Covid excuses

glow worm

Member
Location
cornwall
As a farmer, can I use the excuses that various official departments use to me , on them? Go on, encourage me to refuse to answer the next inspector / official that rings us!! I am SO FED UP with firms .. the latest being the DVLA .. who' s answer message is . we're too busy, ring back late, goodbye ........ use the web chat :banghead::banghead: available 8 to 8 OH no it ****** well isn't!! Patiently type in the question .. back comes the answer .. all our advisors are too busy, try again between 8 to 8.. this is after a lengthy wait anyway when they have told me that an advisor will be with me in a short while :banghead::banghead: This is not for a social media chit chat, this is for something I REALLY need to know. Also just tried to chase a firm for a missing parts order. No phone number available. Only generic e-mail enquires available., non of the pre typed messages apply to what I wanted to know :banghead::banghead:
 

toquark

Member
Its the stock excuse these days. Chasing on a woodland grant application the other day with the Forestry Commission, apparently its been sat on someone's desk since February but they've been "working" from home so missed it.

Dealing with the department is a total nightmare, leave a message, they might call back within 10 minutes or it might be 10 hours, either way, you're guaranteed not to have the farm map or whatever to hand when they do ring.
 

melted welly

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
DD9.
I applied for a sepa licence renewal end of last yr, got refused for using an out of date form and not including a separate letter confirming I was who I said I was, despite stating that on the form and signing the form 🙄.

The “officer” kindly included a link to…………the exact same form. Filled it in any way, returned it, never heard back. Turns out they then had a cyber attack at Christmas, so between that and COVID, they adopted a policy of not answering the phone, not replying to emails as everyone on furlough, and not opening mail either 🤔.

Recently got back in touch to refuse the application again as now past the window for a renewal so requires a new application plus numerous soil samples and waste analysis. Adding approx £1500 not including my time…….and I’m using the same form as was initially refused 7 months ago, but now it’s apparently the right one. 🤬

Like someone else said, the arse and both hands of some of these organisations will never meet.
 
I applied for a sepa licence renewal end of last yr, got refused for using an out of date form and not including a separate letter confirming I was who I said I was, despite stating that on the form and signing the form 🙄.

The “officer” kindly included a link to…………the exact same form. Filled it in any way, returned it, never heard back. Turns out they then had a cyber attack at Christmas, so between that and COVID, they adopted a policy of not answering the phone, not replying to emails as everyone on furlough, and not opening mail either 🤔.

Recently got back in touch to refuse the application again as now past the window for a renewal so requires a new application plus numerous soil samples and waste analysis. Adding approx £1500 not including my time…….and I’m using the same form as was initially refused 7 months ago, but now it’s apparently the right one. 🤬

Like someone else said, the arse and both hands of some of these organisations will never meet.
Covid/working from home has given a lot of these organisations and their people an excuse for being crap, not that they weren't before. I get the impression that a lot of folk doing office work can't be arsed doing much beyond putting the kettle on. There's been a lot of tea drinking and dog walking done during the pandemic!
 

Still Farming

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South Wales UK
Hard work getting hold of anyone or firm.
Press this press that ,phone goes dead or thankyou for using this service beeeeeeee.
Nuts.
Just got to work the system or try different angles with all depts. Seems like.
 

glow worm

Member
Location
cornwall
DVLA. Thought I had at last got it sussed!! Rang them several times. always too busy and told to use their webchat. On the 5th webchat try, I thought UREKA .. they started asking questions about my query .. lots of questions .. all dutifully answered .. at the end of which they told me there were no assistants to help as all too busy .. and to try again between 8 to 8. :banghead: Tried again a few hours later .. and they wanted the same answers to the same questions all over again and again basically said 'goodbye', try again another time. :banghead: I should think I stand a cat's in **** chance of getting anywhere tomorrow on a Saturday and not at all convinced I'll fare any better on Monday. I've wasted a good 2 hrs on it today but unlike them, I don't get paid for it. With some firms ..especially mobile phones .. you get a response by picking the option where you are thinking of leaving them. That's not an option with the DVLA!!
 

glow worm

Member
Location
cornwall
Advice to anyone trying to contact DVLA! Have 2 well charged phones on the same system so that you have a back up when the battery goes dead so that you can continue to 'hold' without loosing the contact. Have sandwiches and emergency rations handy. Do not leave your phone at all otherwise you will miss the 2 second window when they answer... you should be so lucky!! Be well practiced in anger management or make a pact to take up Ti Che. If you don't drink .. start!! 3 days frequently trying to contact and over 1 hour 'holding' today has at last got a result!! What a waste of time.
 

2wheels

Member
Location
aberdeenshire
Had a billing query to EDF after they took over from a failed green network energy. 10 mins hanging on the phone then a guy working from home sorted it out in 10 mins to my complete satisfaction. Sometimes you just get lucky.
 

thesilentone

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cumbria
Public services and utilities are a law unto themselves. My view is, do what you can to meet there rules, and if held up by poor service, crack on regardless.
 

Y Fan Wen

Member
Location
N W Snowdonia
The annoying thing is that a call centre 'can' work alright. I have nothing but praise for the National Blood Service and its successor the Welsh Blood Service .
The little one has worked in one since college (before actually, he started as a holiday job) and questions are asked if the computer shows that calls have not been answered inside so many seconds. Computer sees and notes all.
 

MrNoo

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cirencester
Perhaps people from Somerset can confirm but I understand that hardly any planning applications (doesn't matter what for) have been processed since the start of the first lockdown.
7 months for a grain store here so far, only had to go full planning as too close to an "active" airfield, despite there being no runway and the whole area is waist high grass currently.
Solicitors are the worst currently I have found, utter shower of shite, will be changing asap.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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    Votes: 28 15.8%
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    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.3%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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