Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Test & Trace Shambles

21 replies

MuckyPlucky · 06/12/2021 15:55

Aaaargh…. What a blooming mess this service is. They’re hounding me every hour. DD has covid. Ive already alerted all her close contacts. Single parent, working FT, rushed off feet. They keep calling whenever I’m driving or in a meeting or putting kids to bed. When I can pick up it’s silence on the line, then a distant sounding voice, terrible line quality, echo on the line which makes a conversation painful, really clueless-sounding people on other end. They say it’ll take half an hour, but when I’ve pulled over road-side or am dishing tea out I can’t be on phone half an hour.

Just had another call. Stepped out of meeting to answer. Explained I couldn’t talk at mo but asked if I could do it tomorrow. He said he’s no availability tomorrow. He then blinded me with science saying: “the only option open to me is to fail this as a document or blah blah blah [insert jargon here]”. I told him straight-up that he was blinding me with science as I don’t understand the in-house jargon and could he please explain what he means.
He told me in a cold & rude tone that he’d be ringing again at 6 (when I’d already told him I’ll still be on shift) or else he’d be “referring me to the local authority” (didn’t explain what that means/entails.
He then hung up on me.

Is it me, or is this service staffed by incompetents and with broken tech? It’s so user-unfriendly and is starting to feel quite harassing now. I’m jumping every time the phone goes, and starting to feel really stressed

OP posts:
TheDailyCarbunkle · 06/12/2021 16:02

Ignore and let him refer you. Chances are nothing at all will happen.

Choconuttolata · 06/12/2021 16:04

They did this to me when we all tested positive and it drove me mad, they called multiple times for each family member. In the end I missed one call of the many because I was caring for my sick children, so they sent a local PCSO round to check that my child was isolating.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 06/12/2021 16:04

I would block the number and let them 'refer me to the local authority'. I've seen a few posts where people have been referred to the council and they are more efficient and understanding than the T&T call centre staff.

MuckyPlucky · 06/12/2021 16:13

Thanks all. Tbh I was in this situation when my other child tested positive a few weeks ago. Ended up blocking number & never had any comeback.
But this time with him having said he’d “record a fail” and refer me to LA I’ve got really nervous. It’s crazy @Choconuttolata that they sent a PCSO round to you! Shock I’ll be mortified if that happens here.
Hopefully if the LA get in touch I’ll have more luck. The T&T people are like awful cold-callers from some godawful sales call centre. I get the reasoning behind the calls but I don’t want to engage with any service that’s so bloody shoddy and unprofessional.

OP posts:
ChristmasCovid · 06/12/2021 16:24

Most T&T agents are working from home, with the initial call it should take no longer than 25 minutes after 10 attempts at contacting you it is auto referred to your local authority.
He should not be threatening you though and I would put in a complaint about that.

Costumeidea · 06/12/2021 16:26

My DD tested positive last Tuesday. We still haven’t had a call!

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 06/12/2021 16:32

25 minutes?! Surely it must be quicker than that if you've filled out the online form?

dannydyerismydad · 06/12/2021 16:36

Nearly an hour I was on the phone to them as they wanted the postcode of pretty much everywhere we had been. It was a massive time sink and they didn't seem to follow up or contact anybody, just gather data.

Khara · 06/12/2021 16:40

Funny - I tested positive last Thursday. Not heard a peep from them. Nothing since the initial "your test is positive" text/e-mail. Luckily I hadn't been anywhere but home and work but if I had been merrily spreading it around the district nobody would be any the wiser.

ChristmasCovid · 06/12/2021 16:41

@PinkSparklyPussyCat

25 minutes?! Surely it must be quicker than that if you've filled out the online form?
Yes you get the call if you don’t fill out the form…
Bumblebee2930 · 06/12/2021 16:43

Op, when do they start ringing? Only asking as Dp has tested positive - results at 1am this morning and no phone call yet. Not looking forward to this. He never answer his phone for anyone 😅

ChristmasCovid · 06/12/2021 16:52

If he fills the link in online they won’t call @Bumblebee2930

He may just get isolation calls during his iso period these only take a couple of minutes just checking he’s ok etc. but I heard these are stopping too.

