Sending / Receiving Post from DWP

troyster_2

Hi, I was told a letter was sent to me from DWP last Wednesday but I haven't received it. I posted a letter to them last Thursday by first class mail and they say they haven't received that either.
Does anyone know if this is normal for letters to take so long going in and out their department?

rogerblack

I can't really address timing of letters from them.
However, on letters to them, my personal experience is that most of the time, they receive letters - as in the person on the phone can say 'yes, we've got a letter' - in around 5 working days after you'd normally expect them to get the post.
_ALWAYS_ send it recorded, or special delivery, so you have a note of when it's arrived.

As to the extremes - I believe they've lost around 10% of my mail to them internally, one item of which was recorded, so I had proof that they lost it.

Other items went missing internally for a couple of weeks - a medical note for example.
I.E. post note on the 1st, phone up on the 10th to see if they'd got it, they say they don't, get a new note, send it in, phone in on the 14th, and they've found the first one and said they got it on the 3rd.

troyster_2

Thanks for your response.
Yikes what a system. I didn't send my letter recorded but I will in future. Still hoping they'll get it.

ellieellieellie

I've only ever had to claim JSA - I've always taken letters into the JobCentre and made a note of the name of the person who took it off me. I've never had anything go astray - I don't think they use Royal Mail for internal post, so maybe this helps stuff get processed quicker.

Not sure if you can do this if you're claiming any other benefit though. You could always ask, worst they can do is say no!

eadieb

I work as a housing support worker, and was today chasing up a clients form which we sent to our local DWP office in mid january. This is the third phone call where they said they had not received it or it was in the system. They were on the point of sending replacement forms out to us. this was really important as the completed form will mean my client gets over £50 per week extra money backdated to last november.

after another call I got through to a very helpful person who said he would check in a 'pile waiting to go on the system.' he rang me back excited that he had found the missing form and all would now be sorted. he also found a letter I had sent a few weeks ago.

So the form had been in a 'pile' since early/mid January. It is now March.

tazwhoever

Some Recorded letters do get lost, some aren't even signed for, and some do arrive with a signature! Send your letters by Special Delivery only, and keep the tracking information available from Post Office site.

rogerblack

ellieellieellie wrote: »

I've only ever had to claim JSA - I've always taken letters into the JobCentre and made a note of the name of the person who took it off me. I've never had anything go astray - I don't think they use Royal Mail for internal post, so maybe this helps stuff get processed quicker.

Not sure if you can do this if you're claiming any other benefit though. You could always ask, worst they can do is say no!

The worst that they can do is take it, and it get lost on the way.

If this happens, then you have _not_ by law notified the proper office, if the jobcentre was not the responsible body.

In general, doing this does not give you any means to track the letter, as you get when sent recorded.
It's much better to know, and be able to prove it got there on x/x/x.

Sending it recorded delivery, or special delivery, is strongly advised.

ellieellieellie

rogerblack wrote: »

If this happens, then you have _not_ by law notified the proper office, if the jobcentre was not the responsible body.

I did say I wasn't sure about if you were claiming other benefits. For JSA, they usually ask you to bring it in with you anyway. Thanks for clearing that up

allen35

(Just a thought)

I would of thought in this day and age DWP would accept scanned/saved documents by email, obvioulsy have to be legible depending on what info' you are providing but if it's a reply to a query why not accept an email which shouldn't be left on a pile of someone who may be ill for a length of time.

My local authority will accept queries by email

rogerblack

allen35 wrote: »

(Just a thought)

I would of thought in this day and age DWP would accept scanned/saved documents by email

Me too.
They don't though.