I have now been hanging on the telephone for 23 minutes, waiting to speak to a Universal Credit adviser, just to try to find out exactly what was the paltry sum of Universal Credit that I received at the beginning of 2016, so I can accurately do my tax return.
It is really irritating that these services, that are supposed to serve us citizens of the UK, are so shoddily funded that we are left hanging on the telephone for... now 25 minutes (and counting).
The message... "all are lines are still busy, please hold and we'll answer your call as soon as we can, or, if you prefer, you can call back later"
And then what? Hang on for another 26 minutes?
Then finally, at nearly 27 minutes an adviser answers to inform me in a disinterested voice, that Universal Credit has now been separated into two different departments, and... surprise surpise, I am through to the wrong department, but here is the number to call... and so the process begins again.
Is this not a disgrace? How many queries do Universal Credit receive every day throughout the UK. How many person hours are wasted, with people just hanging on the telephone... waiting... waiting... waiting....
Just one more symptom of Broken Britain