DWP/HMRC didn't call

molerat

Please stop posting false information

Arents

dariop said:

UPDATE - I spoke with the DWP just now, they DO NOT SEND TEXT MESSAGES advising they will call. The message is a scam. I'm not sure what the nature of the scam is, perhaps to get you to pick up a call from an unknown number. 

Wow, that's a strange coincidence. it's good that I managed to talk to them and not get into trouble

Wagster

What number do people use to contact the DWP? Is it the Future Pension Centre?
Telephone: 0800 731 0175

molerat

Wagster said:

What number do people use to contact the DWP? Is it the Future Pension Centre?
Telephone: 0800 731 0175

If you are not yet at pension age yes.

roubiliac

Text received last night to expect a call today between 08:00 and 18:00.
No call has arrived.
What now?

sceptredisle

Same. Received text yesterday. Had no genuine call today. But did receive an automated message from an odd number  Think it is a scam … have our details we left on DWP website been hacked?

german_keeper

Bear in mind that the law states that it is everyone's responsibility to take all reasonable steps to make themselves aware of their benefit entitlement blah blah blah; sorry can't remember the exact law possibly the Contributions and Benefits Act 1982.

The original contingency plan about 10 plus years ago was to extend the usual 6 year limit on paying voluntary contributions for several years. Probably sensible. Then that was extended 2 or 3 times. 

So then we get to the latest deadline and yet another massive increase in calls. A helpline that always has too many calls for the number of staff. And not just the pension lines, all the other DWP lines as well. Operators are being moved between lines as required based on call numbers. 

So when the decision is made this time not to extend the deadline, how to deal with the situation? Sh*t loads of calls that we can't possibly deal with.

I assume that at some point someone suggested a callback option. There isn't an off the shelf call back contingency plan that has been tried and tested before. How do we do it, what are the potential issues? Well an obvious one is how do people know their request has been registered because we have never done this sort of thing before; maybe we could send a text the day before we plan to call back, yes that's a good idea.

But then how do we know how many callbacks operators can get through in a day. We have comparative data but nothing exact and we don't want staff sitting doing nothing because we have got out guesstimates wrong.

Etc etc etc
       

Wagster

Had a call from them today, answered immediately, said "Hello" and the line beeped and went dead.

Not happy about all this. It seems more like they're trying not to talk to people.

MrsSue

I just missed a call from DWP. I got to the phone just as they ended it. I didn't get a text yesterday to say they would ring today - that was Monday of last week!  Not sure I can be bothered! 

Hardwater1

I got a text message too. On 16th to say they'd call next day. No call came. I didn't miss it, there's no sign of a missed call on my phone. Just had a call from what appears to be the  Future Pension service to tell me that DWP HAD called on the Thursday, as their call today is logged as a second call. She asked for my NIno and date of birth so she could put it through to the people dealing with the actual calls.

Against my better judgement, I have her the info. Called the number she came in on and it was an answering service but apparently the DWP Future Pensions.

She said they'd call me back. I am going to write to them now, and wonder if I should be doing sometting to protect myself from a criminal if it is a criminal who now has my NINO and date of birth? They could get that info from any number of online sites, but I am still feeling anxious....