Realisation has just hit. Don't know where to begin.

MCBIRNIE25

P.S. Also got some of those free o2 simcards if this will help. PM me if you want 1 :-)

ismangil

MCBIRNIE25 wrote:

Hiya,
iMy advice would be to subscribe to talktalk for 21.99 a month, this covers broadband and line rental and unlimited landline calls.
Then get a freeview box for around 20 quid if you must have this, in your 1st month this will leave 34 quid a month, thne subsequent months an extra 53 quid saving to go towards paying bills.

This may not be as straightforward as people think. TalkTalk and all the rest of cheap 18xxx providers, or ADSL broadband will only accept you if you currently have a BT line. So to move there from Telewest you need to move to BT first! Mucho hassle and even if you can reconnect for free (they need to 'survey' after you order, not before! They can charge you £99 if they say you're line is damaged or non-existent or whatever), there's a 12 months minimum contract.

That's why the easiest for now is to reduce it to minimum, which is about £35 a month (the £30 a month is new customer offer only).

After that the best bet is to ditch phone and TV channels and go VOIP such as Vonage or Freetalk via Telewest broadband, that should then cost £18 + £8 = £26/month all inclusive. Granted not as cool or as cheap as TalkTalk £22, but believe me I've gone through all this earlier this year!

Legacy

Hi, I work as a Court Officer (not legally qualified) and thought maybe when you're at the citizens advice bureau (best to call in and see them, rather than just ring) you could ask them about consolidated orders/admin orders.. where you apply to the Court to amalgamate our debts and pay them off at a couple of pound per month or whatever you can afford.

I'm not recommending this course of action, but merely offering it as something you could find out more about and see if its suitable for your situation. Just be careful of these so-called debt helplines as some may cost you a fortune..! CAB's the way forward!

Take care, hope things work out, Helen

wotnext

Does anyone know if there is a solicitor or trade union rep using these boards? Am after some urgent advice.

spud30

I think MCBIRNIE25 is a trade union rep.

spud30

Wotnext,

If it's workplace advice you're after, start a thread explaining the situation.

I have recently had major problems and got loads of really good advice, both publicly and through PMs.

This lot aren't just good with debts you know !!!

wotnext

I have started one under the benefits/jobseekers thread, but I think everyone must be watching the footie! I'll copy it here though and hopefully someone will be able to give me some advice.......

I have been employed with the same employers for 16 years. After the birth of my second child I took a career break for 5 years and was due to return last November. I asked if I could return on a Saturday only basis as I have a younger one who is yet to start school and the plan was I would try and increase my hours when he started school. Firstly the HR dept told me that I had no right to return. As I worked in HR before I went on a career break and helped devise all the paperwork for the career break scheme, I was able to tell them otherwise.:rolleyes: I then got a union rep on my side to help me, as clearly I was going to need assistance.

HR then started to drag their heels, and said they had nothing for me. At the time they had agency staff working in an ideal position, and which could have been filled by me. It then took them nearly 3 months to respond to one of my letters. With the help of the union rep we managed to get them to admit that I was still a member of staff. They offered me a position 3 grades lower than what I was previously, with a pay cut of nearly £7k on the pretence that they had nothing else for me. Armed with my union rep, we met with the head of HR and said that the offer was ludicrous and if they didn't make a realistic offer, then we would take them to a tribunal and that I was also entitled to the wages I would have received if I had returned in November. The career break scheme operated a 'stop the clock' system and they could not slash my wages like that. The HR person said that the office no longer contracted staff on a Saturday-only basis for various reasons. The only position on a Saturday was the one they were offering me. They then offered me the job again, but this time offered me £4k less, agreeing to backpay. I declined on the advice of the union rep. My pension will be based on my final earnings, and if they try and slash my wages I am going to be worse off in years to come. I have since had a letter from the head of HR stating that as I have declined the post, they are taking it that I formally resigned as of this month and I have been sent forms to sign and my pension paperwork.:eek:

Today I have been made aware that a job has been advertised within the office for SATURDAYS ONLY, only one grade lower than what I was and the pay scale matches my own. I am, understandably, furious. It is an ideal position.

What I want to know is, do I have a right to write to the head of HR and demand that the job is offered to me? Having worked in HR I know that positions have to be approved and this takes a few months. The HR person must have known it was in the pipeline when we met and when she sent her letter. She therefore told a blatant lie about Saturday-only working. Why? Why did they not want me in that position?

It's almost as if they are sacking me, without actually wanting to put it in writing, but just hoping I'll go away. Is this unfair dismissal?

What rights do I have to demand that the job is offered to me, if any? And can they assume I've resigned just because I have declined a position?

I really want to get this dealt with in the morning but my union rep is not in. My DH (who works in the same office) says I should forward a complaint to the chief exec and ask for an explanation as to why this job was withheld. I don't know what to do, but if there is any way I could secure that job, I want them to withdraw the advert immediately. The HR dept have been taken to tribunals a few times and have never once won. They are totally incompetent.

Lucie_2

you've been given some really great advice so far, so the only thing I want to add is about your OH. If he's feeling depressed & suicidal then he really needs to go talk to his GP. It will help.

Good luck with it all, it's a long hard slog but you'll get there.

wotnext

Woken up with a real fire in me this morning.

Challenges for the day:

Request missing statements from bank (to reclaim charges): Done
Fill out application form for new and more convenient bank account
Chase up case worker regarding rehousing: Awaiting contact details
Complete renewal form for CTC
Write nasty letter of complaint to chief executive at work and hope to secure a p/t job (which should give me back pay and pay off some debts and a little bit of extra money in my pocket): Done
Instructed DH to obtain all debt paperwork for the weekend
Instructed DH to chase up benevolent fund for assistance
DH to get statements from bank 1 for reclaiming: Done
Make shopping list using ideas from MSM Oldstyle thread with £60 budget

Slowly but surely all the dirty work is being ploughed through. Hopefully the mess will be sorted out and I will see things much more clearly by this time next week.:)

Mirtos

On the Link cash machine front, just beware of the crazy charges for each transaction! If you pay £1.50 a go and withdraw 5 times a week, then it's probably cheaper to drive to the lloyds cashpoint to do it for free!