Government Dept., response times

[Fresh Fields]

Hello all.

Minniehaha ’s reply #40
Missing: Elizabeth and Joseph STEWART, also their son Roy at birth.

This reply had me thinking IF ONLY all Government Department response times were reasonably prompt.

When the Waikato Savings Bank was formed in the early 1960’s I became a very early customer. They were offering good farm mortgages, so I happily started banking with them. Very easy, as they rented space off the FAC - Farmers Co-op Auctioneering Company. And from who’s car park, I got my ride home, after a day in town.

In 1975 I had an opportunity to buy some of the land my Grandfather came to in 1906. And shortly there after I married.  As the Rural Bank had the best mortgage offer, the land was purchased through them, and for business reasons, another bank associated with the family, offered better terms to fund the larger cattle account required. So my/our business, and drawings, was thereafter conducted through them.

Instead of completely closing the Waikato Bank savings account, I left some funds therein. It remaining a private account, in my name, that saw little activity. Especially so after I stopped getting cash reimbursements, like travel grants when doing volunteer work. Petrol vouchers, and then prezzy  cards, replacing cash.

The accrued nest egg of some $1,650.00 was quietly sitting there gaining a little interest for a day when it might be handy.

That day has come. My ten year old office equipment needs replacing. Computer, printer-copier, 5G mobile phone, and a more reliable internet service, than the old copper wires in our district.

Only to discover that the bank still holding that savings account, decided that there had been no activity for five years, and after sending me ONE letter, that I have no recall of ever receiving, closed the account and sent the funds off to the IRD Unclaimed funds account. The bank did not try very hard to contact me. As stated above the land I farm, has been in family hands since 1906.

This week I phoned the IRD quoting my 1/9/2025 submitted reclaim confirmation number, only to be told that, yes my claim had been received, but the processing staff are still working on claims that arrived before it.

So twelve weeks later, and I am still waiting.

Alan.

[shanreagh]

In the 'olden days' in many businesses where finding/tracking down 'lost' customers was undertaken there were specialist employees who did this research who were used to researching and who used a range of finding aids.

Then also there used to be the business expectation that advice in such cases needed a record that was more than just a note on a file of an ordinary letter being sent in the post.  So registered letters were sent. These days this signed for letter concept can still be used if courier systems are used.

In many places during the turmoil of the govt restructuring back in the 1980/90s and onwards, these functions were seen of little value. Some places have still maintained good administrative systems, even moved them to computer records, and those that have survived unscathed, may have older aged staff, staff who believe in the concept of returning possessions/money to people and the younger staff they trained.

By and large the concept of being a good administrator ie good with devising and following processes  has gone by the board. It is seen as terrifically old fashioned, not of value. 

I've seen it in the way local authorities, well the LA in my area in particular,  seek comments on proposals and then 'analyse' them.   Despite this process having its own set of legal cases  that should guide any any consultation they are continually having to re invent the wheel, rewrite processes.......

Administration/administrative skills are not 'sexy' in job terms. With everyone striving to be a manager or at least have Manager in their job title who wants, needs or values admin work especially if it involves research, looking at old (often written records)

I think that with the move of banks from being a service industry to being solely profit focussed they are less likely to want to do the right thing by their customers or former customers.  IRD will be subject to the same pressures with returning money to people being of lesser priority than ensuring money is paid.

Twelve weeks though is out of this world 'late' and long drawn out.  Perhaps ask them how much longer they expect to be, especially as we are coming up to the great NZ shut-down over Christmas - January. 

This is a grumble, grumble but it is from knowledge. It is from the knowledge that the growth of computer aided technology, the Internet all advances that were naively thought to be able to speed up jobs, have not done so. 

[Fresh Fields]

Thanks for your comments.

I have been away from my computer for a few days, and for reasons I am unsure of, my attempts to log on via my phone, were not successful.

When I made the claim, at the beginning of September, I was in phone contact with the IRD because I spotted another listed unclaimed sum, that I may have been able to help with. At that time I was not advised that the division handling those claims, had any poscessing backlogs.

At six weeks I phoned and was told there was possibly a 12 week delay in processing claims. And then again as reported above at 12 weeks I was again told that there was a backlog. This time I was assured that the claim was still active in the system, and will be processed when they catch up to it.

My posting was to share some info, and point out that there is legislation allowing banks to close accounts, and to forward the sum there in, to the IRD for safe keeping for 25 years.

Evidently press coverage of this factor can cause a rush of claimants. And that banks can hand over 1,000's of accounts each year.

Alan.

https://www.consumer.org.nz/articles/ird-unclaimed-money