MSE News: Anger as tax credit helpline jammed in latest HMRC gaffe

AsknAnswer2

corbyboy wrote: »

Just looking at the article, how did you time the 14 minutes to get through? You don't get put on hold you just get cut off when it's too busy. So how did you time it?

I've often been put on hold. It depends on call volumes. If they are moderately busy, you will be placed in a queue. If they are excessivley busy, the call will be terminated.

I assume that this is done by way of software which can measure the volume of callers currently trying to get through.

divastrop

I had to phone them this afternoon, but thanks to this and other threads I knew what to expect and didn't get irate at all
I phoned repeatedly for 20 minutes getting cut off each time then just as I was about to give up and try later I got a ringing tone. I was also on hold for around 15 minutes before speaking to a human, but I got there in the end. A total of 40 minutes out of my day was used on the call but after months of ringing student finance it was at least a relief to speak to somebody who knew what they were talking about after waiting that long

NASA_2

AsknAnswer2 wrote: »

I assume that this is done by way of software which can measure the volume of callers currently trying to get through.

It is, the software will cut off those who will be waiting an excessively long time, longer than 14 minutes.

At a time I had the pleasure of dealing with people who had been on hold for over an hour - they were only too keen to advise me of how many times they heard the recorded message - like I really gave a !!!! after the 30th time of hearing it.

beanielou

Charming NASA~not.

NASA_2

beanielou wrote: »

Charming NASA~not.

Two sides to every story I guess.

William_Blessing

As a temp you only work until you blow the job or the job blows you. It's only a matter of time. I suppose that's what a blow job is. Anyway, we all had a bit of training and my shift was 7.00am until about 3pm. Mon to Fri about £5 an hour. So the first day we all waited for a call. All through the depth of winter.

And about 6 months later all 100 of us were still waiting. It wasn't until about March the next year when the multi billion advertising campaign HM Government started to have effect that a trickle of irate callers slowly began.

Up until then we played on-line tennis and crosswords. I first started posting on the Bristol City fan forum, and when I looked around the call centre at 7am each day all I could see was the slumped heads of the mass ensemble of quasi hippy temps sleeping off the effects of the night before. It was so comedic. But I just couldn't believe that the government could be so cavalier with the tax payers money. But, as I was being paid to do nothing but blog on football forums, it would have been insane not to just go along with it.

Slowly but steadily the trickle became a torrent like an incoming tide. By mid March the display panels above our heads that shows the number of calls waiting and the time was reading 40,000 callers at 7.00am and five seconds.

We started to be trained on the help line. This was the step up from the information line. I elected to stay on the info line. I developed a script all of my own making which took about 10 minutes in which I informed them that the Inland Revenue was a disgrace, didn't know it's backside from it's elbow, the caller should write to his MP, local paper, and go to the DHSS office and get a special needs payment to which he or she was entitled.

The young asian guy next to me adopted a different approach. He gave everyone the Help Line number even though he knew that people hadn't been able to get through to them for two or three months. He answered about 500 calls a day that way.

I took a train up to Twickenham one weekend and at Reading station I came across a young chap slumped over a bench groaning. I asked him if he was alright? He groaned "noooooo".

What's the matter where do you work? "I work for the Inland Revenue" he mumbled.

"Oh what department" I asked. The Tax Credit Department.....

"So do I. I'm on the tax info line. What's it like....?

"Well" he said there's only 30 people in the whole country actually qualified to view people's cases. None of the temps can do anything. And I'm trying to deal with a back log of 3 million complaints........" and then he passed out, whether through drink I don't know.

But I realised what a huge con it all was. Dawn Primarolo came wafting into the office saying how everything was go so well. All the paid up Civil servants in tow just kept mum about it.

Eventually I was monitored by our outsourced call centre staff and they called me in.

"William we've listened to your calls and although we agree with everything you say, we are ourselves are monitored by the Inland Revenue and if they hear what you are saying the agency would lose the contract.

I resigned on the spot and am now blacklisted by Pertemps. So it didn't do me much good except to say that I couldn't be silent on the shambles.

But to be fair the Inland Revenue couldn't be blamed for it. It was Gordon Brown who decided to dump the whole benefits system on them without any warning. And in seducing millions into dependency on the state through tax credits whilst playing Lady Bountiful, well, it was the claimants fault wasn't it!

God knows what it must be like now with the latest tax fiasco. And the same smug, self satisfied face of the chap in charge of HM Revenue and Customs shows nothing much has changed. No need to apologize there then. Bit like Santander.

