JSA refusing to help me!

Sambucus_Nigra

Sarahjaned wrote: »

Well after waking up with the flu and feeling rather rubbish i have been to firstly the Bank who confirmed again it is the payment centres error from the job centre and they must recall the funds.
Returned to the job centre explained this again (I am now in a total daze of how many times I have reiterated this) they still seem to think I am magic and can access someone elses account and retrieve the funds myself.
So next stop local MP but as we had local elections yesterday they can not help until the back end of next week so my next visit was to legal advise and het presto the job centre is wrong so another call to the JC along with the mention of solicitors and an MP on board (ish) thy have agreed to write to the bank and recall the money.
However I will still have to wait for this process and in the mean time I am not entitled to a crisis loan as I have apparently not paid enough NI funny seen as how I've worked since being 15. So this is also now being investigated.

So a big thanks to all who have given advise on this matter and to my Mum who helped a lot today. I shall keep you informed as to what happens next......... Thanks again

When you say you are going back to the job centre and explaining it -what exactly are you saying? You should not be explaining that they have paid money into the wrong account yada yada yada - you should be firmly asking where your money is....it should be them that sorts out the finer details of what to do when they have made an accounting or inputting error.

As far as you are concerned, you have not had your money, they have not paid your money and as such, they need to sort out paying your money that you are entitled to and have paid for with your NI contributions - if you make a fuss and embarrass them then they are more likely to sort it out than if you slope away quietly.

Loobysaver

I work as an advisor in the job centre so don't deal with payments but as far as I am aware this is what should happen.

The benefit delivery centre should be book you into the customer services diary at your job centre to fill out a form called a QB42, you then take it to your bank who then stamp it to say that you have not received any JSA into your account. You then return it to the job centre and they liaise with the BDC to arrange a replacement payment for you.

I apologise if this info is wrong but it is definitely worth asking for an appointment to get this sorted. Failing that ask to speak to a manager.

AsknAnswer2

Sarahjaned wrote: »

Well after waking up with the flu and feeling rather rubbish i have been to firstly the Bank who confirmed again it is the payment centres error from the job centre and they must recall the funds.
Returned to the job centre explained this again (I am now in a total daze of how many times I have reiterated this) they still seem to think I am magic and can access someone elses account and retrieve the funds myself.

They can't retreive the funds either, not after they have credited. A BACS payment of JSA takes 3 working days to credit. A payment can only be recalled up until the day before it is due to credit into the account.

As I've said before, (and gillianne also said it) if they have input the account information incorrectly (i.e different from what you declared to them at the time) they have to replace the payment. They can only refuse to replace it if they have issued the payment to the account you specified at the time, and the bank it is sent to does not return it to them (which by the way the bank have no obligation to do if it has credited to someone else's account).

This is nothing to do with the Jobcentre, it is to do with the Benefit Delivery Centre which processes your Jobseekers allowance payments. If you have not been in touch with them - and I don't mean the contact centre, I mean if you have not had a call back from someone who actually processes your payments then phone up and insist on one. If they refuse, ask for a manager and explain the situation to them. Once you get a call back from someone who processes your payments, ask for an explanation of why your payments are not being replaced. If they say they paid it to the account you gave them, ask them to send you a copy of the form you signed declaring your account information so that you can see for yourself.

If they admit that it is their error, insist that they replace the payment without further delay - again asking for a manager if necessery. If they have made a mistake they have to put it right.

Sarahjaned wrote: »

I am not entitled to a crisis loan as I have apparently not paid enough NI

Crisis loan entitlement has absolutely nothing to do with how much contributions you have made.

TheHangingJudge

The only person in this thread who has given accurate advice is AsknAnswer2.

If they've paid it to the wrong account because they made a mistake then they must replace the payment immediately. So do as AsknAnswer2 says & contact the Benefit Delivery Centre, not the Job Centre (it's got sod all to do with the Job Centre).

For the payment sent to the wrong account, DWP write to the bank, ask them to contact the account holder and request the funds be repaid ... they only write it off as an official error if the beneficiary who received the payment in error declines to refund it.

Tbh, this is so straightforward & the guidance so clear, I'm suspecting it's the OP who's given the DWP the wrong bank details.

dseventy

TheHangingJudge wrote: »

Tbh, this is so straightforward & the guidance so clear, I'm suspecting it's the OP who's given the DWP the wrong bank details.

Thats what I thought too, (you don't see it happen much in private industry) but thought I would get a negative reaction to such a post.

D70

gillianne

Sarahjaned wrote: »

Well after waking up with the flu and feeling rather rubbish i have been to firstly the Bank who confirmed again it is the payment centres error from the job centre and they must recall the funds.
Returned to the job centre explained this again (I am now in a total daze of how many times I have reiterated this) they still seem to think I am magic and can access someone elses account and retrieve the funds myself.
So next stop local MP but as we had local elections yesterday they can not help until the back end of next week so my next visit was to legal advise and het presto the job centre is wrong so another call to the JC along with the mention of solicitors and an MP on board (ish) thy have agreed to write to the bank and recall the money.
However I will still have to wait for this process and in the mean time I am not entitled to a crisis loan as I have apparently not paid enough NI funny seen as how I've worked since being 15. So this is also now being investigated.

So a big thanks to all who have given advise on this matter and to my Mum who helped a lot today. I shall keep you informed as to what happens next......... Thanks again

dont let them fob u off go in tell them its a official error on there side and demand it is sorted there and then dont let them put u on the phone and dont budge from ur chair ask to c the manager believe u me it will work i was a jca advisor who sorted peoples benefits out and i no its a official error if they have tapped in the wrong bank details. also if u have occurred any bank charges due to no funds from them goin into ur acc then they can cover these as well as its a official error x

terryw

TheHangingJudge wrote: »

The only person in this thread who has given accurate advice is AsknAnswer2.

What was inaccurate about my post number 20? It reads:

"Crisis Loan has nothing whatsoever to do with payment of NICs."

TheHangingJudge

terryw wrote: »

What was inaccurate about my post number 20? It reads:

"Crisis Loan has nothing whatsoever to do with payment of NICs."

A Crisis Loan won't be awarded if benefit's due, as seems to be in this case.

NickyBat

TheHangingJudge wrote: »

A Crisis Loan won't be awarded if benefit's due, as seems to be in this case.

benefit isn't now due until the 16th, and as she hasn't actually had any money a Crisis Loan can be awarded.

OP you REALLY need to find out what bank account details the DWP are holding for you. Also if nothing is done about this , the Benefit Delivery Centre could send your next payment to the same (incorrect) account - i have seen this done before!

terryw

TheHangingJudge wrote: »

A Crisis Loan won't be awarded if benefit's due, as seems to be in this case.

I doubt this very much. There must be many cases of people claiming crisis loans whilst awaiting a benefit. But this has nothing whatsoever to do with my statement which is absolutely correct:

"Crisis Loan has nothing whatsoever to do with payment of NICs."