We're sorry we cant deal with your call at the moment Goodbye!

Psycho Sonny · 17 Apr 2015 at 17:51

HMRC handles over 60 millions calls a year.

They have 70,000 staff but only a percentage of them work in contact centres.

You guys do the math. The only solution would be more employees but that means higher wage bill and then the fat cats wouldn't get their bonuses or pay rise every year.

So instead they are cutting the number on phones and pushing online services.

Diddums · 17 Apr 2015 at 17:59

What's a math?

I'll call whatever it is that needs calling and if I get this message or have to wait more than I want to, I email them. On occasion I'll put the phone on loudspeaker and just carry on cooking or whaeltwver until someone answers, but this is usually because I want to prove a point.

Other than those occasions, email them. Puts the ball in their court.

Psycho Sonny · 17 Apr 2015 at 18:14

Diddums said:
What's a math?

I'll call whatever it is that needs calling and if I get this message or have to wait more than I want to, I email them. On occasion I'll put the phone on loudspeaker and just carry on cooking or whaeltwver until someone answers, but this is usually because I want to prove a point.

Other than those occasions, email them. Puts the ball in their court.

what if they don't have an email?

nutsnut · 17 Apr 2015 at 19:11

glen8 said:
Oh no, the WORST one is the line "did you know you can now do this online"

You mean I can cancel my insurance policy online? hahahahahahahahahaha

I can, and have done recently.

scratch · 17 Apr 2015 at 20:23

nutsnut said:
I can, and have done recently.

Yeah me too, I'm wondering why cancelling insurance would be a thing that can't be done online?!

physichull · 17 Apr 2015 at 20:26

I was waiting for 25 minutes on hold to speak to the complaints department of 3 mobile because a direct debit had been set up in my account and £30 taken out in error sending me into my overdraft. I wasn't a customer of 3, never have been so god knows how the DD got set up. They claimed by error and I've cancelled it now. Getting them to ring me back though to resolve it as they cost my overdraft fees!

ste_bla · 17 Apr 2015 at 20:51

physichull said:
I was waiting for 25 minutes on hold to speak to the complaints department of 3 mobile because a direct debit had been set up in my account and £30 taken out in error sending me into my overdraft. I wasn't a customer of 3, never have been so god knows how the DD got set up. They claimed by error and I've cancelled it now. Getting them to ring me back though to resolve it as they cost my overdraft fees!

Your doing it wrong. Just tell bank not your dd and reverse it, and cancel bank charges.

physichull · 17 Apr 2015 at 20:55

Done that. They can waive the overdraft fees, but I am only allowed this one time, after that, no more waiving of fees. I don't ever plan on going into my overdraft so I took them up on it and got the fees refunded.

Wasn't impressed though, the fact that a DD was so easily approved in my name. I bet that this happens to loads of people who just don't notice that money is leaving their account! Indeed I wouldn't have noticed if my bank hadn't sent me a letter to tell me I was in my overdraft. Came as a shock!

Hades · 17 Apr 2015 at 20:58

physichull said:
Done that. They can waive the overdraft fees, but I am only allowed this one time, after that, no more waiving of fees. I don't ever plan on going into my overdraft so I took them up on it and got the fees refunded.

Wasn't impressed though, the fact that a DD was so easily approved in my name. I bet that this happens to loads of people who just don't notice that money is leaving their account! Indeed I wouldn't have noticed if my bank hadn't sent me a letter to tell me I was in my overdraft. Came as a shock!

Wait, what? The banks systems allow someone to setup a DD without your approval and they warn you they will only waive the resulting overdraft costs once? I'd be ripping the bank a new one

physichull · 17 Apr 2015 at 21:14

Hades said:
Wait, what? The banks systems allow someone to setup a DD without your approval and they warn you they will only waive the resulting overdraft costs once? I'd be ripping the bank a new one

Pretty much, its ridiculous isn't it. But I don't think its too much of a big deal losing my waiver. I'm going to close that account soon and I don't plan on going into my overdraft in future either so no great loss. Still a total ballache that I could have done without.

Monkeynut · 17 Apr 2015 at 22:13

I've, touch wood, had fantastic service off almost any company I've ever dealt with. Maybe I'm just lucky, or because I work in customer service I automatically speak to people in the *right* voice, and they want to help me. Dunno.