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JSA might be stopped for one week.

13

Comments

  • david69_2
    david69_2 Posts: 580 Forumite
    dmg24 wrote: »
    You did not answer my question.

    sounds like you would be good working at the job centre you could tell people off when they are late:eek:
  • poffigirl
    poffigirl Posts: 69 Forumite
    I jst want to lend my support to the original poster and to tell you to ignore the other people on here who seem determined to bring you down.

    My husband has recently been made redundant after 16 years of continuous employment and is now claiming JSA, we are doing everything we can to find him a job but living in a rural area, it is very difficult.

    My husband was 2 mintues late for his appointment one day. I was at work and he had our two young children with him, who are 3 and 1. On the way to the job centre, the eldest weed herself and refused to walk and then he had difficulty getting down the steps to the job centre with the buggy. No one offered to help him even though they could see he was having difficulty. Because he was 2 minutes late he was warned he could lose his allowance, given a huge lecture and had to attend another appointment. What really hurt the most though was the dirty looks and the way they made him feel even more worthless than he already feels.

    Following this experience he does now leave enough time for contingencies but my point is that the JSA should be more understanding and accept that not everyone claiming JSA are scroungers.
  • Fire_Fox
    Fire_Fox Posts: 26,026 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    snodgrass wrote: »
    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.

    So basically if the bus had been exactly on time you would have been there three minutes early? Clearly that is not enough leeway so you should either have got the earlier bus or asked for a different time. My appointment was moved from a morning to an afternoon slot due to my insomnia.
    Declutterbug-in-progress.⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
  • adouglasmhor
    adouglasmhor Posts: 15,554 Forumite
    Photogenic
    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...

    He could have walked to the Jobcentre in the extra time and saved the busfare.
    The truth may be out there, but the lies are inside your head. Terry Pratchett


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  • Savvy_Sue
    Savvy_Sue Posts: 47,845 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Fire_Fox wrote: »
    So basically if the bus had been exactly on time you would have been there three minutes early? Clearly that is not enough leeway so you should either have got the earlier bus or asked for a different time.
    It did seem to me that it was all happening within quite a tight timeframe.
    He could have walked to the Jobcentre in the extra time and saved the busfare.
    To be fair, we don't KNOW that. It is POSSIBLE that the bus is in fact an express service which covers 5 miles in 10 minutes without stopping. And it is POSSIBLE that the OP can't walk very far or very fast.

    However, I've been comparing my local bus timetables with google maps walking instructions, and they reckon that a bus only goes twice as fast as a person through the centre of my city, so a 10 minute bus journey is only a 20 minute walk.

    Which is something the OP might like to consider.
    Signature removed for peace of mind
  • BLT_2
    BLT_2 Posts: 1,307 Forumite
    Whichever way you read it the OP had planned on getting a bus which would get him or her there, if traffic was not bad, 3 minutes before the meeting. A slightly irresponsible way of planning things to say the least.

    More importantly I doubt the interviewer was just carrying out the OPs interview that day, OP arrives 10 minutes late, so everyone else has to cope with the impact.

    If she or he were going for a job interview would she or he have planned on catching a bus which would get him or her there 3 minutes before hand? As for the statement by another poster that there isnt anything to do if you get there before 9 O'Clock because the shops arent open, dont make me laugh. I have sat on a park bench for 30 minutes before a job interview just to make sure I am not late.
  • OP, can I ask if you had been late before? JCP cannot refer a claim to the Decision Makers to try to sanction a claim for late attendance unless a form called an ES19 was issued (this is a form warning that if you are late again, your benefit may be affected) at either your previous fortnightly intervention (signing) or for an interview.
  • Kimitatsu
    Kimitatsu Posts: 3,883 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    MOVING THREADS FOR BETTER RESPONSES


    Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]!!!!!![/EMAIL].
    Free/impartial debt advice: Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) | National Debtline | Find your local CAB
  • snodgrass
    snodgrass Posts: 109 Forumite
    edited 26 April 2010 at 10:10PM
    I live 2 miles away from the actual town centre,so that would take me a good hour,baring in mind I have got arthitis in my knees, so walking was not really an option.

    Also today I went for a job interview in Wolverhamton which is 5 miles away.Luckily I was not given a set time to attend,only anywhere between 12-2 pm.I arrived well before time.
    But waiting for the bus there, you get to the bus stop a full 20 mins before it is due,and still the bus is late,it is supposed to be there for 12.30 but did not appear until 12.47,this particular bus route seems to be well known for appearing when it likes,early, late, so what are you supposed to do.Go out early,it is late, go out a bit later and it probably arrives on time or early, we have been told by locals,baring in mind I have only lived here about 6 weeks, that this is the norm, and most end up walking to town, but am I supposed to walk all the way to Wolverhampton 5 miles away.



    At least the buses where I am from or used to live in North Wales were every 15 mins, more often than not punctual and reliable, this West Midlands transport is terrible. Shambolic is the only word, from what you can gather from other users of these buses. If I had the money, I think I would move back to where I have just come from, no jobs here, lousy transport and well not much else, the worst biggest mistake of my life selling up and moving here.

    You live and learn.
  • dookar
    dookar Posts: 1,654 Forumite
    snodgrass wrote: »
    ... snip ...


    With respect, this is the question that needs answering and the post you need to pay attention to :
    OP, can I ask if you had been late before? JCP cannot refer a claim to the Decision Makers to try to sanction a claim for late attendance unless a form called an ES19 was issued (this is a form warning that if you are late again, your benefit may be affected) at either your previous fortnightly intervention (signing) or for an interview.

    I only scanned the other replies, but they appear to have been made by people who have no idea what they are talking about.
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