HMRC and the long wait

Last year, I was lucky enough to receive a letter from Her Majesty's revenue and customs (HMRC), telling me that for the tax year 2004 - 2005 I had overpaid tax and was due a refund. Wahey!

The letter stated that I would be sent a cheque and that I should expect to receive said cheque within the next six weeks.  It is not often that someone writes to me out of the blue to tell me they are sending me money, so I happily sat next to my letterbox and waited for what felt a bit like a lottery win.

I am sure it won't surprise you to know that the cheque didn't arrive but to be honest, I wasn't that bothered about it.  If I had received the cheque when I was told I would, I have no doubt I would have frittered it away on unnecessary Christmas presents or (totally necessary) I-pads and Fender Telecasters.  I (or rather my lady) is due to give birth to our first child very soon and so my not frittering the cash means I can buy some new carpets, a cot and some sleeping tablets to see me through the night.

New Year came round and I gave HMRC a call to remind them about my tax lottery win. They said that they would cancel the first cheque and send me a new one but that this might take up to six weeks.  It never arrived.

I phoned again last week and today and essentially the cheque is yet to be issued and that I should give it another three weeks!

Now, the very polite and helpful customer service staff have tried all they can and I have no gripe with them.  Neither do I really have any gripe with HMRC themselves, it can't be easy to provide the administration for the 26 Million or more tax payers there are in the UK. The law of averages says that someone's cheque will go missing and this time it just happens to be mine.

No, the problem I have is the problem I have with so many large corporations such as these and that there is no accountability, culpability or fairness in the affair.

The on-line personal tax filing deadline is midnight on the 31st of January.  If you miss that deadline you get a fine. Instantly. No ifs not buts, you get a fine. If you are lucky enough to be able to afford or need a personal tax adviser, they may be able to get you off the fine, but for the Everyman like myself it is a fine and that is that.  So why do I or we not get to fine them?  Why is it that I, the person entirely in the right, am not allowed to now request an additional £100 for their negligence?

How did we sleep walk ourselves into the situation that even though we are the buyers, we have no power.  If you are a friend of mine on my Facebook page you will know the almost daily gripe I have with South West Trains, who treat their customer as a hindrance to their business.  I get perpetually wound up not only by the fact that South West Trains feels it can treat people so badly, but more so by the fact I can't do anything about it. I can't change train company, I can't talk to the owner I can't do anything, except redundantly shout at the internet!

If your local shop keeper is rude to you, you have the buying power and choice to take your money elsewhere, but you don't with the companies and business that you really need to get you through your day.

I don't know if you feel the same but it really winds me up.  I should have been a rockstar.