Over 1,000 HMRC customer service heroes have been scrapped in the last year, even as the department drowns in a tsunami of complaints. Let's be honest, HMRC's idea of "customer service" usually involves being on hold for an eternity while elevator music grates on your soul.
The suits at HMRC will waffle on about "efficiencies" and "modernisation", but let's call a spade a spade. They're slashing budgets and chucking staff overboard like unwanted ballast. The result? A customer service experience that makes queuing at the DMV look like a five-star spa day.
Imagine trying to navigate the labyrinthine tax system while being patronized by a robot with the emotional intelligence of a stapler. That's the HMRC experience for many. With fewer staff to answer calls and untangle bureaucratic knots, expect wait times to balloon and helpfulness to shrink faster than your bank account after a night on the Jägerbombs.
This isn't just an inconvenience, it's a slap in the face to taxpayers. We fork over our hard-earned cash, and in return, get the customer service equivalent of a lukewarm cup of instant noodles. It's time to hold HMRC accountable.
So, what can you do?
If you've been HMRC-ed (verb, to be subjected to an excruciatingly frustrating interaction with HMRC), shout about it! Share your stories, bombard them with complaints, and remind them that we, the taxpayers, are the bosses, not the other way around.
Tax does have to be taxing.
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Let's be honest, in these days of government austerity they've got to find the money for higher management bonuses from somewhere.
ReplyDeleteKeep Calm And Pay Your Fines
ReplyDeleteOf course, they don't want to issue a fine, all they want your tax return.
https://www.gbnews.com/money/hmrc-tax-miss-deadline-return
You know who they don't get rid of? The happy clappers on 60k telling everyone it's a great place to work.
ReplyDeleteAnd when the SA filing & payment peak of 31st January rolls round poorly trained HMRC staff members from other areas get roped in to cover the phones & try to help.They want to do a good job,but lack the in depth training & experience that you really need for much of what you need from them.No part of HMRC is adequately staffed,and staff get roped in to cover almost everything,with less training and support than would be ideal.Oh and many will be working from home,which makes getting support to do a good job even harder.Nobody at HMRC wants to do a bad job,doing a good job is easier than struggling to deliver a less than stellar outcome.So blame the ministers for the constant cheese paring that has left the department to poor to deliver what you need.
ReplyDeleteHMRC isn't the only department that's a miss managed shit show. Cold comfort and apologies, it's become a familiar story. That's all you get.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/jobs/civil-servants-probate-registry-stop-picking-up-phone/
They had plenty of space until they shut hundreds of offices. We'll not mention that. Not to worry, they'll put pods in the Break Out Areas.
ReplyDeletePerhaps they should wire up the toilets with laptop ports. Maybe a few of environmental friendly plastic buckets dotted around in the corners for staff to have a piss in.
https://www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article/hmrc-confident-it-has-enough-space-to-implement-60-inoffice-rule