bloody tax credits helpline. Doesn't even let me go on hold.. just cuts me off!! arrgghh!

[Meglet]

You'd think they would have a decent telephone system that allowed people to wait in a queue before speaking to an operator.

Oh, no, after 5 mins of press this for that, make sure you have the right info for us... they just say "we've very busy please call back another time".

I'm a big girl, I can cope with going on hold FFS.

and breathe...... [blush}

3rd time lucky maybe....

i feel ur pain ive been trying to phone tax credits for over a week now constantly and couldnt get through just kept gettin cut off

worse still i eventualy got through yesterday and my DS whos 2 cut me off and just to make matters worse when i tried ringing them straight back their systems were down

eventualy was allowed to wait in a que today and got through so good luck and hope u dont get charged to much for the calls i dread to see my bill

I discovered their secret number in the end and it got me through straight away and let me wait in the queue for a minute .

I remember this hassle last year, heaven knows why they don't have a queuing system.

I will be writing to my MP (and I always do! ).

(if you didn't have the cut off message, you'd be holding for A LONG LONG TIME. Really. The cut off is so you're not spending a fortune on hold. This is peak time, and of course, there are less staff available, but please know we're busting our asses trying to get through the calls.)

It does have a queueing system it's just too busy to cope!

I gave up after 3 weeks, sent the renewals in, they then wrote back so I still had to ring them - arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Thank you snigger.

The man I spoke to was very nice when I got through. I bet its a nightmare time of year for you guys.

I don't mind waiting, I just stick it on speaker phone and potter about.

Don't get me started on Tax Credits.

They are incompetent.

I started a recent thread about their absolute shiteness on dealing with the recently bereaved.They are terrible

PS - if you're sending in a written renewal, and you have a change of circumstances to report, just phone.

If you've no change in circs, please be careful how you fill in the form.

snigger Do you know if / when will it be able to be done on-line?

I mean, they let rich people do their tax returns on line, so why can't we do our tax credit renewals / updates on line too.

Short answer?

Work is being done on making the online access secure, but there was substantial fraudulent access (worldwide access) that way, and it had to be suspended.

As per anything in the public sector, the lack is criticised, but no-one wants to pay the extra tax to finance the improvements (including me ).

Online access is being looked at AFAIK, but it's not yet workable.

Thank you. I won't hold my breath then!

It would be great to do it on-line and be able to print off proof of my update / renewal.

TBH, I'd be surprised, considering the current atmosphere, if it wasn't resurrected in some format soon, but that's purely a personal, man-on-the-street opinion, not based on insider information!

I think part of the hold up at the moment is the introduction of the security questions which adds 5 minutes on to each person calling who hasn't yet set them up (ie most people!)

The new security system isn't being used for people who call purely to renew ( and press the right buttons....) and funnily enough it's cutting times for repeat callers, so if you call purely to renew your claim, make sure you listen to the button-pressing directions, as you'll save yourself some time.

I'd rather have an engaged tone if they are busy - it is extremely annoying to get so far then be cut off as you are incurring call charges that way. Took me several weeks of phoning at different times of day to finally get through.

Glad its not just me phoning every bloody day!