just posted this info about a Number10 Petition deadline 13 March 2010 re calls to government offices:

fred21 wrote on Feb 8^th, 2010 at 11:44pm:

The part of the meeting of interest here starts 16 minutes in. What follows is my summary of what was said.

There are 139 customer facing 0845 numbers, and part of this is because of the way that PAYE tax enquiries had to be dealt with at a specific contact centre for the caller's area which would have its own 0845 number. A new system introduced last year means that all enquiries can now be dealt with at any contact centre and there are plans to replace 70 incoming numbers (for enquiries from different areas) with just one, later on this year.

The discussion then turns to telephone numbers and the example of what the DWP has done is brought up. There is a balance to be struck between giving a service that is free to call (where HMRC payes for calls) and not. The DWP has moved only its lines that get the longest calls to 0800 numbers, and these last around half an hour to an hour. HMRC has a different "call profile" to DWP; about 95% of its calls to Child Benefits and Tax Credits lines last less than 10 minutes.


Moving forward to about 48 minutes, Austin Mitchell asks why don't they call people back. Mr Mitchell then gives Bristol Council as an example where they say how long they estimate it will be until the call is answered, and give the option of them ringing back at the same time. HMRC is "trialling" call backs for callers to Child Benefit lines.

The cost of calling on 0845 numbers is raised at 54 minutes and at 57 minutes Leslie Strathie, Chief Executive of HMRC, formerly of DWP, responded to a question, with reference to the 139 numbers with the 0845 prefix used by HMRC, - “Are you making any money from these calls?”

She responded “I can categorically say ‘we are not making any money’. We are not in the business of making money.

“What I can say, without getting into the commercial in confidence aspect of any of our contracts, is that the 0845 numbers are actually configured in a way that over a period of time we are paying for that investment in the system. It’s actually quite a complex arrangement; we don’t have a single telephone provider for all of our telephone services at the moment.

“I do know what you are alluding to, I did go through this in DWP and JobCentre Plus. As I said earlier, we are in the process of reviewing our current suppliers and our contracts on telephones at the moment.”

Which is why I always write to them.

I write to the (Leicester) office that sends me my Notice of Coding each year but never get a reply from them.  Variously, people from Glasgow, Ipswich, Portsmouth, Liverpool and Cardiff reply (usually with nonsense which requires me to write again seeking clarification and/or a real answer to my original query).

HMRC must have the most convoluted structure imaginable.  No wonder they're always making mistakes and can never be bothered to answer the phone.

Kiwi_g wrote on Apr 23^rd, 2012 at 11:45am:

Kiwi_g, there are clearly differing experiences when ringing HMRC. A recent thread has been started on this, HMRC friendlier than note on the site and I ask that you post about it on there, giving the number you dialled and the 0845 number it was an alternative for.

Source: Kilmarnock Standard

MP demands answers over tax calls

Quote: