how long do you wait on hold before giving up?

[Sandra6]

Currently on hold with tax credits "help" line.
Took five minutes of recorded messages to get to the hold part. I'm 16minutes in now.
Hang up and give up?!

 

[toffee]

If it's an 0800 number I'll wait for hours. If I am paying for the call it's only a few minutes

 

[stephec]

Depends how urgent your call is, I was once on hold for twenty minutes waiting for the tax people.

 

[Leedsbusdriver]

 

[Sandra6]

It wasn't free - called from a mobile, but my minutes allowance covered it.
Wish I'd just hung up to be honest.
Waste of time.

 

[User6179]

Go to the toilet, guaranteed someone will answer mid flow.

 

[Crackle]

When I get through to those option things I just press every button multiple times. Modern systems should just carefully repeat the list but the tax one doesn't and just dumps you in the queue to a real person. I discovered this through pure frustration.

 

[Welsh wheels]

Currently on hold with tax credits "help" line.
Took five minutes of recorded messages to get to the hold part. I'm 16minutes in now.
Hang up and give up?!

16 minutes? I've been on hold for an hour and a half before. When someone eventually answered, I had my mouth full.

 

[PeteXXX]

Tax office? I've heard that it's better to use the 'Calling from overseas?' +44 option..

 

[Mr Celine]

When I had a tax credits claim and needed to report a change I used to do this.
1 dial the number, get put on hold.
2 boot PC
3 write letter explaining the change
4 print letter
5 sign letter
6 copy letter
7 address envelope
8 find a stamp
9 walk to post box, post letter
10 walk home, still on hold
11 hang up

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

When someone eventually answered, I had my mouth full.

Are you are Miss Goodbody?

 

[Welsh wheels]

Are you are Miss Goodbody?

Fortunately not

 

[growingvegetables]

Currently on hold with tax credits "help" line.

... and being driven mad by Vivaldi's "Spring", no doubt? F*****g Baroque torture.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I phoned one supermarket up once and was met with a recorded message telling how much their "special offers" were. Nearly 2 minutes of some recorded message telling me how i could buy 40 cans of Fosters for 20 quid and a 10kg bag of spuds for a tenner drove me crazy! Are they on commission from the GPO to bump up our phone bills i wonder?

 

[threebikesmcginty]

The tax office used to be really good, answer quick and helpful, they must've had some consultants in because they're shite now.