Thread: Centrelink, claiming the Aged Pension. Grrrrrrrrr!

Originally Posted by Fatso

As a pensioner it is getting harder and harder to talk to anyone at centrelink , so for the last couple of years i just inform them by mail now to the Canberra Address , they say do this and do that on line ,but i just do this and do that by letter and let them contact me if there is a problem . They say i must advise them of any changes so i certifi the mail and keep coppies of all contact and updates , lot less stress for me .

Good idea, as a fellow pensioner (still working part time) I take your advice on board.

I'm still trying to figure out how the suits expect broken bodies to hold out for so long

If they had done any real work in their lives, I'm sure they'd think differently.

It'll certainly prove interesting in a couple of years when I'm done and dusted for manual labour.

Originally Posted by Chops

I'm still trying to figure out how the suits expect broken bodies to hold out for so long

If they had done any real work in their lives, I'm sure they'd think differently.

It'll certainly prove interesting in a couple of years when I'm done and dusted for manual labour.

Have to agree there. I have yet to see a 70 year old roof tiler or brickie or chippie. I think the answer is............they just don't care as long as they are doing OK.

My situation has changed having sold my Sydney house. I am now over the limit for pension.. They are impossible to contact by phone so I logged into my system and updated my cash holding. I will probably still get paid because I have not heard from anyone to discuss my situation. Probably have to pay it all back if they take too long.

I have never had anything to do with Centerlink at anytime in my life - yet two years ago they snaffled my tax return for an unpaid debt - Centerlink says I have a debt but cannot explain and I should talk to the tax office and the tax office says they just repond to Centrelink and do not actually check if the debt it real - they just pay it.

I did manage to get through to someone in Centrelink and they would not believe I have never dealt with them - I must be lying but while they had my tax fie number I did not have a Centerlink customer number - no action via either department until I lodged a formal complaint with both when then I started to talk to people with a bit of commonsense - still had to walk Centerlink through the fact that how could I have a debt if I have never been a customer and was not in their system. The penny started to tumble at that point. The tax office just took the view that they do not check other departments work and just hand my money over.

In the end - the usual - someone elses debt and when they typed in the tax file number to recover the debt from the tax office they made a typo and my TFN went in - not even cross matched to a customer number - no checking - we never wrong sort of approach.

I even got to the stage of discussing with a solicitor to start legal action against both agencies but resolved before anything was needed.

I was amazed at the incompetence of both agencies but I was also amazed how easy it was just to ring them up - waits were always short - seems to be vastly different to everyone else - but nothings happens until a complaint is lodged.

garry

Garry, don't be amazed, incompetence is usual in gov. departments.

People, if you get the 'run around' from a govt dept...go straight to an MP or better a minister. Having worked in a govt dept where 'ministerial complaints' came through from members of the public...everyone jumped and jumped quickly to sort it. Only way to do it.

Originally Posted by Ausfree

Garry, don't be amazed, incompetence is usual in gov. departments.

I wouldn't quite agree there - however as far as Tax and Centrelink is concerned I do agree.