Tax office - what a load of............yawn.......
Tax office - what a load of............yawn.......
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Discussion

SimonTheSailor

Original Poster:

12,928 posts

252 months

Friday 18th November 2022
quotequote all
Currently into a 30 minute call - haven't spoken to a person yet.
5 minute talking to a machine.
20-25 minute listening to Mozart (?).

I actually want to TALK to somebody, not some long drawn out Webchat/Twitter/Messenger exchange......

Do I just hang on ?
They don't even tell you what number you are in the queue or how long it might be rolleyes

55palfers

6,294 posts

188 months

Friday 18th November 2022
quotequote all
I gave up hanging on the phone so I wrote to them

Got a reply 13 weeks later!

SimonTheSailor

Original Poster:

12,928 posts

252 months

Friday 18th November 2022
quotequote all
Oh well.....an hour in the end.
Not exactly a convincing answer but I think I've got it covered !!

cheeky_chops

1,624 posts

275 months

Friday 18th November 2022
quotequote all
ha reading this, im on hold too - 22 mins so far ffs

cheeky_chops

1,624 posts

275 months

Friday 18th November 2022
quotequote all
Not so bad, 40 mins in total inc sorting tax code for 2 jobs

SimonTheSailor

Original Poster:

12,928 posts

252 months

Friday 18th November 2022
quotequote all
I have to say they do seem to help when you get through. I've never found that you feel like they are trying to get rid of you quickly or disinterested in you.

It's just the initial auto crap you have to go through and the classical music !!

Why can't they say

1. For Eighties
2. For Nineties
3. For Rock
4. For Classical..........

ar-em-en

255 posts

126 months

Saturday 19th November 2022
quotequote all
SimonTheSailor said:
I have to say they do seem to help when you get through. I've never found that you feel like they are trying to get rid of you quickly or disinterested in you.

It's just the initial auto crap you have to go through and the classical music !!

Why can't they say

1. For Eighties
2. For Nineties
3. For Rock
4. For Classical..........
That's my experience too, usually been very helpful once the wait is over.

Skyedriver

22,520 posts

306 months

Monday 21st November 2022
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Tax Codes: Was about 4 year ago I had 15 different tax ode notices in one tax year as I retired.
Waiting on the phone: try BT! The music is dreadful, the wait indeterminable and once you speak to someone they pass you to someone else. Or rather the same music again before you get disconnected.

Koyaanisqatsi

2,525 posts

54 months

Tuesday 22nd November 2022
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Not helped by thousands of workers being taken away from their usual duties in whichever department they were previously working (SA, Corporation Tax, PAYE, VAT, etc.) and being made to help with the Covid stuff. Therefore, there's a huge backlog of work and letters to work through. The phonelines of some departments were closed recently on Fridays simply so workers could deal with incoming post. That didn't go down well at all so was stopped.

Thankfully, as an accountant, we get fast-tracked phonelines with minimal wait times and always get through to someone very competent, but the situation isn't getting better. We're being quoted up to 6 months to simply have the SA department deal with an overpayment being credited back to the client. 6 months comes then another 1-2 months being added on. It's the same across the board when public services are concerned at the moment. Typically at least 12 months to deal with a basic probate case, 9-12 months for Companies House to deal with a simple late filing penalty appeal or reply to a letter.

It's a real st show.

SimonTheSailor

Original Poster:

12,928 posts

252 months

Tuesday 22nd November 2022
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Thinking about it I had to complete Power If Attorney forms with my mother, it states that once you have sent them in it can take 'up to 20 weeks'. Seems crazy...

Abdul Abulbul Amir

13,179 posts

236 months

Tuesday 22nd November 2022
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Luck of the draw on who you get at HMRC.

I had an incorrect tax code and phoned them up, after a very long wait the young Eastern European gentleman subsequently made the situation worse. Luckily the lady I spoke to the following time, after another long wait, managed to unwind it all and also look out for and call me back after I sent in some requested evidence.

Elderly

3,687 posts

262 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2022
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Up to 5 working days .......

....... I'm still waiting rolleyes


markymarkthree

3,466 posts

195 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2022
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You do realise that now these fackers are working from home. They have other stuff to do. biggrin

alscar

8,364 posts

237 months

Wednesday 23rd November 2022
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I hold LPA for a relative and during Covid and after had to try and deal with HMRC over tax demands for them.
I spent a few hours on the phone before even getting through / rerouted to the correct dept originally and then when I did they were precisely zero help.
An email to the CEO etc got me the name of someone in their complaints dept and then via email I sorted the whole thing out.
Tbh trying to deal with any organisation over the last few years has been pretty painful - DWP in particular - but also private Solicitors etc.
Getting a f2f doctors appointment ?- good luck.
You get the feeling that unless people work in the office at least 4 days a week nothing will ever get back to how it was !