to think this is totally unfair and I shouldn't have to pay?

[ABrotherWhoLooksLikeHellMugYou]

Received a notice of non-payment of council tax earlier this week. Checked my bank account and the DD had been taken as planned, so assumed the letter was just sent out precipitously and (as I couldn't get the fucking website to load, nor could I get through to anyone on the phone) mentally put the matter aside.

Today DP and I have received a fucking COURT SUMMONS for non payment of council tax. I checked my bank account again, yes, it's definitely gone out. I checked my online council tax account - it is actually working today - yup, the last payment went out early this week, and the month prior to that and so on - we're all up to date, only now they've added on the fucking admin fee for the court summons.

I am fucking RAGING. The sheer stress of receiving a court summons, especially when it's unfair and unnecessary. Of course the council is bloody closed now, so all I can do is send them a very chilly message and rant on here about it and wait until Monday to ring them, if I can actually get through.

Anyway, my AIBU - AIBU to think I shouldn't have to pay the admin fee for them issuing a court summons considering I deliberately set up a DD in May so mistakes wouldn't be made and I wouldn't forget to pay?

Also, is there anything I can do to fight this, or are they just going to make me pay anyway? I could really do without this shit atm.

You paid, it’s an admin glitch.
Try not to think about it and call them Monday.

In addition to sending messages and phoning them, you need to put it in writing attaching a copy of your council-tax account showing the payments made. That should make them withdraw the summons, if it’s been lodged at all. Some of their correspondence can be misleading on purpose

I had this years ago, turned out the council were coding my pymt to the wrong account. It was easily sorted on the phone (after waiting for hours to get through) and all charges and summons were dropped. They were characteristically unapologetic.

It's unlikely you will have to pay any if it if you are making pymts, it will probablt be an administrator error, but you do need to sort it BEFORE it goes to court or you could end up with a CCJ and that will be a bugger to sort out. It's a pain but don't just leave it, speak to someone ASAP and back up with emails showing your bank statement pymts etc.

You're being a bit over dramatic. If you know for sure you've paid it then it will sort itself out.

Well this is what I thought earlier in the week, hence why I let it drop instead of trying to call again. It is rather sobering to receive a court summons in the post.

Woah! You need to chill and rationalise this.

Look at the facts - you have evidence to say you’ve paid, you’re not going to have to pay, they will drop the court summons and admin fee. Your main issue here is getting through to them, but you will get the rough eventually. Do they have an email address?

You won't have to pay. I had something similar happen to me, and I called to explain and they immediately cancelled the admin fee and non payment costs. It's a ballache to call them up and explain but if you've paid and it's a mistake then you absolutely won't have to pay this.

Through not the rough!

You won't have to pay and you don't need to stress; but you do need to contact them and let them know about the error so they can fix it. It's likely that your DD is not properly linked to your address or something.

Your mistake was not calling again, frustrating as it is, but the summons is easily solved once you've contacted them and they fix the mistake.

This happened to me last year. Once I finally got through to talk with a person they apologized and removed court fees.

Why didn’t you phone the council when the non payment letter came through?You could have sorted it out then and there. You can’t assume the system that generated the letter is going to sort itself out and decide you are up to date with payments.

It’s an admin error that will easily be solved when you send in the evidence. I hope you can move on and it doesn’t ruin your weekend.

Send them an email with all the details. If it is an error it will be dealt with and the summons withdrawn

@alwusn, just because this is AIBU doesn't give you the right to be so judgemental and unpleasant. Take a look at yourself. 👀

I'd be inclined to let it go to court, show proof you've paid it and let the court tell the council off for crap admin and wasting its time. What is wrong with these councils and companies? Is it so hard to do admin properly?

Why should the OP do the council's admin for them?

you do need to sort it BEFORE it goes to court or you could end up with a CCJ and that will be a bugger to sort out

no you don't because if you show the court evidence you've paid, no CCJ will happen.

Contact your local Councillor, ( but good luck with that at the weekend our seem to think it is a 9 to 5 job)
Ask them to sort it out on Monday morning. Please don't stress you have paid and it will get sorted out don't let it spoil your weekend

Are you sure it's not a postal scam?

Why should the OP do the council's admin for them?

anyone with half an ounce of common sense phones up and double checks the council have received the money if they get any notification that suggests they haven't paid. The money leaving your account doesn't mean the council has received it.

You set up a DD in May. What about the April payment ?

Yeah that’s a great idea - waste the courts time to prove some kind of point instead of phoning someone to sort it out. 🙄 Mistakes happen.

This all sounds very odd. They wouldn't send you a letter about none payment and then a court summons a few days later, and all for one missed payment. It takes months for all of that to happen and you need to have built up considerable debt with a refusal to pay before it gets to court. Are you sure the letters you have received are legitimate?

The timeline for a summons seems very quick. Are you sure it doesn't relate to an earlier period?