general rant at whoevers fault it is - not mine obviously!!

azjh77

All our direct debits come out on the 1st of the month (or 2nd if the 1st is a weekend) and I know EXACTLY how much is in there. I was shocked when I got a letter (35 quids worth!) saying my mortgage payment had bounced!!

Turns out the nice man at the council - who told me I should phone and pay July's payment over the phone or come in as the DD won't be set up till 1st of August was a BIG FAT HAIRY LIAR !!!! They took it on the 2nd along with everything else leaving me 10 pound over drawn and now 35 pound in debt AND in arrears with my mortgage! I was going to pay the council in cash at the office and had drawn it out ready to take down, now I'm being charged OD fees AND a fee from the mortgage people! Apparently they always bounce the dearest DD so you only get one fee, if only they'd bounced my gas or electric - they don't charge me ( I know banks don't do this on an individual bias and 'how are they to know' which bill to bounce etc,but I'm still well annoyed and need to blame someone....and the guy from the council is the one whose getting it!)

This is my mortgage!--does this stay on your record? I know I've paid it now, so technically was only in 'arrears' for 2 days, but it won't look good on future credit applications will it?

RANT RANT RANT....
Ah feel better now..........

everythingblogcast

Get the council to pay it, and if they dont willily then take legal action.

advent1122

The council wont pay for the mistake.
You will be fobbed off by a middle aged woman with bad skin and glasses on a chain. She will say the HAIRY LIAR informed you that the payment might not be taken until 1st August but could not guarantee that date and you were told to check beforehand if Julys payment had been taken before paying at the office.
Go down to the council office and I bet you 56p that is what she will say to you. You will then get irate and Mrs Middle Age will tell you to calm down in a patronising manner.
PS Being 2 days late with your mortgage will not affect anything, I bounced one of my morgage payments by mistake and it has not affected my credit.

Voyager2002

advent1122 wrote: »

The council wont pay for the mistake.
You will be fobbed off by a middle aged woman with bad skin and glasses on a chain. She will say the HAIRY LIAR informed you that the payment might not be taken until 1st August but could not guarantee that date and you were told to check beforehand if Julys payment had been taken before paying at the office.
Go down to the council office and I bet you 56p that is what she will say to you. You will then get irate and Mrs Middle Age will tell you to calm down in a patronising manner.
PS Being 2 days late with your mortgage will not affect anything, I bounced one of my morgage payments by mistake and it has not affected my credit.

Complaints to the council should be put in writing.

Write to the head of the department in question (Finance?) stating politely that you acted on information provided a member of their department, and suffered specific losses because that information was incorrect, so you would like them to reimburse the amount of your loss. And find out which of the elected councillors take an interest in Finance and mark your letter as CCed to that individual (probably all members are interested, so just use the name of the Member who represents your particular district). At this stage there is no need actually to send a copy to your Councillor, but Officers (Council staff) take complaints more seriously if they think that a Member is involved. Of course, if you get no immediate satisfaction you should indeed approach a Councillor, and then of course there is the local government ombudsman...

I am confident that the amount of your losses will be reimbursed.

As a former local government officer I do not recognise the description of the middle-aged woman. My team was young (late 20s and early 30s); highly educated (most of us had MSc or MA degrees) and highly motivated: my boss was the first ever woman to get a scholarship to the Oxford college she attended. We usually worked until 7 or later; were busy with important matters, but certainly treated members of the public with as much respect as they deserved.

Voyager2002

Oh: I meant to add that to avoid this happening again, an overdraft facility on your current account would be a very good idea.

Butlers1982

What did the DD Mandate say that you signed?

azjh77

I didn't sign one as it was set up over the phone...but I have my trump card! I have found the repayment arrangement which has the following written on it:-
Please note the 1/7/07 payment cannot be collected by direct debit and will need to be paid separately.

Haha I have in writing!!...will get that photocopied in work today...

I do have an overdraft Voyager2002, sadly the council withdrew 120 and took me over it.

angelavdavis

Also in your letter, ask them to write to you explaining the situation so you can then forward this letter on (keeping a copy) sent recorded to the mortgage provider, requesting that the missed payment is amended on your credit file as this mistake was not yours.

If you go down the office in person - ensure you follow this up with a letter, confirming what action has been taken, what person you dealt with and what the outcome was. Send recorded and keep a copy too.

Voyager2002

angelavdavis wrote: »

If you go down the office in person - ensure you follow this up with a letter, confirming what action has been taken, what person you dealt with and what the outcome was. Send recorded and keep a copy too.

Don't go in person: a letter will be more effective and will take less of your time.

You have a cast-iron case, and as soon as someone with authority learns about it you will receive a satisfactory response. People with authority are too busy to see callers, however, so send a letter that will go straight to their desk.

Butlers1982

I didn't sign one as it was set up over the phone

But you cant set up a DD like that as you need a signature?

debsy42

Butlers1982 wrote: »

But you cant set up a DD like that as you need a signature?

I can't remember the last time I signed a DD mandate, all have been setup either over the phone or online....

It's a system called [SIZE=-1]AUDDIS The Automated Direct Debit Instruction Service that oversees it
[/SIZE]