Bombshell phone call for MissOops whilst moving house

Just a quick update, the person who told MissOops that she had been seriously overpaid is no longer with the department that told her. The person who conducted her first interview to establish her benefits has also moved on.
She has been overpaid on the bedroom allowance for 2 years, the amount of the overpayment is £3k, bad enough but not as bad as we thought.
As she has kept all of the copies of the forms that she filled in 2 years ago, which clearly states the property details she was in at the time, she is going to appeal, just out of principal as she knows that she will have to pay the money back, in fact they will deduct it from her payments.
It could have been worse! Thanks for all the helpful comments. But as a quickie, after an initial interview with the Benefits office, all forms to be filled in and all communications are now online in a ‘Journal’ no telephone calls and definitely no face to face any more, no emails either, all done via the phone/internet. That’s progress for ya!

So glad it is not as bad as feared. But a mess, nevertheless.

I didn't see your post back in January Oopsadaisy, best wishes to your daughter on them accepting a repayment plan.

When my husband died and I got part of his pension, his company didn't tax me properly, it took me three years to get it sorted.

Glad it us not as bad as she thought.

Cabbie yes, we can prove that it’s their error but there’s no point, the money has to be repaid.

Repayment is £60 per month, methinks we will have do do her grocery shopping for her for a few months.

Thank you for the update Ooopsadaisy I’m pleased it’s not too bad, but still incompetent.

Can she not negotiate a more affordable rate of repayments? Though of course that would last longer.

Cabbie she has sent an email asking for lower repayments. Unable to contact them over the phone.

I was overpaid for working families TAx credit and I’m now paying back £14.52 a month for the next two years..

I remember, years ago, having to pay back £23 a month tax credits for 3 years ....it seemed so unfair when it was HMRC fault....thats good that you are able to help her out

www.gov.uk/benefit-overpayments/how-to-make-a-repayment

If you do not pay back the money
If you do not pay back the money or contact the DWP Debt Management contact centre, they may pass your case to an independent debt collector.

You’ll get a letter to tell you about this.

If your case is passed to a debt collector, the letter will be from one of the following debt collection agencies:

Advantis
BPO Collectionshttps://www.gov.uk/benefit-overpayments/how-to-make-a-repayment
CCS Collect
Moorcroft
Past Due Credit
Resolve Call
Shakespeare Martineau

So yes, the DW&P do use debt collecters!
08007310469 for DW&P

Even when the fault is at their end you still have to pay it back. A friend of mine with ovarian cancer was receiving Attendance Allowance - she got back to them and said they were paying it at too high a rate; they disagreed. When they later realised their error and that she was right, she had to pay it all back.