15 minutes wating on IR phone and counting...

jem16

dori2o wrote: »

Many people who call from outside the UK cannot use the 0845 number, the telephone exchange of the country they are calling from does not accept the 0845 prefix. Their calls are also, in the majority, far more expensive to make than calling from a UK phone (including mobiles) even when using the international number.

I understand the need for the international number but that wasn't really what I was asking.

I was asking why it was not alright from someone within the UK to use a number reserved for international callers.

dori2o

jem16 wrote: »

I understand the need for the international number but that wasn't really what I was asking.

I was asking why it was not alright from someone within the UK to use a number reserved for international callers.

Because it's cheaper in some cases and jumps the queue, it's a priority line.

Why should a person who has done the correct thing an called the 0845 number, be disadvantaged by somebody ringing the wrong number after them and getting their query dealt with first?

Also the international line does not take you through the options menu, therefore you could call it, get through to an advisor, only to find you need to call another number which is 0845 in order to have your query answered. However the correct 0845 number, had you called it in the first place, would route you through automatically.

So, in instances such as this you have not saved anything and have wasted the time of the advisor who has had to take the time to ask what the query is, find the correct telephone number for you and give you that number, then wrap up the call, make notes where necessary, when they could have been dealing with an actual enquiry from someone who had dialed the right number and got through to the right department.

AirlieBird

jem16 wrote: »

I was asking why it was not alright from someone within the UK to use a number reserved for international callers.

Probably has something to do with the commercial contract HMRC has with the telephony provider where the commercial provider keeps the revenue generated by 0845 calls in return for them offering the service to HMRC at the lowest cost possible.

From a HMRC FOI response

HMRC wrote:

HMRC receives no revenue through its use of 0845 numbers. HMRC Contact Centre telephony is provided through a commercial arrangement called the Telephony Managed Service. This takes account of the in-payments HMRC’s telephony service provider receives from licensed operators carrying these 0845 calls. The arrangement ensures that the Telephony Managed Service is provided at the lowest cost while remaining flexible enough to adapt to business and customer needs.

jem16

dori2o wrote: »

Why should a person who has done the correct thing an called the 0845 number, be disadvantaged by somebody ringing the wrong number after them and getting their query dealt with first?

No i don't believe they should be disadvantaged.

Also the international line does not take you through the options menu, therefore you could call it, get through to an advisor, only to find you need to call another number which is 0845 in order to have your query answered. However the correct 0845 number, had you called it in the first place, would route you through automatically.

Ok that's fair enough which is why I was asking what the difference was.

Can a geographical number not also provide similar options?

John_Pierpoint

We have an advice centre - it used to be half a dozen employees of HNRC in chip board hutches but now it is one employee at a desk plus an acoustic hood with a white telephone.

If your query is in the least complicated she gives you a code to enter on the free phone and you get through to a theoretically well trained employee who can sort out your type of query. Meanwhile she can "triage" the next clueless member of the public.

Actually quite a sensible way of saving money by HMRC

John_Pierpoint

From a HMRC FOI response Quote:
Originally Posted by HMRC

HMRC receives no revenue through its use of 0845 numbers. HMRC Contact Centre telephony is provided through a commercial arrangement called the Telephony Managed Service. This takes account of the in-payments HMRC’s telephony service provider receives from licensed operators carrying these 0845 calls. The arrangement ensures that the Telephony Managed Service is provided at the lowest cost while remaining flexible enough to adapt to business and customer needs.

Is anyone getting the feeling that is like selling the landing rights at Athens Airport for the next 25 years in exchange for a lump sum now?

Football_Widow_2

Today I decided to sort out my tax code as I thought that it might be wrong. I went on the HMRC website and had a good look round and found that I should contact the HMRC. As I am a mum and my daughter finishes school at 3pm I decided that I would have to bite the bullet and ring on my landline. I had no idea that I would have to wait for 15 minutes and probably wouldn't have minded if the message on the other end gave me an estimate of how long I would have to wait instead of telling me over and over again that there is lots of information on the website! I must admit that I did get very cross with that :mad: and so I hung up exactly after 15 minutes. Decided to ring again a little later, went via a slightly different route, waited 14 minutes and coped with the constant update about their website and then was answered by a very nice calm person that I just couldn't shout down the phone at - as it was just not his fault. He dealt with my question professionally. Told me that there had been a mistake made and that he would rectify it there and then, which he did and updated my file for the next tax year too.

Hopefully this will the first and last time that I have to call and that I will not have to call againg (considering the comments of having to contact them 6 or 7 times :eek:)

Just got to warn hubby about the phone bill now_pale_!!

FW x

2010

http://search2.hmrc.gov.uk/kbroker/hmrc/contactus/search.ladv?raction=view&fl0=__dsid%3A&sm=0&ha=34&as=1&sf=&sp_scope=hmrc&cs=ISO-8859-1&tx0=49612

The other way to do it is to find a local HMRC enquiry centre and use their freefone.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/enq/

JulieM

I've just discovered from searching the HRMC website that you can telephone them on a Saturday between 8am and 4pm, which is useful for anyone who has free 0845 numbers at weekends.

I've just phoned them myself, it took about 10 mins before the call was answered but at least I wasn't charged for it.

2010

JulieM wrote: »

I've just discovered from searching the HRMC website that you can telephone them on a Saturday between 8am and 4pm, which is useful for anyone who has free 0845 numbers at weekends.

I've just phoned them myself, it took about 10 mins before the call was answered but at least I wasn't charged for it.

My link does give the number and times when they are open.