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Telephone calls to DWP -on hold waiting time increasing again
Trouble is that ESA take two or three times as long to answer the phone as UC round these parts. UC are pretty quick to pick up.
It’s terrible here. An hour yesterday and then it cut me off. 35 minutes and waiting right now. I’m not expecting it to be answered any time soon.
I am imagining someone in DWP rubbing their hands together thinking “that’ll teach them” having spotted this thread on the NAWRA submission to the PAC.
All the while Vivaldi chews my ear; 20 minutes in to UC Live.
ESA 65 mins yesterday only to be told that they couldn’t do implict consent unless client had already provided implicit consent(!). Finally spoke to supervisor who said the issue (ESA stopping SDP - when clnt has a current PIP award) was PIPs responsibility so would have to phone them = no progress made (wont bore you with the explanation PIP gave today).
45 mins just now - only to be told they could only locate min. details on the system because the claim had been ‘rebuilt’ (why?) and could not see any action on an MR (against found fit) confimed received in March - have to await 48 hr call back (client with significant MH issues living on PIP [to avoid UC] since Feb!).
This thread is slowly turning into a version of the four Yorkshiremen…
“When I were a lad it took three weeks to get ESA to pick up the ‘phone and you had to pay to talk to them…..” “Thats nothing, when I were a lad they only answered on alternate Thursdays and just refused to talk to you unless you could provide the claimant’s grandmothers inside leg measurement ......”
Sorry, I’ll do some proper work now
Pete.
The plot thickens….
I’ve just bumped into a client; a very bemused client mind, whose ESA had been suspended. A quick call to the escalation number told me a Work Availability Report had led to the claim being automatically suspended; as occurs when PIP is awarded.
So if they’re automatically suspending claims that would generate a lot more phone traffic as well as being entirely unlawful as they can only suspend on certain grounds, the provision of an ill informed med3 not being one of them as was the case today…
[ Edited: 5 Jul 2018 at 10:39 am by Dan_Manville ]
Sorry, I’ll do some proper work now
Pete.
I see your point but as the thread has been cited as a source for the Public Accounts Committee it’s probably important to keep it up.
I had to abandon a call to ESA after a 30 minute wait on Monday. Sadly this isn’t even unusual. I’m almost considering learning Welsh so that I can use the Welsh language lines, as these seem to be less congested. I was also at a drop-in at our local CMHT yesterday and would have been able to help several people more effectively if I could have phoned the DWP to discuss their cases. The phone system is seriously affecting my ability to do my job properly; while the DWP are presumably saving money they are displacing costs onto the claimants and other organisations.
45-60 mins every call now! and you never get call backs either! I had a call back escalated and it still 2 weeks for them to get back to me (I had sent a complaint by then) absolute joke!!
I always find it amusing that HMCTS warn you that their lines are very busy with wait times of approximately seven minutes. Meanwhile over in DWP land you don’t even get an estimate for how long you’ll be on hold (and it will almost certainly be four or five times the wait for HMCTS), you get blasted by a terrible quality recording of Vivaldi (and not even the whole movement just the same dozen or so bars over and over again) with carefully designed interruptions to make you think that someone is answering (unlike HMCTS who just leave you with a ringing tone with the odd apology which is so much more preferable) to ensure maximum annoyance/encourage you to give up.
Out of curiosity, since we and claimants spend so long listening to it, when was the last time the DWP changed their hold music? It’s been the same now for the five years that I’ve been doing this sort of work.
What is direct telephony?
Sorry Billy I missed that; calls are filtered by the telephone number used to make the claim and thus directed to the service centre; often the case manager themselves if they’re available.
It’s early days for UC round these parts though.
All the while Vivaldi chews my ear; 20 minutes in to UC Live.
I’ve been on my second attempt to make this call as I’ve been typing. 35 minutes on hold and they’ve forgotten how the implicit consent policy works.
45 mins just now - only to be told they could only locate min. details on the system because the claim had been ‘rebuilt’ (why?) and could not see any action on an MR (against found fit) confimed received in March - have to await 48 hr call back (client with significant MH issues living on PIP [to avoid UC] since Feb!).
48 hr call back not received. 43 mins to get through this afternoon to request 1 hr call back. To be fair I have received that call back with the hour.
. I’m almost considering learning Welsh so that I can use the Welsh language lines, as these seem to be less congested.
I would!