Armed Forces Personnel - tell the MOD about its effect on your finances.

peteuk

peteuk wrote: »

I cant agree with half of these....Sorry.

I have had no problem sorting out Broadband/Mobile phones/Insurance/Loans ect.....

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I have never been one to throw the real world or life in a green/blue/dark blue suit.......but I have to say how I see it and have lived it.

Since leaving home at 18, I have had 3 different student addresses, a rented house for 2 years prior to joining. Since joining I have had 3 block addresses, rented a room for about 6 months and then brought my own home. I then married and moved to SFA. I am currently in my 4 SFA address.

I have never had a problem! However I am aware that there are some shy ways of sorting things out.

SKY - if your based in Germany and want to keep your sky account, register it in a UK address.

Electrail register - if living in the block then where possible keep your address as parents, get bank statements delievered to that address.

Mobile phones - provide an address history for more than 2 or 3 years.

Check your credit file - its free!!! for a month, then cancel and then six months later check again. No limit to the free trails.:money:

With reguards to stepping into the real world, I do believe that tere are certain people in all 3 services that want/expect the moon on a stick.

For my trade I would not be getting the wage I do now without having a senior management post.

In 13 years I have had 3 posting (so may be I havent had the same experience) but every time I have moved companies have helped to move my services.

I believe the crunch of the matter is Army V Navy V Air Force. The different way we are treated in the three services. May be this should be looked into, because most of the army peeps I know/read on here seem to get a rougher ride.

My family have equally never had problems,Dentists,Doctors, schools, after school clubs, no dramas at all.

zyonchaos

motorbike2 wrote: »

Go on to JPA and apply for an advance to cover the cost of the hotel if you are on "offical business" (course etc), it will be in your bank in around 3 days, so you don't have to lay out all the money. If you don't want to do this, you can apply for the money after the course and again it normally only take 3 days to hit you account.

I know that mate, but my past experience with getting advances has led me to not trust the system. I think the MOD would save a lot of money, by booking the hotels as Dinner, Bed and Breakfast and paying for it up front. This would stop a lot of the caviar, lobster eating champagne drinking that allegedly happens on courses lol
The government as a whole would save even more money if they put MP's in barrack style accomodation instead of all this second home rubbish. but thats just my opinion lol

inforeq

Andy_L wrote: »

AIUI the theory is that, if the cost of living is higher in foreign country X then, in the UK the sgt would have been maintaing a higher standard of living due to the higher salary and will thus have to spend more than the cpl to maintain that higher standard of living in country X

So it costs more to feed his kids? what a crock!!!

inforeq

In response to Si_M.

Where I am going with the mess is - if he/she is late with the payment (regardless if on course etc) then you can expect to obtain extras. The monthly fee is ridiculous, his normal standard month is around £40 and then there is summer balls etc to pay for in advance. For that £40 a month, what does he get, nothing, it goes to "mess funds". Then theres the tea and toast fiasco, £1.25 a week for the privellage (if you want it) to go and have it on a morning, this should be optional, but its not. Mess dinners or ladies dinner nights which are "compulsory" in many units, if he wants to take his wife for dinner then take her, not to sit with 200 odd others and listen to people waffle on and have to ask for permission to go to the loo and you have to pay for the privellege of being ordered to these dinners (another drain on the soliders finances).

Then there is the issue of the mess is known and "Sgts and W0's mess", the SGT pays less than the Warrant Officer. Yes my husband has accepted several ranks over the years but has deserved the promotions, as you would do in civvie street. When you get a pay rise or promotion in civvie a proportion of the money is not taken straight off you, in lieu of an elite boys club.

The mess should be an optional extra when you are in the army, its an elite boys club and a drain on the soliders pay.

Andy_L

inforeq wrote: »

So it costs more to feed his kids? what a crock!!!

Possibly, exageratting the numbers to emphasis the point: Someone at the bottom of the pile could be buying "tesco blue stripe" food whilst someone at the top will be buying "waitrose organics" & thus paying more for their food.
Say the 1st one pays £100/week & the 2nd £200/week then, if food prices are 10% higher across the board, the 1st family need an extra £10 to maintain the same lifestyle whilst the 2nd needs £20

strong96

ok my gripe,
we get our flights paid but not travel to and from airport, mind you most times they leave flights to last minute when i go in asking why they werent booked when applying 4 months in advance.
kindergeld is not a luxury i agree but it is for raising children which is what i do, i pay for everything for my child just becasue she is in boarding school that makes no difference to cost of raising her.

yes the mod pay 90% of the main school fees but thats it, yes its our choice to send her there but we prefer a stable education. but when they are late hitting the approved button and getting it to the bank we then incur an additional 10% charge for late fees even though it is not our fault.
I have personally spoken with the arbeitsamt regarding kindergeld as i was raised in germany i know the system. Also their are german children as private students at my daughters school and their parents still receive kindergeld, how do i know, i asked them.
Our physio dept said they do not provide physio for children under the age of 16 via the bfg med centres they must use a german local approved physio. it has nothing to do with her being in boarding school.forgot to mention you do not receive loa for children in germany if they go to boarding school.

inforeq

Andy_L wrote: »

Possibly, exageratting the numbers to emphasis the point: Someone at the bottom of the pile could be buying "tesco blue stripe" food whilst someone at the top will be buying "waitrose organics" & thus paying more for their food.
Say the 1st one pays £100/week & the 2nd £200/week then, if food prices are 10% higher across the board, the 1st family need an extra £10 to maintain the same lifestyle whilst the 2nd needs £20

and I still maintain "what a crock".

