To think the DWP do this on purpose?

[justanswerthephone]

I have been chasing a carers allowance claim for over a year due to various issues I don't understand. I call them every single week for an update. No matter what time or day I call I always have a minimum of 15 minutes hold time. Sometimes it's much more, I have waited over an hour before, but it has never been less than 15 minutes.

AIBU to suggest they deliberately make you wait 15 mins as a minimum to try and dissuade the caller from continuing?

Yes, absolutely.

Yes.

You really need to ask? Sorry OP,not being sarky,but everything the DWP do is with the intention of causing annoyance and inconvenience to it's 'customers'. (Is that the right word?)

Or may be they just do not have enough staff to deal with all calls they receive?

No, they don't. What is the truth is that DWP are under staffed and telephony staff are pressurised to handle a call quickly, and deal with often distressing calls with virtually no training. I know this from first hand experience.

I think they’re just badly staffed. I call them several times a week (I work in benefits) some times I get through in less than 5 minutes other times I’m waiting over an hour it depends on the time you call.

I don't think it's a decision by front line staff (and I don't think that is what the OP is suggesting), but there is a concerted effort by ministers to get people off benefits by any means possible, and many of those means are are not kind or at times even humane.

Is there anything you need advice on, or is it more a case of the claim is straightforward but they keep messing it up?

They don’t need to pay to staff better, it’s not like you can take your business anywhere else.

Getting your MP on the case often helps.

Oh yes, had this trouble too. Every single time I rang there was a message saying lines were particularly busy and suggesting I might like to try later. I finally got my award sorted and reinstated (after reporting changes last December) this Monday!

Not sure an MP can make them pick up any quicker. I'm not fussed about it and I just put the phone on speaker and hold away, but I know it can be very frustrating and off putting to vulnerable people.

I know it's not a frontline decision, but I do think it's come from somewhere down the line.

Just to be clear, I'm not slating the staff, the shit they must have to put up with on these calls all day is awful, but the system is designed to fail people.

15 minutes isn't bad by DWP standards.

I don't have as much cause to phone them direct as I used to (benefits adviser) but the wait for anyone to answer the phone at ESA is usually 45 minutes or more.

Not helpful when each client appointment is for an hour: by the time they've answered, the hour's nearly up.

Actually OP, I wrote them a letter a few weeks ago setting out all the facts (again!) as clearly as I could and including copies of any relevant documents. Then not hearing anything back I rang them up on the Thursday and the person who I eventually got through to authorised the reinstatement and back payment of my allowance there and then. It then came into my bank on the following Monday.

I would honestly be more concerned about the 1 year delay than the 15 minute wait. Have you had any support in making the claim for instance from Citizens Advice or similar? Hope this is sorted soon.

I used to do support work for young people leaving care and most of my time was spent challenging DWP decisions (eventually most of the appeals were won). One of their more sly tricks was to demand that the reams of appeal paperwork could only be sent by post or FAX ffs!

I learned from bitter experience that any post would simply have to be "signed for" (more cost) or I would have to visit a local newsagent and pay to use their dilapidated fax machine or the documents would never reach them.

Barriers much?

Fifteen minutes or more listening to Vivaldi interrupted by 'why not visit our website?' Trust awful.

As an aside, I believe Vivaldi himself was instrumental in fighting child poverty by working to help orphans learn music, and other trades so they could earn a living. I always think it's ironic that the DWP chose that composer, bearing in mind the amount of child poverty they seem to cause with their ineptness and sanctions.

15 minutes is nothing. Try ringing Universal credit and waiting over an hour to speak to someone !!

Your MP can’t make them pick up faster. He or she will write to the relevant minister who will put a bomb under DWP and it will be resolved in a heartbeat. I had a problem a few years ago which was resolved overnight once my MP was on to it.

I used to work for the dwp. It really was the most dysfunctional badly run organisation. This would be the kind of thing the senior managers would come up with safe in the knowledge that front line staff would take the brunt of the disgruntled customers.

We had a staff email newsletter each month from HQ, one member of staff wrote in that we shouldn't call customers customers, because actually they were taking money off the dwp, and not to be treated as customers, only claimants.

Claimants that kept us in jobs, obvs but that was never mentioned...

I'm not saying they do do this deliberately, just that I wouldn't put it past them.

I would honestly be more concerned about the 1 year delay than the 15 minute wait.

Of course it's a concern. It's been ongoing for over 18 months actually. Just a whole bunch of delay tactics, again designed to out the claimant off. But the thread was about the call time.

15 minutes is nothing. Try ringing Universal credit and waiting over an hour to speak to someone

It's not a competition. Minimum 15 minutes, often much longer. It's not acceptable simply because UC is worse.

Have you had any support in making the claim

Sorry I should have been clear. I AM the support.

My husband applied for Carer's Allowance, sending in a copy of the relevant PIP award, and it was sorted within 3 weeks, so it's not all bad. I do agree getting through to their call centres is very hit and miss, though. I feel for the staff.

They will have a dedicated team for dealing with complaints from MPs.
Write to the local MP and complain. It will get fast-tracked, guaranteed. It's not fair but it will help jump the queue.