My letter was delivered and signed for but has been ignored. Does anyone know how I should proceed? The telephone assistants are rather unhelpful. Is there another address I can send it to? A 'big boss' email address I can contact? Thanks in advance guys

I don't mean to seem rude, but I'm fairly certain that's what they said. How else would I have qualified for the support group with no ATOS assessment at all, for 60 weeks?!

No problem, you gave me hope! On the phone now. Very hopeful! EDIT: The lady said it's very strange that she can't see my DLA eligibility because usually it is all linked, and usually they should have send out a change of circumstances form automatically. I am certain I do indeed get DLA as I called only last week to ask for a replacement award letter. She said she will send out a change of circumstances form to me and advised me to attach a letter advising that I have indeed been receiving DLA and eligible for the award all this time. She said in usual circumstances they can only backdate up to three months but she told me to put the date since I've been receiving DLA so they will backdate it from then. (she was kind of unclear on this, I didn't fully understand what she meant) I suppose I should draft a letter to DWP/DLA now rather than wait for the form? I will try to do one now but would appreciate if anyone could direct me to a template or something like that as I'm not very good at formal letters, nor am I sure what to write! I need to shower and make some food but would really like to get this letter out and posted before 5pm, so if someone could help before then I'd appreciate it, it's a struggle doing it all on my own!

Please see above. I did not personally formally inform them with IS10, however it is possible my support worker did but I have no way of checking as it was so long ago. As I mentioned, the fact that they told me 13 weeks in that I didn't need to do an ATOS assessment because of my recent DLA award made me assume that they already knew I was in receipt of DLA.

Thanks a lot for the solid advice. I've just spoken to the ESA guy at my JC who called about me starting work on monday and he said, if I am indeed eligible and the DWP was aware all this time they should in theory backpay me from the date they were aware. As I mentioned, the fact that they told me 13 weeks in that I didn't need to do an ATOS assessment because of my recent DLA award makes me think that they must have known. Does that sound logical to you? He told me to call them right now before he notifies them that my claim is closing down.

I am quoting http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/f36.htm "a second benefit has been awarded and as a result the claimant is due an increase in the benefit being revised from the date of the decision (for example an increase in income support is due because of a backdated award of disability living allowance)." This sounds similar to my position but I am not too sure. It's all I could find regarding back payments and DLA.

No one is receiving carers allowance for me, no. As I wrote in the edit, I did assume they already knew about my DLA as they said it was the reason that I didn't have to do an ATOS assessment.

Hello all, I applied (well, my support worker applied) for both ESA and DLA at the same time on 19th Sept 2011. The ESA came through straight away, and I was placed in the support group and have been in it since. The DLA took around 5-6 months, but eventually I was awarded higher rate care and lower mobility. I am about to stop claiming ESA and try and start work, starting Monday in fact. I have been reading about council tax, and stumbled upon the 'premium' system. It seems all this time I have been eligible for various disability premiums all this time and unaware that I am eligible. I think perhaps the fact that in between my ESA claim and DLA coming through I had a new support worker contributed to this - I didn't fill any of the forms out myself. I hadn't read anything about premiums on the ESA rates website and assumed the standard rate was exactly that, standard. To be honest I think there is a chance my support worker did indeed send off the DLA award letter once I got it. I'm surprised they didn't just realise themselves, I mean they are all the DWP, isn't it all on their system under my NI number? By my calculation, according to this, I should have been receiving £326.6 fortnightly but have only been receiving £236.70 - I have been underpaid £89.90/fortnight for 70 weeks, totalling approx £3146.50. I am confused by the rules regarding revisions and supersessions and need some advice. I have accumulated considerable debt over the period of being on ESA due to a lack of basic funds and such a backpayment would be a godsend, I could finally pay off all this debt. I have tried to call the DWP to no avail, I was on hold for an hour and the phone cut off. I will try and call back during off-peak times but I thought it best to seek advice here. To give you some more information, I am 24 and live alone. I have no dependants and no parter or anything else like that. I am set to start work on 28/01/13 so it's important that if I am entitled I get it sorted asap. I haven't notified DWP for ESA yet, that's what I was calling for today. Thanks in advance guys. EDIT: I have been thinking about this and I have never had an ATOS medical assessment. My DLA had come through by the time they wanted me for an assessment, and they said to me that I didn't have to do it as I'd already been confirmed in the process of my DLA claim. So surely they knew I was in receipt of DLA?

