who do i believe?

[shaz66]

i phoned esa today to find out if there was a discision made yet was told that i have limited capacity to work but they said it had gone up to the discision maker the girl say it was to find out what group they are going to put me in so she said she would ring me back i missed the call and rang back got this blunt young man who said he didnt no why it went to the discision maker he asked me had i gone for a medical i said the gave me a home medical he said thats probably why it was sent to the discision maker who do i believe im so confused

[bumblebee57]

Thats the trouble with this, you never speak to the same person twice, and they all tell you something different. I went 7 weeks last summer with no money (medical fail/ appeal fail/ ESA stopped/ claimed ESA again). I spoke to at least 5 or 6 different people, who gave me different info every time. "You have to fill in the form we sent you" (never received), "You havent received it bcoz you dont need to fill it in", "Do this" "Do that", blah blah blah....I didnt know whether I was coming or going in the end. I got so desparate after 7 weeks of waiting, and running my contract phone bill over by £18 trying to sort it, my depression kicked in big time and I told the woman on the last phone call "If i dont get some money today, dont bother coz I wont be here tomoro". The money plus back pay was in my bank by 3pm that afternoon. The sad thing is, they dont give a stuff how youre suffering or the stress it causes or where, or not, you get food/ elec/ gas. I had to rely on family and friends to get by, but they have their own things to deal with and cant always help. I really hope it will be sorted for you soon. Good luck

[fibro]

i know is not what you want to hear but call them back again and ask to speak to a supervisor and that you are sick of being told different things. I find it all so frustrating with this type of thing and I'm the one that end up getting upset. you have so many things whirling around in your head, its hard enough remembering what they when they give you the right info.

I really feel for you as i am going through similar at the moment but not with benefits. Every time you call you are told something different, the worst thing about my last calls i think they were going to tell me to stop phoning, well they did in so many words and that i had to call a different department……but i keep saying they useless and as much use as a chocolate teapot, thats why i call them instead, at least they were trying to help, but now i reckon they are fed up with me. I tried the CAB but as its not to do with benefits but a pension they haven't got anyone to help. Even the pensions advisory service or pensions ombudsman will only look at the details to make sure all has been done correctly, it seems they don't interfere with an decision made. This is what i don't understand, a decision maker, supposedly a doctor has made his own mind up based on his own opinion not the facts in front of him. Im trying to claim a pension based on health grounds around 10 yrs early. i have said to them that if i die they will have to pay it out to my husband anyway! He reckoned that with Fibro Id be fit for work in three years Lord knows where he made that bit up from. reckons CBT and pain relief and the fact I have to use a CPAP machine he said it will help with the fatigue an tiredness, but i have been using it a year and it hasnt made any difference, only doing what its meant to do and stop me from stopping breathing whilst i sleep. its doing that perfectly but i have had no other benefits from it and they wont believe me, or my consultant. I need a hip replacing but i am not mentally fit to have it done, let alone the extra pain coz of Fibro. I just dont know who to turn to to get any more answers….

so like me… just keep phoning the back and ask to speak with the supervisor then the manager. Surely they have to let you.

I knpw its wrong to say such things, but i told them if they continue to treat me like i dont exist, im just a name on a pece of paper, if that, that i have enough pills to do something silly if they continue to give me the run around. I wouldnt do anything silly, i dont have it in me, but the way you get spoken to they could quite easily make someone go over the edge. And its not just benefits is any sort of company.

I wish it would go back to the old days when you dealt with a human and they saw a case through, now its a Call Centre in every company these days!

i wish you luck and hope you get some proper answers xxx (((hugs)))

[linlit]

try sending a letter and specify you want a reply in writting we found they respond better in writting and you have it in black and white