Rant - Sheffield Council Tax office

[Astonblade 10]

Thanks for the advice and I'm doing just that!

 

Oh and if people want to know here are the costs associated with paying this tax:

 

Standing Order: 1.1p per transaction

Direct Debit: 1.4p per transaction

Debit card: 16.75p each transaction (an average of the cost of Maestro and Visa payments)

Payments via the internet: 29.5p each (an average of the cost of Maestro and Visa payments

Paying at a Post Office: 30p each

Paying via a Pay Point facility: 32p each transaction

 

Not sure what point you're trying to make here. I pay by direct debit, and it doesn't cost me anything. If thats the cost that the council pays, 14p a year to collect my 10 installments seems pretty good value to me.

[cia98jld 10]

Well if they are costing me money to sort out their mess then I will cost them money to pay them the tax.

 

I know that really I should be doing it the cheapest and most cost effective way possible, but they are not being fair and so I am not going to be fair to them. I have run out of options and if eveyone uses the most expencive method of payment then they will start to listen.

 

Also as I do not trust the council I really don't want them controlling the direct debit amounts (ok you can claim back through the bank Direct Debit guarantee system if problems) and so I won't be paying by this method in the future.

 

For me online payments or payments in the post office (to help keep them in business surely we should all be doing this?) will be the payment method of choice from now on. An online payment will take approx a minute and so not cost me to do this.

[julesmarie 10]

Same as rent, I didn't know, but once I was 60p in arrears, had nasty letters, and highlighted, notes pushed throught the door, I was in a right old state.

[strangerthe6 10]

If you think it's bad now wait until the cuts take effect.

[muttley_the_ 10]

its run by a company called Capita so what do you expect, or crapita as i called them when i worked for them, so it does not surprise me

 

yeah i worked there too long long time ago

 

dire

 

once wrote to confirm i wanted to cease a ct benefit claim

put it in writing about two sentences stating i had returned to full time work and wished to cease from x date, got a reply saying we understand your circumstances have changed we have suspended payments while we investigate and need more info - what date did your employment commence!

 

ffs, feckin retards

[muttley_the_ 10]

This sort of thing you're better going down to Howden House and talking to someone face to face.

You might have to wait half an hour but it's worth it.

 

don't bank on that either, went down once took all docs for a claim and they copied them got a reciept and all ok, got letter two weeks later stating waiting for evidence docs etc as not received anything

[woodmally 10]

The solution is to email them. You usually get a response in a couple of days. I agree my wife rang them and got through to someone. Good you might think but no. This person said they could not help but take a message. How ridiculous is that. She would much rather be on hold.

[Ms Macbeth 73]

The solution is to email them. You usually get a response in a couple of days. I agree my wife rang them and got through to someone. Good you might think but no. This person said they could not help but take a message. How ridiculous is that. She would much rather be on hold.

 

I agree, and it always means you have a record to fall back on. Here's the email address: [email protected]

 

I must say I've never had a problem with them, we told them when we moved here, and got the payments sorted out within a week or two. Then we set up our monthly DD, and it continues until we decide otherwise.

[jgharston 11]

I must say I've never had a problem with them, we told them when we moved here, and got the payments sorted out within a week or two. Then we set up our monthly DD, and it continues until we decide otherwise.

I never allow the council to take my payments by Direct Debit, I set up a Standing Order so it's entirely under my control.

[KK123 10]

I had lots of trouble trying to sort council tax out when changed from a student to working and moved house. I went down to Howden House gave them all documents they required, then would eventually receive a letter as they didn't seem to have taken any notice of when I had been down and told them changes etc. This happened 3 times.

 

Then I received another letter demanding payment for a property with the dates I didn't live there any more. I had had enough by this point that I replied explaining that I was not living there during the dates they required payment and that I was unwilling to give the information again as I had already provided this 3 times, so why would I believe they would take any notice another time.

 

I then put in an official complaint about what had happened and finally they managed to sort everything out.

[Ms Macbeth 73]

I never allow the council to take my payments by Direct Debit, I set up a Standing Order so it's entirely under my control.

 

I'm a trusting soul, I pay all my regular bills by monthly DD and have done for years. So far so good.

[sh1276 10]

I have had nothing but trouble with standing orders for council tax. I set up a standing order with the correct sort code, account number, reference number and then received a rather nasty letter saying they had not recieved any payments. My bank had proof that they had been paid to the council so off i went in to town with my bank statements to "prove" that I wasn't pulling a fast one to be told that they had lost the payments !!!!!!!!!!!!! how can you lose payments? they will not credit my account until they can find them so i'm still getting automatically generated letters threatening court :rant: