Had to phone the DWP to tell them that G had been evicted from hospital sooner than expected (PIP, reinstatement, for the purpose of).
After a solid 10 minutes of listening to options and irrelevant public service announcements broadcast on a RACALL-type system, I was then treated to an interrogation whereby I had to input information (G’s full name, NI number, DoB, address, GP details etc.) via an automated voicemail system.
Finally, I got through to a real human being (by this time, I had wandered off upstairs with the handset, brushed my teeth, made the bed and was sorting a load of laundry):
“Can I have the claimant’s name, please? And NI number/DoB/address/GP?”
“I’ve just given all that information to your robot-woman, hasn’t she passed it on?”
No.
It would appear that the entire automated system is there just to waste my time and the public’s money.
There are definitely days when one wishes one were in the proximity of these machines with an axe. Definitely days.