Zodlebud · 06/12/2021 16:58

Their system is automated so if you can’t speak to them when they call, you go back into the mix and a different person will call you. They can’t call back themselves.

I have had a problem with my SIM meaning that the audio dies on my calls. I asked them multiple times to call back on my landline (because that’s where we are, isolating) and they insist on calling my mobile still. It was BEYOND annoying.

Bumblebee2930 · 06/12/2021 17:37

@ChristmasCovid

If he fills the link in online they won’t call *@Bumblebee2930*

He may just get isolation calls during his iso period these only take a couple of minutes just checking he’s ok etc. but I heard these are stopping too.

Thank you 💕
Wandamakesporridge · 06/12/2021 17:47

When myself and DD tested positive I filled in online forms with all the contacts. The phone calls were just to check we were isolating and took no more than 5 minutes.

OP did you get sent a link to fill in the online forms?

Even though you have told close contacts yourself, they want a record so that the NHS can officially inform them about whether they need to isolate or not, and advise them to get a PCR test.

The forms were a faff but I was pleased the NHS are taking it seriously.

MuckyPlucky · 06/12/2021 18:24

@Wandamakesporridge I agree that I’m glad the NHS is taking it seriously. I work for the NHS in a clinical capacity & am deffo all for extreme caution / jabs / compliance etc. But I think poor quality experiences with T&T will put a lot of people off engaging with it, and shoot itself in the foot. For a system to be effective it needs to get buy-in & be easy & convenient, and this is the polar opposite. I worry at the impact of that on public health.

I’d LOVE to be able to fill out an online form, but first the chap said I’d been sent a text with a code to do it (I haven’t) and then he back-tracked and said I couldn’t do that as she’s under 18.

OP posts:
MuckyPlucky · 06/12/2021 18:29

I don’t know many people who when WFH & looking after isolating sick kids will agree to spare 25 mins on a poor quality phone line listing postcodes of everywhere their child went 5 days prior. I certainly can’t do that. And ultimately they’re asking us to provide info as an act of public service, and yet they make it really hard for us. It’s actually ridiculous now I think about it.

Unless they enable me to do it online (in the sliver of time after the kids are in bed when I finally sit down to the mountain of life admin each night) they aren’t getting info from me. Blocked their number. I’ll tell as much to any PCSO or LA official who might waste police or council resources by coming to check up on my isolating 7yo.

OP posts:
Wandamakesporridge · 06/12/2021 18:49

That’s strange he said you couldn’t do an online form as she was under 18.

I got emailed the link to the form with a code for DD, who is 9. The instructions were that for a child who is under 18 a parent has to complete it. This took place a few weeks ago.

I agree doing it on the phone would be a real pain. The online form took about 10 minutes. I didn’t get any calls after that.

Didisquat · 06/12/2021 19:00

You will just get referred to local authority and they will try contact you 3 times, then send you a letter and then send a Covid Marshall round if still no response.
My test And trace called lasted ten mins as we hadn’t really been anywhere.

kickupafuss · 06/12/2021 19:09

I wasn't sent anything about a form and our track and trace call for DD took over one and half hours! She hadn't been anywhere apart from school, the hairdressers and a shop.

MrsBishyBarnaby · 06/12/2021 19:16

I felt that they were bordering on harassment - over 10 calls in 3 days after DS2 tested positive on a PCR, including one to tell me that DS1 was a close contact. I was trying to work/on client calls whilst looking after DS2 and they just wouldn’t leave me alone. I tried ignoring my mobile whilst on work calls but then had the local council calling on my home phone (which I hadn’t given them the number for and am ex-directory) asking if we needed any assistance. We are “rule followers” but would consider just isolating without a PCR after a positive LFT, in the future.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread