I find this really depressing..

[The Natural Philosopher]

I need to claim my fisrt winter fuel payment blah blah.

I phone up because they want my birth certificate,.

No way I say, is that going in the post.

OK they say, send us a registered verified copy - just go into the job centre and get it verified and and send a verified copy.

Me: I have never been to the job centre in my life and I don't know where it is, will a bank or solicitor verified copy do?

Them: Sure that will be fine.

Today back comes the form and in a separate cover the birth certificate copy saying I must take it to te local job centre..

Oh and when I said I wanted a cheque they sent it back saying 'I must tell them where I want to cash it'

I don't want to cash it, I just don't trust any given bank (account) to be there next year to DD it into.

So far as with all government grants its cost as much to not get it as I would benefit by getting it.

This is the THIRD time this year that some stupid junior clerk in some organisation that ought to know better has pissed all over me despite the fact that I have phoned, checked the rules and complied with them.

Society is really falling apart due to systemetically introduced incompetence at every level.

[NT]

They play as many games as they can.

NT

[David]

Absolutely what I have been thinking for years.

David

[ss]

2 years ago I had underpaid my council tax by £10, when it was brought to my attention I paid it, but they put it towards the new year and did not deduct it from the oustanding £10, after several irate phone calls I agreed to pay again....you guessed they put it towards the new tax year! I thought fe.k off I have paid it twice, then a reminder pops through the door re me owing them £10 from the previous year, I just ignored it. Eventually I get a letter from a debt collector and a date when they would visit my house with a warrent or something to collect goods to the value of £10. I emailed the debt collector and advised him I paid twice and they better contact the council, in addition they were advised the press would be present when they come to collect my £10 and I would take them to court if they dared continue. Never heard anymore. Today I receive my council tax for the year, and they wonder why people get irate with them, at the top of the page it states `demand notice`for the payment of..... Council tax isnt even legal or lawful yet they DEMAND payment. No niceties from the council then.

[Fredxx]

I've had summons's twice from my local council. The first was sorted out by phone call after I said "See you in court", the second dealt by letter to the court illustrating bank payments and agreed payment schedule!

You can't make it up!!

[Paul D Smith]

...snip...

I would politely write back asking why they want this extra and pointless information and why what you have done is no good. At the top of the letter, perhaps even in bold, write...

Cc:

...and send a copy to your MP.

Wait for your cheque.

Paul DS.

[jgharston]

Nothing to do with your MP, it's your local *council*, so CC your local *councillor*.

I had this hassle myself just a few weeks ago.

Tenant moved out of flat last November. We sorted out the final bills, she gave me enough to cover final bills to her moving out. I phoned council saying she'd gone. They sent me the council tax bill. I phoned again saying it needed a single person discount put on it. "Are you Ms X?" they asked. No, said I. Well, bugger off they said. We can only talk to Ms X.

So, phoned Ms X, told her to talk to council to get single person discount put on bill for property she'd moved out of. Got new bill. Went to bank to pay it. "This has no bank giro details, we can't take this" says them. So, go into town to Council Offices. They've closed the payment counters. So, I put cheque and bill in envelope and pop it in their letter box. Job done.

Month later, former tenant phones: she's being summonsed for non- payment! WTF? Phone council. "I've paid!". No you haven't, we don't take cheques. Well, send me my damn cheque back and I'll come in and pay cash - oh, wait, you've closed the b***y payment desks haven't you?

So, go online and try to make an online payment. They want me to register an account and set up a regular payment. Bugger that. Log onto my bank instead and make a one-off payment.

Two weeks later, former tenent phones again: another demand. She's phoned the council, they have said "your landlord is lying to you, he hadn't paid anything".

I storm into the council offices and wave a bank account printout at them. Oh, but it's not on our system. WTF? How is a payment I made 16 days ago not on your system? Oh, I can't answer that. I insisted they scan my account printout and add it to the system, then I filled in a complaints form in front of them, then asked that their supervisor witness me handing it to them.

Gahh!!! When they had payment desks any payment would be on their system within milliseconds of them pressing the key.

And I still haven't received the cheque back from them so as far as I'm concerned, I've paid twice.

JGH

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Must be new. They already have those details for OAP etc so why for something so minor? Or perhaps it's just this present government reducing bureaucracy? ;-)

[The Natural Philosopher]

I dint draw OAP.

I am too young.

[Neil Williams]

AIUI, you can't have single-person discount when *nobody* is living in the property.

Neil

[Paul D Smith]

...snip...

Worth a try if your councillors are the hard-working sorts but personally I'd go around them. Winter fuel allowance may be administered by the council but its a central government grant.

Better still, Cc in councillors and MP and see who gets things rolling for you ;-). "Walk softly and carry a big stick" as they say.

Paul DS.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

The point was 'they' don't ask for your BC for that.

[Owain]

You're optimistic.

I've had council tax payments go missing despite paying them at the payments desk.

But I've also complained to the council because it took them 11 weeks to replace a missing fire extinguisher.

That one got copied to the Chief Executive, the Unison H&S Rep, and the Fire Brigade.

When I worked in the railway we got fined if we had a poster on display that was out-of-date.

Owain

[Owain]

On the other hand, councilllors are up for election in May. (at least they are here)

Owain

[brass monkey]

AIUI, you can't have single-person discount when *nobody* is living in the property.

I've had a property empty for quite a while, I was getting a 50% reduction in council tax. Now, they're moving the goalposts and changing it to 10%.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I think they DO if its not already on record.

[Jules Richardson]

[e-mail]...

Why is council tax required at all on empty properties? If they're empty then there's nobody in them to benefit from the services that council tax goes toward providing, surely?

[Bernard Peek]

There's a housing shortage. I've heard of proposals to add a 50 or 100% penalty charge for empty properties.

[Clive George]

The owner still benefits from those services - fire, police, roads, etc.

[Dave Liquorice]

Your council have been very slow if they are only just shifting to

10% unoccupied discount. Ours changed the discout the moment they could which was a goood few years ago. B-(