Inexplicable "Loan" Recovery from UC...?

[adridude]

Hi,

 

In september 2021, I received a letter stating I magically owed £1400 to DPW.

 

So I straight away:

1. Called the number on the letter, eventually got through to a message which read "we are unable to take this call, goodbye", 30 mins later!
2. I messaged my work-coach and said I was getting nowhere, they too found that they weren't able to get through.
3. I then wrote to the department as addressed in the letter sent recorded signed for, confirmed as received too (signed for). In the letter I disputed the amount stating "I dont owe that".
4. I never heard back from them at all.
5. In december I was charged £81 for a random debt recovery action, so again, called.. No joy
6. Again, work coaches both on the phone and whoever else is behind the UC system, totally unhelpful.
7. Today I called the UC general enquiries up, and they passed me on to a @[email protected] number.
8. Called the LOL management LOL number and they told me to all the general enquiries. They didn't know what to do, they tried to get me to call the "we are busy, goodbye number" which I corrected them on.

 

I asked them nicely in September in the letter not to just "attach an earnings thing" as I'm disputing it as I have zero idea what it is, and now I'm literally one month into a new tenancy, so the landlord will LOVE the fact that I'll be late with rent 2 months in. 

 

If I'm late, this will burn me in 10 months when my rental agreement needs renewing.

 

My question is:

 

If the UC helpline dont deal with it, the debt management department don't have a phone line that works, that nobody who's at the end of the letter they sent me can receive a letter and respond...

 

What do I do now?

hey've got me jammed up for some amount I don't even owe.

 

Is this some random stealth tax we weren't warned about?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 24 by dx100uk
formatting

[dx100uk]

send them an sar 

stop getting wound up on the phone 

writing only from now on

if they have no data= no debt.

 

dx

 

[adridude]

I did write to them initially and it was blatantly ignored. The exact letter read:

 

Quote

 

Dear Sir/Madam:

RE: refno - Inexplicable Debt

Many thanks for your letter received 21^st September 2021 regarding an outstanding amount of £14xx.xx

I do not recognize this debt nor have you provided any breakdown or evidence of this debt. I have also been in touch with the Job Centre work coaches and they too are unable to find evidence of this debt.

I ask that you please:

1.      Provide a FULL breakdown of the so-called debt(s), along with the exact dates the debt(s) were incurred and any reasoning behind the debt.

2.      Kindly hold off from any action whilst I work with you to resolve this matter. I am extremely concerned that a debt attachment may result in my dismissal due to still being in probation as well as lead me to being unable to feed myself.

I trust that you are able to assist me in this matter as I have tried calling you on the number provided on your letter, but every menu option I get through to, results in the call being terminated with a message urging me to “contact the department where the debt had arisen”, which wasn’t provided.

Regards,

 

This was confirmed as recieved by royal mail on Sept 30 '21, and since then I haven't heard back from them. My letter was literally ignored. I'm happy to send a SAR, but looking at the run-around I'm given, a SAR will just make things worse won't it?

 

Problem is they've nailed the money before I even got a chance to dispute it and now am in a horrible situation thank to that. I agree there's no debt, as I know they've all been paid off in the past from years ago. THey don't see it that way.

 

WHo would I write to then if the departmet dealing with the debt dont respond at all? THe address they gave me was:

 

 

DWP

Debt Centre Trafford

Debt Management (C)

Mail Handling Site A,

Wolverhampton,

WV98 2DF

 

 

Cheers,

A

Edited February 24 by adridude

[unclebulgaria67]

Best way forward is to use the DWP complaints process as they have set service standards for complaints.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/complaints-procedure

[Homer67]

They're acting as Debt Collectors so there's nothing they can do, have you checked your credit file?

[dx100uk]

Dwp debts dont appear on credit files

[tomtom256]

Did you claim Tax Credits prior to claiming Universal Credit, as it's probably a part year overpayment, which is a standard issue that arises.

However Debt Management is the only team that will have access to what the debt is for. Raise a complaint online and ask for an escalation. The rest of the DWP have no access to the debt system, so will never be able to help you.

[adridude]

On 25/02/2022 at 14:33, tomtom256 said:

Did you claim Tax Credits prior to claiming Universal Credit, as it's probably a part year overpayment, which is a standard issue that arises.

However Debt Management is the only team that will have access to what the debt is for. Raise a complaint online and ask for an escalation. The rest of the DWP have no access to the debt system, so will never be able to help you.

 

I did but that datesback to 2015 or so?

 

I sent them a letter AND SAR, and all I got back is

Quote

Dear zzzz

We are writing in connection with your request for outstanding SocialFundLoans.\Ne have 24 Social Fund Loans outstanding totalling to £1073.89.

Please accept our apologies in the delay in respondingto your letter 28/09/2021.

Help and Advice If you need more information aboutthis matter, please contact Social Fund Helpline on 0800 169 0140.

