my letter to the irs
farfromglorified
Posts: 5,696
I had to call the IRS this morning and needed to entertain myself in the meantime. So I decided to write them a letter.
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To Whom It May Concern,
I recently used the IRS phone system to remediate a problem with a recent tax filing. The person I spoke to about my problem was very nice and was a big help. However, I did have to remain on hold before speaking to them. I believe the total hold time was close to an hour.
Now, I completely understand and am sympathetic to the volumes you are experiencing during this time of year. Furthermore, I don't even really mind holding. The music provided on the hold system was very pleasant, and my phone has a speaker on it so my hands and ears were completely free to do other things while I waited for a representative.
However, much to my dismay, an automated voice continued to break into the music to say: "Our representatives are still helping other customers." This indirectly implies that I am also a customer. I am not a customer. A customer is someone who purchases goods or services from another. I am not purchasing goods or services from you. Rather, you are simply demanding a certain amount of payment from me unattached to the goods and services I receive. If I received no goods or services from you, you would still demand the same payment. Furthermore, if I received more goods or services from you than that payment allotted for, you would not require additional payment.
Later on today, I'll be going to my local grocery store. There, I'll select a number of items that I wish to buy and I'll give money to the owner of that grocery store in exchange for those items. If I chose to keep my money, the grocery store owner would keep his groceries and we'd both go on our merry way. Notice how in this relationship both myself and the grocery store are willing partners who are allowed to assess the value of one another's contribution to the exchange. I'm allowed to determine if, in fact, the groceries are worth the price charged and he is allowed to determine if, in fact, the money I'll be providing is worth the groceries offered. If the owner of the grocery store forced me to take a pack of gum, for which he physically removed $1,000 from my wallet, would you still refer to me as a "customer"? Or if I filled my shopping cart and proceeded to rob the clerks in the store on my way out, would you still refer to me as a "customer"? I certainly hope not.
So, I'd appreciate it very much if you would change the automated message on your hold system to something more appropriate, such as:
"Our representatives are still helping other victims and looters."
Or even this:
"Our representatives are still helping other human beings."
But please don't refer to me as a "customer".
Sincerely,
-Jeff XXXXXXX
XXX-XX-XXXX
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To Whom It May Concern,
I recently used the IRS phone system to remediate a problem with a recent tax filing. The person I spoke to about my problem was very nice and was a big help. However, I did have to remain on hold before speaking to them. I believe the total hold time was close to an hour.
Now, I completely understand and am sympathetic to the volumes you are experiencing during this time of year. Furthermore, I don't even really mind holding. The music provided on the hold system was very pleasant, and my phone has a speaker on it so my hands and ears were completely free to do other things while I waited for a representative.
However, much to my dismay, an automated voice continued to break into the music to say: "Our representatives are still helping other customers." This indirectly implies that I am also a customer. I am not a customer. A customer is someone who purchases goods or services from another. I am not purchasing goods or services from you. Rather, you are simply demanding a certain amount of payment from me unattached to the goods and services I receive. If I received no goods or services from you, you would still demand the same payment. Furthermore, if I received more goods or services from you than that payment allotted for, you would not require additional payment.
Later on today, I'll be going to my local grocery store. There, I'll select a number of items that I wish to buy and I'll give money to the owner of that grocery store in exchange for those items. If I chose to keep my money, the grocery store owner would keep his groceries and we'd both go on our merry way. Notice how in this relationship both myself and the grocery store are willing partners who are allowed to assess the value of one another's contribution to the exchange. I'm allowed to determine if, in fact, the groceries are worth the price charged and he is allowed to determine if, in fact, the money I'll be providing is worth the groceries offered. If the owner of the grocery store forced me to take a pack of gum, for which he physically removed $1,000 from my wallet, would you still refer to me as a "customer"? Or if I filled my shopping cart and proceeded to rob the clerks in the store on my way out, would you still refer to me as a "customer"? I certainly hope not.
So, I'd appreciate it very much if you would change the automated message on your hold system to something more appropriate, such as:
"Our representatives are still helping other victims and looters."
Or even this:
"Our representatives are still helping other human beings."
But please don't refer to me as a "customer".
Sincerely,
-Jeff XXXXXXX
XXX-XX-XXXX
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
naděje umírá poslední
http://www.irs.gov/help/page/0,,id=13148,00.html
we are sorry you had difficulty in dealing with our automated phone system. this is a busy time of the year for the irs and we strive to be as efficient and helpful to all our customers as we can. we appreciate your feedback and will take your concerns under consideration.
love,
the irs
there's your form letter reply. id be shocked if anyone at the irs even read this crap, esp when they have people with REAL problems writing them. but thanks for wasting their time and slowing response time down for everyone else out there with legitimate tax problems.
Hehe...I'm not expecting a reply.
I made the proper correction for you
Hehe...
for the least they could possibly do
ffg already covered that part buddy. be original. i was just pointing out how futile and pointless it was and how no amount of whining by the likes of you is going to change a goddamn thing about the irs.
The only real legitimate tax problem is the fact that we are forced to pay so damn much for so damn much waste.
ill take that over jailtime for shortchanging becos nobody can make any damn sense of the tax code any day of the week.
Now why would anyone need to audit their "customer"???
~Ron Burgundy
maybe one day when you get a job or even better start your own business, you will understand the grip of handing over so much of your hard earned money.
Do you notice that they don't pay you interest? You would owe a shitload of interest if you paid them a day late.
don't be coming to me all late like a crackhead ... "I need some mo money."
for the least they could possibly do
Actually you were seeking service from the IRS to help remediate your problems - in fact they provided this service to you at no additional cost.
Amen...the tax "refund" is such a scam. I don't understand why people want it -- you're paying them to effectively bury your money and then dig it up a few months later.
I talked to a friend of mine last night and she was all excited that she was getting a $1,200 "refund". I asked her if I could borrow $100 and then just give it back to her six months from now. She didn't get it.........
Hehe...it wasn't "my" problem. I received a notice to contact them, and I did. The cost to me was a wasted hour. But in all fairness to them, I would have probably wasted that hour elsewhere.
im going to be in the higest tax bracket most likely. im not overly worried about it. i dont feel the need to have a lot of bling and show off my income and even after taxes i should have plenty to meet my needs. if you're feeling squeezed by your income taxes then maybe you need to look at your budget again and try living within your means.
I agree completely with the sentiments you expressed in the letter.
that's why you underdeclare your tips
the above is why I can't get behind a flat tax. The gigantic tax code we have today is the bastard child of 1985's flat tax.
Just another reason I support the Fair Tax.
You pay that cost every single goddam day. Why do people think they receive services at no cost? That is ass-backward thinking. Jesus Christ.
rocking the boat? what power does any irs employee have to change the tax system? i believe that responsibility is congress's job. if im working at the irs, i wouldnt give a fuck about your tax philosophies either... write your congressperson, cos the irs cant do a damn thing about it and you're wasting their time.
id also like to see your "marketplace" where everyone is a boss and nobody is a worker. your "educated competitive marketplace" folks would be useless and worthless without laborers to actually do your work for you.
What power does any employee have to change anything about their job? What power does any person have to change anything about their life?
For the record I'm not so delusional to believe this letter will accomplish anything other than giving myself and maybe a few people some laughs.
It sounds like your ideal "worker" would be someone that simply follows the rules.
People I hire, no matter the job, need to be able to think on their feet, respond to changing conditions, seek ways of doing things more efficiently and effectively, take instruction, but also provide feedback.
Your philosophy is the ideal for a gov't manager. Mine is ideal for an entrepreneur.