i paid my council tax payment early, kept bankslip receipt. The council said i hadn't and it ended up with them starting bailiff action/recovery action whilst i was away [3 months] before and after i rang to say i had paid, and to please check. I returned to find recovery fees etc so visited council in person and with receipt, after 15mins they admitted i had paid, but because bank cashier had failed to put reference no. [council tax] on slip-they didnt see it?? [i know that failure was "my" mistake, but have no other payments to council] I then asked well, can you remove these "costs" as you agree you had my £ early/all the time. I was then gobsmacked....ok, you'v already guessed...NO.... I asked why? because i hadn't filled out the relevant forms etc etc I explained i had stated twice previously the monies were paid [early] why should i then fill out forms etc..and i was away when all this was going on. So in the end i paid as i was sick of the bailiffs turning up whilst i was away etc. I thought in doing so this would stop them turning up/increasing the "amount"-it did, and i would then take them to small claims court [the council, who instructed the bailiffs] to recover monies etc. I have just found out this is NOT possible [correct?]-so what can i do? Any help would be gratefully received. ps the irksome thing is that the smug council chap and boss said they had done everything humanely possible to check if i had paid it....i said it had only taken them 15mins to do so when i arrived with my receipt-so how was that true? No reply. If this just reads as a moan-and you think i should have known better, fair enough.. regards