To think the DWP are not really that competent

[TheoriginalLEM]

Thinks its time the DWP got its act together - My mum comes round all in a tizz because she gets a letter from the DWP saying she has been over paid housing benefit. So i have a look for her, and it was correct, she had indeed been paid too much, for one week. The grand sum of 11p and this would be recovered over the year by a reduction on her benefit Reading further on in the 14 page breakdown, i read the final paragraph that informs her that at another point during the year she had been underpaid by 12p and that this would be re-instated through the year by adding to her benefit. I shit you not! You couldn't make this shit up.

She is still unconvinced of course that she isn't "in trouble" because, like many other elderly and infirm people, she finds official letters quite intimidating.

I am over mind to complain but i can't really be bothered to waste my time being passed from pillar to post and well, it would be a bit petty really wouldn't it. Much like sending a letter informing my mother of an 11p over payment.

over - of a (i can't even blame auto correct!)

How pointless. I've had one very helpful woman on the phone from DWP but most of them seem to receive training in incompetence.

This pales into insignificance of them demanding back 9 years of overpayment for my mum as she apparently dididn't inform them of a pension change (of name) when my father died. It took a year of me wrangling behind my mother's back because she was very ill at the time i was in charge of her pensions etc. So yes, she hadn't informed them of the pension change, because she had a representative of the DWP come and "help" her fill in the forms and it trainspired that a note about the pension change was made but somehow was never processed. They still wanted the money - i had to fight like a tiger but in the end they accepted that it was their mistake and had to suck it up.

my housing company told me i couldn't move house once because i owed them about thirty pence this was thirty pence they had OVERPAID ME and told me to forget about it then i wished to move (to another one of their properties nearby not outer mongolia) and suddenly it became a massive issue

housing benefit overpaid me and recovered the costs immediately from the landlord the first time the second time they said they would reduce my benefit i told them to take it immediately so they did

I prepare those letters, even though they seem incompetent and petty we have to. Although on my letters if there's been an overpayment and underpayment it explains them being cancelled out on page one.

i appreciate you have to but it really worried my mother who isn't in the best of health so its not just a gripe about a waste of tax payers money its the fact that no consideration was made for the age or mental state of the recipient.

Some quotes "IMPORTANT please read tjis letyer very carefully " "There has been an overpayment of benefit" both in bold, both in bold.

The overpaym6 from 14.12.15 to 20.12.15 is recoverable because although payments continued to be made after i was notified of the change, you would have known that too much benefit was being paid"

So as you can imagine with all that wording shefailed to see the funny side when i said don't worry its just 11p. But actually they owe you a penny.

Honestly, i suggest you raise this with management because whilst mildly amusing if my mum . wasn't able to check this with me straight away i know she would have worked herself into a right state.

oh actually. pardom me. not dwp local council. totally unsurprised at that.

The DWP are not really that competent.

And the Argentinian chappie in charge at the Vatican is of the RC persuasion.

And ursines excrete where arboreals abound!

Honestly, i suggest you raise this with management - I used to work in HB and whilst I totally agree that many of the letters are poor at explaining things, the content is prescribed by legislation and local council's have very little choice in what to include. If there has been an under and or overpayment it has to be stated, however small.

Could be worse- we underpaid council tax going as we paid what they told us to and now they want all the money back.

Errant going in there