As deputy for my mum (who's in a care home) I'm in the process of informing those who need to be informed about my mum's change of circumstances. At the moment this simply consists of telling banks, pension departments, solicitor, tax office, etc, that my mum has a change of address and I'm acting for her. I've mentioned to talk to a couple of people today, but the solictor's office has 'currently no-one to answer the phone, and you can't leave a message'. The tax office is 'very busy, and there's a 35 minute waiting time for your call to be answered'. I had to give up on the Co-Op (Bank) because it was an automated service. I was able to key in the account code and the sort code, but when it came to my mum's 'security number', for obvious reasons I don't have that. There was no option to speak to a human .
Of the two contacts I did get to speak to, the DWP were extremely frustrating. All I wanted to do was pass on my mum's change of address, which she's not capable of doing. I was asked dozens of questions, which I would expect. I gave them my details alongside my mum's information, but I was left feeling that I was trying to defraud them somehow. The only change is her address. Her pension will still be paid into the account that it's been paid into for years, under her name. I was asked why I hadn't submitted the 'paperwork' before this. My response was, 'What paperwork?' I don't claim from them so I don't know what their rules are, and I was told 'How do we know you are who you say you are?' Well I don't know, how do you? And what difference does it make? My mum is the one receiving the pension. They've now apparently 'logged' what I've told them, but they won't change the information 'officially' until I write them a letter with my and her details. This I'm fine with. However, they also told me that I need to send an original copy of the Court of Protection order. Now this I've very reluctant to do, as some people on here will understand. I asked if they would return it and was told that I would need to state in my letter that I wanted the order returning. Apparently, they don't return 'copies'. However, if I have to send the original, how does the copy document come into it? If my mum was capable of informing them of her change of address they wouldn't need a copy of my court order would they?
In complete contrast, the lady on the end of the phone at Direct Lane helped me out in a very short space of time, telling me that all I needed to do was send a covering letter with my court order and they would then let me know how I could access my mum's account. They'd return my court order by registered post but, if I was still reluctant about posting it, I could go into my nearest branch (either RSB and I can't remember what the other one was), with my covering letter and the order, and they would copy it and post it off, along with the letter, to where it needed to go. The lady on the phone even gave me a name to write 'for the attention of'.
Sorry for such a long moan, but there'll be plenty of people on here who understand what a difference it makes when you have somebody helping you out in as simple terms as possible, as opposed to those who try and make life very difficult when you're already dealing with a lot of anxiety and grief. Does anybody on here have any idea whether I do need to send my original court order to the DWP? After all, it's not my pension. The woman there talked about 'power of attorney' shortly after I'd mentioned deputyship. When I pointed out that the two were quite different she was a bit huffy. It's not my fault if you don't know what you're talking about . I have an appointment for a phone chat with my 'case management team' tomorrow, and I'll bring this up then. This will be my first opportunity to speak to someone who is actually qualified to talk to me about my deputyship. Until this happens I'm stumbling through the dark, so it's no use somebody from the DWP asking me why 'the paperwork hasn't been sent in already'. Can you tell I'm p'ed off with them?
Of the two contacts I did get to speak to, the DWP were extremely frustrating. All I wanted to do was pass on my mum's change of address, which she's not capable of doing. I was asked dozens of questions, which I would expect. I gave them my details alongside my mum's information, but I was left feeling that I was trying to defraud them somehow. The only change is her address. Her pension will still be paid into the account that it's been paid into for years, under her name. I was asked why I hadn't submitted the 'paperwork' before this. My response was, 'What paperwork?' I don't claim from them so I don't know what their rules are, and I was told 'How do we know you are who you say you are?' Well I don't know, how do you? And what difference does it make? My mum is the one receiving the pension. They've now apparently 'logged' what I've told them, but they won't change the information 'officially' until I write them a letter with my and her details. This I'm fine with. However, they also told me that I need to send an original copy of the Court of Protection order. Now this I've very reluctant to do, as some people on here will understand. I asked if they would return it and was told that I would need to state in my letter that I wanted the order returning. Apparently, they don't return 'copies'. However, if I have to send the original, how does the copy document come into it? If my mum was capable of informing them of her change of address they wouldn't need a copy of my court order would they?
In complete contrast, the lady on the end of the phone at Direct Lane helped me out in a very short space of time, telling me that all I needed to do was send a covering letter with my court order and they would then let me know how I could access my mum's account. They'd return my court order by registered post but, if I was still reluctant about posting it, I could go into my nearest branch (either RSB and I can't remember what the other one was), with my covering letter and the order, and they would copy it and post it off, along with the letter, to where it needed to go. The lady on the phone even gave me a name to write 'for the attention of'.
Sorry for such a long moan, but there'll be plenty of people on here who understand what a difference it makes when you have somebody helping you out in as simple terms as possible, as opposed to those who try and make life very difficult when you're already dealing with a lot of anxiety and grief. Does anybody on here have any idea whether I do need to send my original court order to the DWP? After all, it's not my pension. The woman there talked about 'power of attorney' shortly after I'd mentioned deputyship. When I pointed out that the two were quite different she was a bit huffy. It's not my fault if you don't know what you're talking about . I have an appointment for a phone chat with my 'case management team' tomorrow, and I'll bring this up then. This will be my first opportunity to speak to someone who is actually qualified to talk to me about my deputyship. Until this happens I'm stumbling through the dark, so it's no use somebody from the DWP asking me why 'the paperwork hasn't been sent in already'. Can you tell I'm p'ed off with them?