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Where Taxpayers and Advisers Meet

HMRC telephone recorded messages

etf
Posts:1278
Joined:Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:25 pm
Re: HMRC telephone recorded messages

Postby etf » Mon Sep 27, 2021 9:49 am

I phoned my doctor's surgery for an appointment this morning and was told I was number 46 in the queue. "Here we go again" was my immediate reaction. How wrong that thought was as they have a system where you can press 0 that means they call you back when they get to your number. Within 15 minutes that call back had matrialised and my appointment is booked for 11.30 today. What a fab system. If anyone from HMRC is reading this, can you get the same system and help the productivity of the country and the well-being of your callers who will no longer have to wait eternally for a reply. The only downside is the prospect of a large needle later this morning :o !

etf
Posts:1278
Joined:Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:25 pm

Re: HMRC telephone recorded messages

Postby etf » Sat Oct 01, 2022 6:42 pm

Accountingweb article:

HMRC - Agent dedicated line
More misery for Agents

Anyone else in complete despair over the changes HMRC have made to the ADL?

They have now made the amount of time they waffle on at the start even longer by asking for feedback (spoiler HMRC: you will not like the feedback). For anyone from HMRC reading this; we're accountants. I therefore imagine that it is highly unlikely that we will abuse your staff over the phone and also don't need to be told that there is a helpful agent page on your website, we wouldn't be calling you if we didn't have to!

The wait times have increased and the music is the most infuriating violin music ever created (especially when you've been on hold for 20 minutes).

Add to that, if the advisor puts you on hold for more than two minutes you get a notification saying 'Thank you for your call, goodbye' and then get cut off. Of course HMRC do not call you back to resume the conversation! All very infuriating in a time whne HMRC's service levels are in the gutter.

Just wondering if anyone else had noted this in the past few weeks?

bd6759
Posts:4262
Joined:Sat Feb 01, 2014 3:26 pm

Re: HMRC telephone recorded messages

Postby bd6759 » Sat Oct 01, 2022 8:24 pm

My mistake. You have got 4 echo chambers. Not only that, you have run out of original content and have taken to copying and pasting content from another forum. That must be 50 pages of rhetorical queries and childish gripes. It all seems a bit needy.

etf
Posts:1278
Joined:Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:25 pm

Re: HMRC telephone recorded messages

Postby etf » Sun Oct 02, 2022 8:43 am

Do you actually have any direct interaction with HMRC in your daily work? If so, does it not frustrate you? Over two weeks down the line my promised HMRC call back has still not been actioned (told it was a 3 day working day turnaround....I suspect such inaction somehow escapes their Putin like statistics).

Certainly you now seem frustrated that the leading website appears to be echoing some of my echo chambers.

Thank goodness for Rebecca Cave and others...the Professional bodies might like to follow her incisive lead.

etf
Posts:1278
Joined:Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:25 pm

Re: HMRC telephone recorded messages

Postby etf » Mon Dec 05, 2022 10:11 am

I'd read reports at the end of last week that HMRC's self assessment helpline was out of order. It appears the same message applies this morning.

The out of control rudderless monster steams on under Jim Harra's leadership (in the loosest meaning of that word).

My suggestion for improvement: permanently delay MTD4IT and get people working on things that matter to taxpayers....answering phones, dealing with post etc.

etf
Posts:1278
Joined:Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:25 pm

Re: HMRC telephone recorded messages

Postby etf » Tue Dec 06, 2022 9:31 am

By Philysis
05th Dec 2022 20:17
Hmrc are a bit like dads army with Jim harra as capt , I do look that wonderful program up and think of Jim and pike don’t panic don’t panic ! Think pike would have delivered a better service than Jim can.


HMRC outage leaves agents and taxpayers in the dark
by Richard Hattersley
HMRC phone lines and some online services have been shut down due to technical issues, leaving agents and taxpayers unable to contact the tax department.

2nd Dec 2022
6 comments
The first signs of technical issues emerged yesterday (1 December), when AccountingWEB readers reported on Any Answers difficulty in getting through to HMRC on the phone lines.

AccountingWEB regular SteveHa said he tried calling the agent dedicated line at 8am yesterday morning and was confronted with the recorded message: "We're very busy right now, and it may take us longer.”

While other AccountingWEB members compared notes of their inability to get through to HMRC, a reader called Groundhopper managed to speak to the helpline and discovered the whole HMRC system is down and “they don’t know when it will be working.”

AccountingWEB reader Duggimon also noted on the same discussion thread, “The gateway appears to be down at the moment so I assume they're all running round with their hair on fire.”

HMRC confirmed on social media yesterday morning that “Due to technical issues we have taken the decision to shut a number of our phone lines and online services. We are sorry for any inconvenience and are working urgently to resolve this issue.”

Due to technical issues we have taken the decision to shut all of our phone lines apart from the National Clearance Hub helpline. Some online services are also impacted. We are sorry for any inconvenience and are working urgently to resolve this issue. — HM Revenue & Customs (@HMRCgovuk) December 2, 2022


However, the phone lines and some online services still remained unavailable on Friday morning.

