I just want to pay the bills!

I’m slowly going bonkers! Despite my best endeavours I can still not pay for the care I’ve received from Linda, my care-worker.

As you will know from some of my previous blogs, the system has changed. In previous years the Council has sent card vouchers which I’ve exchanged every fortnight for the care received. Now they have issued a pre-payment card instead. The card finally arrived here a couple of weeks. We immediately activated it. An e-mail was supposed to be sent to tell us we could now pay. No e-mail arrived. We could see how much had been deposited in the account but couldn’t actually access the account to pay the bills without the special coding which would be in the e-mail.

So we went into the office to pay there, but apparently they are not allowed to have a card-reading machine. Instead the transaction has to be done on-line, direct to their bank – they provided the details – or by phone. Home we went.

We heard again from the Council. The letter informed me they would still need to visit me at some time & I needed to keep an account of what work I received & had paid for. We assumed the e-mail must be dependent on that visit.

Yet another bill arrived at the weekend. So on Monday I rang the Council yet again. They’ve now opened up a line specifically to deal with payment problems, which just goes to show how many other people must be having similar problems with payment. They assured me they would get onto the card company & I should get the replying e-mail within 24 hours.

Today, 48hours later, I’ve once more got on line. Still no e-mail. I ring up the Council yet again. Apparently they’ve received the confirming e-mail even though I haven’t. He reckons I should now be able to pay. I try but cannot work out how. I’ll see if the Fox is wiser than I am – he usually is in matters concerning computers. Otherwise it’s back to the phone yet again.

Meanwhile a small care providing business patiently waits for payment. I just hope they don’t end up going out of business due to the lack of money coming in. From what I’ve been told it sounds as though most of their work is through the Council rather than private. They’ve still continued to provide the care & are having to cover the wages & other overheads without the money coming in to pay them. As it is I’ve got 4 months’ worth of bills & I’m sure I’m not the only one by any means. I just hope it all gets settled soon.