I know it's not exactly breaking new ground to point out the IRS tends to have the customer service skills of a sack of hammers, but this is just the worst.
Background: I refiled my taxes for 2004 and 2005 after finding out I missed some deductions that netted me an extra $500 in each year. I got the one for 2005 already but I had to re-refile for 2004 because they (apparently) never got the forms I sent in for 2004. I took a personal day and went into my local IRS office to make sure it was entered into their computers. This was at the end of April.
It's supposed to take 12 weeks to get a refund check mailed back, which would have put it at the end of July. I called then and after nearly 30 minutes on hold I was told it was being processed and give it some extra time due to all the insanity of mailing out the Stimulus checks.
Alright, I can accept that. I certainly know about dealing with the public when things get insanely hectic so I cut them some slack.
Now it's almost September and I still haven't got a check yet. I try to call during my break but each time I get told the expected wait time is over 20 minutes (and I get two 15 minute breaks). When I try to call when I get home, after going through the forest of phone trees and am about to get transferred to a human I get a message that due to technical problems my call can't be completed as dialed
I don't have any more days off until October 1, so I can't burn another day off to go to the office. If I can't get through in the morning before work, they will have successfully walled off any route of communication between myself and the IRS.
What's worse, to add insult to injury is that for all that time you have to wait on hold, there's only one song played the entire time looped endlessly. That song? The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies.
That's right, while your life slowly ticks away while the IRS decides if they want to talk to you, the only music you hear is from the Nutcracker.
Seems appropriate.
Background: I refiled my taxes for 2004 and 2005 after finding out I missed some deductions that netted me an extra $500 in each year. I got the one for 2005 already but I had to re-refile for 2004 because they (apparently) never got the forms I sent in for 2004. I took a personal day and went into my local IRS office to make sure it was entered into their computers. This was at the end of April.
It's supposed to take 12 weeks to get a refund check mailed back, which would have put it at the end of July. I called then and after nearly 30 minutes on hold I was told it was being processed and give it some extra time due to all the insanity of mailing out the Stimulus checks.
Alright, I can accept that. I certainly know about dealing with the public when things get insanely hectic so I cut them some slack.
Now it's almost September and I still haven't got a check yet. I try to call during my break but each time I get told the expected wait time is over 20 minutes (and I get two 15 minute breaks). When I try to call when I get home, after going through the forest of phone trees and am about to get transferred to a human I get a message that due to technical problems my call can't be completed as dialed
I don't have any more days off until October 1, so I can't burn another day off to go to the office. If I can't get through in the morning before work, they will have successfully walled off any route of communication between myself and the IRS.
What's worse, to add insult to injury is that for all that time you have to wait on hold, there's only one song played the entire time looped endlessly. That song? The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies.
That's right, while your life slowly ticks away while the IRS decides if they want to talk to you, the only music you hear is from the Nutcracker.
Seems appropriate.
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