Aha! Thank you so much It's not the amount, it's the principle of the thing. You're a star.

Ooh good idea! You're sure the DCA wouldn't chase 20 quid?

Ok, this is for my daughter. She had an Orange contract, which tbh was a nightmare from day 1. She signed a 24 month contract and within 2 months they put it up by about 20%. I was very ill at the time so she wasn't paying attention and therefore was deemed to have accepted this. She then obviously paid the next 22 odd months at this extortionate rate. Awful customer service, awful coverage. Basically she couldn't wait to be shot of them. She then had problems cancelling the contract and was given conflicting information every time she phoned. She asked them to unblock her phone and after a long saga, was finally free of them. They even sent her £30 back. She later received a bill saying she owed a final £20 (for unblocking the phone?) and they are now chasing her with a letter from Moorcroft. The letter states that Orange will reconnect her at no charge once she has paid!! Does anyone have any idea or letter template to ask them cease and desist? Pretty please? Many many thanks!

I know I KNOW!!! LOL It's like a drug

Just a little update. I got a letter last week stating that I no longer needed to attend a tribunal as my decision had been revised in my favour. This week I got the back pay - 7 months worth of it! Thank goodness,as we nearly lost the house, my relationship is creaking under the strain, and we've been living on the poverty line since my unforeseen and sudden illness 11 months ago. I hate that it took all this to get the right (for me) decision, but it shows that it is possible! I don't know when I'll be able to work again. I'll never be an Executive PA again (after 30 years of it) and although I've been offered some typing at the local hospital, I still don't know if I'm up to it physically as I still have to spend a day in bed when I overdo it two days running..... And when I say overdo it, I mean go to the shops or something!! For me, what seems to have clinched it is 1) the involvement of my (Tory) MP and 2) a very detailed report from the stroke rehab psychologist.

Just saw this - I got my (Tory) MP involved on the advice of the Stroke Association (I had a bleed on the brain last Feb). The outcome is I got an APOLOGY from Atos!! Yes I did. And they said they were sorry the medical had been carried out "wrong" and didn't take into account my cognitive and fatigue problems; and they would "offer further training" to the doctor who carried out the medical. And they apologised for the long wait I had, when the nurse who was supposed to carry it out realised I should be seen by a (more qualifed??!) doctor. That was end of last year. I have just this week had the decision revised in my favour and been paid back pay. In my case, they have agreed that I have "limited capability for work" and as such I'm entitled to ESA. Very stressful but a good outcome. Good luck!

Great news! As f or me, well after getting an apology from Atos (!!) thanks to the MP writing to them, they have reversed their decision without me needing to attend a Tribunal! The back payment is coming in very handy seeing as we've been living under the poverty line for the past year thanks to my sudden illness. There is yet another article in the Daily Mail about how only 6% of people are actually in need of the benefit, which is an insult to all sick and disabled claimants. You should see the comments by most people on there - I hope none of them ever need to claim, I can tell you!

Thank you for the link!

As you might have seen on another thread, I actually got an apology from Atos - well, they wrote to my MP when I got him involved, and said they'd done an "immediate investigation" to see why I had scored zero points. I still don't know where that leaves my appeal though. However, before I got this letter, we got another one with an attachment that explained that the Atos doctors are "specially trained" and that "The Atos Healthcare Professional's examination is not to diagnose or discuss treatment of the customer's illness or disability. It is to assess how it affects the customer and their ability to work. Our aim is to look at what each customer is capable of, not what limitations they may have". Which is interesting, because the ESA form and the DLA form focus on what you CAN'T do. Oh well........

First of all, please try to relax and BREATHE! Like the previous posters say, even if you "fail" and get 0 points, it won't be anything personal. They just have targets to reach and I think they are failing pretty well everyone! It's very sad but it's a reality that you will probably have to appeal. I remember my GP saying "there's no way they'll find you fit to work" (I had a stroke in February) - well I got ZERO points.... And when I got the letter I burst into tears even though people had warned me. If you don't usually wash, then don't do anything different that day (believe me, I know - since my stroke I can't shower every day any more, too much effort....) Take your time, be yourself, maybe take hubby along for support. And then come back and report it to us here. We've been there! Take care!

Well done you! But I'm the same - I'd wait until the money was in my bank account before believing it lol!! I'm hoping mine is going this way - after all, Atos have apologised for messing up my medical.....

Yeah, I had to declare my daughter's earnings: she's only 20, gets just 5 quid an hour because minimum wage is lower when you are under 21 or something... and she earns a grand total of 500 quid a month in retail where she is doing a manager's role, keyholder, cashing up etc. Such a responsible position yet they are paying a fiver an hour. It's diabolical. She doesn't even get time and a half for bank holidays or Sundays or anything. This is the kind of job that is out there, Messrs Cameron and Clegg. How can anyone live on that?

I'm reading this with interest (no pun intended!) because our mortgage payment has been halved too. Which leaves the remaining half to be paid out of ESA, barely leaving any money for other bills! If this is going on round the country it will just force people to work without declaring it, i.e. force people into crime and risk prison I'm just so despondent about the whole thing. Just when I was getting excited that Atos had issued me with an apology for messing up my medical!

I haven't been on here for a while, but I thought I'd let you know that, thanks to the Stroke Association, I got my MP involved in my ESA dispute and today I finally got a letter from him with a copy of the reply from Atos Healthcare: I actually got AN APOLOGY! (Background history is that I had a brain haemorrhage and brain surgery in Feb whilst temping so therefore had no income. I was given ESA but then attended medical and got zero points despite cognitive issues and crippling post-stroke fatigue. We also queried whether the decision to send me for a medical was taken by an admin person or medical practitioner). Here is the text of the letter with interesting bits in bold! "Jobcentre Plus in xxx forwarded a copy of your letter to them on 8 Oct 2010 together with correspondence from Ms medsec. On receipt I immediately commenced an investigation into the concerns raised relating to Ms medsec's medical assessment for ESA held at xxx on 22 June 2010. In respect of the guidelines, I can confirm that consideration is given to each referral from Jobcentre Plus, to decide whether a medical assessment is required in accordance with ESA legislation. The decision to ask Ms medsec to attend for an assessment was made by a healthcare professional, as only those people with the most severe physical or mental restrictions are placed into the support group and do not have an assessment for ESA. However, as a result of our investigation I have advised Jobcentre Plus that the medical report provided on 22 June has not been completed appropriately. It should have contained a record of cognitive testing and also taken more account of the fatigue experienced by Ms medsec. Jobcentre Plus decide entitlement to benefit based on all available evidence and they will now consider how our investigation impacts on the benefit claim and whether a further medical assessment is required. If Ms medsec wishes to discuss the claim with them she can call 0845.... Our Medical Manager will provide additional training to the examining doctor to ensure all future work is in accordance with professional standards. I sincerely apologise on behalf of Atos Healthcare for the deficiencies identified within this medical report and for upset caused to Ms medsec by the delay in starting the assessment. (this relates to the TWO HOUR wait I had to endure at the medical!!) Yours sincerely...." So, good news but as my partner says, it's disgusting that we have had to go to these lengths. The squeaky wheel gets the oil: I'm lucky I have had support to do this as in my current state I would have just given up at the first hurdle. Oh but that would have just "proved that I was faking it", as the media say....

Thank you for the link to that Guardian article - makes scary reading though doesn't it I'm on ESA following a brain haemorrhage and brain surgery. I got a total of ZERO POINTS at my ESA medical. It's a farce.