A senior ranks kids and family should be paid the same rate of LOA as anyone else, just because they have a few ticks on their arm doesnt mean that they need more money to live on than anyone else. I am the wife of a senior and our kids cost the same as as CFN's kids, they need clothes etc, so its ok for junior ranks to eat inferior products and inferior clothes, just because they are more than likely younger and havent had a chance to gain some ranks.

total rubbish - all ranks should be paid the same rate, if they have a wife and 2 kids the rate should be accross the board.

Andy_L

inforeq wrote: »

so its ok for junior ranks to eat inferior products and inferior clothes, just because they are more than likely younger and havent had a chance to gain some ranks.

Yes, thats they way of the world, both civvy & millitary, uk & overseas

zyonchaos

inforeq wrote: »

and I still maintain "what a crock".

A senior ranks kids and family should be paid the same rate of LOA as anyone else, just because they have a few ticks on their arm doesnt mean that they need more money to live on than anyone else. I am the wife of a senior and our kids cost the same as as CFN's kids, they need clothes etc, so its ok for junior ranks to eat inferior products and inferior clothes, just because they are more than likely younger and havent had a chance to gain some ranks.

total rubbish - all ranks should be paid the same rate, if they have a wife and 2 kids the rate should be accross the board.

Yes but as Andy has already said, the lower your rank the lower you get paid, that goes for most rates as well. And it has been like that for a long time now. Why should the Snr Ranks "kids and family" get paid the same as a Jnr Ranks, since that money is there to provide for the higher cost of living in a foreign country and therefore is proportional to the money earned in the normal wage.

MODWAG

As a Army family we have been overseas 8 years out of 13 to four different countries. Luckily we have been known to our bank for years but it is a nightmare to open ANY NEW accounts unless they are with a bank or building society that we already have an account with. Consequently we are often unable to take advantage of the best savings rates. Nationwide refused to open an account for us even though we had moved into our own home (just down the road), had proof of the address of the quarters that we lived in for 12 months before, passports and an MOD ID card and to top it all the branch was in a Garrison Town. Our men can go to war on behalf of the Country but the Financial Institutions think we are crooks.
Even coming back to the UK we have been refused Gas and electric supply or put on premium rates as we have no history in the last few years. Car insurance is another one where they will not take certificates of no claims bonus from other Countries.
To top that even the BFPO system allowing us UK postal rates often takes over 10 working days, we have lost numerous items and now a postal code has been added and many companies have difficulty entering them into their computer system. I have just found out my credit card has been blocked because BFPO returned my statement because it did not have my Husbands name on it. The card is in my name and other mail is being sent to me?
We are lucky as we have not had to apply for loans or credit cards which I am sure would be an added nightmare.
MOD please actually help with these problems instead of giving it lip service and look after your serving families.

MSE_Archna wrote: »

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is investigating the disadvantages faced by Servicemen and Women and their families when accessing financial products and services.

It would like examples from serving personnel or their immediate families of disadvantages that they have faced specifically as a result of being in the Armed Forces.

You should not give your name, or any other detail that might identify you, however please provide sufficient detail to enable them to understand the issue and the context in which it occurred.

Examples are listed below but please feel free to let us know about anything else too.

• Personnel take out kit insurance cover that proves to be worthless due to operational exclusions.
• Personnel take out motor insurance that excludes use on airfields, docks, or military bases. Refusal to cover Armed Forces personnel.
• Personnel take out travel insurance that will not pay out if trip cancelled due to Service reasons.
• Selling of life/accident/critical illness cover without making clear that cover excludes operational tours.
• Making it difficult for Armed Forces personnel to let out their family home on posting to a new location.
• Making it difficult for overseas-based personnel to get finance, including mortgages for house purchase in the UK.
• Disadvantageous credit rating/unsuccessful credit check, whether though service overseas, frequent postings, living in shared accommodation or being include on the Service Voters Electoral Roll.
• Students who are Service dependants resident with parents based overseas unable to get financial support to attend university (Student Loans Company criteria)
• Service dependants denied access to training and education courses in the UK (Learning and Skills Council funding residency requirements)
• Overseas-based personnel unable to open bank accounts/ISAs etc or use online banking, as BFPO addresses not recognised by bank computer systems.
• Financial institutions refuse to post documents/cards to BFPO addresses.

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