I work for a small company in payroll. I had a letter from the CMS following up a query about earnings of an employee - well, maybe, because when I flipped the page of the section that should show the name of the person they were asking about is blank.
I called the hotline and after a long time in a queue was told, “oh this is the wrong number, a batch of letters went out with the wrong number sorry let us transfer you to the right helpline.”
Another 22 minutes on hold and I loop back to the original team - I’d got routed in a circle.
I explained that the phone line says my letter should show a reference starting “5” - my letter has a different reference and maybe that’s why it can’t connect me to an account manager.
“No problem”, CMS says, let us transfer you again and you’ll get straight through.
After being on hold for another 36 minutes… the line connects and once again, I’ve been routed back to the same, incorrect team.
I refuse to be put back in the queue.
The guy puts me on hold while he speaks to his manager (6 minute wait).
He returns and says “we don’t understand what’s gone wrong, I can see the case number on the system but I’m not a alllowed to talk to you because I’m the wrong team to talk to an employer, we advise you to …
… WRITE US A LETTER.”
An effing letter!
Some poor woman is waiting for money I WANT to help the CMS track down his earnings - they send me a blank letter with the wrong helpline number and an invalid reference and their solution is I have to write to them!
The whole system is so broken, I am sorry to all the women out there being screwed over by ex DP’s and the Cms too.
aibu to be totally in despair about the state of the Cms?