Prize for the worst phone line ever?

I think it must go to Sheffield City Counci's Council Tax helpline on 0114 273 6633.

They have mistakenly sent me a Council Tax bill for a property I let out, which has had the same 2 students residing in it since Sep 2016 and they will be there until Sep 2018, and now want me to pay, that's even though I don't reside there and they haven't been informed of a change in resident (so one might assume nothing has changed if you're not told anything has changed) - so I guess they must've assumed it was "worth a punt" to send out a bill...

So, you phone that number up and listen to a soporific-sounding woman who is... speak...ing... very.... slowly... to... you... and select about 3 options to get to a message that says "all our operators are busy" - that's fair enough, I don't mind waiting, I kind of expect that, but then "and our queue is full, goodbye".

What?

I didn't expect to be booted off. I want my place in that queue!

Isn't the whole idea of a queue that it can grow and grow? And, say, when someone sees that - shock, horror - the queue is way too big for the number of people who are staffing the helpline on a consistent basis, well, it's time to get more staff in, right? So you can handle the call volume, right?

You don't just say "the queue is full, get lost".

Are there others that beat this?

I'm going in again...

---------- Post added 21-06-2018 at 11:25 ----------

I am actually in the queue - fourth time of trying. Apparently they're "extremely busy" and I "may have to wait longer than they would like". I'm OK with that, I am finally in the queue! That's what counts.

Maybe they wouldn't be so busy if they didn't send out so many incorrect bills.

Yes, agree 100%

IF... you manage to get through get ready for a wait. I've had to call them a couple of times about a refund over the last 6 weeks or so and a 25 minute wait is about the average.

I wonder if they'd be so laid back if I owed them a few hundred quid!

Phone timer says 14 minutes so far... not got in touch with anyone yet. Pound to a penny it's not resolved on this call and they'll say they need my Tenants to take a walk down to Howden House or summat, even though they did that in 2016.

They "are aware and appreciate I've been waiting for some time". I'm trying to think of the poor SOB on the other end of the line... and what that must be like.

---------- Post added 21-06-2018 at 11:56 ----------

19 minutes in and got to speak to someone. We agreed that I should write them an email, explaining how I'm not liable.

I think it must go to Sheffield City Counci's Council Tax helpline on 0114 273 6633.

 

Maybe they wouldn't be so busy if they didn't send out so many incorrect bills.

Spot on.

I had a HMO and they assumed a student had left at the end of his tenancy agreement. He hadn't and despite his exemption certificate still valid for a further year, they sent a full bill. Other exempt students had longer agreements.

See you in the phone queue.

The Council's Housing Benefit phone line is just as bad, if not worse, as they often leave you in a queue for 20 mins and then just cut you off! - This is not a one off instance, it happens frequently. I now send everything to them by email so that I have evidence of having attempted to contact them, and have evidence of what information has been provided to them (likewise for Council Tax).

Last week I got a summons from Council Tax because they had failed to deal with my email sent to them on 12th June (after I could not get through to them on the phone), but they have now cancelled the summons and the additional costs because of their failure, but how much time, effort, and taxpayers money was wasted because they failed to deal with the matter promptly.