What's the longest you've ever been on hold (on the phone)?

[BrainBetrayingMe]

I'm currently on hold to tax credits for the 4th time this week.
The other 3 times I had to give up before they answered as I had to go/do something.

I've been on hold now for 54mins and am determined I'm not giving up this time as I really need to speak to them and have the time to wait, which may not happen for a few weeks again. It has made me wonder how long others have waited on hold before their call is answered, and to who?
And before someone suggests doing what I need to do online, I've tried but the website is telling me I have 2 accounts and need to ring them to sort it out. 🤦‍♀️

Can't beat 54 mins. Probably about 45 but that was for the royal mail during early December.

I was on the phone to them earlier!

I put them on loud speaker and carried on doing the dinner.

They are the worst for being on hold.
The always say they are busy and to call back later, but they allllways says that. No matter when you call back.

I think mine is about 15 mins. I get bored easily

I have them on loud speaker with the intention of sorting some other paperwork while I'm waiting...but here I am on MN!

I knew this would be about tax credits! I was once on the phone for an hour and a quarter trying to sort tax credits.

37 mins to Cheshire Police via 101. That's not unusual it's just that I happened to time that one.

Not just me then Stompy, timer says it has been 1hr20mins now.
Wonder if I'll have to listen to this dreadful music until they close at 8pm? Can't lower the volume on my handset and scared to try too many unknown buttons in case I inadvertently cut myself off and have to go back to the bottom of the queue.

I wonder if there is anyone actually answering the phones, there is no countdown like "you are 11th in the queue" so it's hard to know if I'm getting any closer to the top of the queue.

It's now been 1hr46mins.

Ironically DD put friends on the TV and it's the episode where Phoebe is on hold for 2 days before she realises it's not a free call.

Don't think I can last 2 days....

An hour and half bouncing around Amazons customer service. And do not get me started on the 267 calls in a row to my GP just to get a flippin appointment. My blood pressure was nice and sky high both times.😑

Mat allowance 2hours 15 mins for them to answer then it cut off was nearly in tears that day

About 1hr 40. Police.

3+ hours on the phone to the Range trying to cancel an order of a garden sofa thing that I'd mis-measured and was far too big for the space. In the time I was on hold, we drove the half hour journey to the actual store to try and sort it out (they couldn't do anything) and drove all the way back home again. It took 2 minutes for them to cancel when I eventually got through. I shall never, ever shop with them again!

Tax credits :over an hour.
HMRC : similar.

Assumed it was a given!

When I was a student I tempted in a call centre for a very large company and we used to have an electronic board with the longest time someone was currently on hold for.. there was a time when 1 hour + was the norm.

1 hour to DWP.
Something I hope I never have to repeat, you have my sympathies OP.

Not as long as yours but I was on the line for half an hour to tax credits this morning, finally got through, only for the line to cut and be tomd that the call centre had hung up! I know it wasn't me accidentally pressing the end call button, since I also had it on the bed on loudspeaker. Annoying!

Did you get through?!

90 minutes to child protection (at work) Put it on speaker phone in my pocket and carried on working. That was not unusual. And yet they are surprised that people don’t report more child protection concerns (they do fuck all when you tell them anyway)
Not in UK btw

Use an app called weq4u, stays on the line for you, tou dont pay for the call, uses none of your minutes and calls you back when they pick up. Ive used it for years

No I didnt get through!
At 1hr56mins the music stopped and it all went quiet. I said hello a few times thinking someone would speak back to me but no sound.
Left it as it was and the time carried on until 2hr15mins when I hung up, thinking they had ended the call at their end.

I'll have to try again in the morning and if that doesn't work, I'll have to Google an address and write to them.

I hadn't heard of that app before Sleepy but I've made a note of it, thank you. Knowing me though, if my phone rang after 2hrs of waiting, I'd have forgotten who I'd called and be all "what's going on?" when the phone rang! 😂

MrBob, I am in the UK and often have to ring safeguarding, they're not quick to pick up here either. And it's the same with ridiculously high thresholds before any assessments are completed. So sad for the vulnerable and makes it hard for professionals to do their job.

I did over 2 hours to an airline ‘help’ number. Got to the stage where I refused to give up!

I was on hold for 45 mins to talk talk, then passed from person to person, more time on hold and the whole process lasted 2 1/2 hours only to be disconnected.

They had two songs while I was on hold.....

Never again.