Bristow & Sutor Anmeldelser 834

Whilst this isn't anything new in listing a one star review for this sorry excuse of a company, I felt compelled to add details of my experience as well.

This company contacted my partner 2 days ago, about an unpaid congestion charge debt. A despicable individual by the name of Ian spoke to my partner initially and reduced her to tears with his misogynistic ramblings, and bullying, with no interest at all in trying to deal with the issues in a reasoned and rational manner. Common sense doesn't seem to apply to this company, not do any of their staff seem to have an ounce of empathy or a brain cell between them.... maybe that's in the job description for anyone who works here.

Ian tried to bully my partner into paying 330 otherwise he threatened to send bailiffs round to us and scoffed at our ability to prevent any further action from being taken. Ian, you sorry excuse for a human, don't underestimate that when you get under the skin of decent people and try to bully them into submission, they'll develop a siege mentality and do whatever it takes to disprove your lies and see that you get your comeuppance.

It's a travesty that this disgusting company is allowed to operate, and I'm so sorry to read the horror stories on here from other decent people. Shame on the local authorities in Worcestershire for not shutting this company down; I'll be contacting them in the coming days.

All of this, for 12.50 which was unwittingly not paid as part of Ulez, it's an absolute farce

I have spoke on the phone numerous times a they won’t accept a payment plan for a pcn charge and now the fees have racked up to 3000. When trying to express my financial situation I had a rude person on the phone that spoke down to me an didn’t want to hear anything I had to say. I don’t see why they can’t give people a chance to have an affordable payment plan. Instead they try bully an get rude to you. No need for it. I then had a phone call of a Baliff who said that I would be in breech of my car finance an that he would contact the car finance people to take my car! At this point I’m done. This is why a lot of people go through mental health an breakdowns.

Bully boy tactics.
Richard Sutor you must be very proud of yourself and the customer service your employees deliver. 😡
Do you actually live in the real world? Do you know there is a financial crisis in this country?
I spoke with one of your agents who advised that you do not have a legal liability to offer instalments.
It appears that you would rather remove goods.
Debt collection/enforcement agencies get shocking reviews and have/are subject to negative media coverage.
Get a grip show some compassion and empathy and look at delivering training to staff that is more productive rather than destructive!!

It is absolutely objectionable that companies like this are allowed to exist. And it is even more objectionable that councils use them to intimidate people who are struggling into giving money they don't have. Anyone associated with this company or any like it should be ashamed.

We have got into council tax arrears,got a letter on 30/08/2025with regards to this,letter was dated 18/08/25.Letter demanded £567.00.per week to clear.Do these people not realise that if we didnt pay council tax we wouldnt be able to pay this amount.Spoke to apolite and helpful young man in Step Change who organised a Breathing Space for .s.After spending 35 mins on the phone it was answered by a male whom I think was called Naz,not sure if this is his correct name as he was so abrupt ,rude and certainly not articulate. I could tell by his attitude he wasnt pleased about the breathing space......I wonder why.The difference in the attitudes of both males was amazing,

The most scamming people in Planet taking advantage from people, forcing people that don’t owe you anything it’s absolutely ridiculous

Spoke to James today who was extremely helpful. Considering the reviews it was pain free .
The only thing was I waited a really long time before my call was handled but overall glad I got to speak to someone and feel relieved.

Actually spoke with a call handler with common sense named Isabelle who helped my affordability & made it easier for me to maintain my payments, This is after speaking with various call handlers whom understood my financial situation but made no effort to help when it came to making high weekly payments, I'm always polite and respectful but other than Isabelle over other agent I've spoken with has either been disinterested in the payments I've offered to make never below (£50) PW until now I believed Bristow & Sutor made a point of having high repayments but it turns out all you need is someone who actually is rational about what is affordable and what isn't, All the other Call Handlers could learn alot from Isabelle - Paul Bloomfield many thanks Isabelle you are a star!

