Hello, I bought some nice glasses around 3 months ago from Boot the Opticians. After 2 weeks the left arm came off (they are sort of 'clip ins' with no screws). It then started happening regularly, then the left lens became unclipped from the nose bridge. They are now so wonky and wobbly that i can't even clean them without the arm or lens coming off. I read reviews on NHS Choices about Boots the optician and there's 15 pages with virtually all giving negative responses, and plenty with arm issues. They also state that Boots don't seem to want to help. Am i right in thinking there is no warranty with glasses? It seems head office and the opticians in question are getting people to too and fro between them. I wish i had looked at the reviews beforehand. Do i have the right to demand a refund as they are at the point where they aren't wearable. I bought these in good faith and paid £260+ on my debit card. I haven't as yet approached them and would be grateful for any advice on exactly how to approach them regarding law and retailers obligations. I think these must have been made in China they are that flimsy and other people have also had problems clipping them back together for me. TIA P.S. if anyone is going to Boots the Optician please read reviews online first.

Ok, just to update. I got a benefit advisory service to handle my MR. I now have enhanced care and standard Mobility. They are for an 'ongoing period'. i'm quite pleased but what I would like to know is if I scored 4 points moving around and 4 points to have someone with me do I have 50% tax reduction on my vehicle or not. Thanks in advance.

Hello, I had a disastrous assessment with a very nasty nurse. I was on higher rates for both components. I can't believe how much detail I went into on the form and evidence supplied. I know from the report that the assessor has contradicted herself throughout, but I can't believe I scored not 1 point. I have Crohns disease, arthritis, scoliosis, iritis, chronic fatigue due to malabsorbtion and severe mental health issues. I also have a liquid feed going through a tube in my abdomen into my stomach. the nurse and I did discuss my mobility scooter and the fact that I cannot propel my wheelchair and that I genuinely cannot go to an unknown place. So i'm truly shocked by what she wrote. She seemed more interested in the fact that I draw and drive an automatic car. I simply cannot understand her. She also used a raised voice the whole time. I just didn't have anyone with me and suffered it alone, although she stated she would leave and come back at another date to finish off as she 'could see she was stressing me out'. I told her to stay as I would never let her back in my place. I almost dialled 999 to have her arrested and removed. I have put in for my mandatory reconsideration and was wondering how long this will take. In the mean time am I allowed to use my bus pass and must I tax my car immediately? Also, with bedroom tax and an overpayment i'm really feeling the pinch, can I get help with the bedroom tax and can the overpayment be brought into line with what I can afford. I'm suffering so much mental and physical anguish over this I really don't know how i'm going to cope. TIA

Hi, No I haven't had one since I moved here. I really don't know if I can go through this alone, but have no idea what to do.

Hi all, I had a phone call from Capita yesterday and the woman on the other end of the phone was quite aggressive and hostile. ~She spoke really fast too. I have severe mental health issues and numerous physical issues including needing to be near a loo. She tried to demand I go for a f2f in a place I don't know at all. I told her this and she said "but you get out daily, don't you?" I said of course I can't not with this health. She very reluctantly allowed me an appointment at home but no choice of date. I am now at my wits end as I never allow even the few friends I have to come into my house due to my physical and mental health. My house is a bit of a tip as I suffer extreme fatigue due to Crohn's Disease and arthritis. My mental health is also such that I can't physically do what I want to do when I want to do things. I don't have anyone I can ask to be with me at the allotted time and am terrified of having to let a stranger into my home. I haven't lived in the area long and don't feel I can rely on any of my medical team. Any suggestions please? TIA

Shoelover, must be my mistake then. I was under the assumption that the compliance interview was recorded.

Mine was in a quiet room. they will be recording the interview so don't have background noise to distract them and there should be no distractions from other staff/telephones either. My compliance officer was not at all nasty, a bit formal, I suppose. She helped me back to my car carrying my medical equipment for me. The only thing I would say is that it can get to your brain a bit and send you spiralling downwards if you dwell on it. Good luck.

Sent my ESA form off in May 2013, not heard a thing. Benefits still being paid though. I did read somewhere that if they don't need to see you then they may not even contact you to tell you so as they did with me in 2011.

To get back to the OP questions, I too have been wondering this myself. I have very bad health and have been waiting 6 months for a gastroenterology appointment. I was always seen every two months due to the severity of my Crohn's disease. I'm in a bad way physically and only getting worse. Can we use our NHS card in EU countries for our usual health issues? I also have many other health problems and would love to go abroad for a better medical healthcare. Seeing as I'm totally reliant on benefits and lots of medications, including liquid food, would I be allowed to be abroad for longer periods of time and still claim and have my healthcare taken care of in another country. What if I bought a caravan in spain? Would this disqualify me from housing benefit and council tax on my rented home? Would it be considered a property abroad? I simply am struggling so badly with my health and I don't have ties here either, just as the OP has said, What's the point in staying if we could get better and fairer treatment somewhere else in the EU. I hope someone can throw light on these matters rather than the banter of the election. thanks

haha, love this thread. Nice to have a giggle on here. Usually its very serious matters. Thanks.

