Tax credits failure to notify
We have a whole spate of clients for whom the tax credits annual declarations were filed by post in the last week of July 2010 (in time for 30 July delivery), who are now receiving stoppage notices on the grounds that they did not renew.
Fortunately, having had dealings with the tax credit office in the past, we had the foresight to send them by special delivery, and we have the delivery signatures etc. We would have renewed by telephone except that, predictably, the telephone was permanently engaged at about that time (actually I don't really blame the TCO for that).
So, some paperwork to go through the mill, but we should be OK, but I am interested to know if others are having this problem?
With kind regards
Clint Westwood
That is a bit worrying
The telephone system fell down about 5 years ago when they lost about 100K recordings that had been subcontracted out to some third party for keeping, but since then I have found the telephone system to be reliable ... provided of course that you can get through. At least, it was a heck of a sight more reliable than corresponding by post.
By which I mean that fewer problems cropped up. The nightmare scenario, of course, is when a problem does crop up and all you have is telephone conversations and reliance on the recording system at their end. To hear that some telephone renewals are being disputed is worrying.
I have a pretty crude method of recording calls at my end. Probably not robust enough to stand the rigours of standards of evidence required by the courts, but I am hopeful that if I have cause to send the recordings in to TCO they may back down before then. In the meantime, I have my eye out for a more robust recording system.
With kind regards
Clint Westwood
No not alone
Fortunately none of our clients are involved but I know of two family / friends who have had theirs stopped and they were updated by phone in early July. Both were told 'you should have sent the details in writing' and a neighbour who sent in by post and has been told they should have updated by phone. All three tell me they have been on the phone for over 2 hours to finally get the problem sorted.