How to complain
We can sort out most complaints if you simply tell us about the problem.
If you are unhappy with our service:
- contact the office dealing with your claim
- tell us what you are not happy about.
We will deal with your complaint in the best way for you. For example, if you want us to phone you instead of writing to you, let us know.
We will look into what you say and contact you about it. We aim to answer in one and a half weeks.
Find out more
To find out more:
- If you are unhappy with the service we have provided, go to our complaints page on Directgov
- Visit our local events pages to look at our performance on complaints and compliments
- Visit the DWP complaints and appeals page
What we are doing to make things better for our customers
We take your complaints very seriously and aim to improve our services as a result. Here are some examples of what we are doing to make things better for our customers.
I wasn’t told that my Carer’s Allowance was due to stop because the person being cared for no longer received Disability Living Allowance / Attendance Allowance
We now send a letter to let you know if your Carer’s Allowance is due to stop and explain why.
I’m not happy with the guidance I received on advance claims
We sent a bulletin to staff reminding them of the correct procedure.
I’m not always told about how my claim is progressing
We sent instructions to staff detailing what they need to do at each stage of the claim process. This includes the need to keep customers up to date.
I’m not always happy with how and who you contact regarding my care needs
We developed a ‘telephone techniques’ course to improve the way our staff asked sensitive questions.
You sometimes make a decision on a claim even though you have told me that I had until a certain date to send you further information
We make sure that if you have been told you have up until a certain date to send us further information that we honour that. We will contact you just before the target date is reached to up date you on progress.
The music is too loud on your helpline
We turned it down!
I have received envelopes that aren’t sealed
We identified a batch of faulty stationery and removed the envelopes from use.
The wording in one of your leaflets about Disability Living Allowance (DLA) was misleading
We changed our leaflet to refer to ‘illness’ as well as ‘disability’ to make it easier to understand that customers who have an incurable illness can also make a claim.
I was correctly told I could not receive DLA after the age of 65 but I wasn’t informed that I could claim prior to my 65th birthday
We revised are helpline training to make it easier for our staff to answer your query correctly.
I was told that I must make my complaint in writing to the Chief Executive
We sent a reminder to let staff know that complaints can also be made verbally.
There is a lack of communication between the two agencies dealing with my complaint
We changed our Complaints Handling Guide to include guidance on dealing with complaints that involve more than one agency. We also carried out staff training to include information about dealing with cross-agency complaints.