Heartless HMRC

This morning's call took 59 minutes! I seem to spend large parts of my life on hold listening to someone else's choice of music.

I cannot understand why these places don't immediately direct the call to their bereavement departments. I had the same with the DWP: robot like responses with no warmth or empathy. It really is upsetting when its your family member you're talking about, and they make it clear that they couldn't care less. Hope you've finally got somewhere.

Thanks MissA. I will believe it if/when it happens.

I agree with you about the "bereavement" episodes..When I rung several dept s, the person on the other end would say "oh Ill e put you through to the bereavement dept" and would quickly pass me on (like I was contaminated) thinking the next person would be kind and sympathetic!!! no not really, there was only one that I found and that was the mobility dept when I had to hand the car back. The others were "kind" but were no different from any other dept. lets face it..are they really going to employ a fully train bereavement person, I think not.

I have recently been the executor for a complicated estate (my stepmum's ) that included IHT. In six months, I must have spent many hours on hold to HMRC and other organisations. I, too, discovered rather late in the day that if you ask for the bereavement section of banks etc, you can often get attended to more quickly and more humanely than in the normal queue.

I was lucky as regards the income tax. HMRC were told using the "Tell Us Once" service, and the small rebate that was due just came through automatically, eventually.

It's true, though, that the executor is the only one with the official power to sort these things out. Being a relative of the deceased or the beneficiary of the estate may not be enough. Most agencies (and I think this is true of HMRC) say at the start of a call, possibly in their recorded greeting, that they can only deal with the executor of the estate, and they usually want to see the Grant of Probate before they make any payments.

Acting as an executor has certainly made me determined to keep my own affairs simple and my paperwork up to date!

When I handled my sister’s estate after her death I too was horrified by the lack of understanding. The only organisation who had it nailed was NatWest bereavement department. Superb.

Her energy suppliers said they couldn’t speak to me without her consent, because I wasn’t the account could I put her on the phone please. As she was actually in arrears by about £50 I just hung up and let them try to claim that back themselves.

Sorry to read about your son Nonnie that must be absolutely heartbreaking.

If you have the name of the person you spoke to - get back onto the phone and ask for that persons line manager or even higher and go for it!!

MPs email or letter usually works as well.

It seems that these departments haven't learned anything in the 12 years since my friend died. HMRC = Heartless Money Chasing Companies.

Oh dear, can't even write the correct words now, Chasing should read Raising. Too many mince pies in my production line

Grannyticktoc Most of the organisations I have dealt with have been happy to deal with me even though I am not the Executor and if I had lied I think they all would! If HMRC had such a rule why didn't the first person I spoke to tell me? Why not the second when I gave her all the information about the Executor?

OldMeg I had to deal with NatWest too and I found their bereavement department very cold and unhelpful. I think it depends who you get. When we went into branch we had to do it all in the public area, not even taken to a side room.

Did that Whitewave, Manager was just as bad, said she understood when she patently didn't. It was through her I ended up speaking to Complaints. I wrote to my MP, quite a long email, while HMRC had me on hold!

You are right Auntieflo, heartless describes many of them.

I have to praise the NHS prescription pre-payment people, Hastings Car Insurance and the DVLA who have all been very good. Some of the rest have been just about OK but Thames Water were so appalling that they ended up sending me flowers! I have found writing letters therapeutic even when they have been a waste of time.

I have a water bill round at my daughters. I have just left it there. Having heard your experience with them, I think I will walk away quietly, Nonnie.

I mentioned this in passing, but for future reference everyone should know about the Tell Us Once service. This is offered either online or via many of the Register Offices when you go to register a death. You give them all the details of the deceased and then they will contact the Government, Council and official agencies: DVLA, State pension, any other State benefits being claimed, income tax, Blue Badge, bus pass, library, passport, etc (there's a list on the website). You still need to round up all the documentation, but it saves you from having to make so many phone calls and relate the death of your loved one over and over again, which is one of the distressing aspects of bereavement. You don't have to be an executor or have obtained probate, I think it's enough to be a spouse or someone who has registered the death.

Having had lots of problems sorting out my late DH's finances, this is the first I've heard of a bereavement department. I found Barclays Bank and his employer, Wickes, were the most unpleasant and unhelpful. NatWest bank, National Insurance and Prescription pre payments were helpful.

grannytick unfortunately there are many times when the Tell s Once Service does not work. In our case it is because the Coroner could only issue an interim certificate. They also told me it doesn't always work.

HMRC Complaints have just called me back. Having listened to the previous calls she entirely agreed that I had not been treated well and that the people I spoke to did not know what they were doing! Apparently they don't have a bereavement department at all. She did sound sympathetic and like she was trying to understand how I feel and has promised to raise the issue with the appropriate people. Now I wait to see if the cheque actually arrives.