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I have being trying to contact esa for the last 2 weeks about an increase savings but just get 1 ring then engaged tone.  I used special delivery in the first place but have had no response.  I have proof they received my letter with date and signiture.  Will post a following up letter referring to previous letter and photo of proof they received my last letter.

I have phoned DWP PIP enquiry line many times in the past 6 months to progress an issue for my husband. If you can get into the phone waiting queue, the time waiting for someone to pick up has increased from 45min in Feb to 1h20 in March, and now in May they have introduced a new phone handling system whereby after 30min of waiting the background music gets silenced so you are not aware if you have been dropped off the line, you should hang up or you shoudl carry on waiting. I suspect this does look like the average pick-up time has reduced, but the number of drop-offs must be very high and indicate the poor service.

Disability Living Allowance phone just keeps cutting out. I have been waiting for 17 weeks for a decision on my son.

I’m trying to get in touch with DLA regarding my 13 year old daughters claim get right through to we’re experiencing a high demand in calls, please hold the line then it just goes dead 

Have been waiting for a decision for DLA since January, received a letter 4 weeks ago apologising for the delay, not to worry etc all money will be paid that is owed.

Been on hold now for 2 hours, my ESA has,nt been payed into my bank, i,ve got direct debits coming out tomorrow, i,m starting to panic.

Can’t get through to child DLA- get through the options menus and to the hold message then just cuts off or I get the busy tone (this is using the 3, any other queries option). 

Tried to contact ESA today to advise them of an increase in my Civil Service pension-held on for over 97 minutes with no success.

PIP - called 5 times 1 hour each to change address and line is cut from their side every single time, "we are sorry but all our customer service agents are busy", there might be one customer service agent running the business, or none at all.

Kept waiting every day for 7 days for over an HR. No answer! 

On hold for 97 minutes before being cut off. I need to notify ESA about a change in income. I did this by post last year and they say they didn't receive it so they gave me a £50 fine. I don't trust post after this but getting through by phone seems impossible. I think my MP is next. All for a tiny increase in my pension which reduces ESA. If only Tory MPs were chased for money they owe like this. We could have a properly funded welfare state 

Esa everyday for upto 5hours !!!!! I haven't been paid my money its 7days late !!!! I'm fuming 

I have been trying to get through to the ESA help line (0800 169 0310) every day for 10 days now.  I have been on hold for up to 90 mins with nobody responding at all, at times it has just cut off after about an hour. This is wholly unacceptable and almost feels like it's a ploy just to stop you claiming.

Last year in April my esa payments dropped because according to them I was no longer on pip, this was despite a new award of pip was given the previous year in September so I rang to complain and state I AM on pip and have the letter proving it ! They referred me to pip’s telephone who told me YES your new pip goes to the 27th September 2027 so ring them back as our records are up to date. So second call back to Esa told them that it’s their end so a manager checked the other computer server for pip and saw my pip award and said she would get them to rectify it and call me back the next day. Next day no call back so I rang the 3rd time only for them to see this hadn’t been done so yet again it was being forwarded as she also had access to the pip server and said my award would be updated . A few days later I rang up to check but still nothing had been done and told ring on Monday to which call number 5 I got a right idiot guy who said “ if you’re on pip you’ve got to prove you’re on pip?” And he wdnt get the manager or check the previous calls and notes on the system and so nothing had been done so I was told I’d have to SEND A COPY OF MY PIP AWARD to the Barnsley office to prove my award existed ! So obviously phoning them I couldn’t get anywhere and was extremely upset as it’s bizarre but true the two departments are on different servers so they are not being updated and all Esa did was pass the buck onto the pip for not updating them despite managers access to them and the problem was with their computer servers and the request to the relevant department to fix the problem. !! I had to write a full complaint I would take to my MP along with a copy of my pip award and wait another two weeks before ringing again to finally be told a letter will confirm the award update with back pay - no sorry for the distress or admittance of their failure to properly investigate how an award proven had not been followed up 8 months later showing a serious problem with their system and a determination of denial of the facts by 3 of their colleagues or how many people like me hadn’t had their pip awards updated, people who weren’t aware of the issue with hundreds of pounds less money they like me depend on !! I also had to go down to the council tax office to produce my pip award as they too were unaware as Esa are supposed to update them and put me on a lower rate as a result. Even the council guy was stunned at such a debacle all because Esa dept refused to see they had a serious problem with their system that needed immediate attention. The staff are being told to ignore us on the phones unless you demand to speak and get a manager and even then it was not expedited and not followed up and by not receiving the call back from them I knew I was getting nowhere. So whatever you do check your award has been updated with Esa as you can’t trust them !!

I have anxiety which gets really bad when trying to contact a company that has “a press 1 for this” or “please answer these questions first”. I start shaking then my breathing goes. Most times I hang up long before I talk to someone because I’m getting so upset that I start crying. I need to tell DWP’s PIP department that there are changes to my health but there is no other way to contact them and they’ve now introduced this new AI asking questions about which benefits you’re on. Something needs to change because this new system makes it impossible for someone like me to get in touch.

ESA 0800 169 0310. In Feb was on hold for 50 minutes to inquire about reassessment. Today following up as havent heard anything. After 1hr and 8 minutes spoke to a Bootle man, very helpful and gave all the info I needed.

Does anyone know the free phone number to ESA cannot find it  thank you

Very difficult to get through to PIP department 

Rang esa twice this week first time 50 minutes on hold, but had stuff to do, and again now, so far at 60 minutes. What worries me is my kids school could be trying to call and I wouldn't know. Reporting a change should not be this difficult! 

Tried upteen times to contact them been cut off everytime waited once for over 50 mins had to put phone down as I had to leave house this must be the worst lot I have ever had to contact.if you can't get in touch how are you supposed to tell them about any changes,bet they will punish you if you don't tell them about changes