I emailed Jonathan back with some more details and a pdf of the letter and got this reply: [Edit] Thank your for your email, your further comments and attachments. As you would expect, I was very concerned to read of the extent to which this matter had distressed you. We will duly consider your email, as well as your letter of 21 January 2013, and respond to you in due course. Yours sincerely, Jonathan Will update when I get a reply.

Very well. Thanks for your help.

I just got back from the post office, sending the letter out. Back when I sent the complaint off using the online form and got no reply, I emailed it to an executive email I found online too. I just got a response: this was the attachment: {removed} To be honest, when I saw 'compensation' I was hoping for a little more than £50! I don't get why 'Danielle', assuming it is the same woman who initially called me, has changed her tune so considerably. When she called me yesterday she was adamant that the bank WAS NOT liable, and everything is my fault and I have to pay up immediately or face legal repercussion despite my pleading and explaining. This is rather personal, but I completely broke down after speaking to her whilst on hold when she was transferring to me the debt repayment team for the whole 10 mins I was on hold, trying to cover up my sobbing and rapid breathing when an advisor came back on the line. It had me in a complete mess and left me in a suicidal whirlwind. I am really surprised I recovered, thank goodness for mood stabilisation medicine and thank goodness for you BRIGADIER2JCS - I am almost certain you coming the rescue saved me from things degrading to a much worse state. There is still the matter of the default notice that was filed against me, I have seen no mention of this. Does this mean I still should persist in a reply for my letter? Now I am in contact with the executive office via email, do you think I should send over a PDF of the letter I have sent off today, explaining that it is on the way to them? Once again I'd appreciate your advice BRIGADIER2JCS. Thanks

I have received a reply. What do I do?! Will the letter I have sent be dealt with by her/her department, or am I correct in assuming I have escalated it beyond her department? What is she talking about my FO rights and disclaimer?! Hope someone can help! Cheers

Quick update, received this just now, I assume from the same lady who keeps calling my mobile, redialing again and again and again - why do people now understand that if someone doesn't answer the first time, they aren't going to answer the next 200 times either! (I assume it says Natwest because of the RBS merger) I replied: Will send the letter off this afternoon by recorded delivery.

Will send tomorrow and update the thread when I get a reply. Thanks again for the help!

Will do. Printing it off now, do I need to send it registered/signed for or is normal post OK?

Found it - 36 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2YB. Should I be posting it signed for/recorded? I'm really hopeful this will be sorted soon, it's genuinely caused me much stress, and I have the psychiatric evaluations to prove it! PS. The woman keeps trying to call me back, I keep ignoring it - should I answer and say I will only be communicating with them via written letter from now on?

Ah, very well, I understand. Could I get the RBS address? Want to make sure I'm sending it to the right place! Cheers

An argument the lady on the phone kept pushing is it is my fault that I didn't update my address and my fault they couldn't get in contact with me. As I said however, I had no fixed abode, no address to change it to - that aside, they were refusing to speak to me via telephone because I didn't have any account information. I did try to change this in-branch in October though, but it seems the bank manager didn't update my details afterall... I'm just worried that they'll reply and say up yours, it's your fault. However I'm new to this, maybe going into detail in these letters isn't as important as I think it is. Also, what would be the best place in the letter to say do not reply to my old address? I have put my current address top right as usual, but am worried they might forget. I also could use the address of where I'm posting this - cheers.

"as I had NEVER received any cheque book or card for use with this account this is not possible." Okay something I neglected to mention. According to the complaints lady who called today, when I called RBS after moving into this new home, to request a card, apparently I was asked if I still had my chequebook - I of course said no, as I had nothing related to the account. The telephone advisor then apparently cancelled this chequebook that I no longer had, that was issued when the account was opened. He apparently sent out a new one with a new card, but that would have gone to my old address. A £10 charge was applied to my account for cancelling a chequebook which put my £0 balance overdrawn - I was then charged £6 a day (?) fees which snowballed the account into £500 overdrawn. I was not aware of ANY of this until earlier, the woman told me all this on the phone. I was not told there would be a charge to my account, and I made it quite clear I'd never used the account and just wanted a new card. He requested the cancellation of the chequebook without me directly asking for him to do so and went on to apply the £10 charge to my account. I'm clarifying because the quoted statement might make it seem like I'm lying. How do you think I can incorporate the above into the letter? Regards

Thank you so much - I will look over it now in a word processor and try and get it sent off today. If I add anything in I might ask you for a thumbs up to make sure it's OK. I am deeply grateful for your help, thank you for taking the time to help me and I assume others. This website is lucky to have such a helpful fellow in it's forums. Regards

I really would appreciate it if you could draft one for me, I wasn't really sure where to start. Thank you BRIGADIER2JCS.

