Customer Compliance interview and privacy

[uniquelyme]

Hi everyone,

 

I have received a letter with an appointment for an Customer Compliance interview to take place next week. From what I have read there's nothing to worry about if I have nothing to hide, so I'm not worried and haven't even bothered with legal advice. I have collected/printed my bank statements and all the documentation they want to see already, all arranged in a folder ready for their perusal. My situation is quite straighforward, unlike some I've seen in other posts with partners and children involved, so I can't see there being any potential for complications in my case.

 

I do have a concern, however:

1) I find it intrusive to my privacy for someone to comb through all my transactions and be able to see what I bought from where. I'd imagine they're more interested in seeing what goes in and how much money I have in total. No problem, it's all there black on white. I don't even have a problem with them seeing how much I spend, but I'm sure anyone who has nothing to hide still has normal card transactions that are intimate and personal.

Am I being unreasonable in feeling which underwear shop I use and what subscriptions I have should really be private?

 

Ultimately the answer I'm looking for is very specific, and nobody at the DWP seems to know the answer: Can I redact my statements so that they still show the balance and how much has gone in and been spent, but not necessarily the transaction details? I'm talking small amounts, nothing over a few dozen quid.

 

Thanks in advance!

[NoworNever]

Why would you when you have nothing to hide ?The compliance officer will look at dozens of bank statements a day, they couldn't care less where you buy your undies, it probably wouldn't even register. What will register is a load of crossed out/ blacked out lines, they would raise questions and suspicions - its human nature. My advice is just show the statements - why not ?

[uniquelyme]

Some people just value their privacy more than others, I don't judge if you won't

 

Just because a Gynaecologist sees dozens of lady bits every day it doesn't make it any less awkward for me to go through a scrape and I'd rather not do it if I didn't absolutely have to. But then maybe I have something to hide...

[antone]

Basically, the only answer is that you could give it a shot, and let the interviewing officer decide if it's OK. But I'd advise against it because if he or she decides it's not OK, well, you just have to go through the whole thing all over again.

 

You don't have a specific legal right to privacy when claiming benefits, as such. You are entitled to expect that the DWP requests only the information that is relevant to your claim.

 

So again, I think it's not possible to give a single, definitively correct answer to your question. All I can say is that it's probably more trouble than it's worth to go to battle on this one.

[uniquelyme]

Fair enough. I will have redacted and unredacted printouts of my statements ready. If he/she sympathises with my argument good, otherwise they can look at their own peril!

Thanks Antone!

[antone]

Fair enough. I will have redacted and unredacted printouts of my statements ready. If he/she sympathises with my argument good, otherwise they can look at their own peril!

Thanks Antone!

 

That sounds like a fair compromise.