The public sector, why is it so bad!?!?!

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phil1147

Registered User
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Why is it so difficult to deal with the public sector. I have been trying to get in touch with the VRO office in Tallaght and they never, ever, ever answer their phone. Its an absolute disgrace at this day and age for the public sector to treat there people with such disregard.

I also emailed them last week, twice, with not so much as a reply. So, you cant phone or email them. You have to waste petrol and time, actually take a day off work just to ask them something. Its just not fair on anyone.

Now im thinking of writing them a big letter of complaint, but i know as well as everyone else that this letter will go straight into the bin, or at most, likely to be a feable response.

Public Sector is a disgrace. Why is this so, why is there such a laid back attitude working for the government and why isnt there management with the skills to shape up the workforce in an office and reduce all this relaxed attitude so stuff gets done, like answering the phones and replying to emails etc.
 
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Right ok, maybe that was harsh but im just after getting off the phone trying to phone them again for nearly 10 mins then to be cut off... why should people living in a civilised country have to put up with this B.S. Its not fair not to mention our taxes are paying for a service.
 
Moved to Letting Off Steam. Read the posting guidelines before posting such rants in the regular forums again.
 
Revenue is one of the better public sector organisations that we have. Its cost of adminstration versus its tax take is world class. There website has details of how you can make a complaint, if you feel annoyed with service or lack of it.

http://www.revenue.ie
 
"Its cost of adminstration versus its tax take is world class."

I would be interested in reading the stats on this. Is there some readily accessible source?
 
[broken link removed] perhaps? (Don't think the 2007 report is out yet).

Table 28: Cost of Administration as a Percentage of Gross Receipts
2006
0.77%

2005
0.81%

2004
0.86%

2003
0.91%
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for that.

I was wondering, though, if there were any comparative data sets for various tax jurisdictions that one could conveniently read.

I don't know if an average collection cost of 0.77% is good or not -tbh it just seems ok, but without comparables it is impossible to know.

If you are comparing data produced by various tax authorities in different jurisdictions, you cannot be sure they have all compared like with like. When YOBR mentioned that the figure was world class, I was rather hoping that there might be a relatively objective study somewhere out there which had endeavoured to make the comparisons.
 
Table 28: Cost of Administration as a Percentage of Gross Receipts
2006
0.77%

2005
0.81%
Click to expand...
That's a bit like the accounts section of a company clapping itself on the back for record receipts from sales of the company's new product.

These ratios are deceptive considering the increase in tax revenues during the periods involved. The '08 figure will be interesting considering the chances of a drop in revenue.

At a quick calculation from '05 to '06 receipts increased by 15% but ratio of admin only dropped by about 5%, so they bumped up their costs by around 10% from about 320m to 350m.
 
I work in the public sector but wouldnt deal with the public too often. I agree with original poster though. Most public sector workers ive come across couldnt give a rats about the public and it is quite difficult to get a hold of some of them when you try ringing.
 
Part of the problem, in my experience, is the phone systems in place. Many departments/offices do not have an answering service in place or a system that tells you that staff are busy. Staff dealing with the visiting public are expected to field phone calls as well in all social welfare offices, for instance. These offices open to the public from 9.30 to 4.00 and most have constant traffic. Therefore phones ring and ring and staff cannot answer them.

Furthermore, I know of one very busy office where the phone gives a ringing tone even when the extension is engaged, creating the false impression that the phone is ringing out ... and the impression that staff are sitting on their backsides doing nothing!! Complaining through the proper channels (every department has a complaints procedure) is the only way.
 
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That is quite true. My wife works in Administration in the HSE and when I ring her direct line it rings out even though she is on the phone at the time. Gives a bad impression.

I also know people in Customs that work in the VRO and they are flat out at this time of the year. However their email system is not the best which is not good public service. But being so busy at this time of the year might explain it.

Really think that the Revenue should allocate extra resources at this time of the year.
 
Part of the problem, in my experience, is the phone systems in place. Many departments/offices do not have an answering service in place or a system that tells you that staff are busy.
Click to expand...

Agree with this. May times when trying to ring some offices, you are ringing an individuals direct number. If that individual is busy or out of the office, the call does not pass onto another person.
 
csirl said:
Agree with this. May times when trying to ring some offices, you are ringing an individuals direct number. .
Click to expand...

Not all the time. Often when the phone rings out , the public sector staff are on coffee breaks or are too busy chatting about social events, than bothering to answer the phone. I have seen it happen often enough. Why should they bother - they get paid anyway.
 
Not all the time. Often when the phone rings out , the public sector staff are on coffee breaks or are too busy chatting about social events, than bothering to answer the phone. I have seen it happen often enough. Why should they bother - they get paid anyway.
Click to expand...

Could be true. But you still sometimes ring numbers to get a voice mail to the effect that the person is out of the office and wont be back until whenever - sometimes weeks if on summer hols.
 
In my experience over the years the worst people, on balance, to try and contact by phone/return your call, are tradesmen (private sector), and by a comfortable margin at that.
 
demoivre said:
In my experience over the years the worst people, on balance, to try and contact by phone/return your call, are tradesmen (private sector), and by a comfortable margin at that.
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Ye must be joking. They would not last long in business if that was the case. Maybe they could tell something from your message / tone of voice that you left ? I have employed lots of tradesmen over the years and have always found them easy to contact, even though they often were working very hard. They knew their living was depending on their work + reputation, and they had no sick pay, holiday pay or pension to fall back on either.
 
rabbit said:
Ye must be joking. They would not last long in business if that was the case. Maybe they could tell something from your message / tone of voice that you left ? I have employed lots of tradesmen over the years and have always found them easy to contact, even though they often were working very hard. They knew their living was depending on their work + reputation, and they had no sick pay, holiday pay or pension to fall back on either.
Click to expand...
Even if it was true you have the option of calling a different tradesperson. As far as I know there is only one HSE, one Dept. of education, Dept of foreign affairs etc so there's not much choice there.
The other thing to remember is that the tradespersons are not public servants and their wages and pensions are not paid for with public money.
 
rabbit said:
Ye must be joking. They would not last long in business if that was the case. Maybe they could tell something from your message / tone of voice that you left ? I have employed lots of tradesmen over the years and have always found them easy to contact, even though they often were working very hard. They knew their living was depending on their work + reputation, and they had no sick pay, holiday pay or pension to fall back on either.
Click to expand...

No I'm not joking at all - as I said it's been my experience. I have also found that the smaller the job the less likely they are to return your call or turn up at an agreed meeting. On the bigger jobs that they agree to undertake, they don't stay at it until complete - you end up chasing them to get the job done.
 
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