Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

To be COMPLETELY pi%%ed off with my council and their complete incapacity to read!!

31 replies

Alambil · 04/04/2008 17:44

It's taken me 6 months to get them to sort out my council tax - I'm on full benefit and was exempt through my degree; they seemed to think I owed 9 grand!!

I have recently got the letters through to say that actually I am on benefits (like I've been telling and showing them them!) and I owe nothing; it's all been backdated etc.

Today however it seems like we are back to square 1... I just opened a letter saying I owe them more money!!

HOW ??! HOW THE F*CK can I owe them money when I'M GETTING COUNCIL TAX BENEFIT - full benefit, no contributions?!?!!

Honestly, I'm quite amazed that I haven't had a nervous breakdown yet; this truly is the next thing in a huge pile of other stuff... it's doing my head in!!!

They better be ready for a phone call on Monday morning!

OP posts:

llareggub · 04/04/2008 17:47

Try calling them now. Most councils these days have call centres open until 8pm.

glaskham · 04/04/2008 17:48

dont get me sorted on council tax...Our council took us to court becaus ewe paid one months council tax a wwek late and they didn't update our account to say we'd paid....6 weeks later we'd been taken to court and got an extra £60 'legal fee's' on top!!

Original poster

Alambil · 04/04/2008 17:52

They don't; it goes directly to the town offices - they close at 4pm (which means they don't answer the phone from 3.30!)

I could go down there on Monday but I'll have DS with me and it's unfair dragging him through it all too.... I just can't believe it - how can they send a letter literally 10 days ago saying I owe nothing, all sorted... then ask for money!?!?!

I am in half a mind to go to the papers - this truly is the millionth thing gone wrong since I began my degree in 2004... I'm thinking of writing a piece to warn others out there about the feckless people working in this borough!

OP posts:

llareggub · 04/04/2008 17:54

Write to them, copying in your local councillor, complaints officer and chief executive. That should help concentrate the mind of the council tax people.

Original poster

Alambil · 04/04/2008 17:57

Tried that - hasn't done anything. I could try again I guess...

Even went to see my MP - that did pants all too!

OP posts:

llareggub · 04/04/2008 18:02

Are you sure you don't have to re-do it every financial year or something?

llareggub · 04/04/2008 18:03

It is nothing to do with your MP. Hassle the councillor responsible for council tax, it should be on the website. Have you made a formal complaint?

SaintGeorge · 04/04/2008 18:10

If you have the letter saying you own nothing then do nothing.

I'd wait until the day they take you to court, notify the local press in advance and then humiliate the bastards.

Original poster

Alambil · 04/04/2008 18:17

St George I've thought of that too - I don't know; just seems a horrendous waste of money...

Fortunately I've learned my lesson and the last bit of paper I took as evidence I got signed and dated... it's stored in my dad's filing cabinet!

llareggub, it's literally been 10 days since I got the last letter; they said nothing would have to be done now.. then this.

They have constantly screwed up this past 4 years; tried to evict me more than once etc.

I am going to see if my sister can babysit DS on Monday morning so I can get there and sort it out again... do you think they'll let me see a boss or something if I just turn up?

I'm just SO sick of it - I may even cry... it's really getting to me and I've only just begun pulling myself out of my recent depressive state; not there entirely and this sort of thing just pushes me down a notch or two.

I feel like swearing at them too - but I won't!

OP posts:

Kimi · 04/04/2008 18:20

Lewis my mum had this and it went on for ages. And when DH and I moved in to our first home it took forever to sort out the council tax.
I have said it before and I will say it again, the councils employ the people McDonalds turn down.

iloatheironing · 04/04/2008 18:22

I have a similar problem with BT. They allowed our phoneline to be taken over by another company against our wishes and specific instructions not to do so. I thought I'd sorted it out and eventually got phone line back to BT. However when the line was transferred we were still in initial contract period with BT so they sent us a final bill for nearly £300.00 including a cancellation fee. Have lost count how many times I have rang them and been told that I owe them nothing only to receive yet another red bill. The latest arrived this week threatening me with debt collecting agencies and credit black listing!!!

SaintGeorge · 04/04/2008 18:24

I would do anything to humiliate my council right now. They are not my best friends

Seriously, you have my sympathy. Left hand and right hand never seem to communicate in council offices IME.

