It is now 13 weeks since I put in my claim.

I called at week 8 and I was told that the department is way behind and it will be another 2 weeks.

At week 10 I was told they were still behind but they would fast track my application.

Week 11 the person who answered said they were just helping out but they would pass my query upline!

Week 12 again the person said they were helping out but they could only read the screen, not input anything nor hurry it up!

Week 13 tomorrow, who knows what excuse they will have!

Does anyone know who I can call to complain to that will be able to get something moving?

Thanks,

Chris

Hi Chris

Sorry about your problem, but I gave up after two years on the same issues the pension credit agency are a complete and utter sham they have lost my documents three times and also told me that they had not received then even though I had them returned to me in a officil envelope, I could go on and on and on.

Ken

Looks like I've fallen into the same hole.

It's now been 13 weeks and a bucket full of excuses not helped by the failure promised phone calls and visits.

Where do we go from here?

 I thought I was the only one,it helps to know you are not alone.

Tiff

My pension credit was suspended last November, I have sent all the information that was asked of me but to date I have heard nothing. I have had no correspondance from the DWP whatso ever. I went to the Citizens Advice and they phoned the office deling with my pension credit and they asked how long will it take to which the reply was ' how long os a piece of string'. They informed me that they would help me after I had received some notification from the DWP.

I then contacted my M.P. and his office said they would look into the matter for me. That was in January I have chased this up a couple of times and I have been informed that they are trying to get an answer from the DWP.

It would appear to me that we have a system in this country whereby the civil service is a law unto its self. They can not only ignore members of he public but also members of Parliment as well.

 

Well guys guess what, I'm still waiting for my pension credit, still phoning them for progress.... and still banging my head against a brick wall.

Come on Help the Aged, help us out here!

Hi, I claimed for pension credit ages ago,in early Feb 09, im over 60 & was told i was entitled to it. I havent worked since Sept 08 & the claim has been backdated 3 months.

I have submitted all the required info & had partial documents returned in the offical brown envelopes. I earn nothing, get no benefits & have virtually used up all my savings to live on.

I have contacted them on numerous occasions to ask when it will be in my bank account. Nothing has happened! I have had no contact other than my offical filed PCred application pack. They told me that it would take about 6 weeks to process...10 weeks later & counting, nothing but " we will get an urgency investigation into your claim".What is going on?? My Council Tax bill is here also & i should not pay it, the PCred people said they will inform them also.....nowt doin.Am i missing the pont...im skint. Thankyou for gov help. Can help the aged PLEASE do something, Pension credit people seem to run it like the Child maintenance sector......complete run around & time lost, i suppose they want you to just, simply GO away!...some good that is.Sorry for my frustration. I paid all my life for this. 

Hi,
My name is Conrad and I am 62.. Applied for Pension Credit
5 weeks ago  Affer having read all these horrid stories about
delays in processing pension credit claims I am getting really scared.
I have no income ( lost employment) and am depleting my modest savings.

I keep phoning the Pension Service in London from time to time but do  get vague, sometimes contradictory information about the progress on my application.

Please advise what should I do to secure this credit in a reasonable span of time ?

Regards

Conrad

Its not good to read about the delays in getting pension credit.  I too applied for my pension credit 5 weeks ago.  Now I am 60 my JSA has stopped.  So it looks like the government expect me to live on fresh air.  My trouble was that I was given contradictory advice at the Job Centre, like we will continue to pay you until you get your pension credit,  Not correct. When you turn 60 they cannot input any data into their computers and therefore cannot authorise payment.  I have been receiving 96.00 a fortnight jobseekers since February why, oh why did nobody at the job centre tell me earlier that I would need to claim pension credit and I would not find myself in these dire straights.  By the way is there anyone out there that can verify how long it took their pension credit to come through?

How horrifying I have read the comments.  I claimed for Pension Credit on June 1^st after been told I could not apply for jobseekers allowance, apparently I'm too old to be employed at 61 years old, I was directed right o he Pension Credit service. My paperwork is all in order but they are applying the system to those who are more desperate. I worry about this and other quango's (quasi nongovernmental organisations). I may be also eligible for council tax rebate but I am still having the tax removed from my account each month (harder to get back once paid).

It would seem to me the governments vain attempt to cover the actual numbers of unemployed people, by nurturing the figures and excluding unemployed over the age of sixty, has totally backfired and they cannot cope with the numbers.

 

Dear Linda, only just this minute joined the discussion when your problem surfaced, been down this road approx:12 months ago, involve your local press as I did, within my letter being published 4 months of anguish disappeared in 5 days after an extremely apologetic phone call from P/C, also monies were back dated, at 63 years of age we can do without these beaurocrats!! giving us grief.   hope it works for you.

                                 Polisher

Hello

I've just joined this forum after having grief over my pension credit claim, what I'm reading isn't encouraging: application registered as received on 30 May, I phoned on 7 July re progress. Application has been lost, they will have a search and get back to me within 48 hours. Nine days and five unreturned phone calls later I've submitted a new telephone application which will be going back dated the same date as the original and heavily labelled 'Replacement for the application lost by DWP', and backdated to 27 February, as was the original. The covering letter detailing the history will be copied to my MP (Michael Ancram) who's pretty good at following up this kind of stuff, but I still get the impression I'm starting out on the quest for the holy grail. Judging from all the different things I've told by the DWP, they don't even have a joined-up computer system. Fingers crossed.

Virtual beers on me.

Figural.

Dear Polisher,

Thank you for your advice, are you telling me that you had to wait 12 months for your pension credit?  I was told that some paperwork (proof of circumstances) had not got from the local office to the central office.  Is this another excuse?  When I rang last week they said they would put it on the Urgent list.  I told the person I spoke to this week what was said and she said she could not see it marked urgent so she would do it. If I had been told to apply for it sooner I would have but when I rang the Pension Services office they said in May that there was 'plenty of time to sort it out for July'.

You are quite right about not needing this hassle, I was made redundant in December last year having worked all my life and brought up two children, its not right that we are treated so shabbily.

Linda

Hi, my husband and I ran a company until early last week. We had to close the company down due to not finding any contracts everything has come to a standstill. For the past 3 months we have been living off our saving and now have nothing left. My husband was the director and I the company secretary. I am 49 my husband is 60. We have never claimed any benefits and my husband was advised  to claim pension credit for us both. He has done this, we where also advised to go and sign on for JSA, we have done this and I have never felt so humiliated. I have to go again tomorrow, and feel so sick at the thought I think I would rather starve :(
We are both looking for work but have been unsuccessful, all agents say no contracts are coming to them either.
Sorry for ranting on, but is everyone else who has put a claim in for Pension credit also having to claim for JSA as well in the meantime. Also what happens to me when husbands claim for Pension credit goes through, do I still have to go to Jobcentre, I really do want to work to support the both of us. But going to the jobcentre is so difficult for me. Please forgive me for going on. Mistymoo1

hello
if your husband claims pension credit he will be claiming for you both so any jsa you receive will reduce the pension credit payed to him accordinglly.
You don't have to sign on but don't forget if you wish to protect your retirement pension you will either need to sign on to get the stamp or pay a voluntry contribution
I suggest you get a pension forcast to see if this is necessay - you can get this from direct gov. website..

Hope this is helpful.