I can confirm the experience of others that using the "overseas" contact number for HMR&C - i.e. a geographic no - results in a request to use an 0845 number. However, the good news is that you appear to be able to access the relevant department via the overseas access at weekends. I have successfully done this on two separate weekends.
I did, however, ask for an explanation in a letter that I sent the HMR&C for the justification of using an 0845 number instead of a geographic one, pointing out that in Bliar's time there were promises to revert to geographic numbers.
The reply was from a Customer Advisor by the name of
** name removed **
from whose letter I quote:
Contact Centres are accessed via 0845 numbers. As well as being the most cost-effective numbers for the majority of our customers, 0845 numbers will enable us to meet the Department's aim to create a "virtual" access for customers, whereby calls from anywhere in the country can be efficiently handled in any Contact Centre location. THis will creeate better flexibility for managing call volumes and will Revenue and Customs Contact Centres to better match staffing resources to meet requirements.
The 0845 numbers are used to be fair to all of our customers, many of whom live hundreds of miles from their tax office and were paying long distance and not local call charges. These numbers were introduced to enable our Contact Centres to use the advanced network functionality that 0845 (and other non-geographic) numbers alloow, thereby creating better flexibility for dealing with telephone calls.
Since deregulation of telephone services, the number of supplier's (sic) and tariffs available has expanded enormously. Each supplier should include details regarding non-geographic calls in their information, but obviously HMRC can not legislate for individual's preference for supplier or tariff.
Of course many people do decide to have reduced or even free telephone calls for STD numbers whereas others do not. However using STD numbers would not allow us to supply the flexibility of call handling that we want as a department and as such wider customer service would suffer. Also our policy is to be fair to all of our customers no matter where they are calling from in the UK, and no matter what type of arrangement they have with their own telephone company. Consequently, we see the use of the national 0845 number as the best way to achieve this.
[i]
Well Mr
** name removed **
you certainly have once again demonstrated just what a bunch of half wits the HMRC employs, but it's given some of us a bit of a laugh!
Edited: Name removed by Dave.
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