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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Work capability issues and ESA  →  Thread

Telephone wait times

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past caring
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Welfare Rights Adviser - Southwark Law Centre, Peckham

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It is not just the wait times, though this is bad enough - it is the fact that at least half the time you are met with utter incompetence/lack of co-operation once you do get through…..

This morning’s scenario;

Did a new ESA claim for client currently on section last week - have now discovered that the bank account for which she gave me details (and her only account) is £7k overdrawn - so want to set up simple payment card/arrangement to prevent payments getting swallowed by overdaft, but have never had to do this previously.

- Telephone Simple Payment helpline - we don’t do it, you need to call DWP.
- Call ESA helpline - wait 30 minutes - we don’t do it, you need to speak to the Jobcentre enquiry line
- Call Jobcentre enquiry line - wait 20 minutes - no, we don’t do it, you need to speak to ESA. But I’ve just spoken to ESA and they tell me I need to speak to you! No, definitely ESA - I’ll transfer you back. Cut off.
- Getting desperate, so call ESA escalation numbers I have in the hope someone can steer me in the right direction - all the numbers I have from the last round of escalation point updates (including numbers I have for BCs where I know the case won’t be but where I’ve dealt with helpful staff recently) are out of date/out of service.

Whole morning on this and no further forward now than when I started.

Daphne
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rightsnet writer / editor

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just on escalation numbers - I am chasing for a new list - they told me a few weeks ago it was imminent and I chased last week again at the stakeholders meeting - still imminent….

Jac
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Welfare benefits adviser - Melville Housing Association, Midlothian

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Regularly phone 8am - on hold over 20 minutes - often then cut off. Ask for call backs - usually late and often just get told the same- “with a decision maker! “

Mike Hughes
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Senior welfare rights officer - Salford City Council Welfare Rights Service

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I think we can all add our tales of woe on wait times but Past Caring makes a pertinent point. What would be the end game here? Would we all be happy if we could get through inside 2 to 3 minutes and didn’t have to listen to inane messages or holding music? I strongly suspect not.

The real issue here is not even about the quality of DWP or HMRC staff. It’s about the fact that much of this has been outsourced and everything that brings with it in terms of cost savings; lack of transparency/accountability; corner cutting on training; lack of access to relevant systems and so on. That’s really the nub of this.

Martin Williams
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Welfare rights advisor - CPAG, London

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https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/management_information_about_tel

I am now waiting for them to tell me how long people are waiting.

ASH
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Welfare officer - St Christopher's Hospice, SE London

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Perhaps we should all start billing the DWP for the time we waste shouting 6 times NO I SAID INCOME SUPPORT, being wrongly put through to bereavement benefits and then having to listen to Vivaldi for a large swathe of the day.  I am also considering a mental health compensation claim for Vivaldi shell shock.

Jac
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Welfare benefits adviser - Melville Housing Association, Midlothian

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Regularly phone and can only be told if mail has been received. Stock answer is “matter now with the decision maker and no known timescale to clear.” Even on 3 hour call back from benefit centre the response is - “its with the decision maker”. Average waiting time seems to be around 20 minutes per case.

tarzier
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The Regard Partnership, Kingston

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Has anyone managed to get through to ESA, IS, Incap etc on the 0345 6088545 after 5pm? They claim the opening times are from 8 am to 6pm Monday to Friday….
Also this week the line to PIP new claims has been at least 30 mins wait and then the quality of the line really poor, not easy when you have to endure everything being spelt back to you….

SamW
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Lambeth Every Pound Counts

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tarzier - 12 October 2016 05:28 PM

Has anyone managed to get through to ESA, IS, Incap etc on the 0345 6088545 after 5pm? They claim the opening times are from 8 am to 6pm Monday to Friday….
Also this week the line to PIP new claims has been at least 30 mins wait and then the quality of the line really poor, not easy when you have to endure everything being spelt back to you….

Its always been bad calling the JCP helpline after 5.

PIP seems to be improving this week for me - had a call answered on the very first ring today!

Peter Turville
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Welfare rights worker - Oxford Community Work Agency

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Is ESA getting very bad again? seems to be taking over 30 mins everytime to get through lately!!

Giles Elliott
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benefitsowl.info, Manchester

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Yes. One of my hats involves working in Manchester Mind’s advice team, where we find that 30 minutes is the norm. For claimants with limited phone credit (and battery time) this is effectively a bar on accessing the DWP. For advice agencies the ‘efficiency gain’ of the DWP’s cost cutting simply transfers the cost to the advice agencies.
(Re previous comments: if I ever hear Vivaldi’s four seasons at a concert I will run out screaming. I think they’ve been playing the same music since i started as a CAB volunteer in 1995 and had a full head of hair)

ninja9girl
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Derbyshire County Council

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This does seem to be the case again.  In the New Year they were answering much sooner but alas back to the waiting game I’m afraid.

SocSec
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welfare benefits/citizens advice//ashfield

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we can wait up to 40 mins for esa and worse for hmrc.

Catblack
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Benefits specialist - South Somerset District Council

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I use my “on hold” time to read through rightsnet discussion forums….....

stevenmcavoy
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Welfare rights officer - Enable Scotland

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47 minutes to esa the other day