Council Tax Arrears

[NeedToKnowPlease]

I've never touched my payment method for my council tax. I pay via direct debit 10 out of the 12 months. It was time for the two months of no council tax, they rolled on nicely.

The month after, The council didn't take any money from me and now I'm in arrears.

But they did take the month from me this month so I owe them for last month.

Why didn't they take my money? it was there for them. Now I have a small fee to pay because it was late but it wasn't my fault.

can I have some advice please

[dannyk13]

Have you asked the council why they didn't take it?If you pay by direct debit then it is their fault if a payment is missed.

[NeedToKnowPlease]

Unfortunately they are useless "oh, I don't know what happened there" but I have to foot the bill.

[dannyk13]

I would refuse to pay for their mistake.

[barry1010]

Write to the council, use registered or 'signed for' post, explaining that they failed to collect the payment by Direct Debit and you want the matter investigating.
Stress that you object to paying the late payment fee as the error is theirs.
Enclose a cheque for the missing month.

[NeedToKnowPlease]

if the error is theirs or not, I've not paid for a month of council tax so they're going to want me to pay for that that is what has been implied to me by the lady on the phone

[dannyk13]

That's good advice from Barry.

[burlyshirley]

Unbelievable, but SO typical of Councils ! Entirely not your fault and I would refuse point blank to pay. Also agree with barry, but it's a faff that you have to do that because of their mistake !

[NeedToKnowPlease]

I agree that Barry's advice is good. It's one of those things...

I know that with council tax there's no hiding. I want to get this sorted before the fees go through the roof. I'm good for the money as it is but not if it gets much steeper.

[dannyk13]

NKP, in no way should you have to pay a fee for their cock-up,

[barry1010]

Can you visit the council office? Sometimes a face to face chat is the easiest way to sort problems out.

[THECORBYLOON]

Find out who your local councillor is and contact them to see if they can help to resolve the issue.

[Electrochem]

I would be contacting them in writing and by E-mail. Use recorded delivery when writing and tell them that the fault is theirs and that you are not going to pay any penalty charges. If the fault is theirs, they have no right to make any penalty charges. I would also tell them that you wish to be refunded the cost of sending them a letter and wish to be paid the same amount as they wanted to charge for late payment for the inconvenience they have caused you. They get away with too much.

[Peter Pedant]

IF you can get thro to the dept ask how you can appeal and or complain

they may not 1) answer 2 ) know 3) give duff info not understanding how you cd possibly wish to complain

write a letter saying
1) you have been charged
2) it is not your fault - it is theirs
and ask for a rebate AND the record of late payment is expunged/corrected
send a copy recorded delivery

I do this regularly with Br Gas who are awful and slip in the overcharge just when you dont notice

good luck

none of this foot the bill stuff
you have been unlawfully surcharged

chrissakes - you have to pay the bill but not the extra - dont even pretend because they didnt take it - you dont owe it. dont go there

you owe the CT but not the fee - - be serious

[Peter Pedant]

// I would be contacting them in writing and by E-mail.//

writing not so much email - - - they are so easy to lose
Registered
I cdnt find Margaret Pearson's private address in Manchester when I was complaining but the letter 'still got froo' - employee X and Y lying when she (X and Y) said I had been rude to her (X and Y) ( so she didnt have to process my very real complaint involving around £1,000)

[Buenchico]

I'm with TCL on this one. Contact your local councillor.

A few years ago, I was getting a 100% reduction on my Council Tax bill (as I was in receipt of just a small pension plus Pension Credit). When my 65th birthday arrived, I then got my State Pension (but lost my Pension Credit), thus increasing my income. Well before that date I wrote to our local Council Tax department to advise them of the forthcoming change. I was unsure as to whether I'd still be eligible for at least some reduction in my Council Tax (as my total income was still quite low) but I was delighted when they continued to give me the full 100% reduction.

Right at the end of the tax year though, they realised they'd made a mistake and (without even bothering to enclose a covering letter to explain things to me) they sent me a revised Council Tax bill. It was for the full year's payment (with no discount) and, because of when it was sent out, there was no option to pay it in instalments. So I was presented with a bill for over a thousand quid straight out of the blue!

I wrote to my local councillor, saying that I felt it was unreasonable that I should have to pay such a big bill, which I'd had no prior notice about, all in one go. She agreed and made contact with their head of finance. The result was that the council agreed to completely write off the bill, thus saving me over a thousand quid ;-)

So contacting a local councillor really can pay dividends!