constructive dismissal earned me a JSA sanction now im jobless and pennyless

mitch161

due to harrassment, insults, and going through work disciplinary's which were invalid i had no way forward within work but to quit.

because i am not disabled the only benefit i could claim was JSA(jobseekers allowance) which began in august. last week JSA deemed it i voluntarily resigned and put a sanction on me so i no longer can claim JSA benefit.

i now have no benefit to pay gas electricity, water or food and i cannot find a single way out of my predicament.

i have filled for a appeal and showed a letter from my former employer which did admit that i quit under pressure. but as i know legally my employer would not admid they would knowingly constructively dismiss me.

i am hoping the carefully worded letter from employer is enough but i cannot see it happening with the luck i have been having this year.

i am a single male, living in a council house (which so far am still receiving a bit of relief to ensure rent/council tax is paid) but is there any way or do i qualify for any other benefit to put food on my plate and money onto my utility 'budget keys'.

the citizens advice buraeu near me didnt offer a solution apart from appealing. but i need money now. the last week i have been huddling under the duvets so i didnt need to put gas on, borrowing friends internet to write this (saves on bills) just keep my £200 in my bank account to eat low budget food.

i feel like im on the verge of homelessness if housing benefit see's a sanction on JSA.

please someone give me hope!

enabledebra

Your Housing benefit will not be affected by the JSA sanction.

You should appeal as advised but you should look into the possibility of JSA hardship payments. Hardship payments may not be payable for the first 2 weeks of the sanction as you are not (on the face of it) in a 'vulnerable group' but after that you may qualify- claim from the jobcentre.

DX2

Crisis loan.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/On_a_low_income/DG_10018856

enabledebra

Yes you should look into that too but crisis loans are restricted to an amount to pay for cooking or heating and explicitly exclude all other costs ,including food, where a sanction has been applied (except the cost of a fire guard for some reason- probably caselaw) they will insist you make an application for JSA hardship payments first.

mitch161

i have heard/read the hardship payments are 40% less. i am under a sky subscription contract. and with the JSA it only just covered utilities, food and sky.

i managed to cancel my out of contract broadband. but still going to find it hard to live on the hardship payments. which is better then nothing, so thank you.

is there a way out of sky contract without paying the remaining months of contract so that i can survive on the hardship payments easier until i get into a proper career again.

or other benefits to boost income as its a major struggle already on(until recently) JSA to budget.

i dislike the fact that i have to struggle on £65 a week being single with no support from anyone, yet other people get so much more.

lol i just wonder when i was working for sooo many years paying thousands in tax and national insurance, where is the support now i need it most

Indie_Kid

mitch161 wrote: »

i dislike the fact that i have to struggle on £65 a week being single with no support from anyone, yet other people get so much more.

Those people tend to be couples, have disabilities or have children.

enabledebra

Your way out of the sky contract is to stop paying it. That is a non priority expense when you are worrying about food and fuel and should be treated as such. Contact http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/ to deal with that.

mitch161

yes sky was when i was employed a luxury, but now its a burden. i have NEVER had a credit card and have also lived within my means. i have always tried to be honest and have never claimed for something if i did not need it.

yes when i was working i could have got working tax credits but because i could afford a few luxuries without it i believed i didnt deserve it even though i was entitled to it. basically i felt guilty taking money if it wasnt needed.

i am not a guy that would pretend to limp to get a new benefit i want to be honest and fair. but seems like honesty isnt fair these days.

i still have about sub £200 in my bank account to cover bills, but this is my rainy day fund. it use to be to cover costs of car repairs but yes its been eaten away the last couple months.

i am not at zero yet, i have no demands for payment YET but i am someone that does not want to get to that point.

is there a way to use a hardship excuse to halt or delay sky for a few months. to avoid zero'ing my bank balance as just one single sky payment works out as quite alot of loafs of bread, pints of milk. and just 1-3 months of not paying sky would be better used both for my physical and mental health.

anyone know any loopholes (legal ofcourse) that i can use to ease this christmas period for me.

by the way this website helped alot to reduce my christmas shopping bill.

voucher codes, plus a website offering cheap gift voucher/cards made a few items that were £20 into £8. free delivery which saved on car park tickets and the saturday queues.

never christmas shopped on a budget before. cheers again.

but back to topic anyone know of any exceptions to the rules about the incontract cancelation charge/ or atleast suspending service for set period without charge.

by the way even if i did cancel direct debit. my bank would still charge me a 'non payment charge' as sky would still request the money. (thought of that idea already as this happened last year with a broadband provider) good old halifax!!(sarcasm)

Hammyman

mitch161 wrote: »

by the way this website helped alot to reduce my christmas shopping bill.

So let me get this right. Rather than eat, you decided to spend the money on Xmas shopping?

When I was skint, people got a card if I could afford it or nowt if I couldn't.

Uncertain

mitch161 wrote: »

by the way even if i did cancel direct debit. my bank would still charge me a 'non payment charge' as sky would still request the money. (thought of that idea already as this happened last year with a broadband provider) good old halifax!!(sarcasm)

Double check this point carefully.

My understanding is that if you cancel the direct debit with the bank this should not happen. The bank can only make a charge if they refuse the payment for example due to a lack of funds. You are talking about withdrawing your authority to pay Sky at all. OK, SKY can still pursue you in other ways but that is another matter.

Maybe there is something to claim back from the Halifax for last time? If so, and they have made even a tiny mistake you should be able to get a refund PLUS, if you make enough fuss, a £30 to £50 payment for distress and inconvenience. If you have time on your hands and access to the internet it will cost you nothing to hassle them. It will cost them £400 if you take it the the FOS so they will pay if you go at the hard enough.

Either the debt free or bank account board will be able to help more with this point

FBaby

I really feel for you, really do. You are a hard working person and suddenly face hardship, real hardship and need help until you can get another job, which you will do shortly. I thought benefits were to help people like you. I think that rule about sanction when you have left your job is very harsh. I understand it perfectly, but surely they have to spend a bit more time looking at each individulal situation before having to go to appeal.

I don't have good advice. I would just say that in your case, I would beg sky to put a hold on your contract, explain your situation, that you are doing everything to avoid not paying, but you are not even sure how you will pay for your food next week, that as soon as you manage to get another job, which will be soon, you will resume with the subscription, but at the moment, you could do with their support for a very good customer. You have nothing to lose trying.

I really hope you get better luck next year.