Concentrix issues? Case studies wanted for MSE story

Former_MSE_Andrea · 28 September 2016 at 10:09AM

Hi everyone

The Parliament Work and Pensions Committee is organising an evidence session in Parliament on 13 October to hear the stories of how people have tried to resolve their issues with Concentrix. It will also be talking to Concentrix and the Minister in the session.

The Committee would like to invite three people to come in to talk with it publicly in the session.

If you're available for the whole morning of 13 October please email digitaloutreach@parliament.uk with your name, best contact details and a brief summary of your story.

UKParliament · 7 October 2016 at 9:35AM

Hi Everyone,

Many thanks to everyone who contacted us about giving evidence to the Work and Pensions Committee.

You can watch the session live on Thursday 13 October at 11.30am or catch up later.

The Work and Pensions Committee will take evidence from tax credit claimants as well as representatives from Concentrix and HMRC regarding errors made in handling tax credit claims.

Witnesses
11.30am: Tax credit claimants
12.15pm: Representatives from Concentrix including Philip Cassidy, Senior Vice President
13.00pm: Jon Thompson, Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary, HMRC, Nick Lodge, Director General Benefits and Credits and Director General Transformation, HMRC

Chair's Comment
Frank Field MP, Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, said:

‘If Britain’s vulnerable human underbelly is to be protected from future misery, it is important that the Select Committee begins the public process of learning what exactly has been happening during Concentrix’s stewardship. Once we have done so, we will then be inviting the Government to act on this information so that tax credit claimants in future will not be left penniless through no fault of their own.’

Watch the session on Parliament TV

Former_MSE_Andrea · 13 October 2016 at 11:46AM

Hi everyone

The evidence session to Parliament is on now. Let us know if you're one of the people giving evidence (when you're not live on TV that is!)

See Sam's news story: Concentrix claimants to give evidence to MPs

UKParliament · 14 October 2016 at 8:28AM

Hi Everyone,

The Work and Pensions Committee issued a comment on the "extraordinary" evidence it heard, from four single parents who had wrongly had their tax credits stopped, senior staff from Concentrix, including senior Vice President Philip Cassidy, and HMRC, including Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary Jon Thompson.

The Committee heard:

The humiliation of claimants who were forced to borrow money from friends and family in order to feed their children as they were left without benefits, to which they were ultimately found to be entitled, for up to seven weeks
Appalling customer service which saw claimants calling up to 70 times to get through as just 1% of calls were answered by Concentrix at the height of the crisis. One claimant finally waited 90 minutes to speak to a Concentrix adviser on an 0845 number, at great personal expense
Appeal success rates of 73% according to HMRC or 90-95% according to Concentrix; either way a terrible indictment of the original decision-making process
Refunds to claimants taking place over a series of months. In one case, a single mother lost housing benefit because a refund of wrongly withdrawn tax credits took her over an income threshold. Others will have taken on debts in the meantime
Repeated buck-passing between Concentrix and HMRC, who signed the contract, as to who was responsible
HMRC Permanent Secretary Jon Thompson was unable to explain what had gone wrong and why

Committee to seek clarifications from Concentrix and HMRC

The Committee has agreed to write to both Concentrix and HMRC demanding urgent information regarding:

How the performance of Concentrix was monitored by HMRC
Levels of staffing at Concentrix, in particular during August 2016, and the training provided to staff
Steps HMRC will take to compensate claimants, ensure they are not further disadvantaged, and review decisions taken by Concentrix
Assurance that Concentrix will not be compensated for HMRC taking much of their responsibilities back in-house

The Committee also plans to issue a report into the scandal.

Chair's comment
Frank Field MP, Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, said:

"The Committee was astonished by the extraordinary evidence we heard. From Concentrix we saw a company desperately out of their depth and unable to deliver on the contract awarded to them by HMRC. From senior HMRC officials we saw a palpable disregard for the human implications of this gross failure of public service. From the tax credit claimants we saw dignity in the face of appalling and traumatic experiences.

We have no doubt that many people similarly affected have been unable to come forward. I welcome HMRC’s swift action on the Concentrix contract, but that does not excuse them for ever having allowed this to happen."

MABLE · 14 October 2016 at 10:54AM

It was noted they HMRC have deployed 500 of their staff to deal with the clear up. My question is did they really need to outsource in the first place.

If HMRC had completely did it themselves then they would not have had to pay Concentrix any commission on results. After watching the programme yesterday I got the impression the poor claimants were being treated like criminals. But what do you expect with Concentrix staff who are only about 21 years old with no people skills dealing with the cases.

I do hope a lesson has been truly learnt and HMRC will think twice before they decide to outsource the contract again.

Ian011 · 16 October 2016 at 8:00PM

UKParliament wrote: »

* One claimant finally waited 90 minutes to speak to a Concentrix adviser on an 0845 number, at great personal expense.

How long ago was this?

HMRC replaced 0845 numbers with 0300 and 0345 numbers between April and October 2013.
DWP replaced 0845 numbers with 0345 numbers on 17 March 2014.

Old HMRC numbers return Number Unobtainable tone.
Old DWP numbers tell callers to hang up and re-dial the new 0345 number.

Calls to 03 numbers are inclusive from landlines and mobiles, else charged at 'geographic rate' - the same as calling 01 and 02 numbers.

UKParliament · 26 October 2016 at 10:20AM

Today at approximately 1pm, there will be an opposition day debate on Concentrix.

MPs will debate the motion
'That this House notes that Concentrix has not fully met the performance standards set out in
its contract with the HM Revenue and Customs to correct tax credit claims, and welcomes the
announcement that the services performed by Concentrix will be brought back in-house to
HMRC next year; and calls on the Government to conduct a comprehensive investigation into
the performance of Concentrix under its contract with HMRC, which includes a consideration
of the potential effect on other HMRC services, take urgent action to compensate people who
have erroneously had tax credits withdrawn by the company, and in doing so mitigate any
adverse effect or reduction in service for claimants.'

There is a proposed amendment to this motion,
At end add '; calls on HMRC to end the financial barriers to justice for those claimants by
meeting the costs of querying a claim and applying for a mandatory reconsideration;
further calls on the Government to bring forward legislation as soon as practicable to
amend the compliance regime in respect of Annual Declarations and High Risk
Renewals; urges HM Treasury to provide an apology to all those people who were
adversely affected by the actions of Concentrix and HMRC; and further calls on the
Government to ensure that those people are treated by HMRC in future with dignity and
respect.'.

You can watch this debate live or catch-up later on Parliament TV.

Liznic82 · 4 November 2016 at 6:34PM

I am currently suffering thanks to this company. They wrote to me requesting information as apparently I had a partner. I sent all the proofs they requested. Never heard back then my money stopped. 6 weeks living on about 500 a month for me and four children. Concentrix say one thing tax credits say another. They have now decided they only needed to pay me £511 for the period of no tax credits. I have now lost my job as I couldn't pay for childcare I now have to return my car on finance back as I can't pay which means I can't get kids to school and I cant even travel to work if I still had my job. So now I owe 14000 to tax credits and 7000 for my car. I have contacted my local mp Ronnie Campbell who also spoke to tax credits and he is quite happy with their decision. Which means have messed up my life and finances and apparently that's ok.

Concentrix issues? Case studies wanted for MSE story

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