Good Morning All  :)
Just tried ringing the DWP after I was informed by my dentist I would need a letter saying WHICH type of Income Support benifit I was on, as some are not covered for Free Dental Treatments now!
After calling my 'local offices landline' number I got no joy, after they answered and then hung up on me! (without a word spoken from either end...)
So I tried again, and got an answerphone message stating that the offices were closed and were open betweeen 9am&5pm..Its now 9.27am!! DER!
So I got online and found their website and an 0800 number.
Rang that, they transferrred me to the same offices I had just been through to. :-/
I was then subjected to a verbal barrage with a woman there who informed me (for several minutes - - imagine that cost on 08)  that I shouldnt have been put through to her at all (because that WAS my fault, wasnt it?!!! Mustv been my remote radar machine controlling his actions!!) ::)

She passed me BACK to the switchboard (this time a female) who after arguing the point that we shouldnt have been transferred to her anyway, proceeded to transfer me (AGAIN) ...... to an answermachine.  ::)
>:(Sometimes I think they have a special one there, ready for the occasion!!! ::)

;D Im having a good day!  ;D

I rang back and was given an 0845 number that EVERYONE now has to use... but I STILL refuse to ring 08's though!!! ;)
So I made myself feel a whole lot better and came here; armed with my 0845 number (which my provider charges PREMIUM RATE for;) but, sadly,  :'( it wasnt listed!
So I went for the nearest one geographically to where Im at, and baffled them into helping me by 'having a moan' about the dentist needing the letter!!!
They gave me another number to try for the 'letter department'
I rang and after pressing option 1 I waited a full 7 minutes to get through to a very helpful person who told me  [smiley=2vrolijk_08.gif] that he would get a letter sent out today!

THANK GOD FOR YOUR / THIS SITE

Without it, JUST the call I made to get my letter would have cost me £7  :-[ (had I used the 08's)
Adding all the other calls I made, it's nearer 10 (luckily for me, landcalls (numbers found on this site previously) from my phone are free - - its the 08's that cripple us completely)
But I STILL dont get it! WHY are the 'answerers' of these calls sooohh reluctant to help us...

:)THANK YOU...THANK YOU...THANK YOU!! :-* :-* to all at NOto0870  :-* [smiley=thumbsup.gif] [smiley=dankk2.gif]

See the Pension Service Business Plan 2007/08:

http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/pdf/busplan/6tpsbusplan0708.pdf

In Annex 2 are lots of "Useful Telephone Numbers". Those beginning 0845 are described as "Local Rate".  ::) ::)

This year's plan is not available yet:

http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/aboutus/busplan/home.asp

If you look carefully at Annexe 1 to the 2007/08 Businesss Plan you will see that apart from 0845 numbers being described as "Local Rate", a 0191 and a 01253 number are both described as "Local Rate" whereas a 0207 number is described as "National Rate"

It it proves again that they don't know what they are talking about.

Dave wrote on Jun 24^th, 2008 at 11:43am:

See the Pension Service Business Plan 2007/08: http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/pdf/busplan/6tpsbusplan0708.pdf In Annex 2 are lots of "Useful Telephone Numbers". Those beginning 0845 are described as "Local Rate".  ::) ::)

I note that the chief executive at the time was Alexis Cleveland, who has since been appointed as Director General Transformational Government at the Cabinet Office.

She says she is now working with Sir David Varney who conducted his review of public services and recommended the switch to 03. Hopefully she is now aware that 0845 is not "local rate".

The Tell us how to improve our service, published June 2008, has correct pricing information with regards 0845 and 0870 numbers. Unfortunately it gives the 0845 number for contacting to tell them how they may improve service.  ::)

The DWP, and its many agencies, is indeed a nightmare - a further example here.