Do we share the experience of HMRC!

Do we share the experience of HMRC!

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Dear Colleagues

Below is the letter I recently sent to HMRC after a frequent discomforting experience in recent times where they have told me that the poor service is due to shortage of staff or work force, etc.

Is this something experienced and shared commonly!

Wonder how HMRC (and poor individuals/businesses) would position them self should the Agents team up and withdraw their services altogether (hypothetical situation).

In general in the past year we had to employ extra recourses not just to deal with the increased compliance and paper work with the change of legislations but also to deal with the tardy approach of the long trusted HMRC.

Do you share similar thoughts or is it the work pressure getting me mad!

Head of HMRC (Chapel Wharf Area)

REF - Mr. A RRosiji, UTR - 199** ****0, NI # SJ ** ** ** A

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to you with reference to our above client’s tax affairs and returns for 5th April 2007 & 5th April 2008, as I am experiencing a VERY discomforting time liaising with your authorities.

Firstly, the phone systems and the call center facilities are so poor that it takes day’s to get through the phone lines to speak to some one, and secondly when you get through some one the approach and knowledge of the staff is so tardy and they do not seem to have a clue what they are talking about (especially the tax years) which as an agent is very frustrating to mediate between the client and the H M Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

I sometime wonder how on earth as an agent we can assist the client and the HMRC when the services received from your end is so appalling.

For instance, I am liaising with the HMRC on behalf of the above client since early March 2009 and still on going, I have almost clocked-up chargeable time of £1,200 and still building to chase a repayment worth £2,015.52, for which my client is not satisfied as the net benefit to him of the overpaid tax has now been reduced should he settle and agree for our fees, there is also possibility that we may loose the clients business due to your inefficiencies.

It is very hard to grow a professional business on our hard shoulders and sad to see it loose due to the inefficiency of the HMRC.

This is just not one instance but a frequent experience shared by our office and I am confident that there are more practitioners like us out there experiencing the same level of service.

We are also collecting the documents of correspondences like such and will soon consider publishing it in a newspaper or a journal and circulating to the general public who should know who is at fault for providing poor tax and accounting services.

Now with regards to the above client, we have submitted the tax returns for 5th April 2007 and 5th April 2008 on 27/01/2009 by recorded delivery (Copy of the letter and proof of postage attached for your perusal).

On 20th March 2009 we receive a letter (2 months later) from HMRC confirming receipt of the tax returns (Copy of letter attached for your perusal)

Since then I have been following on the telephone speaking to Ms. Bernadette, Mr. Mohammed, Ms. Jagruthi, Mr. Shaun, etc asking them the reason for the delay and when will it be processed so that the client could be informed of the expected repayment date.

Initially in early March 2009, I was told by your associates that it has been received and since it was an unsolicited return it has not been set-up as a priority and will be processed within 2 weeks time, since then many more weeks have passed by and as per today’s telephone conversation with your associates they are still saying the same excuse, without telling me as to when I could expect the return to be processed by so that the client can be informed of the expected dates of repayment of overpaid taxes.

However today twist in your representation is as follow,

1. One of your colleague Ms. Jaguriti refused to accept that 5th April 2007 tax year was in fact 2006/07 (I was left with no words to speak)
2. I tried calling back again expecting some one more sensible to answer the phone, I was glad that the associate Mr. Shaun agreed on the tax year but told me that the 2006/07 tax return was not received by them.

I referred him to the letter received from you confirming receipt of the tax return and he could not find that on the system.

I gave him the recorded postage reference and was told that he will investigate and return back to me.

Which I believe is a usual excuse to get people off the phone quickly without telling them to bugger off.

Should I expect a call back? We will have to wait and see!

However I do not have more energy than this to input to persuade the HMRC to assist, hence I am attaching the copies of the tax returns for the year ended 5th April 2007 & 2008 for your processing, hoping that it will be dealt with promptly and the repayment issued.

Regards

J S (FCCA)

Jayesh Shah

Replies (3)

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By AnonymousUser
21st Apr 2009 09:00

You have four problems acting against you
1. One return submitted late (06/07) & the other a peak submission time.
2. Paper based submission rather than on-line
3. You want a refund
4. It syas they were unsolicited which I assume means no rerturn was issued by HMRC and possibly no UTR

Worst of all possible cases I am sure you will agree and a scenario (sadly) that current systems HMRC employ are not geared up to deal with efficiently. I did have a similar one to do myself (except the refund bit) and it was only completed about 2 weeks ago.

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By User deleted
20th Apr 2009 20:45

hmmm
Hi

While I appreciate you must be frustrated, I had to give up reading this tale of woe as I found it almost impossible to follow. Sorry.

I have found the best way to deal with such matters is to write to HMRC (and long before things get this out of control) stating clearly but briefly what you want 'put right,' and then to close your letter with the following (or similar) - " Once you have addressed the above matters, will you please refer this case to your complaints section and request that they provide our client with a full written explanation of the errors (and/or delays - as the case may be) , together with an apology, copied to us for our records".

You could also add that you will be advising your client to seek compensation for the additional professional fees (yours) incurred as a direct consequence of HMRCs ineptitude.

I don't take this action too often but, when I do, it works.

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By AnonymousUser
20th Apr 2009 14:14

Sympathy
There is no way of putting this gently. They are bl00dy useless, but this is not the fault of anybody who you can ring up and talk to.

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