JSA might be stopped for one week.

snodgrass

I have been on JSA about 5 weeks now, I am also new to the area where i live also, do not know it at all really.

Anyroads, I had one of those back to work meetings I had to attend yesterday, for 9.15.The buses round our way are not reliable to say the least,the last few times i have used them, they are either too early or too late, never on time.
Anyroads I get to the bus stop for 8.50, the bus is supposed to be there for 9.00, it did not appear until 9.10, I managed to rush to get to the job centre then for 9.22.I was a few minutes late, I apologised etc, but I could not attend the meeting, 9.15 on the dot you had to be there for.
Because of the lousy buses round here, I was late, and the looks you got off some of the staff there,condescending looks, well, I was told I had to fill in this form and explain my reasons for not attending this meeting.It will also go against me, and i could have my JSA stopped for a week.

It really pi--es me off, I have worked all my life,22 years work, and maybe had about 3 months in all that time on benefits.My last job I was there for 12 years and only left it to relocate here.
Surely if anyone is entitled to some help such as JSA,the pittance that they give out, it is to genuine people like us who have contributed, no, you get tarred with the same brush as some dolies who have not worked a day in there life, and make you feel like some sort of scrounger, it is totally demoralizing and depressing.I felt like telling the staff yesterday to stick their JSA up their you know whats.

Sorry, justed wanted to have a rant.


Oh and i also spent £2.50 for the bus ticket, they were supposed to refund you the cost of travel,but they never did.

ALIBOBSY

When I used to work at the DWP (several years ago now) for late signers they usually would take into account the fact that you did actually turn up (you would be suprised the number who don't turn up at all) and your previous record ie how many times you have been late or not before then making a decision regarding a possible disallowance.

Having been on the other side I can fully sympathise and say it is just as frustrating on the other side. We used to feel sorry for some customers coming in and having to sit with lets say the less pleasant members of society. Unfortunately we were expected to apply the same rules to everyone. You would be amazed the customers who repeatedly told us the same relative had died as an excuse for not turning up, they seemed amazed we actually had notes from previously and even then would try to lie their way out of it.
One staff memeber was told the customers best mate had been killed in an accident, she knew the family and was embarrased when she saw the mum in town and offered her sympathies only to find out the original customer had blatantly lied.
We even had a guy came in on reception with a gun tucked in his waistband-he told the receptionist it was ok as "its not for you guys". Nice.

Unfortunately you get lied to so often it is hard to give anybody sympathy, but I always tried to start fresh with each customer, would imagine its harder now as the numbers signing are so much higher and yet the front line staff have been reduced over the last few years.

You are exactly the person the benefit was aimed at originally these sort of benefits were called short term benefits-what a joke. The idea was a short term support to help people through gaps in employment. We now have a generation (if not 2) who have never been in regular work and think it is normal to spend years on benefits.

Hope you get sorted asap.

dmg24

Would you have been late if you were going to work?

Knowing that the buses are unreliable, why did you not go for an earlier bus?

snodgrass

I am new to this area,if you arrive at a bus stop a full 10 or 15 mins before it is supposedly due, you expect it to arrive on time.
Waiting for the bus back at the station was just as bad.I got there at 10.35 the bus is supposed to be there at 10.45, it did not appear until 11.20.The bus conductor there said sorry and said this was always happening.The local people sat next to me,were all complaining saying this is happening quite often,the conductor had to phone up and see when the bus was arriving, and he also gave us all complaints forms to fill in.

I have always been punctual in all my jobs,never INTENTIONALLY late,because i have never had to rely on public transport before.

Imagine if I did have a job,with these buses you would soon get the sack for being late or something all the time, they appear when they want, not on time, this is totally ridiculous.

dmg24

You did not answer my question.

snodgrass

If the buses ran on time,why should you have to go out an hour early,that is completely ridiculous, it is not my fault the buses are rubbish round this way, I have better things to do with my time than stand around waiting in the cold windy weather at a bus stop for a full hour or whatever hoping a bus will appear on time.

LondonDiva

snodgrass wrote: »

If the buses ran on time,why should you have to go out an hour early,that is completely ridiculous, it is not my fault the buses are rubbish round this way, I have better things to do with my time than stand around waiting in the cold windy weather at a bus stop for a full hour or whatever hoping a bus will appear on time.

I sympathise that the bus messed everything up & would be :mad: with the company. Also would hope the DWP would take into consideration your past attendance before they take this step.

However:

• If you were working, it would be your problem if the buses were not running on time

• The DWP are providing you with an income while you are unemployed and 'actively seeking work' - part of their requirements is that x amount of times per month, you guarantee that you don't have better things to do than to sign on.

If you don't want the money, there's no problem - if you have, as it appears, agreed and signed up to their terms and conditions to pay up, I suggest you:

• write to the bus company to complain

and

• in the meantime bundle up warm so that you get there early or on time until the buses are sorted out.

snodgrass

Your on the dole 5 weeks and made to feel like you have been on it 5 years.I think I will live like a pauper off my own bit of savings rather than put up with all this tripe from the dole.

I do not expect a free handout, but by god, surely when the time comes for help, surely they can tell genuine hard working people from constant scroungers and not treat us all as some low life, which is the impression you get in Bilston job centre.

onlyforboards_2

snodgrass wrote: »

I do not expect a free handout, but by god, surely when the time comes for help, surely they can tell genuine hard working people from constant scroungers and not treat us all as some low life, which is the impression you get in Bilston job centre.

The newspapers have just reported a young girl who killed herself after applying for 12 jobs a week for 2 years and not getting a job.

Could you tell if she was what you call a scrounger? If you want to bandy those terms about be prepared for people to use them on you.

As for your problem with your claim. Submit a copy of your bus ticket and the bus timetable, this should make it clear the bus was late and that you were on it. You may have bad luck and be expected to have caught an earlier bus just in case.
I hope it works out for you.

vaporate

dmg24 wrote: »

You did not answer my question.

Instead of being a cocky pratt to the Op you would know that the earlier bus means getting there 1 hour early no doubt.

Been there got the T-shirt.

Brian_The_Lion

dmg24 wrote: »

You did not answer my question.

Did you read the bit about the meeting being at 9:15?

I thought the average JCP opened 9-5?

What do you suggest the OP should have done with all the extra spare time he would have had if he had of gotten the earlier bus? waiting in the jobcentre wouldnt have been an option if it was shut and because of the early time some of the local amenities may have been shut too?

If the meeting was later on in the day then I tend to agree that an earlier bus should have been used...

Give the guy a break though, hes new to the area and has a crap public service...