A southern Burgenlander did not want to accept a letter from the court about alleged outstanding payments. More than 500 euros were withheld from his salary.
The broadcasting allowances and contributions for the ORF regularly caused and still cause discussions. As reported, an ice cream seller was recently ordered to pay the full annual fee for each of his outlets. The anger was great. And he’s not the only one.
More than 500 euros gone
Klaus A. from Rechnitz is also very unhappy. He received a letter from the court stating that a driving and salary execution had been approved against him. The reason: an “enforceable late payment certificate” from ORF-Beitrags Service GmbH. Below you will find a number of apparently still outstanding small and very small amounts whose enforceability dates back years. In total, more than 500 euros were debited from his pay slip, says the southern Burgenlander.
Bills always paid
He can’t quite understand why. The required ORF fees were always paid, explains A., who however admits that some amounts may have been paid slightly late. However, he did not want the execution of his salary to take place and he filed an objection, mainly because he had never received the execution order from the party that had taken the initiative. The case went back to court and ended in his favor.
“The money is then gone”
The court rules that the creditor in question has not submitted the requested enforcement order. “If someone forgets to object or cannot do so, the ORF will be successful and the money will be gone,” Calchnitzer says angrily. He considers this a pure attempt at a rip-off as an attempt has also been made to collect a fee that has already been paid in full.
Insisting for weeks
But the matter was not over yet. It took several hours of phone calls and legal work to get the money back. After a few weeks, A. got most of the money back. 43 euros was withheld as processing costs.
A “madness”
For the Burgenlander it was “madness”: “Where do we live here? I have to spend hours on the phone to get my money back. No one will reimburse me for the time, but I do have to pay a fee for the handling.” Only after a request to the collection agency for the GIS costs was this money refunded after a long time.
Contribution office sees a “very rare case”
The ORF contributions office OBS says this is a “very rare case”. The customer paid the GIS fees by standing order, but always late, i.e. after they were due. A rate increase at that time was only taken into account much later. In this way, payment arrears and outstanding partial amounts of advance payments have arisen over the years.
The execution stopped
“Payment arrears have also arisen, which ultimately led to foreclosure after payment reminders, reminders and collection. Due to the frequent late payment of an incorrect amount without a reference number, the claims were postponed (sic). Therefore, the execution was stopped,” the contribution office said. A. pays the requirements for the new ORF contribution on time.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
