HMRC-is it time to call the Army in?

[etf]

I telephoned HMRC to chase a simple piece of post. I had the too busy message on the first attempt but managed to get through on my second try. After a 45 minute wait I was quoted an estimated date of 3 May for a letter mailed on 27 January (3 months and one week) to be dealt with. Is it time to call the Army in to improve customer service?

[pawncob]

No, but it is time that HMRC was privatised. (Won't improve their phone service though!)

[etf]

I'm not sure that helped my old commute on the train, but it is very nice to receive some feedback.

Sadly, I suspect the Covid excuse offered to me earlier today, will not wash if a 30 day CGT return filing date is missed. I'll await HMRC's announcement that the filing deadline is being extended to 90 days with bated breath.

[etf]

As an update, no reply has yet been received for the letter sent to HMRC on 27 January i.e. they have failed to meet their own unambitious 3 month turnaround estimate for a simple bit of post. For me to chase will mean another eternal wait on the telephone. Are these timescales and telephone waits acceptable even in Covid conditions?

[etf]

Yes, it is time-see link below.

https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/any-answers/how-much-priority-on-the-hmrc-agent-priority-line?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AWUKPRA180521&utm_content=AWUKPRA180521+CID_46f75a332e70f9ee1b50107c170e5e3e&utm_source=internal_cm&utm_term=HMRCs%20dedicated%20agent%20line

[etf]

Finally, this story is starting to get the publicity it deserves....come on TaxationWeb.

https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/tax/hmrc-policy/icaew-calls-out-hmrcs-poor-performance?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AWUKINS210521&utm_content=AWUKINS210521+CID_a6bb5d502ec5cff9a5c52c0b01d8c2cd&utm_source=internal_cm&utm_term=ICAEW%20calls%20out%20HMRCs%20poor%20performance

[etf]

Nearly four months after sending my letter to HMRC I still have not received a reply. I telephoned HMRC at 8.05 and in less than 5 minutes I got through to Johan having listened to a new recorded message telling me that HMRC staff take regular breaks. Having gone through security Johan must have been due a break as whilst the line remained opened he stopped talking to me and I eventually hung up. I then telephoned and got through to Anne again without too much of a wait. She gave me a revised date of 28 June to receive a reply to my correspondence i.e. a wait of 5 months. I told her I thought that was scandalous and she agreed that it did seem a very long time to receive a reply.

Note to Taxationweb editorial staff....HMRC service standards appear to be imploding before us, but unless I've missed something it does not appear to hit your radar. Please investigate and publicise....if a professional body is calling HMRC out you just know things are getting serious.

[etf]

Nearly four months after sending my letter to HMRC I still have not received a reply. I telephoned HMRC at 8.05 and in less than 5 minutes I got through to Johan having listened to a new recorded message telling me that HMRC staff take regular breaks. Having gone through security Johan must have been due a break as whilst the line remained opened he stopped talking to me and I eventually hung up. I then telephoned and got through to Anne again without too much of a wait. She gave me a revised date of 28 June to receive a reply to my correspondence i.e. a wait of 5 months. I told her I thought that was scandalous and she agreed that it did seem a very long time to receive a reply.

Note to Taxationweb editorial staff....HMRC service standards appear to be imploding before us, but unless I've missed something it does not appear to have hit your radar. Please investigate and publicise....if a professional body is calling HMRC out you just know things are getting serious.

[etf]

Providing this support has been resource intensive and this has had implications for our day-to-day operations. We have strived to maintain our levels of customer service but acknowledge that we have not been able to offer the level of service that we would like, particularly on the Agent Dedicated Line.

No mention of resolving 5 month post delays (still waiting for a reply to January post), but a step in the right direction.

[robbob]

alleged updaate from hmrc

We are pleased that we are now able to trial a relaunch of the Agent Dedicated Line. To help us provide priority access for agents, we are expecting agents to use digital services where these are available and to get information from clients where this is possible.

We are trialling a prioritised support service from 14 J‌un‌e 2021 (Mo‌nd‌ay to Fr‌id‌ay 8‌‌‌am to 6‌‌‌pm on 0300‌‌ 200 ....) and we expect calls to this line to be answered within 10 minutes. It will help us to maintain the service, if agents spread calls throughout the day rather than phoning as soon as the helpline opens. We’ll keep your representative bodies informed about how we perform against this target.

Note i have blanked ourt last 4 digits here but they are the same as normal

now if they let us agent view vat payments and paye payments from within our digital services then they might find we hassle them a bit less.