Tax Credits Helpline callcentre system UPDATED

[2Tiggies]

This is just a rant. Nothing else. Pure, 100% rant.

I have, once again, spent the better part of 2 hours trying to get through. I don't mind being placed in a queue. I don't mind if they are busy and tell me to call back later.

What I do mind is that you have to listen to all this pre recorded info and in between you have to select multiple options to 'get you to the right person', only to be told at the end of the 4+ minutes that the lines are busy .... and the call is disconnected. I wish it would just give a busy signal when you phone. I wonder what an itemised phone bill will look like with 27 calls to an 0845 number

 

[Laurafoster]

Oh i know what you mean!

I received a letter from them saying they hadnt received the confirmation that my details were correct and could i please phone them to sort it out (or else my credits would be stopped!) after numerous attempts to get through and spending ages on hold they told me that they had received my confirmation after all and it must have been a system error that sent the letter out!

 

[2Tiggies]

Grrr. The thing is though, the advisors you speak to are absolutely fantastic and so helpful - or at least the ones I have dealt with, without exception. Such lovely people and really efficient. But they risk having people really annoyed by the time they get through and I am sure that people must shout at the staff and get angry. Really not fair on the employees. And certainly not pleasing to the person responsible for the phone bill (and time management

 

[A Small World]

I often have to phone the tax credits helpline from work as part of my job and it almost impossible to get through at times - I have clients sat there with me while im trying for ages. Ive found the best time is first thing in the morning -as soon as possible after 9

 

[Dimplenose]

What irritates me is the message just before they cut you off - "You might like to call back later." - no I might not, but I'm going to have to!!

Why can't they just say, as the OP stated, at the beginning of the call, "All of our lines are busy, please call back later." Or better still use the engaged tone as I don't have to pay to listen to that.

 

[tashasmum]

You have my sympathies. been trying to get through to them for the last 2 weeks and in the end i let DH phone them from work(he is sat at a desk for quite some time) just to tell them i am not entitled to their money as DD is going to uni. Still had to go through loads of security questions before we could tell them why we were phoning incase we needed to contact them again, which we don't, thank goodness for that.

Then we had to get in touch with the family allowance people to tell them the same. They were busy helping tax credit people.

 

[Elise79]

It's run by HM Revenue & Customs ... Expect no more! According to them they aim to answer 50% of incoming calls

It's not just the tax credit helpline that does that - self assessment is the same. Corporation tax always seems to be answered first time

Good luck in getting it sorted

 

[2Tiggies]

Then we had to get in touch with the family allowance people to tell them the same. They were busy helping tax credit people.

Well I am now going to get up in time to ring them tomorrow at 8 am sharp - and hope that nobody else actually gets further than the good intention of doing the same I have child care to sort out. We are short staffed at work at the moment and so I need to get this sorted. Schools go back on Monday here which means my parents are back at work, read: no childcare I am sorted up until Wednesday, but not further than that so it's no good waiting until that point to try and sort it. I work during the week! I mean obviously the lines are busy out of office hours as the people who qualify for working/child care TCs are ...... er ...... at work during the day.

 

[2Tiggies]

It's run by HM Revenue & Customs ... Expect no more! According to them they aim to answer 50% of incoming calls

To be fair, for a government department, I am very impressed with their efficiency, all things considered. I have had to deal with a tax office abroad before and after that HMRC makes me feel quite pampered by comparison! Just sort out the darn phone lines. I've memorised the whole spiel so well I could re-record the message for them flawlessly And I can't even boast about being a fast learner - I had 29 opportunities to acquaint myself with it.

Corporation tax always seems to be answered first time

Well that actually, on reflection, that makes all the sense in the world.

 

[2Tiggies]

Well there you have it. I got up early and after 11 attempts, I got fed up and searched the saynoto0870 website for an alternative landline equivalent. I don't recommend this by the way. It was explained very clearly to me that anyone wishing to contact the TC Office needs to use the 0845 number, but they would speak to me this once. Anyway, again, a lovely lady helped me, but I just thought I would caution anyone trying the same strategy to exercise caution when searching alternative numbers.

