I have found that all the geographical numbers (instead of 0845) for them are now blocked even when prefixing with 141.

There are two ways around that, I have found.

1  Take a day trip to Calais 

2  Go through 18185.co.uk  (charged at 1p pm + 5pm connection charge - still cheaper than using 0845).

Dave wrote on Feb 1^st, 2013 at 12:45pm:

I'm not entirely sure about this.

I tried the 0161 number via 18185 without withholding my number and it went through. Then a short while later it didn't.

I suspect that calls with 18185 might be routed abroad and then back again, probably at some times.

If HMRC have a system that rejects calls from the UK but not abroad, then this might explain why 18185 works sometimes and not others.

It may well be that it doesn't use CLI to identify whether calls come from the UK as it isn't reliable as one can simply withhold the number.

Have just tried both of the above numbers from my landline which has a permanent number withheld facility, both where answered with an auto message saying I had called from the UK, and informing "this number is for international callers", then gave me the 0845 number to call.

This is totally out of order, a few years ago I obtained various number via a FOI request, at least two of these numbers work as I just tried them and "appeared " to be held in a queue, those numbers are:- 0151 4713010, and 0151 4713012, I don't know where they eventually take you as there was no menu, just music.

Other numbers I have, but not tried are:-
0151 471 3004
0151 471 3040
0151 471 3008
0151 471 3006
0151 471 3009

.

derrick wrote on Feb 2^nd, 2013 at 1:54pm:

Thank you derrick, 0151 4713010 with 141 prefix as of today 18/4/13.  I got through to an employers help line that would confirm employees tax codes, however since I wanted more than that I was advised to phone the Employers Help line on an 0845 number.  I said I did not want use an 0845 number due to the expense of waiting for the call to be resolved and asked to be put through to a line manager who I asked to put me through to the employers' help line, which she did . The call lasted about a quarter of an hour and cost me nothing as all my calls in the UK are included.

Good Evening,

Having decided to check on the HMRC site for when they announced they would be changing from 0845 to 03(45) numbers I found some press releases.  Interestingly they are also "closing" some of the HMRC Enquiry Centres and replacing these with potential mobile visits.

As such a Consultation is in progress.  Move info can be found here (Home/Mobile Visits) and here (Consultation)

The Consultation closes 24/05/13.

Good Afternoon,

Having checked the link you have provided, I am not sure that's an Official number for HMRC.

I found an alternative link: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/enq/
which allows you to search for the Enquiry Centres.  There is also a Excel document detailing the specific opening times of each of the centres.

On a separate note, this may also interest you.. are you are going to a Tax/HMRC office.. they plan to close several of them.. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/supporting-customers-who-need-extra-... more info via the link...

I hope this helps.

Dave wrote on May 13^th, 2013 at 8:43pm:


I agree with Dave as I have called HMRC today on their geographic numbers from my landline with 18185 and the call is blocked persistently whether I use 141 before dialling 18185 or not.  I believe that the denial method is precisely the same as that used by London 2012 for their 0844 helplines.  Specifically that whether the call is blocked or not depends on whether their incoming call routing equipment detects the call routing path as being from a UK landline and it is not dependent on the presentation of a CLI.

With London 2012 at certain times of day when it is cheaper to route a call to a UK fixed line number via an international path then I could get through to London 2012 but when 18185 decided to use an entirely UK based call routing path at other times of day I could not get through.  Presumably it all depends on the IP address of the Voip path used and them refusing to accept calls from a whole range of IP paths considered to be UK linked.  The fact that they bother to do this at all tells you a lot about the naked and wholly unashamed greed of their telecoms partners.

If we had a more useful Telecoms regulator rather than one (OfCoN) that I can no longer personally be bothered to even find the energy to respond to the consultations of (since I know they will always simply ignore all logically constructed rational argument about failings in their original proposal and proceed with their plans completely and utterly unmodified just as they have always in done in response to all other "consultations") then one would have thought that blocking access to UK landline numbers from within the UK by UK landline callers might be something that OfconN would want to start an "own initiative investigation" in to.  But no they just couldn't give a damn about the call costs of millions of poxy retail consumers but they undoubtedly would initiate an investigation called for by a large call centre operation on the basis that they were getting an inadequate share of the revenue collected by BT on 0845 calls.

I find HMRC's extraordinary policy of only bringing in 03 numbers line by line over months and months on end to be totally and utterly unacceptable.  Predictably the Capital Gains Tax line I wanted to ring today (0845 300 0627) was still using an 0845 number and the 0345 alternative said it was not yet in service but probably still charged me 5p for the call none the less (since the call appears to have been terminated on their equipment).

I am quite sure whoever the ripoff Telco is working with HMRC will only agree to change over their highest volume ripoff 0845 call lines to 0845 at the end of the changeover process.  And I bet Summer 2013 some how just gets deferred to Summer 2014 due to unexpected technical issues.

You cannot even call HMRC to make a complaint about this without using an 0845 number and they do not accept written correspondence onlin (despite accepting tax returns by that method for many years) but only in the post with a 50p+stamp!!!!!!

I now await the ususal boring and pointless discourse from SilentCallsVictim about how life will be so much better when we have long and complicated announcements about amounts paid to service providers etc on 084/7 numbers to contend with even though the calls will still cost an absolute fortune just as before and it will still be legal for these disgusting telcos to block access to their UK geographic numbers from within the UK.

Regarding the lack of block on mobile callers I cannot believe they do not have the technology to do this so I can only imagine that the telco has been told that the extra costs for mobile callers are sufficiently outrageous that they cannot be expected to continue to get their revenue share for those calls.  For landline calls they hope to run the argument that 0845 calls are cheaper from a BT landline than out of bundle calls to 01/02/03 numbers in the weekday daytime thanks to BT's deliberate cross subsidised pricing of out of bundle 0845 numbers in the hope of keeping the whole rip off empire going for a while longer.

Thinking about this issue of landline numbers being blocked to HMRC's 0845 numbers from UK landlines (but not UK mobiles which defeats their own argument that these numbers are only for overseas callers) have none of our doubty stalwarts such as Derrick so far tried taking this as a complaint to their own landline phone provider (eg BT, TalkTalk, PostOffice, Virgin Media etc) and then on to Otelo as the Ombudsman if their fixed line telecoms provider can't provide an explanation as to why they are unable to call the number.

Oh well here goes and I will let you know what happens on my complaint in due course.

Also has no one tried taking this as a complaint to HMRC, reaching formal deadlock with them and then taking it to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman via their MP?  Clearly the PHSO should be able to understand the issue and might have more to say about HMRC selectively blocking calls from UK landlines and not mobiles than  it might have to say on whether it is ethical for HMRC to use 0845 numbers at all.