The Word of The Day? – Frustration

In true leopard form the noise that most frequently erupted from me today was GRRRRRR!

My normal happy self has been smothered in a pit of frustration and here’s why:

This morning a client sent me a letter they had received from HMRC.

The letter was a payment reminder notice for a ‘Taxes Act Penalty 2011-2012’.

There is no phone number on the letter, it’s HMRC so there’s obviously no email and the address on the letter was the generic accounts office used by millions of tax payers so not even any good for a pigeon!

My client had absolutely no recollection of receiving anything for which it might be reminding them and asked me to find out what it was for.

So begins the pain!

The reference on the letter made it look like it was something to do with PAYE so I called the Employers Helpline.

I don’t know if you have contacted HMRC recently but they have put in place those ridiculously annoying automated answer services that require you to speak.

HMRC – ‘Please explain to us in a few words what your call is about’

Me – ‘Unknown penalty notice’

HMRC – ‘VAT payment, is that right?’

Me – ‘NO!’

And so it goes on until they say something that vaguely resembles my query. I then have to say the references, my name, company, client, address, shoe size etc… and they finally let me speak to someone.

HMRC lady – ‘Hmm, I have no idea what that might be, I’ve never heard of a taxes act penalty, there’s nothing outstanding on the system. It must be something to do with Corporation Tax’

Me – ‘Are you sure? The reference seems to suggest PAYE’

HMRC lady – ‘Well it isn’t PAYE because there’s nothing on the system, give Corporation Tax a call’

So I did. I had to go through the whole automated system again and I finally got through to a man who seemed very bemused as to why I would call him.

HMRC man – ‘Nope, that’s definitely to do with PAYE, you’ll have to call them back’

Round Three

So I did. Automated system followed by another call handler who had never heard of the penalty.

She checked both systems (apparently there are two which do the same thing but may have different information on) and came back with nothing, she checked with all of her colleagues and came back with nothing, she tried to contact her manager but came back with nothing.

Finally, she told me that there is an entire department who deal solely with penalties and perhaps they would be able to help me. However, she wasn’t normally allowed to call them or put anyone through so she had to get clearance from somebody first.

I’m on hold again and staring at the clock which tells me I have now been on the phone for 33 minutes to this lady.

She is very pleased to tell me that I am allowed to speak to the elusive penalty department as I have a ‘special case’.

A further 6 minutes on hold and she returns to the phone to say that unfortunately they have all been given new systems so couldn’t access anything and she would have to give me their number and ask me to call tomorrow.

All in all, an hour of my time, no result and the promise of going through all this again tomorrow.

GRRRRRR!!!

Share the Grrrrr – why not tell us about your most frustrating day?

Vikki

Did You Know

That Striped Leopard will deal with all correspondence from HMRC so that you don’t have to experience this pain.
Please contact us to find out how we could help you.