There is one number the appears to be the exact same line as the 0845 and takes you through the process, which of course still means you have to endure the long spiel as described in the first post, but for those who do not get free 0845 numbers but do get free UK calls from their service provider, you can dial 028-9053-8192. I hope this helps at least one person.

 

[Ms Poppins]

Try this number 01355 359007

Every 0845 number routes to a land line number. If you call this one above, the agents will not know that you've not dialled the 0845 number, as your call by-passes the options at the start and just places you in the queue.

I spent days trying to get through, and called the number above. I was in a queue for less than a minute. No problem.

 

[T16GEM]

It annoys me that the service is so very unaccessable to people trying to complete their tax credits, that you are trying to get help and advice from them and if you are one day late they are able to stop everything so darn quickly. Why can't they answer their phones as efficiently as they can stop the credits!?!?

Also I wish that they would send all of the letters to us in one envelope, we get about 8 letters from them all at the same time, i'm sure they could save money on all of those envelopes and employ some more call centre operatives!

Rant over!
Tigs I'm glad that you got sorted!

 

[Lizzybear]

I know about this all too well! I actually need to start a new claim (wasn't eligible for WTC when I lived with my ex but I am now that I live alone) I've resorted to getting my mum to call for me through the day as I just can't get through whenever I try

 

[2Tiggies]

Try this number 01355 359007

Every 0845 number routes to a land line number. If you call this one above, the agents will not know that you've not dialled the 0845 number, as your call by-passes the options at the start and just places you in the queue.

I spent days trying to get through, and called the number above. I was in a queue for less than a minute. No problem.

That is the exact one I called and the first thing I was asked was what nunber I dialled. I was then told that all calls need to go through the 0845 number. I wonder if that had something to do with me being put straight through It could be that this is a special number for emergencies

 

[2Tiggies]

Also I wish that they would send all of the letters to us in one envelope, we get about 8 letters from them all at the same time, i'm sure they could save money on all of those envelopes and employ some more call centre operatives!

Rant over!
Tigs I'm glad that you got sorted!

Oh the paper story ......

That is not just HMRC. The local authorities are as bad. You get these C4 envelopes with something in it. 8 pages. The first page says Page 1 of 8. The folllowing 7 are blank, but say page x of 8. I let DD use them to draw on or do her rough working for her maths. Somebody has to help save the planet

 

[2Tiggies]

Well I thought you might all be amused to know that today I ended up sending a letter.

After no few than 102 phone calls since yesterday morning and being cut off 4 minutes into it with the very busy spiel, I decided to send the information in the form of a letter. I cannot believe that this line could possibly be working. How is it possible that getting onto the phone at 8 am sharp on a Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and trying consistently doesn't get ONE connected call?! Needless to say, I will be writing a letter of complaint.

 

[strawberry blonde]

I got through to them a few months back quite quickly. I advised them that my son would be leaving school and going to Uni and needed to be taken off my tax credit award for the next year. After a lengthy conversation, I thought it was sorted. Two weeks later my new ( supposedly amended ) form arrived and was exactly the same. It took me days of phoning at various times, getting cut off after waiting in a queue for ages (more times than I care to remember ) to finally speak to yet another person.
I finally have a correct award but my phone bill is £13 worse off

If this happens again next year, I'm sending a letter registered post so that I can prove they've been notified of any changes.

Good luck. Hope you get sorted

 

[2Tiggies]

I
If this happens again next year, I'm sending a letter registered post so that I can prove they've been notified of any changes.

Good luck. Hope you get sorted

Thanks. I didn't send mine registered. If I haven't heard from them by next week I will send one registered post. Fortunately, although inconvenient to me, it won't have a dire impact on me if they process it a week or so later because I have had to increase my childcare hours for DD as my parents' shifts have changed so it is a case of them probably owing me. However it is a nuisance that a phone call could have had it updated on the system instantly, whereas now I have to wait for someone to get to my letter in amongst a mammoth heap of mail.

 

[TraceyL]

I don't ring anymore - I always write & then they ring me - usually within 2 weeks

 

[2Tiggies]

That makes me feel a bit better. Do you just use the Preston address? I am having a bit of a wobbly that it might be the wrong address. I took it off the HMRC website