0:06:09 | |
The judge basically said | 0:06:09 | 0:06:11 | |
you have to pay the lot within 14 days. | 0:06:11 | 0:06:15 | |
But, erm, he hasn't and I haven't seen a penny since. | 0:06:15 | 0:06:20 | |
David was left with little option. | 0:06:20 | 0:06:23 | |
He went to the High Court and got a writ for the money. | 0:06:23 | 0:06:26 | |
And now sheriffs Lawrence Grix and Kev McNally are on their way to Colin Humphreys' house | 0:06:29 | 0:06:35 | |
to get David's cash and their costs for enforcing the writ. | 0:06:35 | 0:06:40 | |
The total now stands at £4,700. | 0:06:40 | 0:06:43 | |
It's getting on for five o'clock in the evening now, | 0:06:43 | 0:06:47 | |
so, hopefully, if the defendant was at work, | 0:06:47 | 0:06:49 | |
they'll either be on their way home or at home. | 0:06:49 | 0:06:54 | |
So we should have a chance of making contact with them. | 0:06:54 | 0:06:57 | |
We'll see when we get there. | 0:06:57 | 0:06:59 | |
Lawrence and Kev have arrived. | 0:07:00 | 0:07:03 | |
Because this visit is to a domestic residence rather than a commercial property, | 0:07:03 | 0:07:09 | |
they can't break in to seize goods. | 0:07:09 | 0:07:11 | |
They will have to try and get David his money back some other way. | 0:07:11 | 0:07:16 | |
-Hello, sir. We're looking for Colin Humphreys. Would that be yourself? -Yeah. | 0:07:17 | 0:07:21 | |
Hello, sir. Enforcement officers, here to execute a High Court writ... | 0:07:21 | 0:07:25 | |
-Yeah. -..Against you in favour of a...David Hart. | 0:07:25 | 0:07:30 | |
-Yeah. -Here today to seize goods to the tune of £4,717 and 63 pence. | 0:07:30 | 0:07:36 | |
-You ain't coming in, brother. -Have you got any way of paying this? -No. | 0:07:36 | 0:07:39 | |
-Or some of it? -No. Not a tanner. I ain't got no work, no nothin'. | 0:07:39 | 0:07:43 | |
-Erm, are you on benefits? -Well, I'm signing on, but I ain't getting nothin'. | 0:07:43 | 0:07:48 | |
-Have you got paperwork to show you're signing on? -Yeah. -Can I have a see of that? | 0:07:48 | 0:07:52 | |
Stay there and I'll show you it. All right? | 0:07:52 | 0:07:56 | |
At this point, our camera operator was asked by Mr Humphreys to go away from the house. | 0:07:56 | 0:08:02 | |
Mr Humphreys started to shout so loud it could be heard down the street. | 0:08:02 | 0:08:08 | |
I ain't bothered about you, the old bill or anything else. | 0:08:08 | 0:08:11 | |
-I don't give a -BLEEP! -for any of you. -Fair enough. | 0:08:11 | 0:08:13 | |
-Right, then go away. -Can my colleague get a picture of that? -No, mate. | 0:08:13 | 0:08:18 | |
DOOR SLAMS | 0:08:18 | 0:08:20 | |
Because they can't break into the house, | 0:08:20 | 0:08:23 | |
Lawrence has little option but to post a copy of the writ through the letterbox. | 0:08:23 | 0:08:28 | |
-Ain't you gone yet? -I've just got to leave you some paperwork, sir. | 0:08:28 | 0:08:31 | |
-You, you -BLEEP! BLEEP! -How am I being cocky? | 0:08:31 | 0:08:34 | |
-Don't get lairy with me, you -BLEEP! -I'll take your face off. | 0:08:34 | 0:08:37 | |
-If you fancy your chances, come round the back. -I'm just here doing a job. | 0:08:37 | 0:08:40 | |
-Come round the back. I'll show you. I'll take your head right off. -BLEEP! | 0:08:40 | 0:08:45 | |
Can we just calm it down. I just need to leave this paperwork, sir. | 0:08:45 | 0:08:48 | |
-Listen, mate, take him and -BLEEP! | 0:08:48 | 0:08:50 | |
-BLEEP! -Now -BLEEP! -the pair of you off. | 0:08:52 | 0:08:55 | |
-You've got a choice... -Right, are you happy for me to just leave you some paperwork? | 0:08:55 | 0:08:59 | |
No, I'm not. Go away! | 0:08:59 | 0:09:01 | |
-All right... -I'll count to three and then we're going to kick off. | 0:09:02 | 0:09:06 | |
You can go and get the old bill, do what you like. One... | 0:09:06 | 0:09:09 | |
-Right, sir. What I'll do... -Two. -..I'll fill out some paperwork and put it through your door, OK? | 0:09:09 | 0:09:14 | |
Lawrence will call the police if the situation does become violent. | 0:09:16 | 0:09:21 | |
From a safe distance, he lists property | 0:09:24 | 0:09:27 | |
that could be removed on a second visit to auction to pay off the debt. | 0:09:27 | 0:09:31 | |
-What have we got here? A couple of pot plants. -He's coming back out now. | 0:09:31 | 0:09:35 | |
-What's he up to then? -Don't know. | 0:09:35 | 0:09:38 | |
They may not be at a safe distance, after all. | 0:09:38 | 0:09:41 | |
Mr Humphreys has come out to the road. | 0:09:41 | 0:09:44 | |
There you go, sir. | 0:09:44 | 0:09:46 | |
-What I've put on here is... -Before we go any further. | 0:09:46 | 0:09:50 | |
Before you come round here, as far as I understand, | 0:09:50 | 0:09:53 | |
-by law you've got to give me seven days' notice. -No, sir, no. | 0:09:53 | 0:09:56 | |
We're not County Court bailiffs. Do you want to take this, sir? | 0:09:56 | 0:09:59 | |
-I ain't got to take -BLEEP! You don't have to take it, no. | 0:09:59 | 0:10:03 | |
Before going back into his house, Mr Humphreys threatens Kev again. | 0:10:05 | 0:10:09 | |
-Come here! -I'm here doing a job, aren't I? | 0:10:09 | 0:10:12 | |
-I'll take your head right off. -I'm here doing a job. -Come here! | 0:10:12 | 0:10:15 | |
Come here! Step here! Let's see how good you are. | 0:10:15 | 0:10:18 | |
-And then you can have a go, an' all. -Sir, we're not sent out for aggravation. | 0:10:18 | 0:10:22 | |
-All right? We're just trying to get a job done. -You're scumbags! | 0:10:22 | 0:10:26 | |
-You're entitled to your opinion, sir. -Go away! And you! | 0:10:26 | 0:10:29 | |
