CSA ignoring my complaints

I've now complained twice via e-mail to the CSA. I first e-mailed back on the 5th November, and was told I would get a full reply within ten days. I haven't so have now sent another complaint today. Its been three months now since I first put in a claim with them, and over a month since they have contacted me about anything.
My ex stopped paying the CSA in August 2010, as he stopped claiming benifits, and started working. He should be paying £20 a week, but is currently paying nothing.
I am really angry with the CSA as everytime I ring, write or e-mail, they always give the reply "we are passing your concern/e-mail/letter onto the person dealing with your case!! I'm also told that someone will be assigned to my case straight away. They can never give me names or details of who is assigned to my case however. They have also said that I am not allowed to know what is currently happening, and whether or not my ex has sent in the relevant documents, as its "confidential"!
I don't really know what else I can do?

Stick with it. Keep your head and remain calm when talking to them as they're human beings and I suspect get yelled at a lot - if it were me on the receiving end of irate parents looking for money, I know I'd be giving preference to dealing with those who treated me with respect and weren't shouting (not saying you are, of course!)

Sadly, it does seem to take them a while to get their act together. I certainly didn't have a named caseworker for over 15 months and now I have one, things seem to be moving, albeit very slowly.

Phone them on a regular basis to ask for an update. You can ask them to call you back if you're worried about the cost and I do beleive that they will compensate you for the cost of calls if you are forced to phone again and again because they don't respond so keep your bills and keep that one in mind.

I wrote a letter in July asking for a written response - still waiting....

I've given up on phoning, and have been e-mailing instead. I don't have a house phone, and it costs a bomb on my mobile!
It says you are supposed to get a response from an email within 10 days, so every ten days without a reply, I will email again!

I think it depends which CSA office is dealing with the claim because in my experience Plymouth are very slow.

My ex partner (for his child) was dealt with through Birkenhead and they were very quick!

I rang Plymouth over and over again and it took about 6 months for them to sort it out. There were numerous problems to do with their system apparently, meaning they couldn't enter my case on the computer. Sounds like a load of rubbish to me though...

Take the names of everyone you speak to and tell them that you have their name and have taken a note of what's been agreed. If they don't follow up on what they've promised ring up and ask to speak to the manager and let them know you're waiting! Eventually it will get sorted out.

It's been sorted!!!!! I finally had a letter through yesterday, saying that we will be getting £18 a week, and they have backdated it to September! Ex had to pay £200 in backdated payments, so we should be getting that through soon! I'm glad that it has finally been sorted now!

Great news. The back payments should come in very handy for Christmas!

Best wishes,
Sadie

Yep! My daughter also needs a new winter coat, as she only has one, and it's forever getting dirty!! So we can afford to buy her a nice new one now! Also going to be buying her an outfit for Christmas day and for Christmas parties!

Just to ask, my mum told me that I should use all the money to buy her presents and clothes, as it is her money and not for anything else? I was going to buy her some clothes, but we already have the majority of her presents bought anyway. We were going to use some of it to buy the FOOD for Christmas, and putting money on our gas and electric meters, but my mum made me feel as though I was taking money away from her.