The staff are absolutely hopless i sent Email at 14.47 on 24/07/25 to there complaint dept received an automatied response at 14.47 from complaint dept saying thank we aaim to respond within in 10 working days have ahad absolutely no response refuse to accept thst email was sent despite screenshots etc of the automated response being sent claims to be professional company but far from physically impossible to speak to a manager or to complaints dept on the telephone claims to be a caring professional company but doesnt inform you by letter telephone or email just choose to add money on despite having customers contact details from a previous case
Update 28/08/2025
Spoke to several members of staff this morning who were very obtuse and very threatening and generally incompetent mary ann being one if them finally spoke to someone who showed a little bit of understanding and read the email i sent and at the screenshots and finally accepted that the complaints email was sent as i have been saying for the last 5-6 weeks she made some notes on my file and confirmed by text message at 12.30 pm28/8/2025that she had done this and requested an URGENT CALL BACK FROM THE HE COMPLAINT /COMPLIANCE DEPARTMENT but unfortunately nobody seems to understand the meaning of the word urgent and having had no response and rang and spoke to a guy called James who again acted in the usual aggressive intimidating manner of the majority of bristo sutor staff so i requested the name of the regulatory body that governs them so i could raise the matter with them about the treatment i have received from the majority of bristow sutor staffbut james has blatantly said no he is not prepared to give it to me presumably because he has more power rhan he actually has he also failed to email the correct department regarding a subject access request when i spoke to him yesterday but i believe chloe has done so would be so nice for someone from bristow and sutor to respond to this review but i doubt there is anyone COMPETENT enough to do this seeing has how none understand the meaning of urgent
Update
Compaint settled enforcement costs removed

I received a text message today whilst at work, stating that an ANPR marker had been placed on my vehicle and that it was at risk of being clamped and removed. The message instructed me to call an agent named Paul at 01527389785 immediately to prevent additional charges.

Upon calling the number provided, an individual identifying himself as ‘Paul’ answered. My interaction with him was immediately concerning due to his rude, condescending, and aggressive tone.

Mr. ‘Paul’ demanded my name and address without first providing any proof of his identity or the validity of the debt. When I expressed my hesitation to provide sensitive personal information to a suspected scammer, his demeanor escalated.

Instead of attempting to establish a professional dialogue or verify his legitimacy, Mr. Paul became angry and instantly resorted to threats, stating that since I had not "complied," he would be sending enforcement agents to my house and hung up.

The entire interaction was conducted in a disrespectful manner, and no attempt was made to act as a legitimate business seeking to resolve a matter. The level of aggression and condescension was shocking.

The alleged charge in question (DART CHARGE) does not even seem to be a valid debt. I have recorded the call and will be submitting a report to Action Fraud this afternoon, as the behavior exhibited by your agent is not only unprofessional but also borders on harassment.

After this incident, I reviewed public forums and complaints online and was frankly disgusted, though not surprised, to see that my experience is not an isolated one, nor remotely close to the horrific ordeals other individuals have been subjected to by these crooks. Multiple accounts detail similar aggressive tactics and threats from your agents.

While your company may respond to these complaints with a standard line about the behavior not aligning with your training, it is clear that there is a systemic issue with your staff's conduct and your company's culture. This pattern of behaviour suggests a direct or indirect incentivisation of such aggressive and threatening actions. I am also writing to my local MP and all council authorities I’ve found connections to, to question their association with an organisation that operates in such a manner, particularly in a way that could exploit vulnerable individuals.

If you are a legitimate company, I suggest the following immediate actions:

A formal and thorough investigation into the conduct of the employee named ‘Paul’.

A complete review of your staff training protocols and internal company culture to address and rectify these recurring issues.

I highly recommend anyone who has dealings with this company to record all interactions and reach out to your local MP, local authorities and action fraud.

Absolutely disgusting spoke to a man called Ian! Who was very very very rude made me feel very uncomfortable! Basically said I have till a certain date to pay in full no if or but about it and today I’ve received a text saying people are attending my property before the due day he gave!! I’ve explained my mental health and cancer I’ve been threw since all this has started and they don’t care he couldn’t answer one of my questions I asked! He advised me ten things to go and do and I did those and he still cannot do anything! I’m definitely taking this a lot higher regarding this rude company and there staff! It’s unacceptable behaviour! How would you like it if this was a member gold your family being called and spoken to how you take to all your so called customers! Not one good review says a lot about the company yet they’ve done nothing to improve it!

I can't give any advice for PCN debts but if you have a council debt I urge you to call your local council and Step Change before engaging in any conversations or correspondence with this company.

When I initially spoke to Bristow & Sutor they said I had to pay the full balance within 3 months. They then increased this offer to 5 months. Unfortunately, following a job redundancy (the reason I was in arrears!) I literally didn't have the funds to cover this. This didn't matter to them though and so the threats and nastiness began.

I spoke to a number of advisors and unfortunately my experience was entirely negative, they had no interest in working with me when I asked if I could pay over an extended period. They said no and that if I didn't agree to their terms they'd contact my employer and send debt collectors within the following 7 days. They also have no concerns about someones disability status (I raised this and was told it was irrelevant) or their means to actually be able to make payment.

