Furious - is it all a scam?

I have been waiting for a letter to confirm which group I had been put in(received this morning). Phoned about it last week and was told over the phone that I would be getting £25.95 a week extra (which Gordon had already told me in an earlier post). I was told this would be backdated for 4 weeks.

Letter this morning - breakdown of figures stated that "extra money because of your partner's age" has been reduced by £25.95, there you go - my premium has now disappeared and it says my weekly amount is the same as I have been getting.

Telephoned to say the figures were wrong, my husband's age and circumstances have not changed but she could not give me an explanation and I am waiting for a "call back" from Basildon.

I am furious and am wondering what is all the effort for in going to assessments and then have to be subjected to interviews etc. I have worked since I was 15 and am now 57 and have never ever claimed anything. This seems totally unjust and unfair and it stinks of not wanting to award me what is due.

Sorry to go on but I am so cross - can anyone forearm me with something before this telephone call comes in about 3 hours. I would be so grateful. Thank you.

It's a stab in the dark, but is your husband getting pension credit? If so, the calculation of the interplay between ESA and pension credit would be more than we'd normally advise on here.

Dear Gordon

I am on income related ESA. My husband is medically retired. He is 60 and receives a pension of £152 per month. He gets no pension credit or any state benefits at all. I have told them that this barely covered our council tax and that is all the income we have whatsoever. That is why they awarded us £99.65 per week under that category from the get go.

Sorry it has not been possible to publish your post.

Please see www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/faq/forum-faq#deleted