If I see you again, mate, I WILL take your head off. | 0:10:29 | 0:10:32 | |
-See what I'm saying? -You're entitled to your opinion. I'm here doing a job, aren't I? | 0:10:32 | 0:10:37 | |
-I will take your head right off your shoulders. -I'm here doing a job. | 0:10:37 | 0:10:40 | |
Come round here again - with him or a couple more. I ain't bothered. | 0:10:40 | 0:10:44 | |
Step inside this gate. Just step inside here. | 0:10:44 | 0:10:47 | |
Come on. Me and you. | 0:10:47 | 0:10:49 | |
Right, sir, we're not here for aggravation. | 0:10:50 | 0:10:53 | |
God help me, I'd rather get locked up than see you take anything. I'd rather hurt the pair of you. | 0:10:53 | 0:10:57 | |
On my life, I'm 55 year old, but me, I've done more prison than... | 0:10:57 | 0:11:01 | |
-I don't give a -BLEEP! -for you people. Let you be told. | 0:11:01 | 0:11:04 | |
-Yeah... -Stay away. If I see you -BLEEP! | 0:11:05 | 0:11:09 | |
HIS THREATS BECOME INDISTINCT | 0:11:09 | 0:11:14 | |
With Mr Humphreys threats becoming more extreme, | 0:11:14 | 0:11:17 | |
it's clear that nothing can be achieved by staying further. | 0:11:17 | 0:11:20 | |
The sheriffs make their exit. | 0:11:20 | 0:11:22 | |
It's not the first time Lawrence has been threatened in the line of duty and it won't be the last. | 0:11:26 | 0:11:32 | |
Everybody develops their own way | 0:11:32 | 0:11:34 | |
of dealing with confrontation and aggravation. | 0:11:34 | 0:11:39 | |
It's just something you learn over the years. | 0:11:39 | 0:11:42 | |
We're not out for aggravation and we try to avoid it. | 0:11:42 | 0:11:46 | |
As far as I'm concerned, your mouth is your best weapon. | 0:11:47 | 0:11:51 | |
You cannot beat experience when it comes to dealing with people, | 0:11:51 | 0:11:54 | |
particularly aggressive people. | 0:11:54 | 0:11:57 | |
You have to sort of learn to read the signs. | 0:11:58 | 0:12:01 | |
Read, er, you know... | 0:12:02 | 0:12:05 | |
Read into people what buttons make them get aggravated | 0:12:05 | 0:12:09 | |
and not press those buttons. | 0:12:09 | 0:12:11 | |
You're dealing with people that don't want you to be there. | 0:12:11 | 0:12:14 | |
Whereas, most other walks of life, you're dealing with people that DO want you to be there. | 0:12:14 | 0:12:20 | |
Erm, we're never welcome. | 0:12:20 | 0:12:23 | |
You know, that's just a fact of life. | 0:12:23 | 0:12:26 | |
And it's another fact of life that the sheriffs don't give up. | 0:12:28 | 0:12:32 | |
Lawrence is already planning a return visit to Mr Humphreys during daylight hours. | 0:12:32 | 0:12:37 | |
We'll have to go with the police because I've got no doubt he will kick off. | 0:12:37 | 0:12:42 | |
-He just seemed that sort of person. -It was going to go then... -Yeah. | 0:12:42 | 0:12:47 | |
He's obviously highly volatile. | 0:12:47 | 0:12:49 | |
So that's one where you would potentially have to go with the police. | 0:12:49 | 0:12:54 | |
Mr Humphreys can expect another visit soon. | 0:12:56 | 0:12:59 | |
High Court enforcement officer Mark Newson has joined Kev for the sheriffs' next job. | 0:13:06 | 0:13:11 | |
They're going to a pub in London, | 0:13:11 | 0:13:14 | |
whose owner owes a former employee over £1,200. | 0:13:14 | 0:13:18 | |
Three years ago, the employee won an unfair dismissal case against the pub, | 0:13:18 | 0:13:23 | |
but wasn't paid the compensation, so she got a High Court writ. | 0:13:23 | 0:13:28 | |
With court costs and interest, the debt now stands at £2,100. | 0:13:29 | 0:13:34 | |
We're in Hackney. | 0:13:36 | 0:13:38 | |
And we are looking for a company called Seamless Ltd. | 0:13:38 | 0:13:43 | |
We just drove past the address. It looks like it's possibly changed, | 0:13:43 | 0:13:47 | |
but we'll just go over there and see what's happening, | 0:13:47 | 0:13:50 | |
and see if it is the previous tenants or whether it's the same people that are still there. | 0:13:50 | 0:13:56 | |
The former employee has now moved back to her home country, Brazil, | 0:13:58 | 0:14:03 | |
and it looks like a tropical rainstorm has just descended on Hackney. | 0:14:03 | 0:14:08 | |
-Hello, there. You from the pub, yeah? -Yeah. | 0:14:08 | 0:14:12 | |
-I'm after Seamless Ltd. -Yeah, we're part of Seamless. | 0:14:12 | 0:14:15 | |
Well, the pub is part of Seamless Ltd. | 0:14:15 | 0:14:17 | |
-I'm from the High Court about a High Court writ that's been issued. -Right. | 0:14:17 | 0:14:22 | |
-One second. -Yeah, no worries. | 0:14:22 | 0:14:24 | |
-Who are you looking for? -Seamless Ltd. | 0:14:26 | 0:14:29 | |
-Oh, right. OK. -Yeah. | 0:14:29 | 0:14:32 | |
-Eh? It's owned by Seamless Ltd. -Yeah. | 0:14:32 | 0:14:35 | |
We're looking to collect some money from the High Court. | 0:14:35 | 0:14:38 | |
That's a good start. The man in the cellar has shouted up to Mark | 0:14:38 | 0:14:42 | |
that the ownership of the pub hasn't changed. | 0:14:42 | 0:14:45 | |
Now Mark has to find the owner and get the owed money. | 0:14:45 | 0:14:48 | |
Is there any way you can get hold of someone? | 0:14:48 | 0:14:51 | |
Basically, if we can't get payment, we have to seize goods. | 0:14:51 | 0:14:56 | |
-You're not having this jumper! -LAUGHTER | 0:14:57 | 0:15:00 | |
I don't think it will fit me. LAUGHTER | 0:15:01 | 0:15:04 | |
-I'll make a call for you, mate. -Yeah, no worries. | 0:15:04 | 0:15:08 | |
The man in the cellar says he's going to come up and call his boss. | 0:15:08 | 0:15:13 | |
High Court enforcement officers are legally allowed | 0:15:13 | 0:15:16 | |
