Extra charges for paying by card.

[hayleybabe84]

I am in the process of clearing a debt with the council through a company called Rossendales. I've noticed that whenever I make a payment by card, they charge 80p for doing so.
Are they allowed to do this?
My card is a Mastercard so I don't know if that makes any difference...

[Amy]

Re: Extra charges for paying by card.

The short answer is no, they are not because it is not a prescribed fee.

[Swingletree]

Re: Extra charges for paying by card.

The short answer is no, they are not because it is not a prescribed fee.

But just wait until you try to 'argue' your case with the Local Government Ombudsman. I was told "you don't have to pay by that method" and that part of my complaint was dismissed.

However be also aware that you just might have given your permission for the Bailiffs to take this amount when signing something, particularly when it might be 'hidden' within the small print

[leclerc]

Re: Extra charges for paying by card.

But just wait until you try to 'argue' your case with the Local Government Ombudsman. I was told "you don't have to pay by that method" and that part of my complaint was dismissed.

However be also aware that you just might have given your permission for the Bailiffs to take this amount when signing something, particularly when it might be 'hidden' within the small print

There is currently a super complaint by Which? with regards to this specific issue, ie processing fees for paying by a certain card method.

[hayleybabe84]

Re: Extra charges for paying by card.

I bought it up with them yesterday and the womans answer was..."we're not a shop so we don't pay the tax to use that type of card so you have to"

[CleverClogs]

Re: Extra charges for paying by card.

I bought it up with them yesterday and the womans answer was..."we're not a shop so we don't pay the tax to use that type of card so you have to"

Did you really expect her reply to be accurate or even to make sense?

[hayleybabe84]

Re: Extra charges for paying by card.

true

[Swingletree]

Re: Extra charges for paying by card.

Why don't you ask the nice council person which regulation they using to make this stupid assumption.

When they let you know please broadcast the fact to this site. Cos none of us here, interested in Council tax recovery, have the foggiest idea to what they are referring too.

[seduraed]

Re: Extra charges for paying by card.

YOu're lucky the bailiffs I'm involved with charge two pounds per trnaction and say that as they offer he free method of payment by cheque or by postal order then they are allowed to charge for other methods. I'veot got round to writing to them yet to ask how this over-rides the charges rules. When I brought this up with my local councillors I got no response of any sort.

[WendyB]

Re: Extra charges for paying by card.

well can't it all be claimed back under sec 75, or something like that? Have a look at Archer's Equita thread, I'm sure she did something along those lines.