I’m not one for talking on phones (I like to write ?) and would probably fall at the first fence as I’m simply not very good at explaining how I feel though everyone tells me they only got to look at me to see I’m disabled but how does that work over a phone line? That said I even failed at the face to face even though they only had to look at me. LOL.
This telephoning malarkey must be heaven sent for the DWP and HMG because the cowards can hide behind a landline and yes you can tell I’ve not much respect for government officials any more after having to go to tribunal.
At lease with my situation they only got to look at me, can’t help laughing at that statement, but I’d imagine with depression and anxiety its a hard call to explain your feeling but funny thing is, even though I don’t think I suffer such problems its become apparent to me after going to court and breaking down and crying after they asked me if I ever travel abroad and I said since becoming disabled I can’t face the risk of being abandoned at an airport even though they say they will look after me I only see the news reports of wheelchair users being left on planes for hours while they find someone to wheel you off, this after having at least two trip a year aboard by air before being disabled, I just can’t face it now.
The subject of getting from here to there in everyday life was not even touched upon at my F2F so maybe by my application form they knew not to ask at the F2F.
Like other have said, I think Gorge your best bet now is the tribunal way and get some help but of course first AFTER GETTING HELP, first thing to do is ask for the Mandatory Reconsideration even though in my case I might as well of been talking to a brick wall but I made the mistake of getting help after I failed at MR.
Being law abiding citizens we are we know nothing about courts or judges other than what we see on TV and even though the process is informal its still a scary time but I always remember a line from Ronnie Barkers Porridge “don’t let the screws screw you down” and yes, I’ve had many of those sleepless nights of getting up at 3-00AM to write to my MP but a complete waste of my time in my case but I did get help from local volunteers who wrote a brilliant letter on my behalf to the DWP that helped to win the day in court.
Advice from my volunteers was to still send a letter or letters or medical evidence if you come across any to the DWP even after you’ve started the tribunal action off explaining to them how they have got there facts wrong because every word or letter you send to the DWP a copy has to be sent to the tribunal services by law so when they ignore you as they did with myself its put the DWP in bad light for not sorting things before it came to tribunal when they had a chance to fix it at the MR stage.
Anyway Gorge enough said for now and hope your successful at the MR stage as I’m told many are but remember “don’t let them screw
you down”. ?