45 minutes late and counting

Firefly123

Well the assessor has not arrived yet making my son go into panic mode just want it over with 

Sam_Scope

Oh no Im sorry to hear that. Have you tried calling?

Firefly123

Yes they said their systems are down and as its an hour and a half late then they are probably not coming am I sure I did not hear the door but yes im sure and I've missed my slot to call in a day or two when their systems should be up again. Like that helps us in anyway 

Sam_Scope

How frustrating!!!

poppy123456

Firefly123 said:

Yes they said their systems are down and as its an hour and a half late then they are probably not coming am I sure I did not hear the door but yes im sure and I've missed my slot to call in a day or two when their systems should be up again. Like that helps us in anyway 

You need to ring PIP and tell them what's happened. It's been known in the past the no one has turned up for a home assessment and the file has been returned to DWP stating that no one was at home when the HCP arrived. Tell DWP the time that the assessment should have been and that you waited but no one came. Explain that you rang the assessment providers who told you their systems are down and you weren't contacted to cancel the appointment.

Do this today before they close at 6. This way you're covered just incase they send the file back to DWP. If they do this then there's a chance to claim could be refused. Good luck!

Firefly123

Thank you @poppy123456 I'm on hold now
Yes @Sam_Scope very frustrating and the fact I had to pay for two carers to take my other two out for 2 hours 

topshoes

Hi @Firefly123 that is not good ,please let us know if they do surface 

Firefly123

The pip helpline said call them back tomorrow and I'm within my rights to lodge a complaint but at least they know we were waiting 

PTSDdisabled

I recently went to an assessment and turned up on time, was kept waiting for an hour! I told them I would have to leave as I was agitated and my PTSD triggered! 

I had the assessment but sent in a complaint the same day, the reception staff were next to useless as well!

topshoes

@Firefly123 yes and so you should complaint to its not right the way they treat people its so wrong .

topshoes

@PTSDdisabled did you hear any thing about the complaint you put in  

Firefly123

@PTSDdisabled that is  not good at all I hope it went OK in the end.
@topshoes yes it is my sons been so stressed for days got no sleep at all last night and was in such a state the longer we were waiting will take him days to recover 

topshoes

@Firefly123 yes i can fully understand the stress he went through not good at all,  its not that they dont think they just dont care 

Yadnad

poppy123456 said:

Do this today before they close at 6. This way you're covered just incase they send the file back to DWP. If they do this then there's a chance to claim could be refused. Good luck!

Which is what the more dishonest in society may well do if they went out for 15 minutes for a packet of cigs at the corner shop and in that time the assessor had turned up but could not get a reply.
Swearing black is blue that no one knocked at the door and that you had been sitting in the house all of the time.

PTSDdisabled

topshoes said:

@PTSDdisabled did you hear any thing about the complaint you put in  

They have actually acknowledged it, but no answer to complaint yet.

PTSDdisabled

Firefly123,

I had the assessment on 23rd October and have not been able to get out of bed. Haven’t left the house since! 

I hope one your son recovers soon.

Firefly123

Yadnad said:

poppy123456 said:

Do this today before they close at 6. This way you're covered just incase they send the file back to DWP. If they do this then there's a chance to claim could be refused. Good luck!

Which is what the more dishonest in society may well do if they went out for 15 minutes for a packet of cigs at the corner shop and in that time the assessor had turned up but could not get a reply.
Swearing black is blue that no one knocked at the door and that you had been sitting in the house all of the time.

What you talking about we were sitting at home who goes to the shop when waiting for an assessment 

Firefly123

@PTSDdisabled  I hope you feel a bit better soon @topshoes I'm sure they do know how badly it affects people will see what excuse I get tomorrow 

Tardis

@yadnad; Did you mean to sound like you were accusing the OP of lying?  @Firefly123; They have treated you appallingly.  I hope you do follow through with a complaint.  You must let them know exactly how this has affected your son.  I really hope you can get some sleep tonight.  

PTSDdisabled

@Firefly123

Thank you, this is very distressing I missed a gathering of people whom I don’t see for about three months as a result of being so low.