Sounds like you didn't owe too much and that's that. Can't see too much going wrong from this. Perhaps your anxiety is playing awful tricks on you. It can simply overwhelm your thinking and get you into unnecessary panic mode.

Thanks, Antone. I am way too sensitive and I must 'get over it', so to speak.

Hi again, thanks for your responses. I am on ESA, severe disability etc, hb and ct. I have no work, but I saved all the DLA up especially for something that would entirely benefit my health. They agreed this would be suitable for my health and said I could spend this. But I did knowingly save and had undeclared earnings. I did receive benefits I was not entitled to because I very naughtily had savings over the limit.

It is dwp, I paid up all that hb and ct as they demanded it fast. So less to spend on medical equipment but that's all paid up now, I think.

Hi, Debt Management at Micheldean in Gloucester. and I don't know, do police, housing, and fraud people just turn up out of the blue to arrest me or what? I have seen on here that people have had officers turn up at the door. Don't know whether this is to catch those claiming to be living alone but have a partner. As you can see I suffer chronic anxiety and depression along with a lot of other stuff, I'm also way too sensitive for my own good.

Hi, I was called in for a compliance interview in June 2011. I admitted I saved all my DLA up for something that would help me medically (I did have savings over and above limit for this reason). I get higher rate on both components of DLA. I was told I could spend my money on the said medical aid within a few days and they wouldn't consider this deprivation of money. I am paying the overpayment and have been for quite a while. But what I cannot ascertain is whether they will take things further. I have a lot of physical and mental health issues, but I can't seem to get over it until I know the case is closed, but that's something I never managed to get them to say. I did offer to pay a lump sum off my debt and debt management contacted dwp and they said I don't have to pay anything other than the £10.80 pw. they also told me I have no named investigator that I could talk to. Hence I have no one to discuss the matter with and still feel at a loss. Should I expect further letters from them? Do they just turn up at my house? How can I know for sure, I got tired of asking if things were over as they just won't answer. It's still too much on my mind. Thanks for reading.

Thank you for the clear response, Estellyn.

I'm not completely clear on this, is it that direct payments are included, or just asking people to pay for services previously provided for free?

Hi, I've been waiting 18 months for an ATOS medical. The one prior to that resulted in me receiving a phone call within two weeks. Should I be worried? They're still paying me.

Hi, Treacle, I got called for a compliance interview in June 2011, I had over the limit moneys that I had saved for a suitable vehicle for my health. The adjudicator said I could go and spend the money on that vehicle and they asked me to pay the money back at around £11 per week. They also said I could appeal the overpayment which took another couple of years. Amazingly, they then sent a letter just before the appeal date and said I cannot appeal against an overpayment. Strange, but I decided, seeing as it was a 100 mile round journey I wouldn't attend as I have a lot of health issues. I received a letter saying I still had to pay back and it is taken out of my money each week. I see on here there a conflicting posts as to whether it would go further into prosecution or not. I still somehow expect a letter through the post even though it's been 3 and a half years. My advice is hang on to your letter until they ask to see you again. I know how you feel. It's enough to send you over the top really. Also DWP are lousy at responding to anything you might ask. They just won't tell you exactly what is going on. I don't know how long your case will go on for but I just don't want you suffering the way I did. The worry alone exacerbated all my health issues and it's hard to get over this kind of thing and move on. I would carry on as normally as possible and await a letter from them. I'm sure it will come but until then you can do nothing. I'm wishing you good luck though as it is traumatic to never know exactly when the whole situation is over.

I sent my Atos form off in June 2013, haven't heard back yet. Frankly I thought Atos was not working now. So, I too am wondering what is going on?

I sent my form in over 8 months ago, I've not heard from them yet. I asked dwp about this some months ago and was told they are well behind as they had to transfer all the incapacity benefit people over first. I suppose if they also have the new ones to deal with they don't have time for others. They are in chaos.

Thank you, Antone, for your response. Yes, I must say I could see no point at all in DWP allowing me to take the case to tribunal and then receiving a bog standard letter which stated that the judge cannot overturn a decision on overpayment. So, I didn't bother turning up at the tribunal as it's a 100 mile round trip, and if I stood no chance why would I even go. I did ask DWP about this letter but I never received a reply at all. They are very good at not replying. To be honest, I don't know what happens next. I have seen on threads here that the police can come and arrest you at any time. I can't believe what some people have been through by their own issues on this site. I think I would have a heart attack, and I certainly can't be lured out of bed fast, it's physically impossible for me. The problem is now, I just don't know whether it is a closed case. I still worry like mad, probably as I have no one around to make me think of anything else. Perhaps I can have a chat with an MP as you suggest. He may carry some clout and actually get some kind of response from DWP/LA. but thanks for responding. It does help that this site exists.

