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Council Tax..poor customer service
claire21
Posts: 32,747 Forumite
Sorry just wanted a rant really.
EDIT this thread is about the service by the council, insert me if you like in the post if you have anything to add and ignore the words my Polish friend as the service is not relevant to what nationality received it.
A friend of mine who is Polish and struggles a bit with full blown in depth conversations in English.
She for the first time had to pay council tax, and set up a claim for council tax benefit as she's on a low income.
I offer to help as she doesn't drive or have internet.
I make an appointment with the council explaining what she needs doing, there is a two week wait to get an actual one to one appointment and they give an hour slot. After being told that you can no longer be sent a paper pack in the post as it's an online service only.
I drive her there, we start the one to one interview, after 30 mins we are told the appointment is over, state we were booked for an hour, according to them that's not what the system shows. Told to go to next room and use the computers in the council office to fill out the online forms. Told them that I don't really want to get involved and that's why an hour was given.
Eventually they find a member of staff who will sit on the computer and do it with her. This takes over an hour of their staffs time completing all the relevant boxes and struggling to do it, including setting up an email address for my friend as apparently she has to have one for the claim and also applying for backdating.
At the very end they take her passport and NI card away to photocopy, we meet them at the main desk where they are holding the copies and give her back her identity details.
Two weeks later she gets two letters, one asking for the ID proof and one saying she asked for backdating and asking to provide reasons.
I phone up to say this was provided on date of appointment, told on the phone no record held on their computer and no details of appointment showing, I try to explain saying I saw all this done in their office...Met with you will have to come in with them again, that's another 30 mile round trip for me! Ask to speak to a supervisor , told it's a 48 hour call back ...
4 days later, no call back, so phone again, woman apologises she can see on system I was ment to get one, try's to get hold of supervisor but all on phones, so she try's to help, so go through it all again, and says somehow then the photocopies of my friends ID haven't been scanned on to computer for her claim so they are lost somewhere in the office! Mention second letter re backdating info, told them their staff member input all the details in the relevant box on the computer at the time, she told me that this then triggers a letter automatically to get further info in writing ....so I mention that you can't get a paper application pack anymore as it's an online only process now, yet this process triggers something that needs to be done in paper! How blizzare is that!
They have now said I will get a call back on Monday from a supervisor, I'm just at a loss how poor the service is, I'm now spending hours trying to help my friend and just feeling a bit miffed if their own members of staff can't even deal with it efficiently.
EDIT this thread is about the service by the council, insert me if you like in the post if you have anything to add and ignore the words my Polish friend as the service is not relevant to what nationality received it.
A friend of mine who is Polish and struggles a bit with full blown in depth conversations in English.
She for the first time had to pay council tax, and set up a claim for council tax benefit as she's on a low income.
I offer to help as she doesn't drive or have internet.
I make an appointment with the council explaining what she needs doing, there is a two week wait to get an actual one to one appointment and they give an hour slot. After being told that you can no longer be sent a paper pack in the post as it's an online service only.
I drive her there, we start the one to one interview, after 30 mins we are told the appointment is over, state we were booked for an hour, according to them that's not what the system shows. Told to go to next room and use the computers in the council office to fill out the online forms. Told them that I don't really want to get involved and that's why an hour was given.
Eventually they find a member of staff who will sit on the computer and do it with her. This takes over an hour of their staffs time completing all the relevant boxes and struggling to do it, including setting up an email address for my friend as apparently she has to have one for the claim and also applying for backdating.
At the very end they take her passport and NI card away to photocopy, we meet them at the main desk where they are holding the copies and give her back her identity details.
Two weeks later she gets two letters, one asking for the ID proof and one saying she asked for backdating and asking to provide reasons.
I phone up to say this was provided on date of appointment, told on the phone no record held on their computer and no details of appointment showing, I try to explain saying I saw all this done in their office...Met with you will have to come in with them again, that's another 30 mile round trip for me! Ask to speak to a supervisor , told it's a 48 hour call back ...
4 days later, no call back, so phone again, woman apologises she can see on system I was ment to get one, try's to get hold of supervisor but all on phones, so she try's to help, so go through it all again, and says somehow then the photocopies of my friends ID haven't been scanned on to computer for her claim so they are lost somewhere in the office! Mention second letter re backdating info, told them their staff member input all the details in the relevant box on the computer at the time, she told me that this then triggers a letter automatically to get further info in writing ....so I mention that you can't get a paper application pack anymore as it's an online only process now, yet this process triggers something that needs to be done in paper! How blizzare is that!
