pip sudden knock at the door

sheramber

A Performance Measurement review officer may visit you if you’re claiming:

Employment and Support Allowance

Housing Benefit

Income Support

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Pension Credit

Do you get any of the above?

Robbie64

Hi TygerSunMaverick1

I remember the thread you have linked to and can remember posting in it. The thread is from August 2014. As far as I am aware, nothing ever came of this and the idea was quietly dropped. It seems to have been either a misunderstanding or DWP scaremongering (probably the latter given how things were at the time). Since the thread was posted, the DWP have reduced the amount of visiting staff it employs as well as changing a number of benefits that are payable that would have triggered a visit (notified or otherwise) in the first place. It's almost certainly not anyone from the DWP who knocked on your door.

Muttleythefrog

That post/thread quoted is from 2014.... a different world of operation to today. I'm not hearing any such reports and it may not have even been particularly true at the time.

TygerSunMaverick1

Robbie64 said:

Hi TygerSunMaverick1

I remember the thread you have linked to and can remember posting in it. The thread is from August 2014. As far as I am aware, nothing ever came of this and the idea was quietly dropped. It seems to have been either a misunderstanding or DWP scaremongering (probably the latter given how things were at the time). Since the thread was posted, the DWP have reduced the amount of visiting staff it employs as well as changing a number of benefits that are payable that would have triggered a visit (notified or otherwise) in the first place. It's almost certainly not anyone from the DWP who knocked on your door.

Ok, that you Robbie64.   The knock three times over two days is odd though as reported in your original post?  Exactly what happened here?   The plot thickens then!

TygerSunMaverick1

Muttleythefrog said:

That post/thread quoted is from 2014.... a different world of operation to today. I'm not hearing any such reports and it may not have even been particularly true at the time.

Thanks again Muttleythefrog, as I say, the knock 3 times over two days does seem rather odd though?  But thank you very much for your contribution!

Muttleythefrog

TygerSunMaverick1 said:

Muttleythefrog said:

That post/thread quoted is from 2014.... a different world of operation to today. I'm not hearing any such reports and it may not have even been particularly true at the time.

Thanks again Muttleythefrog, as I say, the knock 3 times over two days does seem rather odd though?  But thank you very much for your contribution!

Could be pretty much anything... unfortunately there's only one obvious way to find out who they are... but that's likely only to happen if your anxiety over not knowing who they are outweighs the anxiety of answering the door to them. The fact they're not leaving any letters or trying any other means of contact suggests to me they have no other means of contact or it'd not be relevant which implies they're not from a government department like the DWP. Could be people concerned for your welfare... anything really.

TygerSunMaverick1

Muttleythefrog said:

TygerSunMaverick1 said:

Muttleythefrog said:

That post/thread quoted is from 2014.... a different world of operation to today. I'm not hearing any such reports and it may not have even been particularly true at the time.

Thanks again Muttleythefrog, as I say, the knock 3 times over two days does seem rather odd though?  But thank you very much for your contribution!

Could be pretty much anything... unfortunately there's only one obvious way to find out who they are... but that's likely only to happen if your anxiety over not knowing who they are outweighs the anxiety of answering the door to them. The fact they're not leaving any letters or trying any other means of contact suggests to me they have no other means of contact or it'd not be relevant which implies they're not from a government department like the DWP. Could be people concerned for your welfare... anything really.

Well I am up late cos I'm still worried!    But no, I will not be answering the door!     With Royal Mail's performance in recent times, I suppose it is always possible a letter has already been sent but not yet delivered.  Great!   Anyway, it is very good of you to continue dialogue with me about this.  I can't sleep!   But it really is good to hear your sense that it is not DWP!   Thank you!  

TygerSunMaverick1

sheramber said:

A Performance Measurement review officer may visit you if you’re claiming:

Employment and Support Allowance

Housing Benefit

Income Support

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Pension Credit

Do you get any of the above?

Hi Sheramber,  Thanks for your reply.    No, I am a pensioner, and only get PIP now, and a State Pension - not Pension Credit.

TygerSunMaverick1

Someone applied for information from WhatDoTheyKnow which is a Freedom of Information site with responses from the government.   The description of the pattern of visits is the same as I described initially. 

I would love to be reassured,  but it does look scarily suspect?    See what I mean?


Here is the extract from the response - I post the whole thing if anyone wants?  

"7105  Where you make two initial ineffective visits to the same address on 
the same day, you must make a further un-notified visit on a different day.  
 
7106  You should avoid un-notified visits on a customer's payday/signing day 
or when parents are likely to be taking children to and from school as this 
could result in ineffective visits. 
 
7107  After two un-notified visits, your next visit must be notified using the 
appropriate PM standard letter (do not use any other letters). You must 
allow: 
  at least 48 hours notice between mailing the letter and visiting to ensure 
that the notification is received by the customer or  
  24 hours if hand delivering through the letterbox.  
 
7108  Once notified, a reasonable visiting time should be given to allow the 
customer to make arrangements. This is to ensure they are available for 
the visit, e.g. if a customer normally attends a day centre, or has to collect 
dependants from school. 
 
7109  Therefore if you hand-deliver the notification letter, you now only need 
to allow 24 hours before the visit; previously this was 48 hours. 
Note:  see Appendix 5 letters 
 
7110  Once you have reached the notified visit stage of the process, you 
should follow the procedures as for all notified visits. See Notified visit 
procedure heading 
 
7111  If the customer is not in for the notified visit, issue form Appendix 5e 
asking the customer to contact you to arrange a visit, at their home.  The 
option of an office interview remains where it is impossible to see the 
customer at their home   "

Still mystified, no letter yet, no phone call.

 

Robbie64

The above is the procedure for visits to people in receipt of working age benefits and has existed in one form or another for at least 50 years. If you recall, I posted in the thread you linked to and said that I used to be a visiting officer for what was the old DHSS. We had a book called the Visiting Officers Guide and the above you have quoted was, in not the exact same words, in that book and the book itself was from the 1960s.

I know it's hard to convince you otherwise, but given your age and the benefits you are receiving (State Pension and PIP) it wouldn't be the DWP who were knocking on your door. It could have been anyone. I get a few people from telecom and energy companies knocking on my door trying to sell me something and if they don't get an answer they'll sometimes call back.