| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| anon |
Posted - 11/10/2009 : 12:55:16
I applied for working tax credit 2 weeks after i started a short contract job i constantly kept ringing up for the duration of my work period to find out if they received it and processed it.
One phone call was that they had supposed to have wrote to me asking for more info. they told me over the phone what info they wanted i told them, well it was to clarify that i wasn't claiming any other benefit as i put on the form that i was getting "benefit run on" after being out of work so many months before i got this job you are entitled to it; i thought it was a benefit so declared it, but i would have thought they would know what this is and shouldn't need clarification from me. Yes they had my telephone number as well so no excuse to not call me and find out instead of the post. The person over the phone said it will now be processed. i also included a letter from my agency employer of the dates i start and finish the job, a letter from the job centre so it should have been STUPIDLY easy for them to process.
Next thing i heard i revived a letter in the post saying that the application is declined i rang up to find out why.. they said it is because i didn't give them the information in time which is CODSWALLOP and they also ADDED that i was not in work that it had to go to appeal; so then i appealed, which took from sometime in April i believe til September before they looked at it after the letter said about 6 weeks.
i couldn't initially get an appeal application pack from them for a few weeks as they wrote to me twice saying that they didn't have any forms in stock (as i said i kept ringing and ringing so they sent a second form out just in case it was lost in the post) and that it will be sent shortly (i included one of these letters with the appeal forms as it had the date i had to reply by). One phone call the person said to write instead of waiting for the form (WHY DIDN'T THEY SAY THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE) absolutely incredulous they said this after me WASTING money calling them up so many times.
In my appeal letter, i wrote AGAIN that i was not in work and the dates that i was in work, even had to send this to them TWICE because apparently they didn't receive the first one. I also sent them to two similar addresses as they couldn't give me an address to write to over the phone, which i thought was pathetic. i wrote to the one on the letter that i received and another one i found on the net also double checking with tax credits dept (finally getting an address from a supervisor).
From April - now i haven't had a job.
I called them again many times, but i beleive in August; i asked them about the appeal as the date had already passed by one week and they said they would get HEAD OFFICE to look at this. i told them what had gone on and that the letters i included also states the dates i will be in work and out of work etc.
On a previous phone call the person on the phone asked me if i am STILL OUT OF WORK! Which i said yes - how many times do i have to keep telling them i said.
i called them again to find out if HEAD OFFICE had done anything and they told me over the phone that they processed it and i was to receive £.... (but i didn't hear this part because i was astounded that they even processed it; considering the many phone calls i made, and also because i hadn't received a letter stating this).
I IMMEDIATELY started using the money because i had also just moved home so it came at the right time it was a godsend, as i didn't have enough money even for curtains which are 90 x 90 they are expensive.
VERY shortly after this phone call could have been 3 days, i recieved YET ANOTHER FORM a renewal form asking me for info of my benefit/work i have claimed/worked; seams they have no record of what i did for 2007/8 all to do with what i did previously so i filled that in.
Then i RECEIVE ANOTHER LETTER from them a few weeks later, this time it states the amounts i was to get.
I finally received a letter recently from the appeal dept saying he agreed with all points i had put on the letter and that the payment had been made which i already knew. - i took this as whatever they processed is BACKED UP by this persons letter from the appeal dept.
Yesterday i received YET another form from them saying their records show that i am in WORK - WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE - WHERE ARE ALL MY DOCUMENTS! and that they want info about what i earned from that job and my telephone number which they ALREADY HAVE.
Are they now telling me after NOT paying me and me waiting for all these months for it; they FINALLY pay me the money; and now indicating they OVERPAID ME?
Can anyone help me with this catastrophic mess i have never seen anything like it, they messed up at EVERY point and opportunity, i just cannot believe this.
Thanks in advance |
| 1 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| TCC Webmaster |
Posted - 15/10/2009 : 00:31:42
Hi Anon,
You really have been mucked about by them, haven't you!
Others might be along to advise you (I'm just a simple webmaster  ), but I thought I'd point you in the right direction. We really only deal with overpayments here, and it's not certain that you have one at the moment.
I think the best thing that you can do is take this to your MP. They have an MP's hotline to the Tax Credit Office, and this tends to be staffed by the more experienced people - and they get things done.
It would be a help to your MP if you could write out a list of the things that happened, (if you can), in date order. Although it's not exactly the same thing, you could use our Case History example as a guide to help you - see http://www.taxcc.org/_docs/Sample%20Case%20History.doc. I'm sure you know what I mean. Just quick notes will do - you need to get this all sorted out.
Make the appointment with your MP first though - you can find their contact numbers through local directories/internet search/local papers etc.
Best of luck! 
The original 'point & click' interface was a Smith & Wesson !! |
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