Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think Tax Credits helpline might answer my call within half an hour?!

22 replies

wigglylines · 20/04/2015 20:02

FFS! Been on hold for 34 minutes now.

Have been trying to get through for over ca month now. They've cut my WTC off as they din't have my new details.

OP posts:
Original poster
wigglylines · 20/04/2015 20:03

Cunts! As it hit 8pm they cut me off. Arrrrrg!

OP posts:
LineRunner · 20/04/2015 20:04

I write to them. And I send it recorded delivery if it's vital.

I haven't got through on the phone for years.

Original poster
wigglylines · 20/04/2015 20:05

i'm so fed up with them.

Several other times i've tried to get through, they make you go through the whole rigmarole of giving your NI number etc to a machine, so you think you're getting somewhere, and then they tell you they're busy.

OP posts:
Moln · 20/04/2015 20:05

"cunts"

Charming. They are probably deliberately not answering your call, just sitting there listening to the phone ring.

Moln · 20/04/2015 20:06

Though serious, email them?

Groovee · 20/04/2015 20:07

I always find 8am the best time to phone

Original poster
wigglylines · 20/04/2015 20:09

Can't do 8am. Full on school run madness then, no time to spend half an hour on the phone to tax credits!

OP posts:
chickenfuckingpox · 20/04/2015 20:10

you expect them to answer the phone? yabu!

seriously keep trying an make sure you get a copy of your phone bill send it to the with a complaint about the time you were left on hold and cut off etc if its an unreasonable time they will refund your charges all of them

they did it for me but i did spend a fortnight sorting something out with them only for them to mess up the paperwork and send me a money owed letter again! (the point was they claimed my dh owed money with his ex he said okay but im not paying all of it so they split it and then sent him a bill again for all of it Hmm) so i complained i had wasted x amount of hours on the phone and they gave me £25- for my trouble

Original poster
wigglylines · 20/04/2015 20:11

Moln, your point us?

Someone, somewhere has decided that to save money, it's fine to let people spend several hours trying to get through to tax credits. That person, or group of people is a cunt.

OP posts:
Original poster
wigglylines · 20/04/2015 20:12

Chickenfuckingpox that's interesting, thanks!

OP posts:
EatShitDerek · 20/04/2015 20:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Arsenic · 20/04/2015 20:16

Derek Shock

Let's hope they get the change right first time!

Original poster
wigglylines · 20/04/2015 20:17

Derek that's appalling Shock

OP posts:
Original poster
wigglylines · 20/04/2015 20:22

Can anyone recommend a good time to call them other than 8am?

OP posts:
treaclesoda · 20/04/2015 20:27

Last time I had to ring them, it took 40 mins to get through then they told me I had to ring another department. A department and phone number not mentioned on any correspondence. I asked to be transferred and they refused, saying it would be queue jumping. I rang the number they gave me. Another 3/4 of an hour on hold and when I got through they demanded to know why I was ringing them instead of the main helpline and they refused to help. I then had to ring the main helpline again and wait on hold for another 35 mins or so, to be told that no, they couldn't help and I had to ring another different number. I was sobbing with frustration at this stage. When I rang that number, it 'only' took 15 mins for someone to answer and they were actually able to help. It was hideous. I wrote a letter of complaint which they ignored for several months and then replied to basically saying it was my own fault for ringing the wrong number.

I regret the day that I ever claimed ctc. I would have to be quite truthfully at the point of imminent starvation before I would ever claim them again, they are so stressful, and some of the staff are so patronising.

KittyLovesPaintingOhYes · 20/04/2015 20:27

It's not just tax credits, I have been sorting out employers PAYE crap and have had to phone various HMRC combinations, each time you go through the multi-menu options then sit on hold for a minimum of 30 minutes... The response times for government helplines are just appalling and combined with the clanky jazz Hold music (properly painful on the ears) I truly believe it's a method of reducing calls. When I do get through I have found the call handlers to be quite helpful, mind.

I never thought anyone would make Scottish Power look good Hmm

I work from home for this job and routinely queue up a good book before ringing, I also log the call durations.

CrohnicallyInflexible · 20/04/2015 20:29

2-4pm? (Afternoon school run)

What annoys me is that I had to spend far too long waiting for my call to be answered, just so that I could get a claim pack sent out. And I had to listen to that annoying recorded message that tells you to check the website. And when you check the website, it tells you that you must call to get a claim pack. Why can't you fill in a form online and get a claim pack sent out automatically? Then when I got the pack, it was for the wrong tax year. Cue another inordinate amount of time on hold, only to be told it doesn't matter, fill the form out anyway as they will use the date they receive the form to work out which tax year it is. Well why put a year on it then?!

friendofsadgirl · 20/04/2015 20:32

I emailed my MP to complain about length of time I had to wait to get through. Someone from the Tax Credits then phoned me to sort my problem Smile and I now get a weekly email telling me the highlights of MPs week

EatShitDerek · 20/04/2015 20:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

howabout · 20/04/2015 20:33

Write to them. That way you explain it all properly and concisely, you have a written record and they are less likely to mess it up numerous times. I agree inland revenue are just as bad on the phone these days.

NellysKnickers · 20/04/2015 20:37

I need to ring them. We owe them 3k as they overpaid us last year. They wanted to carry on paying us a £50 a month, we declined. This month they have kindly deposited £40 in our bank account - no idea why. I need to ring them but the thought of it just makes me want you cry.

howabout · 20/04/2015 21:02

All the more reason to put it in writing so you have a record of telling them they are overpaying you.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page