I desperately need help. I opened an RBS account along with a few others with their forms online intending to try them out and pick my favourite. I received the RBS details in the post but never used or touched the account as I decided to go with Barclays. This was all in early 2011. I then left my address mid 2011 and was of no fixed abode. I was a teenager, alone, mentally ill, disabled and legally homeless. Fast forward to early 2012 after being in care and finally housed on my own and finally starting to get settled. I had a few issues with Barclays so I thought about trying out some of the other accounts I remember I opened. I called RBS to ask for a new card, explaining that I'd never used the account before and I didn't have any information or cards or any of that kind of stuff - they said they'd send it all out to me again, no problemo. I did the same with Santander. Amongst the stress of moving into an empty undecorated home, I completely forgot about bank accounts and never received anything from RBS as they said I would. Fast forward to late 2012, when I get a dodgy looking email from RBS saying they need to talk to me. I called them and they said it was certainly phishing, they don't email people. I tried and tried again until finally I got through to someone who said yes it was indeed from RBS and they needed to talk to me. They explained to me that my account was overdrawn, which I said couldn't possibly be true - I'd never used the account. They vaguely mentioned some kind of cheque bounce fee, and said they'd transfer me to another department to speak to someone. This next department was very rude and hung up on me because I didn't have any information on my account, because I of course didn't have a debit card or any of that sort of stuff. I tried a few times more to no avail, RBS didn't want to talk to me. I went in branch and spoke to a bank manager that said he would sort it out for me. I explained that my address had changed and I had no information on my account, but I tried to prove my identity with my passport. I also told him RBS had emailed me saying they had been trying to contact me - he was also certain that this was a [problem], but asked me to forward it to him when I got home. Whilst in the branch, he also asked for my new phone number and address so he could update it for me, and I emailed it to him later too just in case. I forwarded him the email that same day and he replied explaining that it was indeed RBS, and that there was a problem with my account. He said he had spoken to them and that they wanted me to call them. He also emailed me my sort code and account number so I could give it to them as a reference. However, as I should have expected, upon calling I got the same message - we cannot pass you through security, sorry. I tried and tried again to explain the situation. I tried emailing the bank manager again but he said the same thing over and over despite me explaining they refused to speak to me. At this point I gave up. I had no idea what was going on, and RBS didn't want to speak to me. I should note that I still haven't received anything from them via post at my new address. I eventually tried calling again, and a lady finally gave me some more information. She said they were going to try and trace the cheque number, and she said that there might be some kind of fraud on my account. For them to trace the number, she told me I had to go into the branch and ask them to do some kind of trace. I did so, the manager wasn't there (2wk holiday), but his subordinate said she would do it and call me back within 2 weeks. I got no such call, and my efforts in chasing this up proved fruitless. I tried to contact the same bank manager again but he ignored all of my emails. Finally, he replied and said there is nothing he can do, he can't speak to me anymore, and that I was to contact RBS or alternatively file a complaint. I did so using the website last week and was contacted today on the mobile number I gave them on the form, it was the complaints department. Moments ago, I spoke to a very cold complaints department lady who told me the bank was not liable and it was all my fault, and said I would have to pay up the £600. I tried everything I could. I asked if they had recordings of that initial phonecall too. Eventually whilst on hold I broke down in tears. The complaints lady tried to transfer me to some kind of repayment department, but gave up and said the lines were busy. She said she will call me back later. I am very distraught and am struggling to deal with this whole situation. There is absolutely no way I can afford to pay £600, I can barely afford to eat. The maximum I could possibly afford is £5 a month, which means it would take me 10 years to repay. I should note that have also filed a default notice against me which has absolutely ruined my credit record which I have being trying oh so hard to improve since my 18th birthday. Can anyone help me? I am afraid and I don't know what to do. Thank you for your time