We know what you mean...
Whenever I ring up I'm mindful of the distinct possibility that the person on the other end knows didly-squat about benefits. It seems to me that thier job is simply to answer and field calls and request hand-offs that don't usually come.
The only way is to keep those complaints rolling in. And sometimes, to take the strictly formal route can be the easiest and most efficient, in terms of caseworking, than struggling to get past obstructive know-nothings.
I constantly make the point in complaints that the DWP's preferred method of benefit administration for working age benefits is totally contrary to the principle behind the SSA 1998, which envisaged a system whereby claimants could phone and talk to decision-makers to reach a quick and correct conclusion to a dispute. In my experience with a local office, it worked well for the most part, but these days - it's a distant memory. Now, there is hardly an effective method of talking to DM's who, for what they do and the impact they can have, are often appalingly incompetent.
In another thread a while back I made a similar point but someone esle said this is becuase we only deal with the difficult or unusual situations. Wrong. We deal, mainly, with ordinary situations that become difficult and unusual, becuase it seems that very few in the JC+ knows what the hell they're on about.
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