I hope your situation is sorted out soon.

Firefly123

 @PTSDdisabled He's lost touch with all his friends over time they just don't understand
@Tardis yes I will be telling them as it's really not good enough 

topshoes

@Firefly123 hope you son ok tonight  ,please give a update at their poor excuse  tomorrow when you phone them  , @PTSDdisabled   hope you are ok too 

PTSDdisabled

@Firefly123,

That must be really awful.

I rarely see anyone these days, hardly speak to anyone on the phone, I have only survived owing to my partner being a caring understanding person, without her I wouldn’t be here.

Luckily your son has you.

PTSDdisabled

@topshoes.

Thank you, I appreciate your comment.

topshoes

 thats [email protected] im on here to try and help people, need to talk alway here for you all 

Yadnad

Firefly123 said:

What you talking about we were sitting at home who goes to the shop when waiting for an assessment 

I know you were but what you were advised to do by telephoning the DWP could be used by some others wrongly who popped out for 15 mins swearing blind that they were in and no one knocked on the door.

Yadnad

Tardis said:

@yadnad; Did you mean to sound like you were accusing the OP of lying?  @Firefly123; They have treated you appallingly.  I hope you do follow through with a complaint.  You must let them know exactly how this has affected your son.  I really hope you can get some sleep tonight.  

Not at all, I tend to find ways how some people can abuse the system as I know a lot of people who would never admit to doing anything wrong. They would swear blindly that they never left the house even if they did they won't admit it. 

siobhan1

Yadnad said:

PTSDdisabled said:

@yadnad.

Hope that made you feel big and powerful. Bet you are the sort that would set a homeless person on fire!

Why do people read things into what I say? 
Put it another way IF you decided to go to the shop and was out of the house when the assessor came and went how would you try to get out of the situation you are in. You can't very well admit to going out for a start.
So you tell the DWP that no one came to the house as you were in all of the time never leaving your armchair. Who is going to prove otherwise?

And that is the sort of reasoning that the Case Manager would do. Is it true, did the assessor not turn up? Or was the claimant out?

They would generally have to believe what you say as there is no evidence one way or another. Not everything is black and white. 

I find this whole line of response odd. What would you suggest someone do if they wait in and nobody turns up? Genuine question.

I think the majority of people would wait in as to not miss their appointment. If someone went to the lengths of trying to cover up the fact they didn't wait in, went on an internet forum to look at excuses for missing the visit, found this post and used the genuine help offered to someone in need of it to rearrange their own appointment then fair enough. It's a bit far fetched and comes across to me as the same kind of paranoia people post about so called benefit cheats.

They didn't go to the shop so why was the response needed at all? It wasn't a thread asking for hypothetical situations or accusations towards people who may not even exist.

Firefly123

It's been a very very stressful day as it is i think most people come on here for genuine advice from others who understand and being a carer for 3 young adults with a range of difficulties disabilities can be a very lonely place at times. 

PTSDdisabled

@Firefly123,

Happily most people are here to support each other, not make snide comments then whine when they get called out!

Firefly123

Yes I think so 

Yadnad

PTSDdisabled said:

@Yadnad
We know where you are coming from, any hysterical excuse to smear people. I wonder if any of the people accused of not being in have video evidence, or third parties who could vouch they were in and no one came?

No need to, the DWP would accept what they are saying as the truth. I was simply looking at the posting and advice from the point of view of a case manager. How trusting can a case manager be when being told this? Yes in this case it is a genuine situation, but in a different one would the claimant get away with it? Of course he would and that is why it could be exploited.
 Maybe the best advice is to give the assessor 5mins and then telephone the DWP. It would sound better with an earlier call than one hours later.

Tardis

I hope you get a swift and positive resolution to this.  How hard could it have been for them to just give you a phone call?  I remember the sleepless nights when I was battling with them earlier this month.   It is so hard.  And on top of all the rest we have to deal with!  

PTSDdisabled

Yadnad said:

PTSDdisabled said:

@Yadnad
We know where you are coming from, any hysterical excuse to smear people. I wonder if any of the people accused of not being in have video evidence, or third parties who could vouch they were in and no one came?

