I received a response this morning from my local MP : "Thank you for your letter regarding the Department of Work and Pensions and the trouble you have had with regards to your health, work, and treatment by the DWP. Although I have raised these concerns with the DWP, and asked for a response, I want to make you aware that if you do require a letter of support from myself with regards to any complaint that you wish to make, I will write that letter for you. I understand from your letter that your new job position will have started by now. Congratulations on the position and I hope that the position suits you as well as you had hoped. I hope this helps to answer any outstanding questions you may have. If there is anything else I can do for you, please do not hesitate to contact me. " So based on this I'm assuming he's on board at least. I'm going to continue the appeal process, picking up the required forms today, and visit citizens advice to make sure I'm covering all the points I need to. I may hear something back before this is finalised, as I'm aware the process can be rather long. I'll keep you folks posted regardless just in case the information can help others. Thank you.

After going around the houses, I've been able to come to arrangement with the agency and sort out referencing/identification (this is a government employment issue, rather than a result of DWP directly). I'm just waiting for a start date now, subject to the DBS check being completed. In the meantime, I had to attend another interview today at the job centre. I highlighted that I'd need financial help to make it to the job, but they cannot provide anything until I have a definitive start date. They are prepared to offer a bus bass for the first week of employment once I do have one. They would not, however, refund the cost of travelling to the centre itself for the meeting. If I had not been able to borrow the bus fare today I would have been sanctioned again. Still no word from the MP, I'm trying to get in touch with citizens advice right now (their web chat doesn't seem to ever be available) via phone to see what options, if any, are left on the table for me. This system is utterly ridiculous, how anyone could have possibly thought it was an improvement I will never understand.

Still waiting on a response from the MP, how long does it typically take? I've also run into a stumbling block with the position I was successful with. The agency handling the vacancy require up to date photographic ID (my passport expired 2 years ago) which I cannot afford due to the sanction.

I am hoping that the job I am about to start will mean I don't have to, as this request would essentially be identical to what I'm already contesting. Their track record of listening to me so far has been...well, they haven't, clearly. Hell, I'm still waiting for a reemploy referral I put in for a month ago and reminded them of two weeks later...

I was on ESA for around 6 months when it was still Jobseekers Allowance. I have made enquiries about it over the last few months, but job centre staff have informed me that it no longer exists, that it's all rolled into Universal Credit now.

Due to my living arrangements, a loss of benefit will not result in either starvation or homelessness. As such, any applications for hardship have been denied. I was able to secure a food parcel once, to assist with my contributions to the household, but obviously that doesn't help with the more immediate issue of needing to fill my time with more meaningful things. The DWP have insisted that they have funds available to help with travel costs to interviews and for new starters to ensure they can both look for work and accept positions, but they've been very vague whenever the subject has been brought up. Trying to get a concrete answer from their call centre is very much akin to pulling teeth in this regard.

Ok, I've emailed my MP. I guess all I can do is wait now. Does this kind of behaviour often get overturned? As I have been entirely unsuccessful in the past, and I don't see how my situation now is any different to then.

I am hesitant about pursuing it further as it seems like it would be a potentially stressful waste of time for me in light of the outcome given last time. I haven't spoken to anyone outside of DWP and citizens advice yet. What would be the best way to go about looping in the local MP?

I have been claiming universal credit for around 13 months whilst trying to recover from anxiety and depression. I have on several occasions explained to the DWP that these conditions affect my ability to work and attend scheduled appointments, providing as much medical evidence as doctors will provide. Back in March I missed an appointment during a particularly difficult time for me. I wasn't able to talk to anyone or leave the house. I contacted the DWP as soon as I felt able and arranged another appointment, which I later rescheduled myself, against as a result of my condition. This all happened around 5 months ago. In the last 4 weeks, I was sent a sanction notice for the period. The missed appointment was the trigger, and then rescheduling my next appointment made it longer according to them. This has resulted in me losing almost 3 consecutive months worth of payments (the first one which would have been this week) for missing a single appointment. I contacted citizens advice, who spoke with DWP on my behalf. After speaking with their call centre staff, the charity advised me to seek a mandatory reconsideration and provide the medical evidence which DWP had requested. DWP wanted a medical note, but my GP would only provide me with a medical history as they cannot provide medical notes retroactively. The mandatory reconsideration decision was given today, and it was not overturned. They cited not attending any medical appointments around the time I missed my DWP appointment as reason to enforce the sanction, despite my conditions. Around a year ago, a similar situation arose, where my health condition prevented me from attending some appointments but not all. This particular issue was also addressed by citizens advice, and eventually went to tribunal. At tribunal the DWP argued that since I had attended one appointment during a specific period, I should have been able to attend all of them, which is completely at odds with the nature of my condition and how it can affect my day to day activity. My concern is that they will do this again, resulting in yet another tribunal process being a complete waste of time. I feel as though DWP are running circles around me, taking advantage of my health situation and punishing me for the symptoms it causes. In the meantime I have been able to find work, a government role which begins in a couple of weeks, however I have no financial support to help me through the first couple of weeks of employment and I am worried that the stress of this situation could potentially cause a breakdown (not my first) that forces me to resign. I am not sure what to do, any advice would be much appreciated.

