yea i bet.  I used to get asked my name, and id say "matt".  Then they'd say "matt what?".  Id be like FO!! What they wanna do come stalk you? lol                                                                                                                                                                             

This is TOO FUNNY to be true!!!!!  THEY OWE ME MONEY!!!!   "I've made some progress with this..... I have spoken to your solicitors who have told me the sale of the property was completed on 17 August 2007 and the purchaser was a Mr ****** ****** so I have now been able to amend my records and end your account.    The details are as follows:   Council Tax Charge - From 01/04/07 to 16/08/07                        £331.01     Less: Single Person Discount - From 01/04/07 to 04/06/07         £38.98                          Less: Empty Property Exemption - From 05/06/07 to 16/08/07    £175.10          Less: Payments received - (17/04 & 16/05)                                £130.42 Amount Overpaid                                                                     £13.49   Can you let me know what you want me to do with the £13.49 we now owe you?  I can arrange for a cheque to be issued (but would need an address to send it to) or I can transfer it to another Council Tax Account (perhaps your grandparents)?   So from that side of things it has all now been resolved.   I have tried to get to the bottom of what information has or hasn't been recorded by the staff at the Contact Centre but I haven't got much to tell you at the moment. There are some notes about telephone calls made but these are incomplete.  To be totally honest I don't think I will be able to ascertain who you/your grandparents etc have spoken to and what information was/wasn't recorded but I will persevere!  In the meantime please accept my sincere apologies on behalf of both the Revenues & Benefits Service and the Contact Centre for the inconvenience and upset that has been caused."                                                                                                                                                                             

with all this grief they've given you & your grandparents you should get compensation, not just the £13:49, that they owe you anyway.  hopefully it's all sorted for you now.                                                                                                                                                                              

I work in customer services for a Bank, good previous advice Matt name, date, time etc. Now for the sleepless nights caused by this matter the loss of apitite, the strain on your relationship, the fact you have not been able to concentrarte at work becuse of the worry over being taken to court.  Was that £13.49 they owe you or had they got the decimal point in the wrong place..... ?                                                                                                                                                                              

Excellent... what a weight of your mind hun.  If they haven`t got an address to forward it to just ask them to knock it off my council tax bill... i`ll pm you my account number                                                                                                                                                                              

lol ok claire sounds like a good deal that lol.   Im just happy to be free from England and all its problems.  Finally got my house sold today, that was the last of my ties I think.  I feel "free" now in a way, England isn't a good place for anyone.   Phew, moan over.  Been looking at houses ALL day!  Poor Heidi is burning (Thats the bike for those who dont know lol)                                                                                                                                                                             

And I've just viewed 6 of 'em   Matt, I liked the look of the first one hun. Not the cheapest there but it did look a good size!   Good job I only had to look at the pics 'cos hadn't got a ruddy clue what the rest of it was on about!                                                                                                                                                                             

glad to see you got a human apology, its the systems and "the computer says no" jobsworths slowing flushing the country away.   A friend of mine sent in a SORN form and was then fined because he couldn't prove he'ld sent it, and either the post or DVLC trashed it. All he managed arguing was to get it reduced 50%, for other's faults! I can't help thinking they'ld want proof of a phone call much the same too.   Shouldn't be necessary but recorded delivery mail seems the only way to deal with most 'authorities' lately. Few could organise a fire in a mattress factory.   Last one out turn the lights off hey...                                                                                                                                                                             

Get this then, 2 years ago in 2005  my son left school and started work. I phoned the peeps who sort out tax credits and told them this... 'Thanks for letting us know' they said, 'and there's nothing else you need to do', July 2007 I got a letter from the tax man.. You owe us £2,975.67 for over paid tax credits between 08/05- 07/07...... I phoned the number given and explained... Reply... 'you will have to prove that you phoned and give the name of the person you spoke to'. Am I stuffed or what?                                                                                                                                                                             