Perhaps the Tories might sort it out. In time for the next lot to come in.

Me now? I've got a nice secure job on the complaints line of a major utility. It's well run. I'm grateful for it. It pays to speak up sometimes, but don't be tempted to be a hero. A jobs a job is it not?

phanmale

I have been trying constantly since the beginning of August (3-4 times a day *every* day including Saturday and Sundays) before and after 8am-8pm (just in case) to report that I no longer need a joint claim as my partner moved out. My payments were stopped at the end of August anyway, due to my son going on to further education, but reassessed and started paying again in the first week of September.

I have been panicking that I will be penalised for not giving the information soon enough and that they would reclaim any overpayments. The one time I didnt get cut off because "there is nobody available to take your call, please try later" I was on hold for 16 minutes, before a *click* and the call ending.

I finally got through this evening, have explained that I have been trying for over a month to get through and my old and new claims were dealt with over the phone. 32 minutes later, and somewhat relieved, I realised that if every call was the same, its no wonder people arent able to get through. I wish everyone who needs to speak to them luck and would say just keep persevering, it pays off in the end. I am dreading my phone bill as Ive been dialling the 0845 number - I should have thought to use saynoto0870, I often recommend it to others!

And just for the record, I dont watch Coronation Street, Eastenders, nor Jeremy Kyle funny enough.... :mad:

BLT_2

cit_k wrote: »

Im confused, this is clearly not a request for benefit help, and is clearly a discussion about benefit policy/issues/problems.

If anyone else had started this thread, Im convinced it would have been dumped in discussion time, as it seems clearly against the rules, as laid out in the sticky in this forum.

Don't worry about it, this site is getting more and more pointless as time goes on. Repetitive posts in the forum, Martins money tips are usually about credit cards or offers you can pick up anywhere on the web as opposed to real money saving. The latest tranche is about energy switching (yawn - he's done that one to death), credit cards and an iphone deal on a mobile phone contract. Wow, signing up for a 2 year mobile phone contract at 30 quid a month is going to save me a fortune

Great deal, I can either pay 99 quid and sign up to a contract which will cost me 720 quid over 2 years on the crappiest network in the universe, total cost 819 pounds. Alternatively I can buy an Iphone on Ebay for a couple of hundred pounds and get pretty much the same allowance from O2 for 240 quid over 2 years, total cost around 450 quid.

I wonder how much he get for advertising that deal (which after extensive research on the net I found - it took me 5 seconds)

And finally lots of posts by 'MSE Experts' who have trawled the newspapers to find stories to reprint.

No longer interesting, pretty pointless, you would be better spending your time on you tube, at least its fun

Hathi

AsknAnswer2 wrote: »

The issue is caused neither by the staff answering the phones or by the claimants.

Claimants feel the frustration of ringing again and again and again, desperately trying to get through, listening to that awful automated messages giving options, inputting all of the options then hearing the message that they are too busy and the line going dead. That's enough to drive a saint insane when you've been at it for hours trying to get through.

Staff will probably get the brunt of the abuse when claimants do get through. It's not the telephony operators who make decisions on how many staff are on the helpline; so giving abuse to them is not only going to acheive absolutely nothing, but while people are busy ranting and raving about the time they had trying to get through, they're only holding up the phone lines more for others trying to get through.

I agree, but while the recorded message suggests you may want to call back later, you actually don't get an option and are cut off. Some of us don't like hanging on indefinately listening to music, but having that choice makes a difference. I have since been given an address to complain to and will do just that.

buzzard

The "say no to 0870" numbers will just get you in the same queue as the normal number - unless you use the overseas number, which is answered. Having spent days on redial I know that most times you listen to a terrible message before getting cut off. Anyone answered after 14 minutes was very lucky. Beware - they are only likely to let you use the overseas number once so save it for a real emergency.

As for who is the biggest idiot - I guess the person blaming the customers could be the one who kept telling me I had to send in a form, totally ignoring my initial comment that I had SENT THE FORM IN and it seemed to have been ignored. Still my form had been ignored so why should I be listened to when I gave them the information again. It took me 15 minutes to get her to stop repeating that I should have sent the form in and me replying that I'd already told her I had sent the form in AND I still had the proof of posting.

And please don't claim my form probably "wasn't recieved". Thanks to the net we know how many tens of thousands of people are being told that. Just admit that the system is overwhelmed, take the information again, apologise and we'd all be off the phone a lot faster.