Paid council Tax in Full and Balliffs want £1200

[hobson999]

Hi all, This is a fun story I hope you can help. I was a little late setting up my standing order or direct debit ( can't remember which as my wife actually does all that)for my council tax this year but everything seemed fine until about August this year when I got that balliffs knock. A very nice gentleman type (surprise) explained to us that we had apparntly missed the first payment on our council tax and owed £xxx to bring us upto date. No problem we pay the balliff and he explains that we just need to carry on with our payments as usual, well the direct debit has been going out of our account regularly so all is well we think. September arrives along with some snotty kid in pinstripe suit demanding £1200.00 ( I laughed and looked for jeremy beadle) I explain we have paid and everything is upto date. He retorts that they have not seen a penny since we paid the first balliff ( I send him, on his way). We phone up the council tax office and they assure us our payments have been made and we ownly owe a small amount £xxx as I am on diability they gave us a rebate. So the wife pops down to the council office the next day and pays off the remainder (hurray I'm a free man ) and while she is there gets the young lady behind the desk to phone this balliff and tell him personally that we have paid. All I need now is for everyone to do the paperwork and I will get my reicept through the post in a few days. Nope nothing nada arrives until halloween night. Yep you guessed it, the balliff "you still owe us £900 ". He left with his tail between his legs I can tell you that much, the very next day I sent my local councillor an email explaining the situation (shes very good as they screwed up our council tax payments last year and she had to sort it out) and she said she would look into it. I wait a few days and she contacts me saying everything is being sorted out. Its now the 12th of november and I still have no receipt. I know there is a lot of waffle in this post but I thought it best to give you all there full story as that balliff will probably be back in a few days. Any advice will be much appreciated

[Guest BURP]

Have you filed a complaint of incompetence against the council? Escalate to the Local Government Ombudsman if you are fobbed off with excuses and ask for compensation for your inconvenience in clear up the matter. Dont want to sound a party-pooper but be less jovial in you manner of writing and try to use less metaphors. It can be interpreted as sarcasm.

[Voxter]

lol 2 for 1 here you even get told how to write your post

[Guest BURP]

I should have said whe writing to the council & LGO. It wasn't intended as a reference on how to write a forum post.

[hobson999]

Thanks for the replies, I have contacted my local councillor and expressed my dismay at the way we have been treated but I have not actually filed a written complaint to anyone beyond that. I have told the councillor if the balliffs come round again I will be contacting my solicitor and taking legal action against them. I'm not sure if this is the correct route to take but for now its just a waiting game.

 

P.s. That comment about how I write was quite amusing, I must admit lol:)

[Guest BURP]

Using a solicitor is an expensive way to do it. He will ask for a large detailed assessment fee and his report probably wont tell you much. Solicitors fees are unrecoverable because the LGO can only ask for compensation which is usually little more than £100 for complaints like these.

[hobson999]

Thanks alot for that Burp as they will probably fobb me off with any excuse if they think I will pay a solicitor but if I threaten them with the LGO I doubt they will like that. To be honest I have never heard of them but I am quite sure the local council would like to keep it that way as well

[Sugarbabe47]

Hobson999

Hi - just my tuppence worth here, before you go to complain to LGO, make sure you have gone through ALL the complaints procedure with your Local Council FIRST!!