Job seekers RANT!! (new here)

Oldernotwiser

mcc28_x wrote: »

there are some good staff and some not so good.

Unfortunately you are not told everything that is available through the Job centre because some staff have simply not be trained in these areas, it is not necessarily their fault.

And sometimes you have to be proactive and ASK!

Jobless_Katie

Thanks so much, I knew nothing of these things available to me!! Surprise Surprise! Also it's good to know that I'm not being over sensitive about my treatment, I understand that the staff have a difficult job to do, but so did I, and I can say hand on heart I never treated my clients, whatever their circumstances, in the way I have been treat. Best of luck to you1

beccam

:mad: Grrrrrrrrr, job centre have annoyed me again today!!

I'm going to get slated I'm sure but here goes.....
Got claim form for old mortgage protection policy, part has to be filled out by job centre so hub, who has actually signed off this week so he can do 4days work, goes round at 9am, after arrranging with his boss for these few days that he will start a bit later as need to get this form filled in, sign outside says open daily 9-4.30, he arrives to be told sorry we don't open til 10 on a Thurs (ok well why doesn't sign say that then?) he asks can he leave form to be filled and will collect later, apparently not, come back at 10.
Contacts boss and explains he will be a bit later still, goes back at 10am, is told it is not possible to fill out form he needs an appointment to get this done, ok so when can he get an appointment, eh...... 21st November!!

The form has a deadline date for it and needs to be filled in soon if we are going to claim from it. I understand they are busy but seriously we're talking filling in 2 answers to questions and stamping it, it probably took longer to book his appointment!!

Also as regards the staff not being trained correctly in order to advise of entitlements, that is not their fault but I work as a nurse and if I dealt with patients incorrectly and neglected to tell them important info my job would be on the line, if I conducted a procedure without proper training and assessment I would def lose my job and most likely get sued for it too! Their managment need to ensure they are not put out 'on the floor' so to speak with out the correct training, in some cases peoples cars/homes/family and lives do depend on it!!!

cw18

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

And sometimes you have to be proactive and ASK!

the problem is knowing the right thing to ask !!!

I've recently discovered the best way is to call with a question you're pretty certain you know the answer to - but that the person on the other end of the phone probably won't as it's not simple. They then pass you onto someone who knows the system better (rather than just giving a yes or no), at which point you can confirm the answer to the Q you called with -- and then ask the Q you really need an answer for 'cos you've not got a clue yourself.......

I phoned three times trying to get an answer to a specific Q, and the people on the phone (I know they do their best) skirted around things as they clearly didn't want to admit they didn't have the foggiest. But by playing it the way I described above I not only got a clear answer to that Q, the chap also told me about something else we'd be entitled to that I'd never heard of before !!!!

Horace

sharski wrote: »

And perhaps the people complaining on here may realise that the amount of pressure 'signing staff' are under is HUGE.... they really do 'get it in the neck' when they have not met the stringent targets set by management. Also, try seeing up to 50 people a day to sign - the majority of whom are rude and abusive - it is difficult at times to treat everyone as an individual...
Don't get me wrong - there is NO excuse for rudeness to customers - although I must say... I work in a Jobcentre & some of the most bad mannered people I speak to are 'professionals'!!!!!

Don't get me wrong I do understand that the pressure they are under may be large but at least they are in a job, it is their whole attitude to those that are unemployed that is bad. Thankfully now that I am on a New Deal programme there is one chap that is pleasant and to my knowledge there is only one chap in the normal signing on section who is also pleasant. I have never knowingly been rude to any member of staff, however, I do take exception to being kept waiting for half an hour for no reason especially when the appointment has been made because of the presumption that I cannot keep appointments:mad: Anyway I have other ways of dealing with complaints about the staff in my jobcentre and that is to write to my MP and ask him to forward a letter to the parliamentary ombudsman - instead my complaints have been handled by the district manager with the threat of taking my complaint to the ombudsman.

One thing that jobcentre employees don't appear to realise is that their inability to give correct advice impacts on those receiving the benefits, after all some of us do have genuine reasons for claiming and their ignorance impacts on our ability to pay our bills etc.

Beccam - I suggest that you complete the form that the jobcentre needs to sign and send it to your mortgage people with a note advising them that the jobcentre do not see people on spec and you cannot get the form signed. Give the mortgage people the name of the manager (if known) and the address of the jobcentre.

HTH

Jobless_Katie

Beecam, I had exactly the same problem when I asked for my form for mortgage ppi to be stamped, fortunately for me my 'advisor' could see I was about to explode because of the way he had dealt with me initially and relented and offered to send the form to the appropriate dept in their internal mail. I didn't shout or scream or was I rude to him but he did at least have the savy to realise I was at breaking point! I will need to have ask for a follow on form to be stamped and signed soon and I think if this again appears to be too difficult for the Job Centre staff to deal with I'll take advice from Horace and forward on anyway with an explanation and a managers name.

bunny999

If you are having problems ask to see a supervisor. Also writing your MP works miracles - your case will be dealt with faster than speed of light.

Jobless_Katie

Yes, I can believe that!

Oldernotwiser

cw18 wrote: »

the problem is knowing the right thing to ask !!!

Not hard to ask what training's available, can you see a careers advisor, can you get help with writing a CV/ interview techniques,can you get help with basic skills. Surely the client knows best what their needs are; you don't need a JCP advisor rattling off options like a waitress running through the menu!

cw18

but they're not the sort of Qs I wanted answers to.

I'm being made redundant, and my pay off is > £16k, so initially we get nothing (fair enough) until we fall below the £16k -- but we can't just spend for spending sake.

So I wanted to know what we could spend on, and what we would get if we were entitled to full benefits, so I had a figure to aim for without being told we'd spent too much too fast -- not that simple to find out with DH being on IB and high rate DLA (both) and me about to claim carers allowance.

Took me over 3 months to get an answer - and I still can't get a definitive as to whether our "known" overspend (just on regular bills and things we're already commited to on minimum contracts/finance agreements) will be acceptable when I go back and say "hey look.... we don't have £16k anymore."

The chap who finally gave me the answers I needed said he wished more people would do this up front, and he hates sending people away having told them they're still being treated as if they have money in the bank that they've spent.

Perhaps if they made it easier to find this information out (instead of telling people "come and put a claim in when you fall below £16k) they would.

And I've also been told by at least three people not to put a claim in until then -- only to be told now that I need to get it in on day 1 (knowing it will be rejected) as the time we live off capital will then count as part of the 'waiting time' for getting ISMI !!!!! As I reckon it'll be 6 months before we're down to that level, this means we'll go straight onto full help (less clawback for being over £6k) as we qualify for the half at 8 weeks and full at 26.