The struggle to get through to a human being at HMRC

‘Yet still the letters came, adding more penalties, sometimes in a faintly intimidating tone that only adds to my stress at an already miserable time.’ Photograph: Stockimo/Alamy

Regarding HMRC call waiting times (HMRC struggling to cope as customer service levels hit ‘all-time low’, 28 February), over the past two months, I called it 10 times, hanging on for up to an hour each time, but without success. I desperately needed to speak to a human being as I was struggling to deal with tax complexities deriving from my partner’s death, which HMRC’s online options or robots could not answer. Yet still the letters came, adding more penalties, sometimes in a faintly intimidating tone that added to my stress at an already miserable time. I finally got through on my 11th attempt, after 45 minutes. HMRC’s disgraceful service is one more depressing example of a country falling apart.
Alan Clark
London

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