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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Disability benefits  →  Thread

pip helpline - is anybody there

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Vonny
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Welfare rights adviser - Social Inclusion Unit, Swansea

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i am now on 1 hour 27 minutes on hold

gcrow
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Macmillan/Welfare benefits advisor - Alnwick CAB, Northumberland

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I have tried to call three times in the past 30 minutes and been disconnected on all three calls after selecting all of the appropriate options.

Vonny
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Welfare rights adviser - Social Inclusion Unit, Swansea

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I was disconnected when ringing from landline, so used work mobile and after 1 hour and 40 mins got through - good news for my client though

SamW
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Lambeth Every Pound Counts

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Myself and my colleagues have also been having problems with being disconnected. Out of interest are you making the landline calls using Skype or similar or using an ‘old-school’ landline? We have also had better luck using mobile phones.

And as above when you don’t get disconnected the call waiting times are really bad at the moment.

Vonny
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Welfare rights adviser - Social Inclusion Unit, Swansea

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old school

Mr Finch
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Benefits adviser - Isle of Wight CAB

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Disconnected three times yesterday before reaching Vivaldi. Fourth attempt got through after 15 minutes.

Benny Fitzpatrick
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Welfare Rights Officer, Southway Housing Trust, Manchester

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As the DWP claim they are about “helping people into work”, and there is clearly a need for more staff at the call centres, should be a simple fix, eh?

Helen Rogers
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Welfare rights officer - Stockport MBC

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Have just spent an hour on hold to PIP.  It’s not like we can just wait for letter to arrive in the post because of PIP’s habit of not registering MR requests sent in writing until we ring to chase them up.

Andyp5 Citizens Advice Bridport & District
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Citizens Advice Bridport & District

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Here too earlier and a colleague ringing up to give a learning disabled client’s bank details.

SamW
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Lambeth Every Pound Counts

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Just been on phone to PIP and enquired about the issues re being disconnected whilst on hold - apparently this is a problem at their end also when for example the call handlers make their own calls to speak to case managers. So it seems that they are aware of the issue.

EJ
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Benefits advice line - Coventry City Council

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An hour and 35 minutes - and still holding!!!

tarzier
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The Regard Partnership, Kingston

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Good morning.  I have tried 4 times this morning to get through on the 0800 121 4433 number but just goes to engaged.  Is there a problem or it is that they are short staffed?  Julia

EJ
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Benefits advice line - Coventry City Council

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Just tried this afternoon and the recorded message announces an exceptionally high volume of calls.  Incidentally, my call to them on the 18th April was 2 hours and 10 minutes in total (20 minutes of which was the actual enquiry).  Thank goodness for implicit consent!!

Dan_Manville
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Mental health & welfare rights service - Wolverhampton City Council

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I got through to PIP in 10 minutes at lunchtime.

I nearly fell off my chair!

Don’t all rush now; you’ll spoil it 😉

JP 007
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Welfare rights - Dundee City Council

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Oh the irony! Called PIP helpline and got some new (i.e. Not Vivaldi) hold music. Beethoven - Sonata Pathétique, I thought, so went to learned friend and called again to confirm my guess, dialled number, selected options as per previous call and an operator answered straight away - without being put on home for even a second! I then had an opportunity to state I was unavailable to take the call right now and ask to be put on hold.  New music must have been chosen to depress with the ‘sonata’s tragic sonorities’ in C Minor! It will however be a long time before you hear this WRO wishing for the return of Vivaldi!

[ Edited: 2 May 2019 at 11:04 am by JP 007 ]
Daphne
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rightsnet writer / editor

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Oh I love Sonata Pathetique - one of the few things I can play on the piano - i might ring the helpline just to listen ;)