PIP review - DWP claim forms out of time but not.

PIP review forms arrive, enough to depress anyone. I fill in and return 14th September, have to be back 30th. I sent 'signed for' and have the Royal Mail proof they were delivered on 16th and signed for. Several weeks later, just before the deadline I get the 'you haven't returned your forms' letter, it's allegedly taken several weeks to get to me in the post. So I spend many hours trying to get through to them (I have mobility issues and a land line so not easy trying to listen to a phone ringing in a hallway). Eventually after many attempts I get someone telling me they were never received. She asks her boss for advise and they raise a trace for the papers. After much begging, the lady agrees to call me when they are found, I can't keep sitting on the floor listening to a ringing phone/musak for hours and good to her word she phones me on 30th, deadline day, they've been found, are on the system, in time and a decision will be made in due course.

Meanwhile I'd tried to call Royal Mail Customer Services and failed, so I email the CEO and tell them I am not happy, their information tells me delivered my mail and DWP say not. Someone in the CEOs office makes a lot of enquiries and replies that my letter was delivered on 16/9, but for some unknown reason it made it back into the outgoing mail, at her request they had carried out a search and it was found in the mail office, and would be re-delivered on 1/10. She confirms this has been discussed and reported to DWP on 30/10, which is presumably why the lady in the call centre confirms now on the system on 30/10.

You can guess the next bit. Claim now ends as I didn't return my form in time as the papers arrive on 1/10! So I do a MR and tell them why they are wrong with supporting evidence. No response. So I speak to CAB who say did you use the magic words 'Mandatory review? No, so I resend the whole lot again a few days later with the magic words in bold, underlined and large letters just in case ...... still no response. Both of these are sent Signed For, the latter by Recorded Delivery just in case. Meanwhile, my MP who I had contacted at the beginning of this saga springs to life, so I update him and he says he will ask DWP to reinstate claim until the Decision Maker makes a formal decision on my review. He gets no response either.

So, thanks for getting this far..... their letter telling me claim now ended says I can ask for this to be reviewed if incorrect, and I have, within time. Do they have to make a formal decision on this? I can't see I can appeal just for 'failing to return forms' as that wouldn't decide my eligibility for the benefit.

Anyone been through this? I presume they are just so snowed under they won;t get to me for several more weeks, but meanwhile I've no money coming in. I don;t know what to do next - although hoping MP will get through where others fail.