No need to, the DWP would accept what they are saying as the truth. I was simply looking at the posting and advice from the point of view of a case manager. How trusting can a case manager be when being told this? Yes in this case it is a genuine situation, but in a different one would the claimant get away with it? Of course he would and that is why it could be exploited.
 Maybe the best advice is to give the assessor 5mins and then telephone the DWP. It would sound better with an earlier call than one hours later.

Do you often fantasise about being a powerful person who can lord it over other people? Most of us are too busy trying to get by to indulge in power fantasies. Stating that people are lying is a form of narcissism. trying to make vulnerable people doubt themselves is gaslighting. You wouldn’t make it in the diplomatic world.

why are you on this forum? Do you think the vulnerable are your prey? Not this one chum!

Tardis

yadnad, our last appointment letter said they would arrive between 9 and 11.  So when exactly are they 5 minutes late?   

And the last time I phoned the DWP it took over 45 minutes to get through...

Yadnad

Tardis said:

yadnad, our last appointment letter said they would arrive between 9 and 11.  So when exactly are they 5 minutes late?   

And the last time I phoned the DWP it took over 45 minutes to get through...

I would be on the phone at 11.05am to the assessing company AND the DWP wanting to know where the hell this individual was. And if it took 45 mins to get through I would make a point of telling them the time it has taken for them to answer the call and asking them to note on the files that you are not happy with all of this messing about and the time you made the call.

Yadnad

PTSDdisabled said:

Do you often fantasise about being a powerful person who can lord it over other people? Most of us are too busy trying to get by to indulge in power fantasies. Stating that people are lying is a form of narcissism. trying to make vulnerable people doubt themselves is gaslighting. You wouldn’t make it in the diplomatic world.

why are you on this forum? Do you think the vulnerable are your prey? Not this one chum!

What a strange comment.
I'm sorry but if you can't see the possibility of some abusing this then I am wasting my time answering you.

You are right I wouldn't make it in the diplomatic world and nor would I want to.

No we are all vulnerable one way or another - some more so than others. I appreciate that.  No one is my 'prey' - a ridiculous thing to say.

I'm just pointing out that to protect yourself in this particular case/thread, it would be far better to ring and complain earlier rather than later. The early calls would be seen to be in general, more genuine if it ever came to an argument later down the line.
See my above post addressed to Tardis.

Tardis

OK yadnad, I know I shouldn't be feeding you, but:
A: it sounds like firefly did get straight on the phone
B: it ain't always easy to spend 45 minutes on hold when you have a very distressed adolescent to deal with!

poppy123456

Yadnad said:

poppy123456 said:

Do this today before they close at 6. This way you're covered just incase they send the file back to DWP. If they do this then there's a chance to claim could be refused. Good luck!

Which is what the more dishonest in society may well do if they went out for 15 minutes for a packet of cigs at the corner shop and in that time the assessor had turned up but could not get a reply.
Swearing black is blue that no one knocked at the door and that you had been sitting in the house all of the time.

What on earth are you talking about??? I was advising firefly to ring DWP because the HCP didn’t arrive! Who said anything about going to the shop and people being dishonest??? Why do you always manage to twist what people say? Can’t you ever say anything nice when commenting on posts? 

I seem to remember just the the other day you commented on one of my replies and used the word fraud! Is there really any need to twist everything?

PTSDdisabled

Yadnad said:

PTSDdisabled said:

Do you often fantasise about being a powerful person who can lord it over other people? Most of us are too busy trying to get by to indulge in power fantasies. Stating that people are lying is a form of narcissism. trying to make vulnerable people doubt themselves is gaslighting. You wouldn’t make it in the diplomatic world.

why are you on this forum? Do you think the vulnerable are your prey? Not this one chum!

What a strange comment.
I'm sorry but if you can't see the possibility of some abusing this then I am wasting my time answering you.

You are right I wouldn't make it in the diplomatic world and nor would I want to.

No we are all vulnerable one way or another - some more so than others. I appreciate that.  No one is my 'prey' - a ridiculous thing to say.