Take a few deep breathes and dont' let yourself get ill again over some incompetent idiot. Copy all the correspondence you have and send, recorded delivery, to whoever sent you the latest letter.

theUrbanNixie · 04/04/2008 18:26

Lewis - what a nightmare! if you can get your sis to babysit ds then definitely go down there on Monday, be very calm and polite and insist that you see a manager. do not swear or lose your temper as they will refuse to see you which will wind you up even more (i know it would infuriate me!!) i'm working monday, otherwise he could come and play at ours!

and - apologies for the hijack - but ST GEORGE!!! where have you been? fabbo to see you back posting!

SaintGeorge · 04/04/2008 18:28

theUrbanNixie · 04/04/2008 18:30

ivykaty44 · 04/04/2008 18:36

I would photocopy both letters and the letter that they sined and dated.

Take them back down to your town hall and ask them to sign them all again. Then hand them a letter giving notice that in the furture your charges will be:
£5 for trip to town hall to get letter signed
£10 to get babysitter for one small child
£15 if trip takes more than 1 hour

Wasting your time is not free any more and further time will be charged for

SaintGeorge · 04/04/2008 18:45

Apologies LewisFan for ongoing hijack

LBA · 04/04/2008 19:15

Argggghhhh Lewisfan I have had so much trouble with our local council. When I was working part time if I did even one hour overtime I had to send in the last five weeks payslips as i'd be accused of fraud if I didnt. Then the last five weeks childcare receipts.

EVERY time I did this they overpaid (WHY?) my housing benefit (I used to get a small rent rebate). I never understood it. They overpaid into my rent account, which obviously is not a bank account and I cannot take money out of. In theory you would think they could adjust it back to how it was..NOOOOO. They clawed it back along with the rent I did pay, never told me how much rent I should be paying, gave me the wrong figures, cost me £1 every time I adjusted the direct debit (which was a lot).

I was threatened with eviction every month, ended up paying money to the estate office because apparently my rent account was now in arrears? and still paying extra to cover housing benefit.

This was nearly a year ago and I was told I no longer owed them anything. So I stopped the extra payments and last week they sent me a final reminder (ok, but where are the other reminders? ) for £180.00.

I paid it to get rid of them once and for all because these people nearly drove me mad. I have every sympathy. I still dont get it. They overpaid into my rent account, have made me pay them extra every week on top of my rent, and the rent account is in arrears apparently. Work that one out.

{head explodes}

Original poster

Alambil · 04/04/2008 19:35

It is utterly ridiculous isn't it!!

St G no worries on the hi-jack; didn't know you had eye issues

UN (why the change?) - we MUST get round to meeting one day! I don't have any money or petrol til Wednesday but I'm sure we'll figure something soon!

OP posts:

theUrbanNixie · 04/04/2008 20:08

Lewis - i was a dryad, because we were living in a town near lots of trees, but now i'm living in a town with lots of water. nixie is a water spirit (sort of)

i'm free Wed, but got to wait for gas heating boiler man to come over, he said he'd be over around 11 so maybe we could meet up for lunch? Maccy D's on the A41 currently a fave.

SaintGeorge · 04/04/2008 20:10

ROFL at the idea of the idea of planning a lunchdate 'cos the boiler man says he is coming at around 11.

You'd probably be pushing it making supper plans.

edam · 04/04/2008 20:20

Oh, I sympathise re. councils. Mine hasn't done anything bad to me personally (yet!) but local paper has discovered via a Freedom of Information Act request that the chief exec is paid £200,000 a year! That's substantially more than the effing prime minister, FFS. And six other members of staff are paid over £100,00! No wonder council tax bills are so huge. How on earth are our supposed elected representatives letting them get away with it?

Original poster

Alambil · 04/04/2008 20:23

or the following week UN!!

Sounds good - DS is nagging me for a Maccy D's - do you mean the one on the bypass?

OP posts:

theUrbanNixie · 04/04/2008 20:25

yeah - tis the closest one to me, and equidistant between me and thee. or i could come to the one by Pets at Home.

how depressing is it that the only areas of your town i know are the Maccy D's??

Original poster

Alambil · 05/04/2008 01:35

lol that's funny! I'll come out to the A41 one - its fair then and DS will love me lol

The sadder thing is that I'll go to the one by Tesco if the PAH one doesn't have milkshakes ROFL!!!

Shall we email times etc?

OP posts:

Flip

1 2