I care for my husband who has multiple sclerosis and early onset dementia. He is only 59 years old and is deteriorating. I work part-time in a shop, mainly for respite but the money comes in useful, too.
From January 1, I had my hours cut from 15 to ten a week which meant I became entitled to carer’s allowance. I applied to the Department for Work and Pensions on February 1, asking for it to be back dated to January 1. I have not received a penny, or any correspondence. Please help.
S. R., West Sussex.
Sally Hamilton replies: I’m so sorry to read about your husband’s health issues. You have enough on your plate supporting him without having to chase the DWP.
Carer’s allowance is available at a rate of £81.90 a week to a person who cares for a disabled person at least 35 hours a week and that individual is receiving at least one of a list of benefits, such as the daily living component of the Personal Independent Payment, or attendance allowance.
Carers only get it if their earnings are £151 or less, a week, after tax.
On one call you made to officials, you were told they had your application, but it had been passed to an office dealing with claims that have been waiting more than nine weeks. You were astonished, as by this time 26 weeks had passed. You had asked your local MP for assistance but heard nothing back.
You came to me as you were worried about money. You have had to give notice at work as you feel it is no longer safe to leave your husband home alone.
Finances will be tight until January 2025 when you can claim your state pension. At that point you will no longer be entitled to carer’s allowance but you may still be entitled to what is called an ‘underlying’ entitlement to carer’s allowance if you receive pension credit.
A premium of £45.60 per week is paid on top of pension credit if you would be getting carer’s allowance but for the fact that you are a pensioner.
You expressed your annoyance not just about the delays which have left you more than £2,000 out of pocket but by the poor communication over the months.
You asked if the hold-up was because you previously claimed carer’s allowance and had been overpaid for a short period after a return to work in 2023. However, you repaid this promptly and the DWP confirmed nothing more was owed.
I asked the DWP what the usual waiting time is for claims but got no response.
However, Mobilise, an information website for carers, suggests the normal period is three to six weeks – though it has heard reports of delays up to 15 weeks.
It seems your claim had landed in a time warp somewhere. I asked the DWP to get to work on it so you could receive this vital financial lifeline. This got things moving and within a few days your claim was agreed, including the arrears which totalled £2,165 for February to August.
No explanation was forthcoming for the gridlock. A DWP spokesman says: ‘We have apologised to S.R. for the delays she experienced with her claim. Her payment has now been reinstated and arrears have been paid.’
My husband paid £5,400 for chairs but then died – now I can’t get a refund
I am 75 and have read the Daily Mail for more than 50 years. I need your help. My husband sadly passed away on June 12. He was very ill as his liver was failing and he had lost weight.
About a month before he died, he decided that sitting in a chair would help him feel better. He asked our children to contact furniture retailer HSL, and a salesman came to the house. He brought a selection of chairs to try and set my husband up with two chairs, saying he would get a discount if he bought two.
I did try to dissuade my husband, but he paid the whole sum of £5,400. They were delivered a couple of days later, by which point my husband’s health had deteriorated and he was no longer able to use them.
Neither chair was used so are in perfect condition, but when I asked HSL to take them back for a refund, it refused. I have emailed and written to the chief executive but received no reply.
L.P., Bromley.
Sally Hamilton replies: It seemed harsh for you to be turned down for a refund in such tragic circumstances, especially as the chairs were never used.
And it does seem incredible that such items would have been sold to someone so unwell. But a salesman could not have been expected to know how ill he was. Under consumer law, HSL had the right to reject a refund request as your late husband had seen the chairs in person and had them fitted to his shape and then ordered them of his own free will.
It is harder to return items for a refund bought this way unless they are faulty.
Since the chairs were unused, I felt inclined to step in and ask for special consideration so contacted HSL.
It is a large family firm that specialises in adjustable and reclining chairs popular with those suffering mobility issues.
HSL’s head of customer care responded quickly.
She said she was saddened to hear of your husband’s death but insisted it is not a rare occurrence for deaths to occur soon after purchase due to the demographic of its customers, making it unsustainable to allow returns in all such cases.
She said furniture that is sent back usually goes to charity and is not resold.
However, she was sympathetic and said since the company puts customer satisfaction at its core it would, on this occasion, take back the chairs.
When I caught up with you last week, you told me you were mightily relieved that the items had already been collected and the £5,400 refunded.
Straight to the point
The cruise I booked was cancelled so we booked another leaving a day later. I asked agency Travel Performance if my flight upgrade to the departure location could be transferred. It told the airline to move me to business class but when I arrived the airline didn’t know this. I was seated in economy and want a refund.
Travel Performance is refunding £489.
I was sent a recall letter for a Russell Hobbs stove I bought at Currys in 2021. I don’t want it repaired and prefer a refund but haven’t been offered this. Each time I call Russell Hobbs the line cuts off and I feel this issue lies with Currys but it keeps pointing me back to Russell Hobbs.
Currys and Russell Hobbs say customers should follow Office for Product Safety and Standards advice and organise a free inspection. Currys has now resolved the issue.
I ordered a £90 pair of trainers for a race but didn’t get them. The courier says it has lost the parcel so I must contact the manufacturer for a refund. I have emailed, called and messaged to no avail.
The retailer apologises and says it was overrun with orders which led to delays in replying to customers. The courier also apologises. You have been refunded by the retailer and given a voucher.
I moved house and wanted to take my BT broadband with me. This was arranged and I waited in all day but the BT engineer never came. I was later told they couldn’t provide a service at my new home. BT told me to try Virgin. I did and they swiftly connected me. But then BT took £406 from my bank account for terminating my contract early, which is not the case. I’ve tried to talk to people at BT but have been fobbed off with excuses.
BT has refunded the early termination charges.
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