This all sounds too familiar to me, IOnly a few months ago now, my council never told me (nor did my landlord till he did his yearly audit) that my housing benifit had been stopped, amassing over 5k in reant arears! Through my digging I discovered that it all boiled down to thier post room had not been sending on all the information that they had requested from me for over a period of 3 months. It was admitted to me by a gentleman over the phone that all my information "had been sent to an unknown destination", this was then prompty denied in written when I wrote a letter of complaint to them and my MP. Only for me hounding them stalker fashion over a period of months by writting them letter similar to yours Matt, stating things like "I have reciepts for what Ive sent you, so what do I have to do to stop you denying it's been sent and get you to pull your finger out!", "You are going to have us evicted if you dont act now!" and "Do you want to see a young family evicted!" did I get them to write off a significant ammount. Only in the 11th hour did they start to act! We were almost.....and I mean ALMOST evicted out on the street by a landlord who could of served me notice months before because of their painfully slow incompetance. I empathise with anyone that has to deal with people (not machines) like this, that are there to supposedly help, but knowingly screw you around. This country's establishment stinks                                                                                                                                                                             

great thing about the internet and email. A) If you fill in forms online, then you normally get a receipt via email B) If you send an email, its recorded anyhow.   Its really bad aint it?  Im ALWAYS going to ask for names and stuff now.  I was always offended when people took my name at work on the phone, but i know why now.  Shame not everyone has the same commitment to their job as most of us do.                                                                                                                                                                             

My son had a problem this week with something he`d ordered online from Curry`s.  He`d paid an extra £7 for next day delivery.  It didn`t arrive so he asked me what to put in an email.  I told him to be polite but firm and to request full reimbursement of the £7 and prompt delivery.  He emailed them and got a reply back basically saying "get stuffed"!!! He said right mum... i`ll do it my way now.  Today his package arrived by courier, with a letter apologising for the inconvenience plus reimbursement of his £7 AND a voucher for £20 off his next purchase!!    Maybe my way is wrong lol                                                                                                                                                                              

Claire,   I think half the problem is that we're living in such a litigious society nowadays full of people suing the ar$e of each other for the most stupid of reasons.  Companies are terrified of people taking them to the proverbial cleaners and when someone like your son kicks up a stink they obviously think "potential claim" and bend over backwards to kiss up to the claimant.  Taking the softly-softly approach and being calm and collected must (and I'm presuming here) give the impression to the company that they have an easy touch that can be fobbed off easily.   Sadly, what worked ion 'our day' doesn't work in the modern world.   The times they are a changing, as they say.                                                                                                                                                                              

Sadly I think you`re probably right.  I`m a District Nurse and am fed up of having the word "litigation" shoved down my throat .... maybe the problem is that sadly i`m so used to dealing with confrontation and threats cos of my profession that i`m only used to dealing with things diplomatically which is the way it has to be done in nursing.  It`s difficult to change my ways cos by nature i`m a diplomat.                                                                                                                                                                               

Shame there's no diplomatic immunity!!!                                                                                                                                                                             

lol... that`s another story!! we have to run an asylum seekers health clinic and don`t get me going on that one lmao                                                                                                                                                                             

Go on, go on, go on lol                                                                                                                                                                             

  (Speedy displays a slight hint of anger!)  It`s an absolute nightmare.  I`m sorry but I`m a person who believes that charity begins at home and when I have patients who are virtually homeless and have been on the council waiting listing for 2 years but can`t get a house cos they`ve been "allocated" to asylum seekers!!!!!!!!! it makes my blood boil.  Then then come into the clinic asking me to arrange for a mobile phone upgrade for them.... AAAARRRRGGGGHH!                                                                                                                                                                             

try that one here! Theres a 3 year waiting list for the Dutch - and if you're not Dutch then you can shuv off basically lol. Re the claiming - people wouldn't threaten to sue all the time if companies would act appropriately in the first place.  We SHOULD be able to be nice and ask politely - but I've learnt too many times that it gets you nowhere - especially with the government