to walk straight into commercial premises. | 0:15:16 | 0:15:18 | |
So Mark and Kev enter the pub | 0:15:18 | 0:15:21 | |
and look for possible property to remove to pay off the debt. | 0:15:21 | 0:15:24 | |
They could take £2,000 worth of alcohol right now. | 0:15:24 | 0:15:29 | |
With the pub due to open in 20 minutes, that may affect custom. | 0:15:29 | 0:15:33 | |
Who's going to want to buy our bottle of Scotch apart from the bloke on the bench down the road? | 0:15:33 | 0:15:39 | |
It's the inconvenience though, innit? | 0:15:39 | 0:15:41 | |
I've spoken to the general manager. He's spoken to the owner. | 0:15:41 | 0:15:44 | |
He's saying this is an ex-employee and he's actually sent a cheque, | 0:15:44 | 0:15:49 | |
a week before Christmas to her home in Leeds. | 0:15:49 | 0:15:53 | |
It obviously hasn't been received. | 0:15:53 | 0:15:56 | |
Erm... | 0:15:58 | 0:15:59 | |
What, he sent a cheque direct to her? | 0:16:01 | 0:16:03 | |
OK, let me ring and just make sure that it's still... | 0:16:04 | 0:16:07 | |
A cheque sent to Leeds may not have reached the former employee in Brazil. | 0:16:07 | 0:16:12 | |
Mark calls the office to see if the debt has indeed already been paid off. | 0:16:12 | 0:16:18 | |
At this point, our camera operator was asked to leave the pub. | 0:16:18 | 0:16:21 | |
It's still live this case, cos the guy is saying they sent a cheque to the claimant | 0:16:21 | 0:16:28 | |
before Christmas. | 0:16:28 | 0:16:30 | |
Yeah, no problem. Give us a shout back. Lovely. Cheers. | 0:16:35 | 0:16:39 | |
-They're just going to try and get hold of her. -OK. | 0:16:39 | 0:16:42 | |
Speak to her and then go from there, yeah? All right. | 0:16:42 | 0:16:45 | |
While Mark and Kev wait to hear the status of the case, | 0:16:45 | 0:16:49 | |
the pub staff get ready to open up, | 0:16:49 | 0:16:52 | |
although anyone venturing out for a drink today would probably need a snorkel! | 0:16:52 | 0:16:57 | |
Ten minutes later, the manager phones back | 0:16:59 | 0:17:02 | |
and says a cheque was sent to the employee's solicitors in Leeds. | 0:17:02 | 0:17:06 | |
Mark tries to get more information from him. | 0:17:06 | 0:17:10 | |
Do you know the name of the solicitors at all? | 0:17:10 | 0:17:12 | |
Yeah, if you could get the name of the solicitors and the amount that was sent. | 0:17:12 | 0:17:17 | |
Then we'll go from there and see if we can give them a call. | 0:17:17 | 0:17:21 | |
See, at the moment, it's still outstanding and needs to be paid. That's where we are at the moment. | 0:17:21 | 0:17:26 | |
Thank you. Bye-bye. | 0:17:26 | 0:17:28 | |
He said, "Look, 100%, it's definitely been sent." | 0:17:28 | 0:17:31 | |
He's sent it to them. Solicitors, they don't... | 0:17:34 | 0:17:37 | |
-How can you be unsure who it's gone to? -Eh? | 0:17:37 | 0:17:40 | |
-How can you be unsure...? -He has to speak to the other guy. | 0:17:40 | 0:17:44 | |
The owner. He's the manager. He has to speak to the owner. | 0:17:44 | 0:17:47 | |
I don't think we'll get any money out of 'em, without a big... | 0:17:47 | 0:17:51 | |
But you never know. | 0:17:51 | 0:17:53 | |
Mark may have spoken too soon. | 0:17:53 | 0:17:57 | |
Half an hour later, the manager turns up at the pub | 0:17:57 | 0:18:00 | |
and asks Mark the total amount owed and how it needs to be paid. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:04 | |
2125.60. | 0:18:04 | 0:18:07 | |
Debit card, credit card. | 0:18:07 | 0:18:08 | |
Paying by debit card incurs a £5 additional cost, | 0:18:08 | 0:18:13 | |
so the manager decides to pay the full amount with cash. | 0:18:13 | 0:18:17 | |
The former employee will get her money after all. | 0:18:17 | 0:18:21 | |
Mark has a theory about why the situation changed so quickly. | 0:18:21 | 0:18:26 | |
High Court enforcement can be bad for business. | 0:18:26 | 0:18:30 | |
They were cooking the food up, so obviously expecting people to start coming in around lunchtime now. | 0:18:30 | 0:18:36 | |
It would have caused him a lot more aggro than the £2,000 was worth. | 0:18:36 | 0:18:40 | |
So probably best for him just to pay. | 0:18:40 | 0:18:44 | |
Yeah. So it's a good result for us. | 0:18:44 | 0:18:46 | |
Mark and Kev got to the van with the owed money just in time. | 0:18:46 | 0:18:50 | |
The monsoon has now reached biblical proportions. | 0:18:50 | 0:18:55 | |
Mark has learnt from personal experience to be careful when he has a wad of cash to look after. | 0:18:55 | 0:19:01 | |
I went in the caff with Tony one morning. | 0:19:01 | 0:19:05 | |
And I put the folder on the table, yeah? | 0:19:05 | 0:19:08 | |
We was having something to eat. We had about four grand in it. And he put it on the chair. | 0:19:08 | 0:19:12 | |
So we left the caff, drove about four mile down the road. | 0:19:12 | 0:19:15 | |
I was like, "Where's the folder?" He's like, "You had it." I went, "No, you had it." | 0:19:15 | 0:19:19 | |
He's like, "I left it in the caff!" | 0:19:19 | 0:19:21 | |
We went back to the caff and the bloke behind the thing went, "Oh, you left your folder here!" | 0:19:21 | 0:19:26 | |
LAUGHTER | 0:19:26 | 0:19:28 | |
And with that, the sheriffs return to base, | 0:19:28 | 0:19:32 | |
without any cafe stops on the way! | 0:19:32 | 0:19:36 | |
The sheriffs have been despatched on another job. | 0:19:41 | 0:19:44 | |
Kev and Lawrence are going to an art gallery in London. | 0:19:44 | 0:19:48 | |
A customer purchased what he thought was a limited edition print from Atom Rooms Ltd | 0:19:48 | 0:19:53 | |
