I am receiving threatening phone calls from ARL collection agency, with summons, legal action etc.
I am also in middle of a high risk pregnancy, which means expansive obstetrics appointments every fortnight. For first 3 and a half months, I was attending hospital for fluids every 2 days.
I am under strict instructions to be stress free and rest. Yet I'm now dealing with this.
Today I've been forced into a position where I now have to commit to a repayment plan - twice what I can afford, for an amount I do not believe I owe.
I also have 'essential' medications to pay for existing medical condition.
If I with a tertiary education am struggling with the mechanisms and resources to deal with this matter, how on earth are those with low literacy and numeracy levels coping.
This is also not the first time Centrelink have accused me of having a large debt. Last time my complaints and demands for reassessment by an actual human proved that Centrelink actually owed me significantly more and dated further back than they were authorised to pay.
Centrelink are claiming this debt post ATO tax return submission. The debt is greatly exaggerated, by their own admission and my bank statements, Centrelink have only been paying $1 p/f for at least 18mths, yet they claim that they've been paying $24+ p/f during that period.
They have posted two documents claiming multiples over $2000, one of which shows no payments at all.
A complaint was lodged with Centrelink, ARL and the Commonwealth Ombudsman, yet ARL and Ombudsman informed me last week that Centrelink claim there has been no complaint.
Centrelink's only attempt to contact me have been a SMS at 246pm on 8/8/2019 to tell me they would be calling. However, the calls were placed at 245pm and 251pm whilst I was in a Dr appointment, so still oblivious that they would be calling. I've now lodged complaints with Centrelink, ARL and the Ombudsman AGAIN today.