Parenting payment suspended

[satya]

I need advice on how to actually get some action out of Centrelink. I am getting absolutely nowhere with them.

My parenting payment was suspended as a friend did not return the reference letter to them. She wrongly assumed that because I was already getting the payment she didn't need to send it in & threw it out.

The Centrelink call centre have on two occasions told me they have re-sent the letter to my friend. She has not received it. A call centre operator advised me to go in to my local branch & ask for the letter to be printed on the spot. I waited for 1/2 an hour in the queue only to find that they could not print it out there. The woman pressed a button on her computer which supposedly sent the letter out & a week later it has still not arrived.

Today I called & was told that I should get my friend to write a letter confirming our separation & to sign it & take it in to the local office. I seriously doubt that this is going to work & I will wait in the queue only to be told that it means nothing. She also said she was re-printing the damn letter.

This has now been going on for a couple of months. I'm not desperate for the payment as I'm working part time, but with interest rates going up I will soon need it.

How on earth do I get some action out of them? Is there a department that deals with unresolved problems? Perhaps I should be having an appointment at my local office. I'm getting really sick of the whole situation.

[Lulu]

Call them and ask the their direct fax number. Get that letter from your friend confirming the split and fax it straight through. Take down reference numbers too. Get insistent if they say you cannot have it.

The frustrating thing is that woman bloody well could have printed that form off for you, or given you another form that would suffice, right then and there. GGGRERRRRRRR

[satya]

Thanks Lulu. She did try to print it but it would not print out for some reason.... she seemed surprised by it but said she'd get it sent out. I'm guessing that something is wrong & no matter how many times someone tries to reprint it no matter where they are located it's never going to arrive.

The woman on the phone today could not find another form that could be sent out. She said the only option was to reprint the original letter. She even put me on hold for about 15 minutes while she went through all the online forms looking for a form that I could download myself (just what I needed whilst I was at work & hoping to make a quick call). She didn't sound like she knew what she was on about though because she gave my address as the address that the letter had been sent to.... but I'm guessing with the abuse they must get the staff turnover would be pretty high.

I'm just glad I'm not desperate for the money.... yet.

I'll have to try & get the fax number as you suggest & failing that I guess I'll go wait in line again.

[C~Q]

Agghh that sucks...but hopefully you'll get a nice little back payment in time for Xmas!

[e_p]

As an employee I find it frustrating myself when I'm trying to issue a form/letter or do something in a customers file and the system just wont allow it...I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for you, especially when there's money involved!!
What I think would be the best thing to do is to have your friend write a letter - Centrelink need to be satisfied that you are separated by verifying with a 3rd party - the letter will need to say when you separated from your partner, her relationship to you and/or your partner, whether she's aware of any shared financial commitments/assets, arrangements with care of the kids, who has changed address...as much information as she can that confirms you are no longer with your partner - ask her if she could put her phone number on the letter, and tell the Centrelink staff that they are welcome to call your friend if they need further information - hopefully the person you get will think laterally. I think the letter that is sent to referees to verify a separation is actually a proforma that asks specific questions - perhaps if your friend's letter doesn't quite cover anything, the staff member can view the letter on your file, call your friend and ask them over the phone. I'm not sure whether this will be possible but maybe it will - be insistent, and if it doesn't work, call the Customer Relations Unit who can be really good at getting an outcome for you when you've done all you can and its just not working! All the best!