How do I get a reply from Jobcentre Plus?

cishanjia

Hi,

Has anyone else had this kind of problem with Jobcentre Plus and solved it; or is anyone else having this kind of problem? In essence: trying to get Jobcentre Plus to correct a clerical error but never getting a reply (or phone back).

Back in May 2007 I claimed Incapacity Benefit (IB). While Jobcentre Plus processed my claim, I received Income Support (IS). At the end of September, they completed the claim and said they'd start paying me IB immediately. They then paid me a top-up from IS to IB for the period May to September (as IB > IS).

I then received two fortnightly payments of just £4.40, instead of IB. I wrote a letter asking them about this, and got an odd letter saying that these were further top-up payments to my IS until mid October. I've since seen the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) about this, and they've said it's a simple clerical error in their opinion. Basically, they started actually paying IB in mid-October; missing four weekly payments equivalent to IS (as IB - top-up = IS).

I wrote to them twice pointing this out, and they never replied. I phoned them and the woman who answered said she had no information but would ask Admin to phone me back within so many hours as they would have the details. They did not call back. CAB then wrote to them, and again they did not reply to them or to me.

So I am four weeks equivalent of 2007-8 IS down (about £230) and just cannot get them to reply to correct a simple clerical error, or say why they won't.

CAB suggested I phone them again; but I'm just going around in circles.

suelees1

Yes, it's pretty regular occurence these days. It's all down to government efficiency!

Ring again and ask for a supervisor or manager to ring you back on the same day. If no joy speak to your MP

Fran

In my opinion CAB should be phoning them as they have got involved and should complete their work on your case.

You should ring the Jobcentre and ask for their complaints procedure. You need to find the area person or next level up as you haven't had a reply locally. Keep going up through the levels of the complaints until you get a satisfactory reply.

cishanjia

Thanks to you, suelees1 and Fran. It makes sense that the complaints procedure is the one to follow. And now you mention it, yes, it would have been helpful for CAB to follow up! If only because some moral support is helpful. My feeling, from talking to other claimants in CAB (OK, not a representative sample), is that this is commonplace. C.