for £1,500, but then discovered it was just an artist's proof, which isn't as valuable. | 0:19:53 | 0:19:59 | |
The customer asked for his money back and got nowhere, | 0:19:59 | 0:20:03 | |
so he went to the High Court and got a writ for the cash. | 0:20:03 | 0:20:06 | |
But before the sheriffs can execute it, they need to get through the front door. | 0:20:06 | 0:20:11 | |
Quite a lot of the time, the galleries are locked. | 0:20:11 | 0:20:14 | |
They're reluctant to let people in if they don't know who they are, | 0:20:14 | 0:20:18 | |
if they don't think they're a genuine customer. | 0:20:18 | 0:20:20 | |
Erm, and two of us rocking up | 0:20:20 | 0:20:23 | |
doesn't really look like we're customers. | 0:20:23 | 0:20:26 | |
So almost better to just go one at... One of us go up and just get in first. | 0:20:26 | 0:20:31 | |
Especially, when one of us is bald and ugly and the other one's got a briefcase under his arm! | 0:20:31 | 0:20:36 | |
HE LAUGHS | 0:20:36 | 0:20:38 | |
The sheriffs have arrived at the gallery. Lawrence hangs back, | 0:20:38 | 0:20:42 | |
while Kev charms his way into the premises. | 0:20:42 | 0:20:45 | |
..Just to see if he can get in. Let him get in. He's in! | 0:20:45 | 0:20:49 | |
Hello, sir. I'm an enforcement officer. | 0:20:49 | 0:20:52 | |
-Oh. -Here today to execute a High Court writ. | 0:20:52 | 0:20:55 | |
-Are you Mark Feathers? -No, he's not here. | 0:20:55 | 0:20:58 | |
-You're not? He's not here? Are you able to get him on the phone? -Not at the moment. | 0:20:58 | 0:21:02 | |
-Can you come back later? -No, we can't, sir. We're here to execute a High Court writ. | 0:21:02 | 0:21:07 | |
We're here to seize goods, so you need to get Mr Feathers on the phone. | 0:21:07 | 0:21:11 | |
We're quite happy to wait while you do that, | 0:21:11 | 0:21:14 | |
but we need you to get Mr Feathers on the phone, cos he's the one who needs to deal with this. | 0:21:14 | 0:21:18 | |
He must be contactable. Is he on the phone? | 0:21:18 | 0:21:21 | |
Yeah. Can you exit and then I'll see? | 0:21:21 | 0:21:24 | |
No. We don't go out again, sir. | 0:21:24 | 0:21:27 | |
We're here to execute this writ. | 0:21:27 | 0:21:30 | |
So you just need to get Mr Feathers on the phone. | 0:21:30 | 0:21:33 | |
In the past, the sheriffs have seized Formula 1 cars, aeroplanes and gold bullion. | 0:21:35 | 0:21:41 | |
The biggest settlement they've had is £5 million. | 0:21:41 | 0:21:44 | |
So £1,500 worth of paintings isn't a daunting task. | 0:21:44 | 0:21:49 | |
We're here to seize goods to cover an outstanding debt. | 0:21:49 | 0:21:53 | |
I can't disclose the amount or anything to you at this time. | 0:21:53 | 0:21:57 | |
While they wait for the assistant to call the owner, | 0:21:57 | 0:22:00 | |
Lawrence and Kev take time out to appreciate a work of art | 0:22:00 | 0:22:04 | |
similar to the one at the centre of the dispute. | 0:22:04 | 0:22:07 | |
When you see it full size in the flesh like that, | 0:22:07 | 0:22:10 | |
-you can see it's quite a powerful piece, innit? -It is. | 0:22:10 | 0:22:14 | |
How are we doing? | 0:22:18 | 0:22:20 | |
-What time does he normally get in? -What time is it now? | 0:22:20 | 0:22:24 | |
Quarter to three. | 0:22:24 | 0:22:26 | |
About four or five? | 0:22:27 | 0:22:29 | |
Lawrence decides to up the ante. | 0:22:29 | 0:22:32 | |
I'm going to start taking an inventory of the stuff that we're seizing. | 0:22:32 | 0:22:38 | |
And it seems to have an effect. | 0:22:40 | 0:22:42 | |
That's going to be eight by 12, innit? | 0:22:48 | 0:22:51 | |
But Lawrence is no art expert. | 0:22:52 | 0:22:55 | |
I'm just going to take a picture of the ones I've written down so far, | 0:22:55 | 0:22:58 | |
obviously, we're going to have to have photographic evidence to back these up, | 0:22:58 | 0:23:03 | |
cos my descriptions aren't going to be | 0:23:03 | 0:23:07 | |
necessarily accurately descriptive. | 0:23:07 | 0:23:09 | |
-What is the whole procedure then? -Procedure? | 0:23:10 | 0:23:13 | |
He's got debt outstanding and it needs to be settled | 0:23:13 | 0:23:18 | |
to us here and now. | 0:23:18 | 0:23:20 | |
And then we go. | 0:23:20 | 0:23:22 | |
Past experience tells Lawrence that if artwork does need to be removed, | 0:23:23 | 0:23:28 | |
it's wise to take it as soon as possible. | 0:23:28 | 0:23:32 | |
We would have to remove stuff from here today, | 0:23:32 | 0:23:35 | |
because it's movable. | 0:23:35 | 0:23:38 | |
This is small, easily transportable | 0:23:38 | 0:23:41 | |
and, basically, I believe the goods would be in jeopardy if we didn't take them from here today. | 0:23:41 | 0:23:46 | |
In other words, we come back and the paintings will be gone. | 0:23:46 | 0:23:49 | |
Lawrence looks for documents which provide proof of ownership for the artwork on display. | 0:23:49 | 0:23:55 | |
He can only remove paintings which belong, without doubt, | 0:23:55 | 0:23:59 | |
to Mark Feathers - the person named in the writ. | 0:23:59 | 0:24:02 | |
That's got to be his. | 0:24:02 | 0:24:04 | |
These have got to be his prints, Lawrence, haven't they? | 0:24:12 | 0:24:15 | |
-What's that? -Well, prints in a tube with his name on. | 0:24:15 | 0:24:17 | |
You'd guess so, wouldn't you? | 0:24:19 | 0:24:21 | |
The High Court writ Lawrence is executing just names the individual, Mark Feathers, | 0:24:21 | 0:24:26 | |
not the company, and a name on a package isn't definitive proof of ownership. | 0:24:26 | 0:24:31 | |