They have now said I will get a call back on Monday from a supervisor, I'm just at a loss how poor the service is, I'm now spending hours trying to help my friend and just feeling a bit miffed if their own members of staff can't even deal with it efficiently.
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Comments
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Write a letter of complaint. Sounds like a shoddy service. A letter of complaint to a high level manager will get their attention.
Are they in house or contractors at your council?0 -
It's a private rental
Thanks I might write but don't think it will do much good.
Just really needed to get it off my chest. I know there's staff cut backs etc but still feel this falls well below par in terms of procedure.0 -
Hope your friend is taking English lessons.0
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Lioness_Twinkletoes wrote: »Hope your friend is taking English lessons.
She speaks English it's just when it's not an everyday conversation she sometime struggles with what they are asking.0 -
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She for the first time had to pay council tax, and set up a claim for council tax benefit as she's on a low income.
You need to be clear that it's not a council tax issue, it's a council tax reduction issue (formerly council tax benefit) which is a different situation completely.I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.0 -
Lioness_Twinkletoes wrote: »Which is clearly something she needs to work on.
The service has been poor, no doubt, but if she had improved linguistic skills she wouldn't need to rely on you.
I think that's slightly harsh
The outcome in this matter would have been exactly the same even if I hadn't gone with her.
I'm not quite sure what you are getting at (as I would like to think that someone wouldn't have the nerve to have a go about her nationality) . It's a bit like saying I have a friend who isn't particularly bright so I offered to help and you saying this problem has arisen because they should be cleverer ?0 -
I think that's slightly harsh
The outcome in this matter would have been exactly the same even if I hadn't gone with her.
I'm not quite sure what you are getting at (as I would like to think that someone wouldn't have the nerve to have a go about her nationality) . It's a bit like saying I have a friend who isn't particularly bright so I offered to help and you saying this problem has arisen because they should be cleverer ?
There is a difference between someone who has learning difficulties and someone who does not have the required linguistic skills in order to conduct their daily business in the country they chose to move to. My suggesting your friend improves her skills is not harsh, but sensible. And yes, of course I am referring to her nationality. She is Polish and therefore this is her first language. In order to improve her quality of life and reduce her dependancy on others she should improve her English.
Not sure why you're making quite such a big deal out of a simple suggestion really. You're the one moaning about having to trek 30 miles to the Council offices
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Sounds like the council are geared up to online claims and that they are inefficient and under resourced for personal 1:1 assistance with claims.
An online claim will cost the council next to nothing to process compared with cost of the personalised assistance. It probably costs the council perhaps £20-30 an hour in staff costs to do an inperson claim.
I'm not excusing their inept service, just musing on the additional taxpayer/council tax payer burden of 1:1 assistance and the 'management' of the appointment system in place.
The council will have details of its complaints service on its website. There's always the potential to escalate it to the local council ombudsman and drawing their shoddy service to the attention of your local MP (who I hope isn't UKIP ...would have inserted a smiley or winking icon here but don't know how to do it)0 -
Lioness_Twinkletoes wrote: »There is a difference between someone who has learning difficulties and someone who does not have the required linguistic skills in order to conduct their daily business in the country they chose to move to. My suggesting your friend improves her skills is not harsh, but sensible. And yes, of course I am referring to her nationality. She is Polish and therefore this is her first language. In order to improve her quality of life and reduce her dependancy on others she should improve her English.
Not sure why you're making quite such a big deal out of a simple suggestion really. You're the one moaning about having to trek 30 miles to the Council offices
I see you are just hear to make a point about a person living in England that isn't English, please keep your opinions off my thread. Have you never held a friends hand to help them through a matter they have never delt with before?
I would moan if I had to do another round trip if it was my matter and a department were unable to do there job correctly and lost my details meaning I had to attend again.
Ps If you would like me to comment on your bankruptcy thread .....just let me know, I can give you some advice how to manage your money correctly in the future
Edit I didn't say someone with learning difficulties ...just someone who is not that intelligent .0
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