Dotty G
What is your experience of speaking to the DWP?Unfortunately, my experience of speaking with the DWP either in person or over the phone is often negative.
In fact, I dread going to the Job Centre, and am always apprehensive to ask them about anything - even if I really do need advice or have a burning question. In fact, I only do this if I am in an emergency situation regarding my payments, otherwise, I try my best to find out the information that I need in another way - mostly by asking family or friends who have been in a similar situation, or by using the internet.
This is because, as soon as you get to the door of a Jobcentre, your immediately met by security guards, which is really intimidating, and not a nice way to be treated just because you haven't currently got a job. Imagine if you'd just been made redundant from a high paying, high flying job, only to be treated like a criminal just because your no longer working, This seems so unfair.
Furthermore though, talking with the DWP over the phone is no better either, because I find that your often keep waiting on the line for such a long time before anyone even answers, and when they do, you are often spoken to with a great deal of suspicion and weariness, which again, just seems so unfair, because often we are only phoning to either sort our money out or because we have a general enquiry, which is what I thought the job centre staff were there to help with in the first place.