started working now we are left with nothing

Oldernotwiser

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

What happens if Avon and ebay don't make you enough to pay the rent?

I imagine that the OP will be claiming for help with the rent from LHA/HB.

Dolly-Rocket

I'm so sorry that I can't offer much advice but I just wanted to say how sorry I am for you that this has happened. I'm also a single mum (but thankfully have a good job with the same employer for over 15 years), but I still realise just how important it is to be everything to our kiddies especially at this time of year. I feel so cross with the information you have been given. Avon and eBay are NOT going to earn you enough to keep your family fed and watered in the near future. The advisor MUST have known this.
I would go there tomorrow with my children and not leave without a crisis loan being granted. Please don't worry too much about the presents though. I went bankrupt over two years ago (joint debts of 24k at the time) and at first I had no idea how to live without credit or budget. I remember my daughters 3rd birthday and having just £3 in my pocket. Thanks to ideas and tips from this site and another I made it a fabby birthday for her. Don't beat yourself up, things will get better for you. Just please be better prepared next time xxxx
Sending you hugs.

poog

mummy232 wrote: »

maybe it was a stupid idea to do avon i was going to do selling on ebay aswell but that also comes with fees and paying for stuff before i make a profit....the lady i spoke to at the job centre made it sound so easy and i thought i would be ok for the first few week with self employment credit coming in and working tax credit but was never told i would have to make my children go without for weeks till claims come though or theres no way i would of signed the form.
now if i make a claim for income support again its going to take weeks to sort out

I dont think anyone thinks your stupid! Its comendable that you are trying to get out of the benefit cycle and make a better life for you and your kids. What people thought was stupid was the advice you've been given.

Where abouts in the country are you? maybe someone could help if they know roughly whereabouts you are.

If I were you I would go back to the jobccentre today and not leave without some form of crisis loan and also be putting in a major complaint about the information you've recieved! its shocking!

If we are closeish I don't mind helping out as much as I can.

shikoku

Coming at this from a slightly different angle I would phone the manager of your Job Centre, or go in and politely insist you speak to them and complain about this advisor who was clearly just ticking a box without any concern about the impact on you.

Of course you cannot make a living selling Avon and a few bits on E bay, if you could everyone would be doing it.

HappyMJ

It took 4 weeks to get my self employment credits through. A lump sum of £200. Housing Benefit cancelled the claim then it took a further 4 weeks to sort out the run on which was a lump sum again of around 7 weeks rent. The last one was the Working Tax credit which came through as a lump sum of £424 eight weeks after signing off. Get a crisis loan in the meantime until everything settles down. It'll be worth it in the long run.

cabbage

or you could make a rapid reclaim for Income Support. Social services have a duty to ensure your children are fed etc so it might be worth getting in contact with them too.

bonkers1_2

In your situation I think you have just got to sit tight wait for the money to come through and try to sell something via ebay or gumtree classifieds/ shop windows - any junk/ unwanted possessions for example (even if they are broken gadgets old pottery/scruffy books/ old software/jewellery), put in a box and sell it as a 'car boot sale bundle' - I'd advertise it to people looking to make some cash in car boot sales in the new year, making sure you indicate any broken items are fine as 'spare or repair' lay the stuff all out on a blanket and photograph it, then label it 'pick up only' (unless you are willing to deliver/post it) or I guess you could car boot it yourself?

You will get more cash via classifieds than in places like cash converters/commission shops, which are a nasty bunch in my experience that mainly buy things off drug addicts.

my avon experience:

I got stuck in a similar trap, except I managed to not work the on-line ordering system right with them - as the brochures had promotions in that didn't show up on the on-line version - so I got all my orders wrong & got angry customers thinking I'd ripped them off - so I ended up either giving the particially correct order to them for free (and taking the hit as a my mistake) - the ones that wanted refunds got them - I ended up giving the goods away as xmas presents to family as I couldn't work out the returns procedure due to stress - I've social phobic so had no ideas how to deal with angry people - I still owe avon money from the start up costs.

All the admin was a big muddle for me, the ebay business I was running along side avon was only breaking even - i.e paying the fees to ebay to put the next lot of goods on, and nobody told me about credit taxes or help and it all resulted in a big family argument (I was sleeping in a house the council said I couldn't get credit on as we are related) and me ending up in a homeless hostel.

You won't catch me signing off dss again until a regular profit (wage) starts to come in - I still have the tax man and banks on my back and I had to leave my debts behind - so my credit rating is bad.

It's not until you get self employed you realise that these schemes are a 97% failure rate for a reason - most of that I believe is lack of help and support - I belong to several business networking groups, nobody has ever followed through on any offer to help - they all talk the talk but have no interest in helping genuine new/confused people.

So to all newbies out there I'd say - TRIAL OUT THE BUSINESS FIRST - see if you are going to be able to earn a wage from it - then tell the government - IF you making any money in profit - as I think they are unlikely to punish you if you tried and made a loss. (note the only proof I have of this is my own experience of being signed up to affiliate programs while on benefits - they told me just let us know if you start to make any money - I have made about £150 profit in 8 years - so that works out way below the earnings thresh hold)

sweetersong

In your situation I would be down the job centre today and refusing to move until they help you sort out a crisis loan. They may not be able to do it all themselves, but they mucked up, they can sit on the phone getting through to someone for you

Really hope it gets sorted for you xxx

Penny-Pincher!!

OP-Where in the UK are you? We hope you got something sorted today.

PP
xx

mummy232

ive been to the jobcentre and asked for a manager to help me sort something out...ive now got to wait till 1.30pm and go back to see the manager, i really hope they can help its the last working day now till middle of next week
thanks for all your advice i will let you know what happens