Tax Credits - how can you contact the people who are seemingly dragging their feet ?

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Tax Credits said they had everything they needed when they telephoned me. Then they just went quiet. When I phone them I am not really speaking to them but rather some reception service who simply pass on data.

So how do you get past these guys because they aren't able to tell you anything useful ? How do you get to the people who have your forms on their desk and who are dragging their feet ?

AsknAnswer2

No idea.

I had a problem earlier in the year in that I reported a change to childcare which would result in less money but they kept on paying me the same amount - I was getting more than I was entitled to. I phoned them countless times to chase it up and got nowhere - it went on for three months. The last time I rang, I was told that they had sent me a form which I hadn't responded to 2 months ago, so they had sent me another one a month ago and that I had to respond to it or I could lose my childcare element. I explained that I hadn't received any written correspondance from them in respect of this - if I had, I certainly would not be spending a fortune phoning them to chase it up over the last three months.

The gent appeared determined to argue with me, and insisted that I had been sent the form. I asked him what it was that they needed to know and I would tell him. He said the response needed to be in writing. So I asked him again to tell me what it was they needed to know and I would write a letter giving them whatever information they needed, because I was keen to sort it out. He said that he didn't know what they needed because on the helpline they don't know what questions the form asks and that I had to just answer the questions on the form they'd sent. He did not appear to comprehend, despite my repeating it, that I had not received any form from them. So I asked if he could have the department dealing with it ring me and tell me what information they wanted and I'd write it in. He said he could not ask the department to ring me. I tried in vain to put my perspective across, telling him that I was desperately to give them information and he was not doing much in the way of helping me to get that information to them, and it was unfair that my childcare element may be stopped simply because I hadn't received any mail from them. I said that it was very strange because I didn't have any problems receiving any other mail from anywhere else, only these forms he inststed they had sent. I again asked him to consider the situation I was faced with and asked again for him to ask the relevant department to contact me. Again he gave the robotic response that he could not help me and was going to end the call, so I asked for his supervisor.

I explained the situation to the supervisor who also said they couldn't arrange for the department to call me back. Again I explained that I hadn't received any forms from them. She looked into my record and apologised, saying that I was quite correct. They had not sent me any forms, they had sent them to my Child care provider.

I spoke to my childminder who advised me she had received two letters with an HMRC return address on them but had sent them back unopened because they were not addressed to her. They had an incorrect name on them!! They eventually sent another one, still addressed to the wrong person but she opened that one and corrected the name on it. To this day I don't know how they managed to address three letters to the wrong person because I have given my childminders name and address in answers to security questions and passed the security check each time so they obviously have the right details.

So in answer to your question, it is nigh on impossible to get through to the department that deals with your claim unless it is compliance or the review team and they ask you to contact them on a direct number.