The first thousands of TXTs sent out by Waikato District Council with its new reminder service were wrong.
The message said, “Overdue: Forgotten to pay Waikato District Council rates due 25 September? If you need help call us at 0800 492 452.”
Due to a programming error, the 3663 TXTs sent out went to a mix of people who had paid rates and to those who hadn’t. On Tuesday 3rd October, the Ngaruawahia based council announced the new service. The wrong message was sent on the same day.
Upset ratepayers overwhelmed the council with complaints. Typical posts on Facebook said, “Ours is paid, but not fair when you get a text and start panicking going through records to make sure you have paid. Don’t need the extra stress as we pay lots of money, so can’t understand why your systems are wrong.”, “couldn’t help but call when I got the text. $900 is a lot of money to be concerned about.”
The Council said on FB, “Our call centre is currently receiving a large number of calls. Please only call if it is urgent. We sent out a text message to some residents earlier today about rates. If you received this text and you have already paid, you don’t need to do anything. Thanks for your patience.”
Council acting chief executive Tony Whittaker said it was meant to be a proactive approach.
“The spirit in which it was sent out was to be proactive. It’s a shame, the first time we’ve done it we’ve had this admin mix-up.”