HMRC’s call handling rate has taken a turn for the worse, 37.9 % of calls were answered within its five minute target between July and September last year, compared with 42.4% during the same period in 2013.
The Sunday Mirror was told by insider that HMRC is in “meltdown” as it struggles to cope with a spike in phone calls and a huge backlog of unopened post; none of this will be a surprise to loyal readers.
However, to test response times the Sunday Mirror made 20 calls to HMRC's key helplines at various times throughout the day to see how long it took them to answer.
One call to its self assessment tax line took 54 minutes and 34 seconds to be answered. A second to the same helpline was cut off after five minutes and 51 seconds.
As noted, none of this will come as a surprise to loyal readers.
Tax does have to be taxing.
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Hahahahah we already have HMRC comment of the year 2015 "we open post as soon as it arrives" hahahahhhhhhhhhhaahahhahahaha. Yes of course you do to find out which department it goes to then it is put in a manilla folder with a date on and into a cupboard to be worked date order. It is then left while the earlier dates are done.
ReplyDeleteSeriously hahahahhaa
Well it wasn't a lie, most of it probably is opened on day of receipt to see whether it's scannable or not. Whether it is scanned or not, it isn't actually worked for weeks or months. Talk about subterfuge, £20,000 bonuses all round?
ReplyDeleteA HMRC spokesman said: “We receive 14 million items of post a year and it is all opened straight away.
ReplyDeleteopened but not actioned. weve been moved onto the tax credit helpline with minimal training (theres a surprise eh?) leaving our work to be unactioned for the next 3 months. im truly ashamed to work in the madhouse that is HMRC.
You are not the only one 17.36 :(
DeleteMake that 3.......we are so far behind with our post that the recovery plan is to have it transferred out to other offices in the UK to hide,sorry work it.......mmmmmmm
DeleteOther offices? oh yes out of PT operations into other totally different business areas, cos everyone is on the phones & has a backlog in PT Ops!
ReplyDeleteI would love to know how much TNT charge HMRC to shift those big orange track & trace polylopes full of work about from one office to another, I have heard it's stupidly expensive, but can't find out how to get the information.
whatdotheyknow.com
DeleteSomeone has already asked on there and the request was refused, that makes me even more curious
Deletehttps://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/hmrc_cost_of_internal_mail_using#incoming-260619
That was three years ago, and was rejected because HMRC felt that the request was vexatious. That seems to have been because the guy was making dozens of similar requests at around the same time. If you're that curious, I'd suggest you give it a whirl.
ReplyDelete...and/or you could go through these: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/spending-over-25-000
Delete