DWP Stating Old Debt Paid 5yrs ago isnt paid repay

[stu007]

Ok all

 

Have been assisting a friend with this.

 

DWP Debt Centre contacted friend in Dec 2012 stating old social fund load hasn't been paid repay debt.

 

They repaid this debt some 5yrs ago and obviously after such a length of time doesn't have all the paperwork but does have some and 3 letters from DWP stating thank you for payment of £XXX. Now the classic DWP state they mean nothing as DWP own thank you for payment letter isn't a receipt.

 

Gets better one of the letter they have from 5yrs ago matches exactly the recent letter to pay the same debt but from a totally different debt management centre.

 

So what has been done so far:

 

1. Tier 1 Complant letter sent to DWP Debt Management Centre with copies of previous document and receipts from 5yrs ago asking for full investigation, breakdown of debt amounts and copies of all letters.

Note the letter was signed for by them on 27th Jan 2013 (royal mail electronic proof).

 

2. Friend recently contacted DWP demanding why complaint not responded to and was informed initially not received until pointed out electronic proof signed for. Suddenly admit they have complaint but over 3 months backlog.

 

During conversation it ends up the reason they cannot find debt on system is because it on there old computer system not linked to new system and will look into it and get back to them.

 

DWP contact friend and now insist it is correct and the debt is now for some other imaginary loan must pay and will respond as per complaint.

 

3. Today friend receives info from DWP or complete lack of info all they received was

a) Letter stating amount to pay with no breakdown.

b) Payment forms.

 

Now please bear in mind this was a Tier 1 Formal Complaint which they have failed to respond to except what was received today.

 

My thought are.

 

1. To send another letter now demanding that initial Tier 1 complaint received and signed for by them on 27th Jan 2013 that they have failed to respond to is now dealt with as a Tier 2 complaint and that DWP has also breached its own Debt Management Contact Centre Customer Service Standard.

 

2. Also sending a Subject Access Request with above letter.

 

These DWP PDFs may be of use to others:

 

What are your opinions

Edited May 22, 2013 by stu007

[estellyn]

Sounds like you have it under control.

 

There are so many cases like this coming through at the moment, what the DWP doing.....

[speedfreek]

estellyn you really are out of sorts atm too much celebratory fizz my dear?

 

What's going on;

 

new (retrospective) statuary powers of recovery

consolidation of IT systems - pre-integration trawls in prep for UC

introduction of the civil £50 penalty.

another robust drive to drive down fraud (well mainly our errors)

removal of independent advice pre drive means it's deny deny defend and deny some more

 

Anybody who didn't see this coming is battier than a guano cave!

 

Somebody needs to write a simple guide of what actions have to be taken. We still see senior/respected members still not advising people to throw in the SARs to put the DWP to proof.

 

With all these trawls and consolidations; any slight processing error on the claim or heaven forbid something was recorded manually and it will throw up a non payment doubt. They will not have any evidence whatsoever for this but the computer says anomaly so print automatic recovery letter.

 

I shamelessly whored this off rightsnet a few months ago just incase. Any use too you Stu?

[estellyn]

estellyn you really are out of sorts atm too much celebratory fizz my dear?

 

 

Well last night, I'd had enough IV sedative to down a horse (and was still awake), and several large doses of pethidine (in hospital I might add, not recreationally )

 

So yeah, a bit like being drunk and floaty.....

 

Down to earth this morning, though.