And Lawrence's analysis of the ownership documents has revealed another problem. | 0:24:31 | 0:24:36 | |
Everything's coming in in the name of Atom Rooms Ltd. | 0:24:36 | 0:24:40 | |
Not Mark Feathers trading as Atom Rooms. | 0:24:40 | 0:24:44 | |
Erm, so I think... | 0:24:44 | 0:24:47 | |
Erm, potentially... | 0:24:48 | 0:24:50 | |
Atom Rooms Ltd owns what's here. | 0:24:50 | 0:24:53 | |
Everything seems to be in the name of Atom Rooms Ltd, not in Mark Feathers' own name, | 0:24:53 | 0:24:57 | |
so I'm just going to leave seizure paperwork. | 0:24:57 | 0:25:00 | |
I don't think it's worth waiting round, cos I don't believe he's going to turn up. | 0:25:00 | 0:25:06 | |
Lawrence will seize the paintings which don't have documentation, | 0:25:06 | 0:25:10 | |
but he won't physically remove them until he can be certain they're owned by Mark Feathers. | 0:25:10 | 0:25:15 | |
Mr Feathers now has five days to prove they aren't his. | 0:25:15 | 0:25:19 | |
I'll leave you this paperwork to pass on to him. | 0:25:20 | 0:25:22 | |
OK, this is a notice of seizure, which tells him how much is owed. | 0:25:22 | 0:25:26 | |
I'll put it in an envelope in a second, OK? | 0:25:26 | 0:25:28 | |
-If he doesn't own the stuff... -Yeah. | 0:25:28 | 0:25:31 | |
-If it's owned by Atom Rooms Ltd, he'll have to provide paperwork to that effect. -Yeah. | 0:25:31 | 0:25:37 | |
For everything that's in here. | 0:25:37 | 0:25:39 | |
-Erm... -Paperwork that it's owned by Atom Rooms? | 0:25:39 | 0:25:43 | |
Or by third parties. Third parties will have to claim their own goods. | 0:25:43 | 0:25:48 | |
I'm just going to take pictures of, er... | 0:25:48 | 0:25:51 | |
..most of the rest of the bits of artwork now, | 0:25:52 | 0:25:55 | |
so that nothing disappears. If he does dispose of any of it, it's actually a criminal offence. | 0:25:55 | 0:26:00 | |
I'd like to point that out to him as well, seeing as how he's not bothering to, er... | 0:26:00 | 0:26:04 | |
..return your calls. | 0:26:04 | 0:26:07 | |
It might also be worth pointing out to him | 0:26:09 | 0:26:12 | |
that we can come back and inspect that the stuff is here at any time, | 0:26:12 | 0:26:16 | |
and if necessary force entry, OK? | 0:26:16 | 0:26:19 | |
Cheers. | 0:26:19 | 0:26:20 | |
The Mark Feathers' case is proving far from straight forward. | 0:26:23 | 0:26:27 | |
Another case, potentially, where the client sued the wrong entity. | 0:26:28 | 0:26:31 | |
All the paperwork there, everything, | 0:26:31 | 0:26:34 | |
seems to be in the name of Atom Rooms Ltd. | 0:26:34 | 0:26:37 | |
I don't believe Mark Feathers trades as Atom Rooms. | 0:26:37 | 0:26:40 | |
He's, I would guess, the person who's dealing with it most of the time in there. | 0:26:40 | 0:26:44 | |
But I don't think it's him trading as. It's a limited company. | 0:26:44 | 0:26:47 | |
So we wouldn't be able to remove any limited company assets to cover a debt in his name personally, | 0:26:47 | 0:26:53 | |
which is why I haven't wasted too much time. I've done a seizure of everything in there. | 0:26:53 | 0:26:58 | |
He's now got five days to provide proof of who owns it, | 0:26:58 | 0:27:01 | |
be that the limited company or the artist, if they still own any of the pictures in there. | 0:27:01 | 0:27:07 | |
But I don't believe he's going to turn up today. | 0:27:07 | 0:27:09 | |
So I think it would be a waste of time to sit around and wait for him. | 0:27:09 | 0:27:13 | |
If the sheriffs don't succeed in getting the customer the cash he's owed, | 0:27:15 | 0:27:19 | |
they'll only charge him a £60 admin fee for their efforts. | 0:27:19 | 0:27:23 | |
This case provides a clear lesson for anyone thinking of trying to get their money back | 0:27:23 | 0:27:28 | |
by going to the High Court. | 0:27:28 | 0:27:31 | |
We're trying to drum it into claimants, be careful that you get the correct entity on the writ. | 0:27:31 | 0:27:36 | |
You actually sue the correct person or the correct company. | 0:27:36 | 0:27:40 | |
And sometimes it just needs a little bit of digging | 0:27:40 | 0:27:43 | |
to actually find out who you have been dealing with. | 0:27:43 | 0:27:46 | |
The customer may need to go back to the High Court | 0:27:47 | 0:27:49 | |
and apply for the company name to be included on the writ. | 0:27:49 | 0:27:53 | |
If he is successful, Lawrence and Kev will be back to get his money. | 0:27:53 | 0:27:58 | |
Lawrence and Kev work for this High Court enforcement office. | 0:28:07 | 0:28:11 | |
If it's a commercial property, then we can force entry to levy, if necessary. | 0:28:11 | 0:28:15 | |
Enforcement officers have been known as sheriffs for centuries. | 0:28:15 | 0:28:19 | |
Their job dates back to Saxon times. | 0:28:20 | 0:28:23 | |
We have a live writ and we are here today to seize goods to clear this debt. | 0:28:25 | 0:28:29 | |
This company has 40 full-time sheriffs | 0:28:29 | 0:28:32 | |
and pursues over 1,000 cases a month. | 0:28:32 | 0:28:36 | |
Advance planning is a key factor and Lawrence is already liaising with the police | 0:28:36 | 0:28:41 | |
about an upcoming late-night visit to a nightclub in Dover. | 0:28:41 | 0:28:45 | |
The police want the sheriffs to go during the day, when it will be quieter, | 0:28:46 | 0:28:49 | |
but Lawrence has different ideas. | 0:28:49 | 0:28:52 | |
They're suggesting that we go out of hours. Well, that's no good. | 0:28:52 | 0:28:56 | |
We need to verify that our defendant has goods within those premises, | 0:28:56 | 0:29:01 | |
