Warning re face-to-face assessments

Today I have received the Mandatory Reconsideration notice of my PIP and they haven't changed the award, and are STILL basing the decision primarily off the face-to-face assessment and not any of the medical evidence.

Apparently I shouldn't have bothered to take a shower or wash my hair before the appointment, because they keep going on about how I looked "well-kempt" and taking that as evidence that my mental health problems aren't that bad. There I was thinking that the assessor might need to touch my body to examine me and it would be gross for them to have to touch me in my usual state, so I made an effort - and it's backfired horribly.

So a warning, for all of you who need to attend a face-to-face assessment: DON'T make a heroic effort to clean yourself up. Go with dirty, greasy hair and dirty, smelly clothes if that's normal for you. I know it's embarrassing to go out of the house looking like that, but if you don't, the idiot assessors will assume that whatever you say about your mental health is made up.

Good grief. Now I have to go to Appeal.

Hi, it dont really matter if you make an effort or not to be honest.
When i went for my face-to-face assessment i had trousers with holes in them, and hadnt had a shave for a week, i just couldnt be bothered and didnt really care to be honest, yet the report said i was "well-kempt" i also looked well and didnt look tired, even though the nihgt before the assessment i didnt sleep at all due to worrying about it.
they make it up as they go along, when i got my PA4 a few weeks ago, what i said wasnt even listed, and is a report of per fiction, im being to think if you have mental health issues and trying to get Pip is near impossible, you need to be able to prove you have depression, to even get considered for it, tell me how you can prove you suffer from depression, ive read on many forums if the doctor even writes a letter for you saying you have depression and suffer many issues and it is clear to them you need lots of help just to get though the day for things like cooking etc, then the DWP just replies you put words into your doctors mouth.
Im now going through all of this myself, i will see my GP soon and i will see if it helps, but im already thinking of just giving up, which trust me is not like me, the whole thing is taking its toll on me already, and its only been 1 month and still no decsion yet, but i know what is coming based on the PA4 report,if going to court is going ot take a year which seems about right, im not sure if i can cope with that, but we will see, im not going to decide anything yet.
We shouldnt really have to fight like this, to get something the law says we are entiled to.

Similar thing for me too. I hadn’t washed my hair, my dress (which wasn’t fit to be seen in public in but is all i can wear due to neuralgia and skin sensitivity) had food stains on and due to my meds and limited mobility I’m technically clinically obese. Yet the Health ‘Professional’ described me as well turned out and of normal weight and build... Also because I apparently smiled at one point (must have made the mistake of making some self deprecating remark tho I can’t remember it) this means I have no depression. The fact that I burst into tears multiple times doesn’t count because I was able to ‘self sooth’. She even made two factual errors in her report aside from the many conclusions she made with no evidence to back them up. Yet my MR was unsuccessful and I’m not sure I can cope with an appeal.
The charity helping are overwhelmed and missed out a lot of points and barely made the time limit, so I ended up having to use the guides here to add stuff under extreme pressure. Which added to all the anxiety.
I’ve been looking for a solicitor to see if that would be less stressful but none I’ve contacted can help. There’s nobody to help, no wonder they get away with it. Feel like giving up on everything.

I too turned up to mine looking dreadful, smelly hair unwashed for ten days, a skirt and top, in an unflattering colour, the top having stains down it, and NO teeth! And my report said I was well kempt! You couldn't make it up