Don't Claim Warm Household Discount from a Withheld Number - My Ongoing 2022/23 Experience

timetosortthings

In the years before 2022/23, I applied and was awarded WHDS via the energy providers with relative ease.

THE NEW WHDS 2023/23 APPLICATION PROCESS

As we know the system changed for 2022/23. The instruction was to wait until mid-late January 2023 to see if you received an automatic eligibility notice/letter. If you didn’t and you believed you were entitled to WHDS, use the online eligibility checker and if that confirmed your eligibility you were to write or ring and make a claim by the 28th February 2023 deadline (contact details address & number appears on the results of the online eligibility checker)

MY EXPERIENCE OF MAKING A CLAIM UNDER THE NEW WHDS 2022/23 APPLICATION PROCESS

Having received NO automatic eligibility notice, I checked online as informed (the first week of Feb 23 in my case), which confirmed my eligibility. I immediately set about following the instructions on the screen. Having unsuccessfully spent a few days trying to speak with anyone, I checked online, finding I needed to be resolute in waiting/holding onto the phone. Listen to the lengthy informational messages and ignore long periods of silence, as informational messages/holding music, will eventually be again heard, if your persistence continues you should end up speaking to someone. (waiting long enough - upwards of an hour)

By following this, I eventually managed to speak with someone, divulging my personal information to prove who I was and in response to the questions asked. They confirmed I was indeed eligible and that once the relevant department confirmed my receipt of the benefit I was claiming. The £150 WHDS payment will be made to my energy provider by 31/03/23. There was nothing more to do, other than wait.

On 31/03/23 I checked my energy online account and learned the £150 WHDS payment was not yet allocated. I spoke to the energy provider; they checked their system for expected payments. They said I’m not on the final payment list and should contact WHDS to ascertain what’s happening. 

I contacted WHDS, and waited for 55 minutes to explain the situation; they checked their systems and said there was no sign of me making a claim, from the number I was currently calling from. Furthermore, their systems were seeing my current call as a first call. So told me I needed to call back from the phone I used to make the claim.

(Still the afternoon of 31/03/23) I called back as requested from the phone/number I used in early Feb to make the claim. After another 45 minutes of waiting to explain the situation, was told they couldn’t check anything because the number was withheld. So I need to write in, providing personal details and explain everything.

By mid-April 2023, I had compiled and sent a letter recorded delivery (highlighting much of the above including date, time and who I spoke to) I waited three months – NO REPLY. In mid-July I phoned WHDS, and a recorded message advising that the lines are closed and any queries regarding outstanding applications/payment should be put in writing.

This I did at the start of August (including a copy of April’s letter and asking that they check timestamps on my account for access by their operative in early Feb) a few weeks later I received a standard reply saying the claim was late and could not be looked into; NO POINTS in my letters were addressed. I immediately replied reiterating why I hadn’t received a response to my April letter and advised that I made a claim within the assigned timescales be looked at again and system time stamp checks done re-account access. I expressed my concerns with their system(s) and questioned if there was a data breach, or handling/protection issue. Being insistent that early Feb I spoke with someone on the number they provided and they, in turn, checked/requested my details with/from me and now there’s no record.

Now receiving what appears to be another standard response, this again ignores the points repeatedly raised. It insists the deadline was missed, and to ensure consistency and fairness to all it cannot waive eligibility conditions according to individual circumstances.  

NOTE: My persistence is a result of growing concern and frustration;  

• I’m advising WHDS that having been confirmed as eligible for WHDS, a phone claim was made early Feb 23 within application timescales, and before the deadline.  

• I’m not asking for a late claim to be considered due to individual circumstances. 

• I’m asking where the data is - collected as a result of a phone claim made in early Feb 2023. Is it lost? Or are they not that bothered to look/investigate?  

I cannot imagine that I’ve been unlucky enough to be singled out to incur the catalogue of events I’ve described above. 

For me, there has to be system or operative failure at play. Therefore I assume there has to be a black hole where my Early Feb 2023 phone claim sits, and potentially the data of other ligament/eligible phone claims by other claimants.   

In considering any next move I was wondering: 

1. If others have had similar experiences i.e. at the time making a successful claim by phone only to find out later there is no record of a claim being made?
2. Given that I spoke to someone representing WHDS within the deadline, on the number provided on the online eligibility checker, divulged and confirmed personal details and now there’s no record. Could this be viewed as a form of data loss which should be raised with the ICO? 
3. Should it be raised with the departmental minister?
4. WHDS mentioned ‘consistency and fairness’, and the fact they can resort to the use of a phone number to identify/prove a claim having been made. Would it be unreasonable to expect that claimants be pre-advised, and forewarned when claiming by phone that the number should not be withheld?
5. I have spoken with my landline provider to see if they can provide me with an itemised call list for the day(s) in question. They say they could not, though I am unsure if the outcome would be the same if an authoritative entity asked i.e. ICO or Departmental Minister? Any thoughts?

ArbitraryRandom

If what you want is information about what data they hold and what they used it for (if it's been lost) then you can submit a subject access request. Details of what they hold and what you can request are here (scroll down to where it says 'Your Rights': https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contacting-the-warm-home-discount-helpline-privacy-notice/contacting-the-warm-home-discount-helpline-privacy-notice 

There's also details slightly further down that page about how to complain to the ICO if you feel your data has been mishandled.

If you're not sure if something should be raised with the ICO then you can contact them and ask if this is the kind of thing they would accept a complaint on - either by live chat, on the phones (sometimes there's a delay) or email via their webform. IME, the team are helpful and don't mind general enquiries (keep it short and don't include personal details as that will be for later if you can refer the matter to them). 

Details are here: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/contact-us-public/public-advice/

Your post also reminded me of this MSE article which may be of interest: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2023/02/warm-home-discount-energy-performance-dwp/ 

The minister's email address is: https://members.parliament.uk/member/1482/contact

beanielou

I thought you could only apply online. 

It may depend on which energy company. 

I have just applied for 23/24. 

Spoonie_Turtle

beanielou said:

I thought you could only apply online. 

It may depend on which energy company. 

I have just applied for 23/24. 

You actually can't *apply* if you're in England or Wales, only Scotland.  What the OP described was more chasing up a missing payment - and unfortunately, like many others in a similar situation, not ending up with it. 

A disgraceful number of people missed out last winter and if nothing substantial has changed about the process, likely will again this year.

beanielou

Spoonie_Turtle said:

beanielou said:

I thought you could only apply online. 

It may depend on which energy company. 

I have just applied for 23/24. 

You actually can't *apply* if you're in England or Wales, only Scotland.  What the OP described was more chasing up a missing payment - and unfortunately, like many others in a similar situation, not ending up with it. 

A disgraceful number of people missed out last winter and if nothing substantial has changed about the process, likely will again this year.

My apologies. 

Thanks for clarifying 😊

Spoonie_Turtle

beanielou said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

beanielou said:

I thought you could only apply online. 

It may depend on which energy company. 

I have just applied for 23/24. 

You actually can't *apply* if you're in England or Wales, only Scotland.  What the OP described was more chasing up a missing payment - and unfortunately, like many others in a similar situation, not ending up with it. 

A disgraceful number of people missed out last winter and if nothing substantial has changed about the process, likely will again this year.

My apologies. 

Thanks for clarifying 😊

No worries!  The original post did specifically use the terminology of 'applying' and 'claiming', so your initial interpretation was perfectly logical.