Yours sincerely

yyyy

 

Now my letter to them was clear, I can't have put it any clearer:

 

Quote

Dear Sir/Madam:

RE: XXXXXX

Many thanks for your letter received XX September 2021 regarding an outstanding amount of £1443.54

I do not recognize this debt nor have you provided any breakdown or evidence of this debt. I have also been in touch with the Job Centre work coaches and they too are unable to find evidence of this debt.

I ask that you please:

1.      Provide a FULL breakdown of the so-called debt(s), along with the exact dates the debt(s) were incurred and any reasoning behind the debt.

2.      Kindly hold off from any action whilst I work with you to resolve this matter. I am extremely concerned that a debt attachment may result in my dismissal due to still being in probation as well as lead me to being unable to feed myself.

I trust that you are able to assist me in this matter as I have tried calling you on the number provided on your letter, but every menu option I get through to, results in the call being terminated with a message urging me to “contact the department where the debt had arisen”, which wasn’t provided.

 

Regards,

 

Meow

 

 I'm lost as to what to do as:

 

1. I've tried phoning
2. I've tried asking whoever my workcoach was when I was unemployed for help, but they were in the frame of "not my job".
3. I've complained to the processing centre (Canterbury BDC for me)
4. I've literally found my case managers personal DWP email address thanks to them being a little loose on social media, asked again for help but was told off and assigned a new case manager. (Interestingly the new case managers talks as-if he's the manager of the call centre)
5. I've explained to 5, yes 5 (and multiple times to the same members) that I can't get through to the debt line. They provided me with a number, 0800 916 0647 which EVERY time gets "disconnected" when I mention anything like statement, list of debts.
6. I've asked 3 times to start a complaints procedure, in writing, but those too are just ignored.
7. I've asked face to face for a complaints procedure to be initiated through my old work coach, that too went by the way side.

 

Literally, I've exhausted EVERY avenue.. To the point where they won't even accept my letters to post internally any more. I was told that it's not their problem at the local Job Centre last time.

 

Any help here would be great as these debts, I'm pretty sure ARE paid off as they came out of benefits YEARS ago. The hesitation to send me statements is getting odd though.

 

Cheers,

 

Ade

[dx100uk]

No data = no debt 

 

Ignore them now?.

 

Dx

[adridude]

I'd love to but they've threatened to contact my employer and enforce an earnings attachment or something like that. I've only just found this job, really enjoy it and really can't be doing with anything jeopardising it.

 

This is why I've gone all-out in trying to contact them. On top of that, my monthly income just falls short of the UC threshold so I should get £100 each month back, but that'd gone down the pan due to these "so called" debts.

 

Cheerio

 

Ade

[dx100uk]

you mean a DEA?

 

Programmable Search Engine

CSE.GOOGLE.COM

clickme ^^

 

[unclebulgaria67]

Complaints procedure - Department for Work and Pensions - GOV.UK

WWW.GOV.UK

---

How to complain about the service you get from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or from an organisation that provides its services.

 

Only DWP Debt Management can help resolve this for you.  No point contacting the Job Centre or Case Manager, as they will not have access to debt information. They just see the amount being deducted on UC statements, that same as you.

 

Debt Management complaints

Telephone: 0800 916 0647

 

Monday to Friday, 8am to 7.30pm

 

DWP Debt Management customer service standards - GOV.UK

WWW.GOV.UK

 

 

On UC statements, next to the amount being deducted, what does it state as the deduction type ?

[adridude]

They come under "Budgeting or crisis loan repayment", but I know these were paid off years ago through my JSA.

 

This is why I've asked via phone, email and writing for a written statement of what these so called "Budgeting or crisis loans" are, but I just get silly answers back or they just literally ignore my letter.

 

The recorded-signed for letter I sent was literally ignored despite me having record that it was received by them.

 

Is there an ombudsman or 3rd party watchdog which I can complain to? I think they're taking my passive/calm anture as a weakness and are literally taking the mick.

[adridude]

6 hours ago, dx100uk said:

you mean a DEA?

 

Programmable Search Engine

CSE.GOOGLE.COM

clickme ^^

 

Yes, this is what was threatened back in September. I had to contact them before a certain date or they;d just go ahead and do it. I sent them a letter, special delivery, it was confirmed as received, but they ignored it and literally took money out of my UC which left me £100+ short on rent.

 

Now that I'm working full time again, last thing I need is them to contact my new employer and make a scene... Especially as I'm trying my damndest to contact them and get to the bottom of this.

[unclebulgaria67]

Yes there is Independent Case Examiner, but as you will see, they require final letter of response from DWP., before they will look into any complaint

 

Complain to the Independent Case Examiner - GOV.UK

WWW.GOV.UK

---

Contact the Independent Case Examiner about unresolved complaints to do with DWP services, for example Jobcentre Plus

 

Suggest that you register a complaint again and also send a Data Protection Subect Access Request (SAR) specifically asking for information regarding budgeting and crisis loans.

 

I wonder whether this loan is from a very long time ago ( could be 20 years ago) or it is more recent and someone has taken out a UC advance during Covid period using your details without you knowing about it.