or we can't force an entry. Well, we can. | 0:29:01 | 0:29:04 | |
But if we find that they don't have goods in there, then we can be found guilty of trespass, | 0:29:04 | 0:29:09 | |
which is, obviously, not something we want to do. | 0:29:09 | 0:29:12 | |
So we need to go there first to seize goods and ascertain who those goods belong to. | 0:29:12 | 0:29:16 | |
High Court enforcement officers can list | 0:29:16 | 0:29:19 | |
or seize potential goods for removal at a later date. | 0:29:19 | 0:29:23 | |
In most cases, this proves an effective way of getting debtors to pay up, | 0:29:23 | 0:29:28 | |
and moments ago, Lawrence closed just such a case. | 0:29:28 | 0:29:32 | |
A debtor just arrived downstairs wanting to pay. | 0:29:32 | 0:29:36 | |
So I went down there with a PDQ machine, expecting it to be a card payment. | 0:29:36 | 0:29:40 | |
They offered to pay by cheque, which we didn't have. | 0:29:40 | 0:29:43 | |
We don't take cheques. So he just opened his bag and got out £1,300 in cash. | 0:29:43 | 0:29:48 | |
So, yeah, that's another case cleared up. He's cleared his case in full. | 0:29:49 | 0:29:54 | |
Will Lawrence have similar luck at the nightclub - with or without the police? | 0:29:56 | 0:30:01 | |
It's 9.15pm and he and Kev are on their way to Dover. | 0:30:03 | 0:30:08 | |
We're going to a club called Club Karma. | 0:30:08 | 0:30:11 | |
Erm... | 0:30:11 | 0:30:12 | |
The, er, defendant is Karma Leisure Ltd, trading as Club Karma. | 0:30:12 | 0:30:17 | |
And I believe the money's owed to a private individual, | 0:30:17 | 0:30:20 | |
who actually arranged their licence for them | 0:30:20 | 0:30:22 | |
when they opened the club and he's never been paid for it. | 0:30:22 | 0:30:26 | |
At the moment, we're looking at a debt of just under £2,300. | 0:30:26 | 0:30:32 | |
It's not ideal to be on the hunt for owed money late at night | 0:30:32 | 0:30:37 | |
in an establishment with alcohol present. | 0:30:37 | 0:30:40 | |
Lawrence has reached a compromise with the local constabulary. | 0:30:40 | 0:30:43 | |
They're reluctant to attend with us when we actually get there, | 0:30:43 | 0:30:48 | |
but they are on alert, so if we do encounter any trouble, | 0:30:48 | 0:30:52 | |
they will have patrols in the area. | 0:30:52 | 0:30:54 | |
So we'll just be able to call 999 and we'll have a fairly rapid response to that | 0:30:54 | 0:30:59 | |
should we need it. | 0:30:59 | 0:31:01 | |
The sheriffs have arrived at the club. | 0:31:01 | 0:31:05 | |
It's 30 minutes to opening time. | 0:31:05 | 0:31:08 | |
-Hello. -Hello there. I'll show you some ID. | 0:31:09 | 0:31:12 | |
I'm an enforcement officer here to execute a High Court writ. | 0:31:12 | 0:31:16 | |
Right. | 0:31:16 | 0:31:17 | |
Their first task is to find the owner and enforce the writ for the owed money. | 0:31:17 | 0:31:22 | |
Hello, sir. | 0:31:22 | 0:31:24 | |
-I'll show you some ID. -Yep. | 0:31:24 | 0:31:26 | |
-We're enforcement officers. -Come. | 0:31:26 | 0:31:29 | |
-Here to execute a High Court writ. -Yeah. | 0:31:30 | 0:31:33 | |
-Erm, against Karma Leisure Ltd, trading as Club Karma. -Yeah. | 0:31:33 | 0:31:38 | |
The amount outstanding is £2,257 and 18 pence. | 0:31:38 | 0:31:43 | |
Unfortunately, sir, we are here to seize goods, | 0:31:43 | 0:31:47 | |
erm, to clear this debt. | 0:31:47 | 0:31:50 | |
-How much was it? -£2,257.18. | 0:31:50 | 0:31:54 | |
-Have you got a bank account? -We've got a machine you can do a debit card payment on to. | 0:31:54 | 0:31:58 | |
-Yeah, someone can do it over the phone then? -Not a pin. | 0:31:58 | 0:32:01 | |
-If you've got a card... -No, not me, but someone else. | 0:32:01 | 0:32:03 | |
-No, it's chip and pin. They'd need to come here. -Will they? | 0:32:03 | 0:32:07 | |
Er... See, they're in London. | 0:32:09 | 0:32:12 | |
The nightclub manager calls his father in London, | 0:32:12 | 0:32:15 | |
who owns the business and has the company credit card. He asks to speak to Lawrence. | 0:32:15 | 0:32:21 | |
Hello. | 0:32:21 | 0:32:22 | |
Right. This needs to be paid, sir. | 0:32:24 | 0:32:26 | |
This needs to be paid. | 0:32:27 | 0:32:30 | |
Whether you've appealed or not, sir, we have a live writ, | 0:32:30 | 0:32:33 | |
which we're here with tonight to enforce, so this needs to be paid. | 0:32:33 | 0:32:38 | |
You can't... Well, I'll carry on with my seizure of goods then, sir. | 0:32:39 | 0:32:44 | |
-OK? -Let me speak to him. | 0:32:44 | 0:32:46 | |
The owner told Lawrence nothing in the club belongs to the debtor company, Karma Leisure, | 0:32:46 | 0:32:53 | |
so there's no point removing anything. | 0:32:53 | 0:32:56 | |
But unless Lawrence sees paperwork proving that, | 0:32:56 | 0:32:59 | |
he'll still seize goods to pay the debt. | 0:32:59 | 0:33:01 | |
I've got a couple of these papers. I can show you the lease papers. | 0:33:01 | 0:33:07 | |
-The lease papers for what, sir? -Everything, basically. | 0:33:07 | 0:33:10 | |
So you've got lease papers for everything here? | 0:33:11 | 0:33:14 | |
Pretty much. Well, all the equipment, fridges, everything of value, yeah. | 0:33:14 | 0:33:18 | |
Well, you will need to show us that, yeah. | 0:33:18 | 0:33:22 | |
-All right. Hold... -The alcohol as well, is it? | 0:33:22 | 0:33:24 | |
Hold on. Is there anything we can pay now to stop it? | 0:33:24 | 0:33:28 | |
-Yeah, £2,257... -I could give you half or something. -No. | 0:33:28 | 0:33:32 | |
We have to take full payment. | 0:33:32 | 0:33:34 | |
Not being funny, that's not a massive amount of money in this day and age. | 0:33:34 | 0:33:39 | |
