HM Revenue & Customs send self assessment forms & notices giving various 0845 numbers to call. My experience is that they are very long winded going through various number options before leaving you hanging on for an operator that never picks the call up, or you get referred to the web site & then cut off.
There is no email address to contact from the web site as an alternative to using the phone - why? The only last resort is to send a letter - often for a simple point that could be sorted in moments, but are left waiting for mail turn round due to the poor telephone service. Surely an email enquiry service would get round this issue? Any other similar experiences with HM Revenue & Customs?

Bevotron wrote on Apr 16^th, 2009 at 8:34pm:

HM Revenue & Customs send self assessment forms & notices giving various 0845 numbers to call. My experience is that they are very long winded going through various number options before leaving you hanging on for an operator that never picks the call up, or you get referred to the web site & then cut off. There is no email address to contact from the web site as an alternative to using the phone - why? The only last resort is to send a letter - often for a simple point that could be sorted in moments, but are left waiting for mail turn round due to the poor telephone service. Surely an email enquiry service would get round this issue? Any other similar experiences with HM Revenue & Customs?

On the rare occasions I have had to call the, (on a geo number), I have got through pretty quickly and been dealt with well.

There are plenty of geo numbers in the database, just type, hmrc into the Company Name box.
http://www.saynoto0870.com/search.php

Bevotron wrote on Apr 16^th, 2009 at 8:34pm:

HM Revenue & Customs send self assessment forms & notices giving various 0845 numbers to call. My experience is that they are very long winded going through various number options before leaving you hanging on for an operator that never picks the call up, or you get referred to the web site & then cut off.

If you file your Self Assessment return online then log in to your account and you will find that HMRC claim to offer an online messaging service, except that guess what - unlike filing your tax return the service just happens to currently be "temporarily unavailable".  I wonder why - perhaps they found it was depriving them of 0845 phone number call income. ;) ::)

These previous threads may help with finding phone number alternatives:-

www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1232542577/0#0

and

www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1226330100/8#8

HMRC were supposed to publish a list of international phone number alternatives at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/local/individuals/international-numbers.htm according to www.tax.org.uk/showarticle.pl?id=4523;n=367

Except that guess what - that URL no longer exists on the HMRC website.

You might care to try and report this technical failure to HMRC at:-  www.hmrc.gov.uk/comment/broken-links-feedback-1.htm