Due to disability, I can't do phones. DWP eventually and very grudgingly agreed that instead of phoning I can communicate with them via email because they were routinely only responding to correspondence after weeks, if at all. Unfortunately, their system is 'all or nothing' so we can't just do the urgent stuff via email, it has to be everything.
Their system is clunky at best - any post from them has to be printed and posted to the Alternative formats team who then eventually email it to my benefit office who email it to me. My emails to them are passed on then printed and finally posted to the relevant department. For most of last year the system didn't work at all because the person (genuinely, only one in the whole organisation!) who monitored the in box at my benefit office left and wasn't replaced.
In fact, I hadn't had a single routine letter from DWP in over a year and was beginning to think the system would never work. Until last week. Then I had a letter forwarded via email which had taken 17 days to reach me. Of course, it needed a response within 7 days so I'm now waiting with baited breath to see if next week's payment actually arrives.
This morning I received DWP's explanation. This is the redacted version.
'
As our systems only generate postal letters, your letters are sent to Alternative formats by post through the royal mail. All system generated letters go out 2nd class. This means it takes 5-7 working days to reach them for them to be able to convert your letter. Once it reaches their office they convert your letter, as they deal with the whole of the UK, this can take a few days. Your letter is then issued to us to send to you via email. Once received, we aim to get this letter forwarded to you as soon as possible but due to the number of customers we have, we allow up to 10 working days to get this to you.
Your letter was issued via post (1st date) and converted and sent to us via Email on the (+ 11 days). We forwarded this email on the (+ 6 days). These are within our timescales.'
You really couldn't make this up.
