Job centre messing me around
So I applied for job seekers allowance at the beginning of March, and so far I've not received a penny. They keep running me around, giving me paperwork to fill in, claiming they haven't received things etc etc.
Has anyone else had these problems, and what can I do to stop it?
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If you don't believe in dragons it is curiously true, that the dragons you disparage choose to not believe in you.
Well job centre and problems always seem to go hand in hand together.
Your post is a bit sparse on detail. What exactly are they missing and what reasons are they giving for not processing your claim? Also make sure you press them to back pay you till your signing on date as that is when you should of been recieving money from because that was the beginning of your claim for job seekers.
it might be something very simple which is holding the process up that you may not be aware off.
Alternatively I find turning up at their offices first thing in the morning and being in their face persistantly maintaining a pain in the arse approach is a good way of getting bureaucrats into action.
Hey,
When I originally went to claim I didn't have proof that my uni course had finished, so they asked me to send it to them. I posted it off and heard nothing. Then after pressing the centre for weeks they said they hadn't received it so had stopped my claim. I then took a copy in to the centre so they could fax it across. When I rang up they said they had record of the centre receiving it, but I had to go along and fill in a rapid reclaim form (they hadn't told me that previously). I did that last week, so hopefully they have that now.
Because of the rapid reclaim thing they gave me a new booklet and a new sign on day. I checked and double checked that this meant I didn't have to go in on the original sign on day, and they assured me they had me on the system for the new day, but yesterday I had a letter through saying I hadn't signed on (on the original day) and if I didn't contact them by the 7th my claim would be shut. I'm going to ring them on Tuesday, but it's really annoying me.
I feel bad about being arsy with the people at the centre, since it's not actually them who make the decisions regarding money, but since I can't go and yell at the people who are messing me around I might have to go to the centre and do it at my next sign on if it's not sorted by then.
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If you don't believe in dragons it is curiously true, that the dragons you disparage choose to not believe in you.
It's not about being nasty to them or aggressive its about getting direct answers. Making a note of peoples names and titles. And getting what your owed out of a public service which your parents and your own tax money and national insurance pay for.
There job is to scrutinise that you are following the conditions set by your job seeker agreement. What they have to provide you with is quite limited and the help they will offer you won't kick in for 6 months and when it does at every turn you have to justify that the money you are given is being used to find a job, any job, not neccesarily a job your qualified for or what you want to do.
Hopefully you'l find a job quicker then I did a few years ago when I was on the dole for 18 months. That was a soul destroying experiance.
The job seeker experiance link
The video link you put up is scarily like the 'back to work' session they made me sit through.
I rang today and they said they'd sort it out, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Today is the start of the third month of my claim, and I've not seen a penny yet.
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If you don't believe in dragons it is curiously true, that the dragons you disparage choose to not believe in you.
Hey. I've been on JSA twice in my life and both times felt like I was hitting my head against a brick wall. This may sound mean but they are incredibly incompetent and you just have to treat them as if they're stupid.
If I was in your position I'd make an appointment, or at your next sign on say you want to sort all the paperwork out and check what they have, what you're supposed to be doing, when the payment is coming etc. Don't send anything through the post to them, they always lose it. I never call them either, as you can never speak to the same person twice. If you are still stuggling speak to the Disability Advisor within the Job Centre - mine was a god-send!
Good luck
If I was in your position I'd make an appointment, or at your next sign on say you want to sort all the paperwork out and check what they have, what you're supposed to be doing, when the payment is coming etc. Don't send anything through the post to them, they always lose it. I never call them either, as you can never speak to the same person twice. If you are still stuggling speak to the Disability Advisor within the Job Centre - mine was a god-send!
Good luck
I managed to get it sorted by being a bit arsy. Now I've just got to persuade my uni tutor to hand over my qualified status so I can move on and start working. I've signed with an agency, but most places aren't wanting me because of not having my NQT number.
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If you don't believe in dragons it is curiously true, that the dragons you disparage choose to not believe in you.