I'd done so well for months, completely debt free (many thanks to people on this site that helped during the time) and then landed myself in financial trouble recently after losing my job. I took out a loan with these guys again to cover christmas, but my plan to repay was scuppered by an unexpected medical complication. My due date was last Thursday, for which the direct debit was bounced back. I contacted quickquid that afternoon and came to an arrangement whereby I paid £8.50 then from £31.50 debt, and the remaining balance for £23 (amounts are not exact) today. When I went to make the payment today, I found that they'd added a late payment fee of £12. After trying to contest this and failing I asked for them to cancel my card. Instead they debitted my account for the full £35. They did not tell me they had done this, I only found out when I chcked my bank account balance a few minutes ago. A late payment fee was not applied last Thursday, yet it was today, even though I tried to pay today. Apparently my account is being forwarded for review (the last time that happened was several years ago, and it took weeks to recieve a response...rather than the 48 hours I was promised) So...my question...do I have a leg to stand on here? Am I in the right, or are they entitled to do that? Many thanks

They want to settle for £120, they've taken off £180, initial loan was 240, plus interest for 1 month takes it to 300. But that's the point of contention, I'd already paid that interest off. So it's either going to be 120, or 60 depending on how that goes. It would have been so much easier for them if they'd just settled in the first place...

Results are in. PDE have agree that they have treated me unfairly by : ignoring messages that said I couldn't afford the repayment, adding interest back in May when they should have accepted my proposed repayment plan, and that they should not have continued contacting me via telephone/text after I expressly asked them not to. They've agreed to reduce the outstanding balance by a significant amount provided I can stick to my original proposal. The only niggly issue is that their total from which they've subtracted the reduction does not take into account the fact that £60 in interest was added when it shouldn't have been. I'm waiting to hear back concerning this particular part, and the small matter of them still sending texts (apparently a system upgrade...they take two weeks now?) Will probably have to wait a week or two for this final response as my particular case worker in on annual leave until mid-october.

Another update, shouldn't (hopefully) be many more now : FoS have completed their investigation and are just waiting on a final response from PDE, which the lender is dragging its' heels over. PDE were, however, quite happy to send me a text at 8.20 this morning to say that a default was being registered against me. Lovely wake up call. They provided a number to 'discuss how we can help'. Are they able to do this whilst the dispute remains unresolved? UPDATE : And another one, literally, as I'm typing this. It all seems a bit bit desperate from my perspective.

Took them a couple of months, but the Money Shop have now jumped on the bandwagon trying to get in touch with me over the phone despite the communication preference template letter I sent to PDE. They don't even have my correct name. The fos want records of any contact the business makes whilst the investigation is ongoing, so another email sent to them today. Should have a final decision from them in a few more weeks.

Situation resolved. Phoned in (recorded of course) as she needed it dealt with quickly to make early repayment, wasn't in the mood for them dragging heels and adding extra interest for no reason. They tried to argue it at first, but after a couple of minutes of my prettier half not backing down it was passed to management and they sorted it in seconds. In fairness to the frontline operatives, their system for processing payments seems fairly archaic and unfriendly, which is why this happened in the first place. No excuse for using it obviously, it's finances afterall, but it explains why their representatives kept getting tripped up. It seems the moral is keep at it, there are far worse guys out there to deal with in my experience. By no means a perfect company, but being open to negotiation puts them head and shoulders above others straight away.