Advice for phoning the dwp.

I needed to contact them the other week. 90 minutes on hol! Mine is a landline, luckily it was a free number. I ended up emailing them instead.

Did they reply quickly?
I thought about doing that, but lost the will to live somewhere along the way.

If it’s the Pensions section, I found last year that they didn’t answer any emails or messages I sent via the contact form on their website. I’d guess that was because of Covid and the staff all working from home.

I must say I did find the people I spoke to unfailingly helpful and friendly though once I did get through by phone, but it sometimes meant a long wait. I once nodded off and hadn’t a clue where I was when somebody suddenly answered.

MissAdventure No, they didn't reply to my 1st email! I sent another, and that time, a man rang me and was incredibly helpful.

This thread reminded me of the cartoon I previously used a month or two ago.
My advice when calling numbers you know to be hopeless at answering is to double check their opening hours and call at the end or beginning of their day. Some departments are open outwith the usual 9-5 slot.

If it's the pension number my friend had the same issue. However once she rang around 8am got through no problem despite google saying hours were 9-5.

Are you anywhere near a Citizens Advice office? If so ask them to take up your query as they have different numbers to contact DWP that are more likely to be answered.

It is a trail - but, as someone else has said, they are great once you get through!

....or even a trial .......

Is there a complaints procedure? Complaints are often dealt with quite quickly.

If it’s any help, I followed the advice from a benefits forum, on the best way to phone them. I started dialling them 10 minutes before their phone lines opened. I kept redialling when it told me they were shut, but at 8am, I got straight through to a human, and very helpful she was.

It was 10 minutes of faff, but quicker than hanging on for ages later in the day.

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Reported.
It was the "unfailingly helpful" that got me suspicious.

After they answer,I find repeating the same thing over and over until they stop parroting helps