Hi all, Just thought I would let you know that I have lost my appeals at court against the overpayment. Strangely enough, I received a letter from debt management telling me that a judge cannot overturn a DWP decision on overpayment. So my case was postponed for 8 months only to discover judge could do nothing, what a waste of time, and how detrimental to my health. So I have to pay back £10.80 per week, but I don't know whether the case is over entirely. Is there any way I can find this out, as it's been crucifying me physically and mentally. I almost wish I could take the local council and DWP to court for exacerbating my health issues. They never respond to letters, and if I phone them they can't answer. I read on this forum recently that some people have had DWP, Local Council and police turn up at their door and arrest them for benefit fraud. I'm still terrified of this happening, what can I do? I don't know whether I'm still under investigation or not. Could a solicitor find out for me? I so need a conclusion to this after 2 years, 8 months, and I still haven't heard from ATOS either. that's been 8 months as well. Oh the stress.

Hi, i'm new here, so please bear with me. I probably haven't put this post in the right thread, benefit fraud, so will look there if its moved. I just can't seem to see how to start the thread in there. So, as per u tube I have stuffed it here. Its been almost two years since I was called into dwp office (not under caution). They said they had a flagging system in place that tells them when someone has more savings than supposed to. I believed the amount was £16,000, as my mother had mentioned this. how did their flagging system not tell me at £6,000? So anyway, I have severe crohns disease with medical (liquid feed pump) tube through abdomen into stomach as its very bad and I've had a lot of intestine removed. I have this going for 20 hours per day and I can't move around with the pump as it weighs 5kg. I've had crohns since childhood and am now 50 years. I also have arthritis of many joints, and also mental health problems. I suffer extreme fatigue and muscle weakness due to copious amounts of loo visits and also vomiting. Anyway, I live in rural areas and the hospital is a 100 mile round journey, but i'm pretty much housebound. I receive full DLA and ESA and live on my own. I saved £20,000 for a campervan with loo to allow me at least to get to appointments as I cannot go on public transport due to my condition. So I confessed this to DWP lady, and she phoned me up the next week and said adjudicator said I could use the money to go and buy one. Well, due to my health this took 4 1/2 months to do. problem is I just can't get out the house and stay out. its physically impossible. I mean I would love too but.... They did however stop all my benefits and Council demanded money back immediately, so there went quite a bit of my savings. I had to live on the money and pay rent/council tax in the mean time. Actually it was my mental health support worker who phoned me up and said there looks to be a suitable one just a mile away. Naturally I went to see it and bought it as it was suitable, if a bit old! so having bought it I could sign back on. Now, I did appeal against the overpayment, because it says you can. My 'appeal' went to Glasgow twice. took 16 months! in the end dwp workers who refuse to communicate anything on the case gave me glasgows number. I phoned them and they only deal in Scottish cases. i'm in Cornwall. I was very upset. obviously my physical and mental health had suffered badly enough. It doesn't help to be sensitive does it? wish I could be an uncaring WTF attitude person, but i'm not. So I wrote a strong letter to dwp and complained at the way they were handling this. I had sent a lot of evidence in as to why I saved and of course thought it necessary to save for something suitable to my disability. I simply cannot squat in a country lane anymore. my joints won't allow this, I can be on a loo for up to an hour at a time, its illegal to pee and poo in public, also its probably indecent exposure too. But moreover, i'm vulnerable. Its scarey being in that state in public. Also due to the physical joint issues with muscle weakness and the medical stuff attached I just can't change my clothes in an ordinary car if I've thrown up, the feed has leaked all over me, or I need to change my clothes because of an ooopsie. I'm afraid they do happen. I hate to bang on about this, but actually by not allowing me to save all my money for a disability aid, and earners can save what they like for their needs, I feel breaches my human rights. I listed my human rights, like not allowing others to see my body when I don't want them to, private life, humiliating and degrading experience, but they don't want to understand that. They still demand every penny back. However, one other point I am contesting is that I received a letter from the debt management team that states that 'in some cases you may not have to repay it, for instance you thought you could have it and spent it'. yes, I spent it because they told me I could. This I got verified by a lady at CAB. I didn't want to misunderstand the phonecall about the adjudicator, so didn't touch my money at all, expecting them to have frozen my account, until I had got it verified by someone else. I am more than capable of misunderstanding what is being said, or written, etc due to mental health issues and strong painkillers and fatigue. I had a tribunal in Plymouth, which I so tried to get too, but unfortunately was experiencing a very bad day, one which I would not normally have gone out the house in case i'm a danger to others on the road. So I phoned and explained and they postponed it. Later another appointment was made, but that was cancelled because dwp had not complied with evidence required by the judge. so now i'm waiting all over again. stress! stress! stress! So, I would like your opinion on the letter that states I may not have to give it back. is this legally binding or are they allowed to discriminate as to who gives money back and who doesn't? Do you think I will end up in court, i'm so worried, what if I go to jail? really crucifying my mind over this. it has exacerbated my health believe me. I feel like suing the sods at dwp! , I wish I knew people to communicate on this subject but I really don't know many, and they don't want my worries on top of theirs too. I also wish i'd found this forum a couple of years back. just to add to my worries I now have another form from atos who didn't need to see me last year, and dwp had written to my doc cos its in my medical records so they do know my actual health. I know I get 15 points on both physical and mental aspects. is it a yearly form to fill in or what? Now I just need to worry that I've written too much for you to want to bother with, but if you have, i'd just like to thank you. luv Diane