If you’ve ever tried to get through to the Tax Credits ‘helpline’, you’ll feel my pain.
I started trying to get through in April to try to tell them about a change in circumstances. I tried again in May, June, July, August and September. I tried at all different times, including 8am, and 7pm. There is a limit to how long I can spend hanging on the telephone. Letters are never replied to.
I’ve now received a demand for £800 because I didn’t tell them about a change of circumstances in time.
*head desk*
This morning I finally got through on their new number (o345 300 3900). I’m disputing the demand, and will let you know how I get on. As I said to the guy on the phone, I’m not going to give them £800 because I couldn’t get through on the phone (it seems to me this is daylight robbery. Am I wrong?)
But I think any of us who’ve dealt with the Tax credits office know what a complete and utter farce it is.
A farce is an understatement. They are absolutely useless. I don’t deal with them direct as I let my accountant do all that but even he says it’s a complete mind-boggling mystery how they are able to conduct any kind of business. He’s been working for our business for 35 years and we’ve been claiming tax credits for the past 6 or so years. Every year he says the same thing – “I have no idea how they work out what they do; to me, they try to make it as difficult as they possibly can so that eventually people will give up claiming.” I feel for people who are doing the forms themselves because it’s infuriating how the help line never seems to be able to actually ‘help’.
Keep us posted and fingers crossed this gets resolved.
CJ x
Oh I feel your pain. I had a similar scenario with an even bigger bill about a change in circumstances which I had eventually put into writing re the phone farce. I held my ground and it was rescinded. My letter was never answered, but I was insistent and it worked. Hope it works for you *crosses everything*
Lots of sympathy – don’t understand why is so impossible to communicate with revenue & customs. As you say phones go completely unanswered and no way to log a message. So frustrating!