The owner asks to speak to the High Court enforcement officer again. | 0:33:39 | 0:33:44 | |
Lawrence couldn't be clearer in explaining what he's here to do. | 0:33:44 | 0:33:47 | |
We can seize, and we will seize, all assets within the premises | 0:33:47 | 0:33:51 | |
until such time as we have proof that they don't belong to Karma Leisure. | 0:33:51 | 0:33:55 | |
The only way to prevent further action is to pay in full. | 0:33:55 | 0:33:59 | |
No, it needs to be paid tonight, sir, now. | 0:33:59 | 0:34:02 | |
I'll hand you back to your son. | 0:34:02 | 0:34:04 | |
Hello. | 0:34:04 | 0:34:06 | |
Well, they're not listening, so there's not really anything I can do. | 0:34:06 | 0:34:10 | |
-OK, can you wait here then, till he comes here? -For how long? | 0:34:10 | 0:34:15 | |
How long will you be? | 0:34:15 | 0:34:17 | |
Two hours. He's coming from London. | 0:34:17 | 0:34:19 | |
It's £181.50 plus VAT per hour waiting time. | 0:34:19 | 0:34:24 | |
-It's 180 quid plus VAT. -Per hour. | 0:34:24 | 0:34:27 | |
So that will be 360 quid plus VAT. | 0:34:27 | 0:34:30 | |
The mention of overtime costs and the fact the club is due to open in 15 minutes, | 0:34:30 | 0:34:36 | |
has focused the owner's attention. | 0:34:36 | 0:34:38 | |
The sheriffs seizing property like alcohol, chairs and tables | 0:34:38 | 0:34:42 | |
could affect custom. | 0:34:42 | 0:34:45 | |
Can 1,000 be paid now, or...? | 0:34:45 | 0:34:48 | |
But how is the 1,000 going to be paid? | 0:34:48 | 0:34:51 | |
-I've got my card. You could transfer it over. I'll pay it now. -Well, you can pay the 2,257 then. | 0:34:51 | 0:34:56 | |
No, it needs to be full, so... | 0:34:56 | 0:34:59 | |
They're saying it has to be full. | 0:34:59 | 0:35:01 | |
Because the owner isn't willing to pay the full amount, Lawrence takes it to the next level. | 0:35:01 | 0:35:07 | |
-I'm going to start doing an inventory now. I'm getting... -Can I just wait? | 0:35:07 | 0:35:11 | |
We're not getting anywhere. We've been having this conversation now for 20 minutes. | 0:35:11 | 0:35:15 | |
No! I do, I do, but not everything! | 0:35:17 | 0:35:20 | |
What about couches? What about all the furniture? | 0:35:20 | 0:35:24 | |
Yes, but everything else. Everything else, like the CCT... | 0:35:26 | 0:35:30 | |
-What about everything else? -CCTV, lighting, sound system... | 0:35:30 | 0:35:34 | |
-We're about to open as well. -Wet stock. -Right now, we're about to open. | 0:35:34 | 0:35:38 | |
We're about to open now! | 0:35:38 | 0:35:41 | |
We're about to open now, all right? Right now. | 0:35:41 | 0:35:44 | |
It's quarter past. | 0:35:44 | 0:35:46 | |
OK, listen, we can't talk... We need to sort it out right now, basically. | 0:35:46 | 0:35:52 | |
Everyone's here as well, you know. | 0:35:52 | 0:35:54 | |
It's now five minutes to opening time. | 0:35:54 | 0:35:57 | |
The owner wants to ask Lawrence why he wasn't given advance warning about the sheriff's visit. | 0:35:57 | 0:36:02 | |
No, it doesn't work like that, sir. | 0:36:02 | 0:36:05 | |
We don't notify people we're arriving, | 0:36:05 | 0:36:08 | |
because otherwise the club might well have been shut when we got here. | 0:36:08 | 0:36:12 | |
We've come when... We've come... | 0:36:12 | 0:36:15 | |
We've come at this time of night because the club is open. | 0:36:15 | 0:36:18 | |
If you can be here in an hour, you can be here in an hour, sir, | 0:36:18 | 0:36:21 | |
but we will be charging £181.50 plus VAT on top for waiting time. | 0:36:21 | 0:36:26 | |
Right, sir. You need to... You need to come here and pay us in full | 0:36:26 | 0:36:31 | |
and pay whatever waiting time has clocked up by the time you get here. That's all I can say. | 0:36:31 | 0:36:37 | |
Lawrence's tactic of raising the stakes has worked. | 0:36:37 | 0:36:41 | |
Hello. | 0:36:41 | 0:36:42 | |
The owner says he'll put cash into his son's account so he can pay by card. | 0:36:42 | 0:36:47 | |
He said he's going to put it in now, so... | 0:36:47 | 0:36:50 | |
The thing is, I'm not... Hello. | 0:36:51 | 0:36:54 | |
It won't go now, no, the card? | 0:36:54 | 0:36:56 | |
No, he's... No, don't... Make sure he's put it in there. | 0:36:56 | 0:37:01 | |
What you don't want is, to put it in there, have it declined and then you try again, | 0:37:01 | 0:37:05 | |
and then the card company will tell you to go away. | 0:37:05 | 0:37:09 | |
You need to wait till you've verified with your dad | 0:37:09 | 0:37:12 | |
that he's put the money in and then we'll do the payment. | 0:37:12 | 0:37:15 | |
The owner's son goes to open the club and organise the transfer of funds into his account. | 0:37:15 | 0:37:22 | |
Lawrence is starting to think he may get the unpaid licensing consultant's money after all. | 0:37:22 | 0:37:27 | |
-It looks like it, yeah. -Don't say that yet. -Eventually. No. | 0:37:27 | 0:37:30 | |
-Don't say that yet. -No, it looks like it. Nothing's in the bag yet. -I wouldn't hold your breath. | 0:37:30 | 0:37:35 | |
The nightclub has just opened, | 0:37:35 | 0:37:38 | |
but the music on offer isn't to Lawrence's taste. | 0:37:38 | 0:37:42 | |
I don't like any of this modern music. | 0:37:42 | 0:37:45 | |
-Once it gets past the '80s, I don't want to know. -"Can't understand what they're saying!" | 0:37:45 | 0:37:49 | |
-Yeah, a bit of Midge Ure, Ultravox. -What? | 0:37:49 | 0:37:52 | |
Yeah. "Oh, Vienna." | 0:37:52 | 0:37:54 | |
No? | 0:37:54 | 0:37:56 | |
No idea. No idea, mate. | 0:37:56 | 0:37:59 | |
