Council tax bother

[Marshamallowcreme]

Just got a new house in August, called the council and told them the property is empty so they sent me a new bill which was discounted.
So starting from 2/10 they were charging £109 from then on £107 a month until feb and then we would be on the full whack (fine we should be in by then)
However they have taken £258 out of our bank account this month and when I phoned them they said they never took any payment in November and they would send me a letter of info - I haven’t received a single thing off them to explain the charges an they didn’t tell us that this larger amount would be debited. Do I even have a leg to stand on here?
I’m a total rookie here but it makes no sense.

TIA

So have they taken October's and November's payment in one transaction? I would ring them and demand they send an email with the breakdown of payments for 2019/2020 while your on the phone and if you couldn't afford such an amount they've already taken I would put a complaint in and see whether they could refund you some of the money back and alter your next instalments with the missing payment of November. So they could easily add on £30 or how much it would be spread out until end of council tax year. Hope that makes sense?

@Cariad2020 I understand they could have taken nov/dec in one payment but that should of been £214 at the most right?
I will ring them again and query the difference just I’m a first time home owner so unsure really.
Just was really shocked they took that amount from my bank without telling me then again they said that they would send a letter explaining and this was 7 days ago so just wanted a bit of advice before calling back.

Thank you :)

If they haven't informed you in advance of this payment then you could get it refunded by the bank under the Direct debit guarantee

If the DD doesn’t get paid from your bank in November, it is common practice for any company and tax to request double payment the following month

They don’t have to inform you as you would know the payment wasn’t taken in November,

But why it isn’t £214 instead of £258 ?

Just remember that it’s a tax and there rules are much harsher....

If a DD fails twice then the DD will be cancelled and your bill will obviously remain unpaid, which if you don’t check (and it is your responsibility) could lead very quickly to reminder letters and court summons

Many councils don’t give any discounts for empty properties any longer, so you’ve been fortunate on that score

@ivykaty DD wasn’t rejected they said they gave us a break for that month when I enquired.

They do have to inform you of any changes to the direct debit amount under the terms of the Direct Debit Guarantee. They cant just take any amount they want with no notice

www.directdebit.co.uk/DirectDebitExplained/pages/directdebitguarantee.aspx

What does it give as the amounts on your tax demand?