DWP claim they do not send text messages advising they will call

Waun

Just phoned the DWP and Daniel informed me the text message was genuine! Who knows? They seem to be in a right pickle!

daisy_1571

Agreed, I phoned too, definitely genuine.  I spoke to someone who talked me through what I had already seen on the pension forecast site but could not give any info as to whether I qualify for credits or the s/e for certain missing years.  Information is that after speaking to them I had to phone hmrc.  Girl was fine but overall the call wasn't helpful as such.  She did tell me that as we had now spoken that counts as my proper callback.

I phoned them, girl very helpful but tells me to search something on gov dot uk site to see if I think I qualify to declare myself 'self employed for ni conts'.  This is different to 'self assessment for tax purposes'.    If I do consider myself such, I've to phone back, talk to them, they will update my records.   After 72 hours it should show on my record.   Then I phone back again and they can tell me what my credits/conts situation is.

She also said I have (I think) 30 days after callback to pay  - so get moving after your callback folks

Daisy 

k6chris

I recieved my text, monitored my phone all day, but no call.  Ho hum....

Marcon

Reading these posts, what's the point of these callbacks? More than one person seems to have received a call, been asked for their NI and DOB and then told someone will call them or they'd be emailed. So why waste time and staff resources on pointless calls?

Sarahspangles

Marcon said:

Reading these posts, what's the point of these callbacks? More than one person seems to have received a call, been asked for their NI and DOB and then told someone will call them or they'd be emailed. So why waste time and staff resources on pointless calls?

Because it stops people ringing up asking when they’re going to be contacted, and means that when they are contacted by the person able to navigate their query, it’s not an abortive call because they’ve already found their NINO.

german_keeper

Sarahspangles said:

Marcon said:

Reading these posts, what's the point of these callbacks? More than one person seems to have received a call, been asked for their NI and DOB and then told someone will call them or they'd be emailed. So why waste time and staff resources on pointless calls?

Because it stops people ringing up asking when they’re going to be contacted, and means that when they are contacted by the person able to navigate their query, it’s not an abortive call because they’ve already found their NINO.

Seems plausible. Does all seem a bit long winded but my best guess is they have brought in agency staff and have tried to design a process where they can make good use of them without having to give them any real training.  

Solstice

I got a text from DWP saying they would phone the following day. The call never came, but did come after the Easter holiday when I wasn't expecting it so I missed it. It came from a company called Prosper Wealth Management and they left a message saying they would try again the following day. I kept my phone glued to my hand the following day and received the call, which turned out to be a triage call. I gave my NI number and date of birth and was told that the DWP would contact me in "the next week or two." The bloke said he was going to get my information together to inform the "experts" who would be phoning me back. I asked if I would get notice of the impending call and was told "you should do."

Make of it what you will. I changed my mobile ring time so it's no longer nano-seconds before going to voice mail and will keep my phone charged and as close to me as possible. Good luck with this process, everyone.

HughPugh

Hello. My wife has been waiting for the call back. She got "the text" last Wednesday but nobody called on Thursday (starting to sound like a Craig David song!"   This morning (Monday) she got a call from the "correct phone number" asking, as others have said, for DoB and NI number and saying that she'd get a call later today from somebody else.
So, this seems to be the pattern and seems to be legit.

TheBiscuit

Similar thing happened to me. Had a text on 16th telling me I would get a call on17th. No call that day but did get a call on 22nd from 'correct' number. I was driving at the time so didn't answer. Received another call from the same number today asking for my NI number and DOB. Will wait and see what happens.

The_Green_Hornet

Personally, I never give personal information out to anyone who has called me even if they texted beforehand.

If the DWP are doing this then it is a very odd practice in my opinion.