Quite a few retailers have had ongoing issues with Cardtronics over their ATMs being charged business rates, but this one was different.

Quite a few retailers have had ongoing issues with Cardtronics over their ATMs being charged business rates, but this one was different. Jimmy Patel (Jimmy’s Store, Northampton) says he paid the business rates directly to his council, but Cashzone (a Cardtronics brand) had been withholding his commission ever since.

Cashzone wrote to him last summer telling him they were withholding £2,383.20 in commission to be deducted from the amount he owed, leaving a balance of £957.93 still owed. Except, as we just pointed out, he didn’t owe. He had paid directly.

He says: “They have been holding my commission for over two years. Every time I call I get ‘we will pass it on’.” But he could get no further than that.

I contacted Cardtronics and a spokesperson said: “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We have been in contact with Mr Patel and we are working with him to resolve the issue.”

I got back to Jimmy to see if this had happened and he said: “They have been in touch, but I have to prove to them that I have paid the council!”

Jimmy rates their behaviour as “worse than HMRC, where I have to prove to them when they owe me money!” He is now going through last year’s books to find the proof.

One can only hope that the government’s recent application to appeal the court’s decision to wipe out these rates will fail – and Jimmy will eventually get back the money he paid the council. But hopefully he will now get his commission back far quicker.

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