I'm just pointing out that to protect yourself in this particular case/thread, it would be far better to ring and complain earlier rather than later. The early calls would be seen to be in general, more genuine if it ever came to an argument later down the line.
See my above post addressed to Tardis.

You are just a miserable person, who seems to delight in upsetting others. Called out by someone else I see

You would do me a favour of not responding to me, nor anyone else. You seem to derive some form of perverse delight in upsetting other people. One would have to wonder if you have ever posted anything useful or if you only post snide comments?

Yadnad

I give up trying to help on this thread.
The OP did not telephone straight away - see the times of their posts
Poppy advised to telephone the DWP before 6pm - that was timed at 4.05pm

The OP should have been on the phone no later than 11.05am to both the DWP and the assessing company - the OP's first post was 12.21pm

Earlier is better than later - it would seem to all concerned be a genuine situation

poppy123456

Always twisting the situation.... 

Tardis

And it is so much more important to kick a poster for possibly failing to have phoned at the time you say they should have (do you know what her son's appointment time was exactly?) than even to criticise the assessor for not having the courtesy to phone and apologise for non arrival!   

siobhan1

Yadnad said:

Tardis said:

yadnad, our last appointment letter said they would arrive between 9 and 11.  So when exactly are they 5 minutes late?   

And the last time I phoned the DWP it took over 45 minutes to get through...

I would be on the phone at 11.05am to the assessing company AND the DWP wanting to know where the hell this individual was. And if it took 45 mins to get through I would make a point of telling them the time it has taken for them to answer the call and asking them to note on the files that you are not happy with all of this messing about and the time you made the call.

I recently worked in a DWP contact centre for two years. I'd just like to say that you are probably wasting your time telling the advisor you're unhappy with call waiting times. They're already aware of how long you've been waiting because they get regular emails if it goes over about 20 mins, asking you to apologise if someone complains. (They have busy periods and times when you are sat twiddling your thumbs doing admin for hours between calls so there's no point putting more resources on phones as it balances out.) If you arent happy with call wait times it gets noted that you are not happy if you ask them to do that but no action is taken for the reason above.

Also if you are on the phone for 45 mins waiting you may miss a call from the assessor or assessment provider explaining why theyre late so it's probably better to call the next day as originally advised.

I noticed on another thread you say something along the lines of assuming peiple are lying because you dealt with the public in your gov job. I would just like to say that as a civil servant I knew colleagues who thought like yourself and I did the opposite. I always gave people the benefit of the doubt and even stood up to team leaders who said things like "99% of claimants are liars". Part of why I left is the attitude of mistrust of people who haven't done anything wrong - those types of personalities can wear you down when you're already ill. We would get evidence of hardship and people would scrutinise it to the point of wasting 3 hours on one letter to try and find some hole the evidence. I found that most people who were like this were obsessed in some way because they had illnesses or debts themselves and thought people were getting something they weren't. Just my opinion.

I totally agree with the original advice of calling tomorrow (today) and hope that you get it sorted OP. I can't imagine the anxiety of waiting in and nobody turning up... it's not on at all!

Firefly123

Yes I called the assessment centre after an hour and was on hold for 30 mins and no I didn't call sooner incase they tried to call me but anyway their system is still down and they said the assessors use the same system and that's probably why but try again after 4 and they might have an answer 

topshoes

@Firefly123 hope your son is ok today and yourself ,unless help is need in areas which they need to ask questions to heip people  on here ,no one should have to explain / justife  themselves  unless its in a court of law , police , solicitor

Tardis

I hope your son has a better day today.  And I hope you can take some time out to look after yourself.

Firefly123

He's still in bed says he's just so exhausted and dreading the thought of having to go through it all again
Thank you @topshoes @Tardis

topshoes

@Firefly123 i bet he is and you are exhaused too,  we are always here for you  if you need to talk any time x

Sam_Scope

This post will now be closed, some comments have been removed due to direct breaking of the community guidelines and we have emailed those members directly.  If anyone has any questions about this then please feel free to get in touch on [email protected]