Remote mobile working is cutting corners not just costs

Posted by mr. mischief PM | on Thu, 31/01/2013 - 10:00 904 5 comments | report

A lady turns up on a client's doorstep with no appointment. My client was just leaving her pub, the lady announced she was from HMRC and insisted on an interview then and there. I was called by phone but was out at the time, but was able to speak to her later. This is in Cumbria. When asked for an address I could write to her, the lady gave an address in Somerset. When asked for a phone number, she gave only a mobile one.

Personally, if a bloke came round wanting to concrete my drive and gave a Somerset address and a mobile, he'd be sent packing. This meeting was not about doing my client's drive, it was about arrears and the potential seizing of assets. Quite simply, I don't think this is good enough. If I hand out a business card, it has my name, business, address landline and mobile on it - not Joe Soap of Taunton with just a mobile.

There is a lot of wasted effort built into this system. The best example of this was a few visits made to a different pub client by someone from Preston who said they were HMRC. If that person had been more local those visits would not have been made. Anyone who'd read the local paper in the previous 3 months would have known the police had taken away my client's licence and she was pursuing actions - ultimately successful - to get it back as the police had overstepped the mark.

As a profession, should we put up with this? Can we refuse to deal with people who operate on a level with a cowboy builder who wants to pave your drive?

Comments

An appointment

mikewhit | Thu, 31/01/2013 - 10:45 | Permalink

How difficult would it have been to make an appointment through the official channels, even just the day before ?

Identification

Colin Lothian | Thu, 31/01/2013 - 11:15 | Permalink

Ask to see her official HMRC identification card and warrant.

Bet it was a debt collector not employed by HMRC

Briar | Thu, 31/01/2013 - 13:43 | Permalink

I have had visits from these guys (as the registered office for several companies). It often turns out that they are merely debt collectors for HMRC and not employed by HMRC at all. They can be quite aggressive (doesn't work with me!) and also start talking of additional costs if they need to return. I even had one who maintained he had been before (and therefore wanted extra costs) but when challenged as to when it turned out that he hadn't and he couldn't prove it. So he was sent away, a letter was sent to his company, and he has never returned!

Collector or Taxes

paulrnugent | Thu, 31/01/2013 - 14:42 | Permalink

The Inland revenue tried to merge with the Collection Service some years ago but it was scrapped and so the Collector of Taxes is still a separate entity working by its own 'collection' rules. You'll notice they are not HM Collector of Taxes... just Collector of Taxes.

However, they are and very often have been, much 'softer' in approach compared to mainstream Bailiffs and the like but nevertheless have a job to do.

However, one doesn't get a visit from a Collector of Taxes (with warrant card if asked for) without having first had a whole string of letters, reminders, statements etc getting progressively stronger before the ultimate visit. Usually if the 'customer' rings HMRC explaining any problems with payment HMRC can offer solutions well before the Collector has to come knocking on the door.

So talking to HMRC's Recovery Section as early as possible is the best way to avoid a visit.

There will always be two types of customer. Those who can't pay and those who don't or won't pay. It is the latter type of person who usually gets visits from the Collector.

Paul Nugent

It is all very well

Old Greying Acc... | Wed, 06/02/2013 - 11:51 | Permalink

asking to see official ID, I did this once, but not having a clue what an official HMRC warrant card looks like seems a bit pointless. Even if i did it so easy to knock up a fake that the easiest ways for HMRC are to either make an appointment, or, easier still, have a checking system like CIS so you can input the HMRC ID details from the warrant card they present and get it verified on the spot - simples

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