Expat in turmoil: How myGov mix-up turned her life upside down
- Replies 31
Navigating the complexities of government services can be daunting for anyone, but the challenges can be even more formidable for expatriates.
This was the harsh reality faced by British expat Jordana Grace, whose encounter with Australia's myGov and Centrelink services turned into a distressing ordeal that highlighted potential pitfalls for all seniors managing their affairs online.
Jordana Grace, a UK expat who made Australia her home, found herself in a bureaucratic nightmare when Centrelink, the government service responsible for welfare payments, informed her that she was accruing interest on a debt she was adamant she did not owe.
‘They took money out of my account without asking me because they can do that, but apparently, they can refund it,’ she said.
The situation was made worse by what she described as 'inappropriate' questioning by a customer service agent, leaving her in tears and fighting a battle she had been dealing with for four years.
The ordeal began innocently enough when Ms Grace received welfare payments due to being out of work.
Diligently, she informed Centrelink when she found employment, providing all necessary details to ensure her records were up to date.
Despite her efforts, she was later told she owed money, a claim she disputed with evidence to the contrary.
The situation escalated when Ms Grace spent over six hours on the phone with Services Australia, only to be met with unhelpful responses and, eventually, a distressing interaction with a customer service representative.
This representative not only ignored her requests to speak with a manager, which Ms Grace rightly deemed inappropriate.
‘He kept ignoring me, and by this time, I started to get teary because it's been over five-and-a-half hours,’ she complained.
‘I said, “Can I please speak to an ops manager?” That's what I was advised to do for this list of reasons.
‘And he was just like, “Give me your questions one by one”...he wasn't that snippy at the start.’
Ms Grace requested to speak with an operations manager once more, but the man she spoke to asked what she needed and suggested she ‘work with him’ to resolve the issue.
‘If you do not work with me, I will not help you,' she said, recalling what he was saying.
She reported that he began asking questions she found intrusive, like, ‘Don’t you have enough money? Don’t you have sufficient savings?’
After inquiring about her earnings and job, he also asked about her medical expenses and health conditions.
‘I was like, that's highly inappropriate. You don't get to ask about what women's issues I have. I asked again to speak to an ops manager, yes or no,’ Grace continued.
‘He said he'd give me the refund and call me back in two days. I said I needed to speak to an ops manager because I needed to ask about this interest.’
Ms Grace reported that while the representative initially agreed to help, he informed her that she would not receive the refund.
She later discovered that the manager was unavailable to speak with her, requiring her to call back the next day.
Compounding her frustration, the radio host mentioned it was ‘that time of the month’ and some loved ones were also unwell.
‘But, five-and-a-half hours? You're the government! I asked nicely to speak to an ops manager because that is what your other departments advised me to do, and this guy would not even acknowledge my questions,’ Grace said.
‘And when I finally asked if I could speak to an ops manager, yes or no, he was like, "Fine, but now you're not getting the refund".'
Ms Grace felt she was being penalised for requesting to speak with a manager, leading her to file an official complaint.
The Sunshine Coast-based radio presenter's case was supposed to go to appeal, but the appeal has yet to be concluded for four years.
In the meantime, Centrelink had taken money directly from her account, a move that is legal but requires a refund process if contested.
Services Australia's general manager, Hank Jongen, apologised to Ms Grace, acknowledging the poor service experience and promising to work with her to resolve the issues.
This response is a reminder that persistence can lead to acknowledgment and action from even the highest levels of government services.
Have you faced similar challenges? How did you navigate the system, and what advice would you give fellow seniors dealing with these services? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
This was the harsh reality faced by British expat Jordana Grace, whose encounter with Australia's myGov and Centrelink services turned into a distressing ordeal that highlighted potential pitfalls for all seniors managing their affairs online.
Jordana Grace, a UK expat who made Australia her home, found herself in a bureaucratic nightmare when Centrelink, the government service responsible for welfare payments, informed her that she was accruing interest on a debt she was adamant she did not owe.
‘They took money out of my account without asking me because they can do that, but apparently, they can refund it,’ she said.
British expats in Australia battled Centrelink over disputed debt piling up with interest. Credit: Shutterstock
The situation was made worse by what she described as 'inappropriate' questioning by a customer service agent, leaving her in tears and fighting a battle she had been dealing with for four years.
The ordeal began innocently enough when Ms Grace received welfare payments due to being out of work.
Diligently, she informed Centrelink when she found employment, providing all necessary details to ensure her records were up to date.
Despite her efforts, she was later told she owed money, a claim she disputed with evidence to the contrary.
The situation escalated when Ms Grace spent over six hours on the phone with Services Australia, only to be met with unhelpful responses and, eventually, a distressing interaction with a customer service representative.
This representative not only ignored her requests to speak with a manager, which Ms Grace rightly deemed inappropriate.
‘He kept ignoring me, and by this time, I started to get teary because it's been over five-and-a-half hours,’ she complained.
‘I said, “Can I please speak to an ops manager?” That's what I was advised to do for this list of reasons.
‘And he was just like, “Give me your questions one by one”...he wasn't that snippy at the start.’
Ms Grace requested to speak with an operations manager once more, but the man she spoke to asked what she needed and suggested she ‘work with him’ to resolve the issue.
‘If you do not work with me, I will not help you,' she said, recalling what he was saying.
She reported that he began asking questions she found intrusive, like, ‘Don’t you have enough money? Don’t you have sufficient savings?’
After inquiring about her earnings and job, he also asked about her medical expenses and health conditions.
‘I was like, that's highly inappropriate. You don't get to ask about what women's issues I have. I asked again to speak to an ops manager, yes or no,’ Grace continued.
‘He said he'd give me the refund and call me back in two days. I said I needed to speak to an ops manager because I needed to ask about this interest.’
Ms Grace reported that while the representative initially agreed to help, he informed her that she would not receive the refund.
She later discovered that the manager was unavailable to speak with her, requiring her to call back the next day.
Compounding her frustration, the radio host mentioned it was ‘that time of the month’ and some loved ones were also unwell.
‘But, five-and-a-half hours? You're the government! I asked nicely to speak to an ops manager because that is what your other departments advised me to do, and this guy would not even acknowledge my questions,’ Grace said.
‘And when I finally asked if I could speak to an ops manager, yes or no, he was like, "Fine, but now you're not getting the refund".'
Ms Grace felt she was being penalised for requesting to speak with a manager, leading her to file an official complaint.
The Sunshine Coast-based radio presenter's case was supposed to go to appeal, but the appeal has yet to be concluded for four years.
In the meantime, Centrelink had taken money directly from her account, a move that is legal but requires a refund process if contested.
Services Australia's general manager, Hank Jongen, apologised to Ms Grace, acknowledging the poor service experience and promising to work with her to resolve the issues.
This response is a reminder that persistence can lead to acknowledgment and action from even the highest levels of government services.
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