The consumer magazine Which? has named and shamed over 30 organisations that are using 0870 or 0845 customer-service numbers to profit from their callers. Which? is calling for all companies to switch their helplines and technical support lines from expensive numbers to cheaper 03, 0800 or geographic numbers.
Which? said a 10-minute call from a BT landline to a normal geographic line costs about 40p at most while the same call to 0845 number could cost up to 60p (50% higher).
I looked at the list, and saw that HMRC does not feature on it.
Great!
Unfortunately this appears to be an omission on the part of Which?, as all the documentation that I have from HMRC gives 0845 numbers for phone queries (as indeed does the HMRC website).
Maybe the call costs are tax deductible?
Tax does have to be taxing.
The New Statesman, Britain's leading political magazine is delighted to announce that HMRC Is Shite has been nominated for a New Media Award in the category of Campaign For Change. The campaign for change award will go to the individual or organisation that has most effectively influenced opinions and behaviour through the use of new media technology. The winner of this award will champion a cause and provide information and tools to instigate change.
The full press release can be downloaded here.
HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"
0845 numbers are free on BT calling plans as well as on a number of other companies calling plans.If people took the time to check their tariffs they would not find charges of 60p/min as you are stating. To actually suggest HMRC makes money either from direct profit from C & W or that C & W offsets this profit against the fees it charges IS SHITE as you would put it.
ReplyDeleteHMRC currently makes contributions towards the cost of having a number of 0845 lines so in fact lays out money for this.
HMRC has not informed its employees to keep callers on the line for longer to make a profit but to ensure that queries are fully resolved during the first point of contact therefore removing the need to make subsequent calls. This is yet another misconception based on a small piece of information gathered from a so called whisteblower who probably has never worked for HMRC.
Anything to sell a story.
Pathetic
This website is Shite
in my opinion
had to see it before i believed it.
Go and get a life instead of wasting your time standing on your bloody soapbox preaching shit to the people who actually take the time to properly look into these matters and check if the claims made are in fact true.
The majority of people will absentmindedly believe the newspapers stories as they don't doubt that they would ever lie or mislead them. You are only adding to this and I imagine somewhere along the line YOU ARE MAKING A SNEAKY PROFIT.
HOW MUCH DO YOU CHARGE FOR COMPLETION OF A RETURN? OR FOR ANY OF YOUR SERVICES £500 £1000? £5000?
LETS BE HONEST, ITS NOT THAT HARD TO DO A LOT OF THE THINGS YOU CHARGE FOR AND YET THE PRICES YOU AND OTHER ACCOUNTANTS CHARGE FOR THESE SERVICES ARE ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING. BUT IM SURE THAT DOESN'T KEEP YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT. NOT WITH YOUR SILK BEDSHEETS.
ENJOY ROBBING PEOPLE FOR THE REST OF YOUR CAREER.
AN HONEST AND RESPONSIBLE TAXPAYER