recorded delivery

Well I am posting my ESA50 today and will be sending it recorded delivery. Mine goes direct to the building where they actually do the medicals, it is not a PO Box so am hoping it gets there safely!

Hope yours gets sorted Darren.

PS, I did have to laugh when I printed my ESA50 out and folded it, it wouldn't fit in the envelope they had sent!!!!

Hi All,

Just been reading this thread.

Whilst I understand people's concern and clearly the more you can do to meet deadlines the better, it isn't a claimant's responsibility to be aware of, and take into account, the particular vagaries of the DWP's post handling systems.

If a deadline for a receipt of a document is given by the DWP and you take reasonable steps to meet that deadline, and can show you have done so, then you have discharged your responsibility.

I suspect that not even Atos/DWP would argue that a letter has not been received until they choose to collect it from a PO box and that they are free to collect post as randomly as they wish. If they did do so, no tribunal would be likely to accept such an argument.

Clearly this would be no consolation to an individual claimant if they were on the receiving end of such poor practice. But it would be disastrous if everyone started rushing to return their ESA50 forms weeks before the deadline if they hadn't had time to complete them properly and gather any supporting evidence that might make a difference to the decision making process.

Finally, I would just say that I have no more faith in the post office's ability to track a letter accurately than I do in Atos/DWP's ability to open it on time.

Steve

I sent mine back to Bristol recorded delivery on the 27/07 and it still says its on its way according to royal mail tracking... but was recieved on the 3/08 at St Helens??? apparently the mail for the atos dept on the envelope they included with the esa50 is being redirected to St Helens?

darrenay wrote:

hi all
further to my original post, it is now the 4th of august day my forms had to be in.i checked with the post office again this morning and guess what forms have not been picked up from po box, that is now 10 days. i phoned atos this morning to see what was going on, i spoke to a guy called tom, he would not give his surname he asked for my national insurance number and when i told him he said we have no records of that number. when i explained what was going on with the po box and that my forms had to be in by today and that my benefit could be stopped because of this he suddenly said oh wait a minuite the forms were recieved and they were asking my doctor to fill in some forms for more info goodbye. i have sat and thought about this a bit and have been wandering how could he know this as to atos at the moment i do not exist on their sytem, makes you wander what atos are up to.
best regards

I also paid £5.90 for a special delivery to Atos on the 19/08/2011 and guess what? according Royal mail their mail is redirected to a PO box and no one has picked it up yet this will be the 6th working day after i sent it.