Do I have a right to request transcript of telephone conversation??

[Alice in Wonderland]

I had a Bailiff advice of warrant to seize goods today for a Council Tax Debt relating to 2012 -13 although I do not have absolute dates over than above given to me verbally by the Bailif. I was in arrears and over past three months believed I had completely cleared my debt. In September , I spoke to the Council customer service date to tell them I was still being chased by Rossendales but so far as I was aware I had cleared my final outstanding debts. They agreed with 'nothing outstanding ' - & I stupidly left it at that.

I know the date and approx time of this conversation - can I demand a transcript, as you can bet they are going to deny this when I speak to them, their lines are all down at the moment.

In addition , two weeks prior to above conversation I telephoned the Council and offered to pay all my debts in full , that day , via debit card as I knew the final debt was 'in transit' ie still not showing on Rossendales account for me. They point blank refused & said I had to deal with Rossendales which of course incurred more charges

I can't believe they ( bailiffs) are now saying an even earlier debt ( same address) is liable than the debts I cleared in September. Why was it not attached and dealt with in September?

[Guest]

Re: Do I have a right to request transcript of telephone conversation??

Under the Data Protection Act, there is a standard right to apply to organisations which hold personal information about you. This includes recorded calls. You need to make a Subject Access Request (SAR) to the council, which costs £10. The details should be on their website, if not you'll have to contact customer services.

[ploddertom]

Re: Do I have a right to request transcript of telephone conversation??

You would be better off asking the Council:
1 - how many Liability Orders they have against you
2 - the dates they were obtained
3 - the addresses they were for
4 - the period of time each covers
5 - how much each one was for
6 - how much is still outstanding
7 - the dates they were passed on for enforcement
8 - the dates & amounts of any payments

[Wombats]

Re: Do I have a right to request transcript of telephone conversation??

1111

[Alice in Wonderland]

Re: Do I have a right to request transcript of telephone conversation??

I agree with PTom, but if you send the SAR, make sure you specifically mention the phone call recordings and if possible give them a date on which they occurred. They may not send them automatically otherwise - I discovered this, and they sent them on without charge to me after the original SAR.

Thank You - I shall take up both suggestions.

Does anybody have a view on the Council refusing to take payment when offered? Im sure I read somewhere that this is not good practice as it is still their debt?

Also , I'm sure when i get the info above it will show separate demands issued within a short period - shouldn't they be attempting to issue concurrently to avoid multiple enforcement debts - can I challenge on this? I know for sure the most recent debt was issued to me separately , then followed by one for just two months for the year prior - each attracting enforcement fees?

[bluebottle]

Re: Do I have a right to request transcript of telephone conversation??

Refusing to accept payments is a no-no. Also, do not forget that the way in which Council Tax Liability Orders are obtained is for what want of a better description outside due legal process.

[Wombats]

Re: Do I have a right to request transcript of telephone conversation??

1111

[Alice in Wonderland]

Re: Do I have a right to request transcript of telephone conversation??

My thanks to you all for your advice. In an attempt to clarify my situation in relation to the additional compliance and enforcement fees added to my council tax debts, please could you advise on the following. Assuming that the dates covered by three separate debts dealt with by Rossendales are correct:

1. It is acceptable practice to issue three separate debts within a three month time period with each debt incurring an additional compliance and enforcement fee?

2. It is acceptable practice , to issue the debt covering the most recent time period first , followed by the older debts

3. Even if the Council had accepted my offer to pay in full at the time of the second debt , I would still have been liable for compliance and enforcement fees for the second debt , and the final (oldest debt ) that followed

In other words , I guess I am asking do I have any legitimate argument to attempt to claw back any of these fees, when accepting that I was behind in my payments?

The Council were aware of the very difficult circumstances I was in at the time but I did not help myself by trying to make at least some payment. To put it bluntly , at the time my ' my head was so far up my ass' I was simply not able to cope with the management of my finances and financial commitments , as a result I am now paying a very heavy price for this lapse.

[Wombats]

Re: Do I have a right to request transcript of telephone conversation??

1111

[Kati]

Re: Do I have a right to request transcript of telephone conversation??

You would be better off asking the Council:
1 - how many Liability Orders they have against you
2 - the dates they were obtained
3 - the addresses they were for
4 - the period of time each covers
5 - how much each one was for
6 - how much is still outstanding
7 - the dates they were passed on for enforcement
8 - the dates & amounts of any payments

You need to find out this information from your council - it will help the other Beagles to advise you
K x

[Alice in Wonderland]

Re: Do I have a right to request transcript of telephone conversation??

Point taken - besides lack of time , I was trying to get a better understanding of the rules and regs in relation to my position . I now understand that getting the questions answered should have been priority No 1 as my position cannot be assessed without this info - as you were all trying to tell me ....Doh!

It's my day off tomorrow so I will telephone the council and request the information. Are they obliged to provide the answers via the telephone ? they have been very unhelpful and unwilling to provide information to date , and I have had my request to speak to a supervisor/manager refused on two occasions recently.

[Wombats]

Re: Do I have a right to request transcript of telephone conversation??

1111

[Alice in Wonderland]

Re: Do I have a right to request transcript of telephone conversation??

Thanks Wombat - I will stand my ground! Each time I have called my call is answered by a customer rep in their contact centre and they don't appear to be very knowledgeable or experienced. I assume the relevant info should be attached to my file and appear on screen enabling a customer services rep to relay it to me?

[Wombats]

Re: Do I have a right to request transcript of telephone conversation??

1111

[Alice in Wonderland]

Re: Do I have a right to request transcript of telephone conversation??

I made the request via telephone but was unable to obtain any kind of logical date sequence to provide a 'structured reply' to the questions but did say i have a debts going back to 1993 for one of the properties and also for 2001 - how long does liability go back?? These older debts are for the same two addresses as the more recent as these are the only two properties i have lived in during the last 30 years. So it wasnt as if they could not find me and chase the debts at the time?

It appears at least two payments to Rossendales in mid September and last week have yet to be updated on their accounts, so they were unable to tell me outstanding current amounts.After going on 30 minutes we agreed that I would email my questions to them and they would provide written responses to them.

I will send the email later this evening asking for confirmation of receipt and when I can expect a reply. Should anybody have any suggestions for inclusion beyond
'' Ploddertons ' questions please advise.

Also , on a related matter , when I rang the Council back in September offering to pay in full all outstanding amounts , I also said I wanted to apply for a single person discount as my Son had moved out that month. I was told I would have to clear the debt with Rossendales first - the debt was in relation to the current year in advance , as I had lost my right to pay by installments due to a direct debit being returned.

Should I ask to apply for single discount in the SAME email , or approach it as a separate issue? I meant to raise it again today , but promptly forgot due to shock about older debts