HMRC caller rude or me over-reacting?

[still2]

I've written a few posts about money issues lately.

My bank advised I fill in the benefit checker online. It said I can claim child tax credits. I have never been able to claim before.

I phoned HMRC the woman was rude asked why the bank would tell me to call them and why I thought I was entitled on my husbands wage. She kept sighing. Asked if anything had changed for me to think I can now claim. I said I lost my job after Christmas. She said they've not even had a record that I've worked so it can't be that? I did pay emergency tax but got that back so they must know?

I have anxiety issues. Hate talking on the phone. Not very sociable and I'm being assessed for Autism so yes I understand she probably didn't mean it how I took it. However.....

She then said do you still have your two children? I went silent for about 4 seconds and hung up. I didn't know what to say.

It's not as though asking me if I had a 3rd would then make me eligible for money. To be she was just being funny. She didn't ask how many children I have or have I recently had another baby as surely she would see on the system.

Anyway no big deal. More issues in life than this 😆

The AIBU was the kids comment btw x

She sounds a bit stroppy but I don't understand why you hung up at that question?

• me NOT be

As in, do you have to two children?

I knew I couldn't claim anyway so I didn't need to continue the conversation.

I just got upset asking if I still had my kids.

So she asked if you still had 2 children and you hung up on her?
I think you were rude

You are completely overreacting

You can request a tax credit application form online.

www.gov.uk/claim-tax-credits

She wasn't asking whether you still had your children! She was asking whether you had had any more! Why would you hang up. You were being ridiculous and unreasonable.

Sure she shouldn't have had the attitude but hanging up because of a straight forward question was silly.

She already said I cannot claim before she asked "do you still have your two children'

Oh but what a way to ask someone. If you didn't, for some reason, then that question would have been devastating. She could easily have said, "How many dependent children would you be claiming for?"

From memory it was always very hard to get through to speak to an actual person. So I wouldn't have hung up once I got a human on the end of the line.

They have to ask, in case r silence has been transferred between parents or something else relevant has happened. Think how odd it would be if they didn’t dare check how many children you had.

She didn't ask how many kids I had I assume she got all the info from my NI number.

I don't usually need to speak to HMRC as I've never been able to claim ever so I didn't realise it was difficult to get through.

Of course it's just how she worded it!

Anyway I'm obviously AIBU I think you had to hear it to understand her tone.

Do you still have 2 your children as a question means do you still have JUST 2 children. Not have you had your children removed. I don't know why you would take it that way.

She's human. Perhaps she stumbled over her words or tried to say "do you still just have your 2 children".
Ffs no one is perfect and I don't think she meant anything sinister.

I don't get why you rang if you knew you didn't need to?

Sorry OP but l think YABU.

Very hard not to have a 'tone' sometimes working in a call centre dealing with caller after caller, some not so polite either!

I can see that being on the receiving end of such a tone isn't nice but the question was perfectly valid and maybe even intended to be helpful - i.e. trying to understand if there was a more major change in your circumstances that would make you eligible.

still2

They usually don’t have a huge amount of information unless you have claimed before. I have to talk to them a lot for service users and I also find them to often be bloody rude.

Hmrc have got a repututation for being pretty rude so it’s probably not just you.

Tax credits won’t have your income details if you have never provided them.

Use the online tax credit calculator and that will tell you if you are entitled to help

That poor woman is probably traumatised now, thinking she just spoke to a person who's lost a child and been incredibly thoughtless!

When you next ring, OP, maybe have a list of possible questions and answers written down next to you. It can help those people with telephone anxiety if there are pre-prepared answers so they don't have to think 'on the fly'.

I think she had a worse experience than you.