I also found that some of the advisors searched viewed my LinkedIn profile during/after our conversations which I just found really weird.

I ended up speaking to Step Change and then my local council directly, who were extremely understanding and made an arrangement with Bristow & Sutor for me to pay my debt over 12 months instead. This was a huge relief and I was just glad I didn't have to speak to any more advisors directly after this.

I also understand in some circumstances, and depending on the size of the debt, the council can also sometimes take this back and you can arrange paying off your arrears with them directly.

I'm close to paying my final instalment and hopefully will never have a dealing with this company again. There is something seriously troubling about the culture of a place which allows their employees to speak to people in the way they do.

Hopefully they are investigated at a regulatory level because in my experience their behaviour is aggressive, threatening and unprofessional.

Actually have no words apart from horrible bullies. I spoke to the most antagonising horrible woman ever. I have proof of me contacting and making a payment plan. She said they’ve emailed back and refused it. Yet to find this email???? How funny!! She was horrible on the phone. Threatening to go to my dad’s address also. I will be taking this so much further. How they’re operating I’ll never know. They are saying they’ll go there on Wednesday if I don’t pay £400? Yeah cause people can just pull money out their pocket like that. I am genuinely seething

Conversation wiv lady called Stephanie absolutely outstanding cud not fault the girl helped me massively she's a supper star
As for Luke needs sacking as he was not professional towards me hence y I had to call up again

My stepson discovered a warning of immobilisation on his car parked on my drive. The car, however, was not immobilized, so a misrepresentation, or as I like to call it, a blatant lie in order to get a response. Also, there was no time recorded on the warning, as required by law. I called the number on the warning and Richard Jones told me that he doesn't like to clamp the car straight away, especially when 'its the first time'. However, the warning clearly states the vehicle has been immobilised, so blatantly misrepresented. I am still waiting for a response from the company having messaged both them and the local authority they are representing and who issued the parking fine. Today, he has received a notice of enforcement for another unpaid parking fine (yes he's an idiot, but he thought he had paid it). Today is the 21 august and it says to pay by 23rd. The notice says date of issue is 15th, so why has it only arrived today and does this breech the 7 clear days that is legally required before further proceedings can commence? There is no bailiff name on the certificate, only a reference number, so I can't check if they are registered. I tried the reference number on the register search and that gave no result. Absolute joke of a company that seems to be a law unto themselves.

Update: my stepson received another notification of enforcement for another unpaid parking fine (yes, he's a Muppet). The letter was dated as ' issued on' 15th August. However, it didn't arrive until 21st August and said payment needed to be made by the 23rd August. Having read other reviews, this seems to be a regular tactic of theirs, giving folk much less than the legally required time to pay! They'll no doubt blame the postal service, but happens to often it seems, to be coincidentally snagged up in the post.

I also got a reply to the message I sent via their contact form online, rather later than they said they'd reply. Unfortunately it is merely a reply to say they will reply within 10 working days. Plus, it's a one way email system that you can't contact them on. How convenient.

Absolutely awful! My ex and I have an overdue council tax bill to pay of £3000, today I have received a text saying B&S are due to attend my address tomorrow to Execute the Court Order for the unpaid balance. I was asked to call a man called David which I did and he was extremely rude and unhelpful. I explained that I could not afford to pay half of the debt today and he said there was nothing he could do, can anyone advise further as I am very scared of what might happen and want to sort this in an amicable way but they seen unwilling to do that.

Big thanks to Kerry, Beth , lisa and Martin. Went above and beyond to help me , really appreciated

Spoke to a lady called Siobhan on the 14th August did not want to be helpful at all very rude trying scare tactics over the phone.

I have no words to describe the full extent of their incompetence and threatening tactics.

They continue to harass my father, 82 years old, first by email, then by an enforcement notice through his door, for a parking offence.

He doesn't have a driving license or a vehicle, and hasn't driven for many years.

I have communicated this to them by email many times and received a reply stating "duly noted." But they continue to pursue it!

The WhatsApp chat they offered in the enforcement letter was useless; they didn't respond at all, except to acknowledge the message I sent.

This surely can't be a serious company when it's so hard to communicate with them?

Currently making an official complaint due to gdpr breach, issues when in communication with the collector/bailiff, Amy, Please learn the law and how it affects your position going forward. A GDPR BREACH IS A SERIOUS OFFENCE