# Anyone else had a nasty council tax "reminder" ?



## gentlegreen (Aug 16, 2008)

Apparently my 237th (approx) council tax direct debit payment from the same address was delayed (maybe because it was made on a Friday ?).
I arrived home after being away, to a very nasty automatically triggered letter dated the *Monday* detailing a legal process and legal fees.

If this isn't just a computer glitch, I wonder how many of these things they send out and how much they cost ...


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## Pip (Aug 16, 2008)

Doesn't surprise me, my friend was _three days late_ paying her council tax and is being taken to court now.


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## gentlegreen (Aug 16, 2008)

Oops - scrub that - it was also the first payment from my new account, but I'm sure they confirmed the change and it looks OK in my online statement.

... but a teeny bit of programming could have at least sent me a customised letter ....


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## Zaskar (Aug 16, 2008)

I one last year and got a well ott leeter cos i missed one payment.  A few years ago they had a crap collection rate and appeared to ahve adopted a rather more - er- enthusiastic approach.


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## hermitical (Aug 16, 2008)

mate had the same a couple of weeks ago, 1 bounced d/d followed by a court summons


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## Mrs Magpie (Aug 16, 2008)

I got taken to court because they thought my council tax was in arrears but it was actually in credit! This was when Crapita were doing it and they couldn't tell the difference between overpayment and underpayment..


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## doctor_strange (Aug 19, 2008)

I always pay a few days late on principle. Last year I had a policy of waiting until it was a month overdue, but when I'd done that a couple of times they said if I did it again I'd have to pay the whole year in one. ever had a summons. I say fuck 'em.


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## gentlegreen (Aug 19, 2008)

Well I've had nothing since - beyond an automated confirmation to my email to the council.

According to my online bank statement, both payments of £74 have left my bank account. I hope the council hasn't lost the money. 

(gawd, am I really paying £740 a year ? )


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## Pieface (Aug 19, 2008)

Yeah - all sorts and now Lambeth give you an automatic fine if you're late.  I was done for £90 in January for this.


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Aug 19, 2008)

blimey,  I'm glad I paid mine off months ago


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## Chairman Meow (Aug 19, 2008)

So glad we don't have council tax here.I used to live in Wandsworth to avoid it too. 

We do have to pay for our bins though. Well WE don't, but that's because we have ways, if not means.


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## Belushi (Aug 19, 2008)

PieEye said:


> Yeah - all sorts and now Lambeth give you an automatic fine if you're late.  I was done for £90 in January for this.



I had to really fight for Lambeth to start taking Council Tax off me, I was determined not to let it slide though as I didnt want them turning round in a few years time saying 'you owe us x thousands pounds'.


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## Chairman Meow (Aug 19, 2008)

Zaskar said:


> I one last year and got a well ott leeter cos i missed one payment.  A few years ago they had a crap collection rate and appeared to ahve adopted a rather more - er- enthusiastic approach.



Yeah when I lived in Lambeth in the early 90s I's say their collection rate was fuck all squared.


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## gentlegreen (Aug 27, 2008)

Bloody hell.

Got home to a court summons and a demand to pay a year's council tax, plus a £103 fine in full.

Had to actually use the telephone eek:) to get them to fix it.

They claim to have sent a crappy bit of snail mail p)in June about a bounced direct debit from my old bank account while I was switching to my new one.
The chap on the phone was fairly apologetic - found the email I'd sent 11 days ago  - he cancelled the fines etc, and I was able to pay the £74 ... but fecking hell ...

... who the hell reads the crap that falls onto the doormat ??

I thought the direct debit thing would allow them to take what they're owed.

So my apologies to my fellow Bristol City council tax payers - I've probably cost you each several pence - purely for choosing to switch bank accounts.

*rant over.*


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