To ask if you think this is offensive?

[Whatisthisfuckery]

I just called DWP about my PIP application. The man on the phone, who didn’t sound particularly friendly tbh asked me if I have a terminal illness that is expected to end my life in the next six months. I said, ‘no, not that I’m aware of. I certainly hope not.’ Then he launched into me and accused me of joking about terminal illness and threatened to end the call.

I’ve had a really shit day and am a bit depressed atm and it really upset me. He may have someone close to him who is terminally ill and that was why he went off at me, but my dad has severe dementia so it’s not exactly an amusing subject for me either.

Would it have come across as if I was joking about terminal illness? I certainly wasn’t laughing when I said it and it wasn’t intended to be particularly funny. I thought he was being a bit U but happy to be told I’m wrong.

AIBU to think I wasn’t joking about terminal illness and he was out of order to have a go at me?

[longwayoff]

Twat. Hope he has to claim himself sometime soon and is met with similar. He won't be laughing then, either.

[NeverDropYourMoonCup]

If hed been in any way affected personally by terminal illness, he wouldn't have asked the original question in such a blunt way - the call handlers with an ounce of empathy always apologise for asking what can be a difficult thing and tell you that they have to ask it.

So fuck him. If there's anything genuine in his reaction, he's been on the receiving end of a person or appointee of a person who does have a terminal illness telling them exactly what they think of him for it this morning.

[Biscuitsdisappear]

I would have expected him to act professionally instead of having a rant no matter what is going on in his life.

[Whatisthisfuckery]

And if he thinks I shouldn’t be allowed to apply for what I’m entitled to due to my disability then I’d gladly swap with him and he can be blind for the rest of his life.

Oh, I’ve just thought of something else, he asked for my bank account details. I said I’d just be a second and that I was looking at a note on my phone where I’d put it ready, and if he heard a weird robot voice it was the speech on my phone so to ignore it. He then said something in a very arsey tone that I should be careful to make sure they were correct otherwise I wouldn’t get my benefit. He’d just read out a statement saying the exact same thing. I just found him incredibly rude and nasty.

[swishthecat]

EyUpDuck12 the sad fact is some DWP staff are not very nice and enjoy wielding the little bit of power they have over claimants. (I'm an ex-DWP worker).

[ToriaPumpkin]

A Dr called me the other day as I'm suffering recurrent UTIs and asked me, before he prescribed antibiotics, if I could be pregnant. My reaction was "I hope not!" the dr moved onto the next question rather than berating me for joking about fertility. Your call handler was a knob.

[BritneyPeedOnALadybug]

@feellikeanalien
He works for the DWP. Enough said.

@corcaithecat
I thought in order to work for the DWP you had to be lacking any compassion or empathy?
He sounds like their standard type of operative to me.

How very snobby. A job is a job and someone doesn’t have to agree with all of their companies morals or ethics to gain a wage. It sounds like you both think he would be better off out of that job... but then he’d be unemployed and most likely claiming benefits through the DWP. Perhaps it would be better if all the “arseholes” who worked for them get fired and then nobody can claim anything.

[Whatisthisfuckery]

Re DWP staff: I’ve spoken to a fair few and most have been fine. Some of them have been quite helpful. None have ever been so bad as this one.

[EntropyRising]

He's got an axe to grind. Forget about it and move on. I know it's really jarring when people do this, sorry OP.

[Awwlookatmybabyspider]

"While I appreciate you meant no offence you have no idea what s going on in his personal life."

I m sorry but That's no excuse. You leave your problems at the door. Claimants have enough things going on in their own lives. Twist it around the other way and op would have spoken to him like shit. The call would have be terminated and her claim suspended. Her personal worries would have been no defence. You can't have rule for plum gobbed upper class toffs and another for everyone else.



YABU though op. How dare you not be psychic and not know the date of your death.

[Whatisthisfuckery]

TBF I don’t think he was a plum gobbed upper class toff. I don’t think plum gobbed upper class toffs work in the DWP call centre, but yes, it’s absolutely true that if I’d unleashed on him because of me being stressed and depressed the call would have been terminated and I would not have had an excuse. That’s why I didn’t, and partly why I don’t feel like complaining. I’m quite upset, so not in the best place to have a rational conversation about it.

[KatyCarrCan]

I don't think it was offensive but I imagine it's pretty tedious and irritating when you ask someone a straightforward question and they can't just answer with 'yes' or 'no'. Plus, it's a bit crass to say 'I certainly hope not'.

[Hugoshome]

Don’t think you did anything wrong OP

[MyDcAreMarvel]

Asking to be changed to pip is unwise , on paper you may be entitled to a higher rate than dla but in reality that may well not happen.

[PumpkinP]

Hmm I would have just answered no tbh

[SchadenfreudePersonified]

YANBU - he is a wanker.

[KurriKurri]

My Neice is in receipt of PIP - everyone she's dealt with at DWP regarding it has been rude or ignorant or both. One guy was a particulary foul arsehole of a man and the way he spoke to her and dealt with her made her very stressed which worsened her disabling condition.
Apologies to anyone who works for DWP who is nice, but they do seem to have more than their faair share of arseholes.

your reply was totally normal OP - I;ve been asked that question before by various organizations and I tend to answer as you did - it's a bit like saying 'touch wood' no one likes to tempt fate by saying 'No' outright.

[Hingeandbracket]

YANBU what a wanker

[codenameduchess]

If he's sat in taking phone calls day in day out for PIP claims I'm guessing job is pretty shit. It's such sensitive area and it seems no one has anything positive to say about it or dwp staff, he'll have take a shit ton of abuse and 'jokes' like the OPs response. He may have someone with a terminal illness close to him, he may just be fucking sick of abuse and stress... his reaction was odd and if the OPs account is as it happened (because these accounts are often dramatised or over stated with the stress) then it was an unprofessional incident.

Why wouldn't just answer 'no' and leave it there?

[RuffleCrow]

Standard British gallows humour vs a member of the Professionally Offended. Complain.

[Whatisthisfuckery]

@KatyKarrCan Why is it crass to say ‘I certainly hope not?’ I do certainly hope I don’t have a terminal illness that will kill me in the next six months. I’m sure most people feel the same.

[Italiangreyhound]

He should be providing a service for you and his suggestion he may hang up on you is completely out of order.

It may well be a question that catches someone on the back foot so if he finds it difficult listening to responses to that question, maybe he should re-train.

[Iwanttobeanonymous]

And to balance out other peoples comments, in 21+ years of claiming DLA/PIP everyone I have spoken to has been totally professional and friendly.

[ddl1]

It doesn't sound to me like a joke. And OK, he may have things going on in his life, but so have his clients if they need PIP. And in any case they are not his personal whipping-boys.