Problems contacting tax offices

Problems contacting tax offices

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 I've just tried to call a client's local tax office on the agent's line and found that my call was answered by East Kilbride, which is most definitely not the client's local office.  After further questioning I was told that the Revenue have a new phone system which routes calls to whichever office is least busy and it is now no longer possible to contact the client's tax office directly!  I was then told that if the query needs to be dealt with by the client's particular office then the office taking the call will email the client's office and I will have to wait for a call back which I should get within 5 working days (or 2 working days if I can convince them that the matter is urgent!)

If I happen to be unavailable when that call comes back I was told that the the officer will not leave contact details but instead will 'probably' try one more time and if I miss this call then I will have to start the process all over again!

Having already waited far in excess of 5 working days on four separate occasions I cannot see how this system can possibly work.  I did think about resorting to pen and paper but was told I should expect to wait 8 - 10 weeks for a reply! Am I alone in this frustration or is anybody else experiencing similar problems?

Replies (15)

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By occca
20th Apr 2010 14:16

What can I say !

Just another example of the complete incompetence of HMRC !

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By User deleted
20th Apr 2010 14:17

HMRC Managers have gone Mad!!

Which idiot at HMRC came up with this idiotic ohne system Idea?

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By Helen Crowley
20th Apr 2010 14:26

Snap!

Same here. Appealed against incorrect penalties on 3rd March and included a letter of complaint. I have called three times and they still can't sort it out. I'm told they won't deal with the letter until at least mid May!

We need to start a campaign to be able to speak again to people who have a clue what they're doing (maybe they no longer exist which is why we aren't allowed to speak to local offices?)

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By B Adder
20th Apr 2010 15:31

Me too

Untold calls and correspondence going around in their Alice In Wonderland world

meanwhile my client is giving me extreme grief that I seem unable to deal effectively with his HMRC affairs

Resorted to calling the direct line No. of my 'Agent Account Maintainer' -

So far no response to the message left on the voice mail.......

Disgraceful

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By User deleted
20th Apr 2010 16:44

Do something, Stop moaning

This issue comes up again and again.

We should collectively take it to the highest level and get it sorted. Accounting web could take a lead?

Moaning won't help. Do something serious.

This puts the UK in a third world country position. Pathetic.

How are other European Tax departments, any experience of their service?

 

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By Helen Crowley
20th Apr 2010 16:44

There's more...

I just phoned about my case again (I've been told that I might not have my complaint and appeal against an incorrect penalty dealt with until sometime in June) My letter was dated 3rd March which means it will have taken approx 13 weeks assuming of course that they haven't lost it! In the meantime clients are being hassled for payment. Also even if you phone the Agent Priority Lines the person you speak to is apparently unable to help you with anything at all related to Partnerships and will have to pass you on to a "Technical adviser" so you will have to repeat the story again. They are not allowed direct access to the local office either and must e-mail a message. Apparently the local office then has 5 clear working days in which to return your call before they can send yet another e-mail on your behalf. I've just been told if you phone on a Monday you can't expect your call to be returned until the following Tuesday. It seems that you can no longer fax these offices and neither can you e-mail them directly. It begs the question really - what the heck are these staff doing?

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By User deleted
20th Apr 2010 16:45

Write in to complaints manager!

Write in to the complaints manager of the relevant Tax District.

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By amarshah69
20th Apr 2010 17:02

Sefton Area Employer's Section

1)You cannot get through on the phone in the morning - constantly engaged

2) You cannot phone them in the afternoon - they do not answer phone calls after 12pm - "Work load is too high"

3) Their fax number shown on the HMRC Website is wrong -  and has not been updated despite official complaints being made.

4) They do not answer letters!

5) They do not acknowledge receipt of letters "due to the volume of correspondence they recieve"

6) No email addresses are provide - despite the drive to do more things electronically

They do not let anyone know that the fax number is wrong or make any reference to the reduced phone service anywhere! No apologies, no alternatives, no solutions, no timescales provided!!

Basically they do not want you to contact them for any reason whatsoever!!

I think I will have to write to my crooked MP on this one, but he is probably too busy fiddling expenses before he gets booted out or campaigning in a desperate attempt to stay on the gravy train!

 

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By User deleted
20th Apr 2010 17:23

Funding

Q. Who wants to pay the tax to fund the system to run it the way it used to be?

A. Sadly, no one, so it ain't going to happen.

 

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By petersaxton
20th Apr 2010 18:39

What should tax be for?

People will pay the tax to run HMRC the way it used to be run.

People don't want to pay tax to to fund waste.

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By User deleted
21st Apr 2010 10:14

.

What the senior bods at HMRC seem to completely and utterly fail to understand is that if you have to send something three times to get it done it take three times as much effort on their part to deal with.

A good 40-50% of our work is duplicating something that should have happended already.

 

 

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By petersaxton
21st Apr 2010 10:32

No it doesn't

It doesn't because they don't deal with the first two attempts.

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By User deleted
21st Apr 2010 12:31

No Phone Week

Customer Operations Employers Section in Salford have a "No Phone Week" this week!

Don't write becasuse they are probably about 3 months behind with that!

"Customer" Service / Working Together - what a laugh!!!!

 

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By beancounters
21st Apr 2010 15:31

Frustrating or what?

Late filing C/Tax penalty received 12 March 2010 ex Merthyr Tydfil re accounts filed at Exeter 24 December 2009

 

Appeal sent to Merthyr Tydfil 23 March 2010 although I have not yet had the courtesy of a reply

Nevertheless, penalty demand ex Cumbernauld received 12 April 2010 quoting 01236-785057

 

This number usually engaged  but, I realise, only because anyone who gets a ring tone can sit and listen to it for ten minutes or so before some one there gets so p****d off they cut it off.  Meantime, any other callers get engaged tone and assume someone is actually on the phone.  Don't know why they quote an obviously unattended phone number.

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Replying to brynboy:
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By Nigel Wulcko
20th Apr 2016 11:59

6 YEARS ON AND NO CHANGE

Just received a CT209 (Corporation Tax Receipt) quoting 01236 785057 for Cumbernauld - now you don't even get a connection!

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