HMRC updated the situation at 9am this morning, explaining that all phone lines, apart from the national clearance hub helpline, were still down and that it was “working urgently to resolve this issue”.

Urgent answers are needed
Now the customer service outage has continued into another day, the chair of the Treasury Committee has called for urgent answers from HMRC.

“These unexpected outages should be a thing of the past. That’s why I’ve today written to the head of HMRC to demand urgent answers on the issues facing customers over the past 24 hours,” said the chair of the treasury select committee Harriett Baldwin MP.

She also called on the first permanent secretary Jim Harra to describe the nature of the issue, the telephone lines and other services affected, the length of time it persisted, and the number of customers they would expect to have been affected.

Baldwin also asked Harra to outline the temporary procedures implemented to prevent a complete loss of service, or deal with pressing issues from taxpayers and what procedures HMRC will implement to prevent a similar loss of service in the future.

Meanwhile, the messages from tax agents trying to contact HMRC haven’t slowed down on Any Answers. GHarr497688, for example, attempted to renew their AML this morning but was got the "sorry service is currently unavailable" message.

As for when the service issues will be resolved, AccountingWEB member Ireallyshouldknowthisbut isn’t expecting to speak to HMRC again before the weekend. “Given it was mainly off yesterday, I wouldn't plan on speaking to them until Monday," he said.



An HMRC spokesperson told AccountingWEB: “We are working urgently to resolve an issue which has meant we’ve had to temporarily close most of our phone lines. We apologise to those affected and will reopen them as soon as possible.

“We encourage people to use our online services, which are open.”

etf
Posts:1278
Joined:Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:25 pm

Re: HMRC telephone recorded messages

Postby etf » Tue Jan 17, 2023 10:03 am

Dave Brailsford said winning a gold medal was all about making small improvements. I phoned HMRC at 8.00 on the dot this morning and got through straightaway, except I had the 2 minute recorded message pre-amble and the 30 second interrogation about the purpose of my call before client details can be given (I was only calling because they hadn't coded out the tax due as requested on the client tax return i.e. if they had systems that worked a lot of these pesky, annoying telephone calls would be avoidable).

Back to Brailsford, presumably the first 2.5 minutes of every working day are redundant because of HMRC's pre-amble/interrogation. Assuming 7.5 hours is a standard day (450 minutes) and they get rid of the annoying preamble/interrogation, HMRC could increase working time by 1/2 per cent.

Going for gold Jim? Only 99.5% improvement to find and you might stand still.

etf
Posts:1278
Joined:Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:25 pm

Re: HMRC telephone recorded messages

Postby etf » Thu Dec 07, 2023 2:12 pm

As Sir Jim announces further telephone helpline cutbacks as a result of his huge overspend on MTD4IT, an accountingweb reader came up with this (apparently the One Show was critical of HMRC's helpline last week, although I didn't see it) :

Thanks for waiting

23rd Nov 2023

"Thanks for waiting, none of our advisors will be with you as soon as possible....

Our website contains lots of useless advice for agents, please visit www.gov.uk.....

Your call is unimportant to us. Please continue to hold...."

There - fixed HMRC's automated service


Sir Jim Harra-helping the Tories lose the next election

etf
Posts:1278
Joined:Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:25 pm

Re: HMRC telephone recorded messages

Postby etf » Wed Dec 20, 2023 5:50 pm

Latest from HMRC help and support...what an oxymoron that is.....did this come as a surprise?

I just get the impression that those running HMRC are absolutely clueless and have never experienced life outside an HMRC office. If instead of continually cuttting services and spending their budget (and a lot more on top) on non-essentials e.g. MTD they focused on providing a semblance of a service....e.g answering post quicker than a prediction of 23 weeks (and still waiting) and issuing repayments quicker than 11 months (and still waiting), they might receive fewer chasing calls from their disgruntled customers.

What I find equally frustrating is that the regulators who should be on top of the current situation appear to be allowing Sir Jim free reign. Please can someone who really is aware of the reality of HMRC in 2023 do something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1


We previously said we would deal with calls relating to SA filing, payments and repayments for the 2022 to 2023 tax year. However, due to exceptional levels of demand, we will be directing all ADL progress chasing queries for SA repayments to our digital 'Where’s my reply' tool from Friday 22 December 2023. Using this tool agents will be able to see an estimated date for the processing of an SA repayment.

etf
Posts:1278
Joined:Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:25 pm

Re: HMRC telephone recorded messages

Postby etf » Wed Dec 20, 2023 6:38 pm

And how frustrating is that 'Where's my reply tool'...just tried it and it told me that I should have heard about the 2021/22 refund in February 2023...mmmmh here I am in December 2023 and still waiting despite so many chasing calls.

Sir Jim the ball is back in your court. I'd suggest you retire for your own sanity and mine.


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