-No! -I don't know what you're talking about. | 0:37:59 | 0:38:01 | |
-You don't know who Midge Ure is? -No. | 0:38:01 | 0:38:04 | |
Kev's music history lesson will have to continue some other time. | 0:38:04 | 0:38:09 | |
The owner's son has returned and he has news. | 0:38:09 | 0:38:13 | |
-Has he done it? -Yeah. It's all done. | 0:38:13 | 0:38:16 | |
If you want to stick your card in there. | 0:38:16 | 0:38:18 | |
And put your pin in. | 0:38:20 | 0:38:22 | |
There's your receipt. OK? That's it. | 0:38:27 | 0:38:30 | |
-And we're all done. -All right. | 0:38:30 | 0:38:33 | |
The nightclub owners decided not to respond | 0:38:33 | 0:38:36 | |
to the County Court judgment when they opened the letter. | 0:38:36 | 0:38:39 | |
They didn't take it seriously as they were under the impression | 0:38:39 | 0:38:42 | |
they'd paid the licensing consultant what he was owed. | 0:38:42 | 0:38:46 | |
To be honest, he just thought it was a load of nonsense. | 0:38:46 | 0:38:48 | |
He didn't think he would take it that far if he's been paid. | 0:38:48 | 0:38:52 | |
He thought he was having it on, having a go, so... | 0:38:52 | 0:38:55 | |
-Right. -But obviously... Yeah. | 0:38:55 | 0:38:58 | |
But obviously not. | 0:38:58 | 0:39:01 | |
It's been a long night and a tough negotiation, | 0:39:01 | 0:39:04 | |
but, thankfully, there was no need to call the police. | 0:39:04 | 0:39:08 | |
They're always a battle. It's very rare you don't get a battle. | 0:39:08 | 0:39:12 | |
But I was just pleased that, you know, we weren't overrun by drunken revellers | 0:39:12 | 0:39:17 | |
and there was just a general nuisance everywhere, but there wasn't. | 0:39:17 | 0:39:20 | |
It took us straight into his office out the back and it was all dealt with quietly and amicably. | 0:39:20 | 0:39:25 | |
Couldn't have asked for more, really. | 0:39:25 | 0:39:27 | |
Lawrence always enjoys getting money back for his clients. | 0:39:27 | 0:39:31 | |
What I find satisfying is no two days are the same. | 0:39:31 | 0:39:35 | |
You never know what you're going to experience. | 0:39:35 | 0:39:38 | |
And it is satisfying collecting money, at the end of the day, | 0:39:38 | 0:39:42 | |
from somebody who didn't want to pay. | 0:39:42 | 0:39:45 | |
Because everybody should pay their debts, in my opinion. | 0:39:45 | 0:39:49 | |
I pay my way through life and I don't see why anybody else should be any different. | 0:39:49 | 0:39:54 | |
And it does stop businesses going under. | 0:39:54 | 0:39:59 | |
It stops people losing their homes, if we're out there collecting money for them. | 0:39:59 | 0:40:03 | |
And it won't be long before Lawrence and Kev are back on the road again. | 0:40:05 | 0:40:09 | |
It's now three months since Lawrence and Kev went to the art gallery in London. | 0:40:17 | 0:40:21 | |
Soon after their visit, the owner made a part-payment to his aggrieved customer. | 0:40:21 | 0:40:27 | |
But the customer wants all his money back, | 0:40:27 | 0:40:30 | |
so soon the sheriffs will return. | 0:40:30 | 0:40:33 | |
And this time, they WILL remove paintings. | 0:40:33 | 0:40:36 | |
Mark and Kev, braving tropical conditions to get the pub's ex-employee | 0:40:39 | 0:40:44 | |
the £2,000 unfair dismissal money, was clearly time well spent. | 0:40:44 | 0:40:49 | |
At home in Brazil, she now has her cash | 0:40:49 | 0:40:52 | |
and she's delighted she enlisted the help of the sheriffs. | 0:40:52 | 0:40:56 | |
But in Bournemouth, despite Lawrence and Kev's best efforts, | 0:40:57 | 0:41:01 | |
David Hart still hasn't got his buggy money back from Mr Humphreys. | 0:41:01 | 0:41:06 | |
Would I do it again? | 0:41:06 | 0:41:09 | |
Trust somebody? Yeah. I would. I do trust people. | 0:41:09 | 0:41:13 | |
He may have had a bad experience on his first buggy venture, | 0:41:13 | 0:41:17 | |
but David isn't giving up on his dream. | 0:41:17 | 0:41:20 | |
My daughter said, "Are we going to get another one?" | 0:41:20 | 0:41:23 | |
Hopefully. | 0:41:23 | 0:41:24 | |
Hopefully. We'll wait and see. We'll wait and see. | 0:41:24 | 0:41:27 | |
And if the sheriffs get their way, | 0:41:27 | 0:41:30 | |
David's dream will be realised sooner rather than later. | 0:41:30 | 0:41:34 | |
Robert Baker was made redundant after he tried to return to work | 0:41:41 | 0:41:45 | |
following a kidney transplant. He won an employment tribunal, | 0:41:45 | 0:41:48 | |
but his ex-boss hasn't paid a penny. | 0:41:48 | 0:41:51 | |
Can the sheriffs put that right? | 0:41:51 | 0:41:54 | |
The total outstanding - £8,621.20. | 0:41:54 | 0:41:58 | |
And they might be worth £31.4 billion in revenue, | 0:42:00 | 0:42:05 | |
but no company is too big for the sheriffs to take on, | 0:42:05 | 0:42:08 | |
on behalf of an unhappy customer. | 0:42:08 | 0:42:11 | |
It's High Court enforcement. We've been issued a writ for Barclays Wealth. | 0:42:11 | 0:42:15 | |
And office manager Joan Wales won her compensation claim for unfair dismissal | 0:42:17 | 0:42:22 | |
but never got her cash. | 0:42:22 | 0:42:24 | |
The sheriffs go to the home of her former boss. | 0:42:24 | 0:42:27 | |
If you want to call the police, call the police. | 0:42:27 | 0:42:30 | |
They want to take his car to pay the debt, but he's got different ideas. | 0:42:30 | 0:42:35 | |
You'll be obstructing a court officer from doing their job, which you can get arrested for. | 0:42:35 | 0:42:39 | |
Try it. Go for your life. | 0:42:39 | 0:42:41 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd | 0:43:02 | 0:43:06 |