MSE News: HMRC's waiting times 'unacceptable'

Former_MSE_Helen · 2 May 2012 at 9:19AM

This is the discussion thread for the following MSE News Story:

"Taxpayers have to wait almost three times longer to contact HM Revenue & Customs than they did two years ago"

Read the full story:
HMRC's waiting times 'unacceptable'

mr_jrt · 2 May 2012 at 9:46AM

I rang up a few weeks back to get some movement on a tax refund (despite having all the documentation required (i.e. I had a normal tax code) to see I couldn't possibly reach the threshold this year they took full tax from my first payslip despite the only paid work being for most of March), and sat on hold for 26 minutes before I had to hang up to get back to work. Given BT's incompetence in (not) installing a phone line means I had to do this on a mobile, I was not happy.

...only saving grace was that my rolling T-Mobile contract started a couple of years ago so it was only 12-odd pence a minute rather than the 50 or so pence per minute lunacy it is now.

...quite frankly just not good enough.

Stephen_Leak · 2 May 2012 at 10:03AM

Due to errors with the tax codes on my pay from my previous employer and my pension from an earlier employer, my income tax is a disaster area.

I owe them some, they now owe me some. The last thing is that the tax code to repay the underpayment hasn't been applied.

I despair of having to ring HMRC. I hang on and wait to be timed out, or get put through to someone who says that it's nothing to do with them.

I keep a track of my calls to them, so that I don't spend more than £4.50 a month on daytime calls. That's how much a "free" daytime calls bundle would cost me. I refuse to get this, just to be able to spend more time not getting through to HMRC.

I see no option other than putting everything in writing, and then forgetting it, in the hope that they'll spot something in this year's P800s.

I just wish that there was somewhere else you could go to get tax problems sorted, instead of HMRC.

karl_a · 2 May 2012 at 10:05AM

Had to call them over the past few months around 4-5 times regarding a tax refund.
Each time it has taken at least 25-30mins to get through to an advisor.
This has been in the evenings at probably their busiest time but that should be they get more agents on the answer calls!

Its bad enough waiting on the phone but then you are told that it takes 6 weeks for them to pretty much do anything.

rdr · 2 May 2012 at 10:08AM

Just shows that all those staff got rid of in the name of efficiency, might have been doing something useful after all.
There never was a ministry for counting paperclips - cuts mean reductions in service levels - and anyone who tells you different is either lying or not living in the real world.

Pennywise · 2 May 2012 at 11:03AM

rdr wrote: »

Just shows that all those staff got rid of in the name of efficiency, might have been doing something useful after all.
There never was a ministry for counting paperclips - cuts mean reductions in service levels - and anyone who tells you different is either lying or not living in the real world.

The tax office has changed and staff cuts were perfectly reasonable. Just think how much processing time is saved now that SA, CT, PAYE, and VAT returns are submitted electronically straight into HMRC systems instead of having to be input manually.

The problem is that too many staff don't have the skills to do the job properly, hence the errors which lead to people having to contact them to get corrections made. If they did the job properly, VERY FEW people would have to contact them and the staffing levels would be adequate.

It's now 2 years since I told them to change the address for PAYE correspondence, and despite several letters, formal complaints, etc., and several apologies, I'm still getting PAYE related correspondence from them sent to the wrong address. If they'd have got such a simple thing right in the first place, they would have avoided having to deal with about a dozen subsequent contacts from me to try to get it corrected.

IhateHMRC · 2 May 2012 at 11:14AM

Ever since I got married last year and changed my surname to be the same as my husbands I have had nothing but hassle from the HMRC.

They claim I work two jobs one in Newcastle and the other in London??? I have rang up countless times longest waiting time 1.5 hours only to be put through to an incompetent staff member who have had zero training - last time I rang I was advised by the staff member that I should write in again to complain (because all the previous letter I have wrote and letters from my local MP's have wrote on my behalf were ignored) to say the HMRC should investigate this other company in London for fraud!!!

I was appalled - why should I have to write to tell the HMRC how to do their jobs - needless to say I wrote another letter to them and my MP - Only my MP had the courtesy to reply am still waiting on HMRC to correct my tax code and give me the money back that they are incorrectly deducting at source for underpaid tax for a second job that I do not have!!!

I am getting £200 less in my pay packet each month due to their incompetence and because of this I am now in debt as I dont have enough money to pay my current bills and debt

lemontart · 2 May 2012 at 11:18AM

why not visit one of their many offices around the country - it took me over 20 hrs on a mobile to get through and only 10 minutes face to face to sort it out - well almost still have to go back to sort out refund for last tax year, My employers at fault here not tax office so still peeved I have to sort out their mess.

bigbloke45 · 2 May 2012 at 11:40AM

4 minutes? They are spinning! It takes about 25 minutes AND you have to ring a premium number.

Pants! :mad:

IhateHMRC · 2 May 2012 at 11:43AM

Will give anything a try I honestly thought the MP letter would help because if you send a letter from an MP to DWP it has to resolved within a week - am going to look up my local office now. thank you

Dave_C_2 · 2 May 2012 at 12:08PM

+1 for the 4 minutes is spinning.
IME it's nearer 30 minutes!

Why no email contact? I can send secure messages to my bank but not HMRC. This is 2012 not1912!

Dave

MSE News: HMRC's waiting times 'unacceptable'

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