Stolen giro, 7 weeks for investigation?

drbluebox

AsknAnswer2 wrote: »

It's extreme that they investigate the matter of the stolen cheque before they agree to replace it? Do you think that they should simply replace a cheque willy nilly without investigation and without you officially declaring on paper that it has been stolen? How do they know that you didn't cash it, or collude with someone else to cash it? Of course I am not suggesting you did but they don't know that, not until they investigate it. They cannot go replacing public funds without investigating what happened to the funds that they already issued. I would think that having had the giro stolen, you'd be more careful about ensuring you don't leave the forms lying around to get stolen.

They must investigate this and I really don't understand why you are taking the hump with them about it - they didn't steal it or leave it in a place where it could be stolen.

All you are required to do is complete and sign two forms, stick them in a pre-paid envelope and post them back. Hardly a lot of 'work'.

Ha ha, I didnt mean work in the sense it was a lot to do but in that I have to do what they say when its not my fault and its more for their benefit than mine as since it wasnt my fault the cheque was stolen, so I meant extreme to expect someone to wait 2 months to get things sorted out with no support in place

And I dont think a payment should be so easily replaced but the entire attitude to the thing was "tough" and that me being unable to buy food, pay bills(and get loads of charges) etc was just "sods law" as such and they dont have anything in place to help people in this sort of situation, also since the forms are just copies of the phone calls I already made whats the point of them really? But it does seem silly that they would even think to send the forms out to the address when they could easily get stolen.

Plus the fact I am a vulnerable person with autism the jobcentre have notes on this it just feels they should do more.

Finally their handling of the situation leaves a lot to be desired, I was supposed to get a call back on Friday, Monday, Tuesday and had to chase each one up as the person who was supposed to be dealing with it was off ill on Monday but no one told me that.

I feel so let down by the jobcentre that I just feel messed around.

NASA_2

Like battyboimike above I have heard so many people say that they havent received their giro. I rang the post office one time while dealing with an irate claimant, they advised that the giro was cashed and that the claimant had used picture ID to do so, I advised the claimant of this and said that a thorough investigation would be done and if it was found not to be them we'd contact them in a couple of months to replace it for them.

It's amazing how calm they were after being told the news. You'd almost think they had been found out.

And it's a good thing the money shops now ring benefit offices too to check if they gire they are cashing is legit. Afterall, why would someone allow a private company comission on their precious benefit money, if there wasnt something untoward.

There is good reason why it takes so long.

richard9991

i genuinely never recived a giro years ago and went to the then dhss office who replaced the giro immediatly even though they insisted it had been sent out about 2 to 3 months later i was called in to give sample signature and i never heard a thing again from them i must have had an honest face for them to replace it so quick Lol

bestpud

drbluebox wrote: »

My dad told me stories about when I was a kid he was messed around by the jobcentre so he physically glued himself to a chair until he was paid, and he won!

Maybe you could be the one to break the benefits cycle in your family?

Just a thought...

cit_k

7 weeks to investigate?

Blimey, they could send someone round to the post office, or get the police round to the post office it was cashed at, and just view the CCTV footage (what post office is not crawling with CCTV camera's in this day and age) of who cashed it.

By the time 7 weeks is up, the footage could well be deleted, and they wont have much to go on.

Seriously if they were competant, they could get this sorted in a matter of days.

All they need to do, is rule out that the claimaint cashed it, and they can do further investigation in to who did at a later date surely?

drbluebox

bestpud wrote: »

Maybe you could be the one to break the benefits cycle in your family?

Just a thought...

So my parents being on benefits at one point when I was a kid, and me being on benefits now is a benefits cycle? Wow I guess the years of working in a job and also when I was in education dont count, nor does the fact my dad worked till he was in his 30;s when he was in intensive care and then did what voluntary work he could doesnt count?

You should think before you reply, I have hard workers in my family like my brother and both my parents have degrees.

NASA_2

richard9991 wrote: »

i genuinely never recived a giro years ago and went to the then dhss office who replaced the giro immediatly even though they insisted it had been sent out about 2 to 3 months later i was called in to give sample signature and i never heard a thing again from them i must have had an honest face for them to replace it so quick Lol

There are different procedures around cases where someone applies for a replacement and the original giro has not been cashed and where it has been cashed. If the post office confirms that it hasnt been cashed then a replacement is usually authorised on the day and the investigation is done in the background (As far as the claimant is concerned).

cit_k wrote: »

7 weeks to investigate?

Blimey, they could send someone round to the post office, or get the police round to the post office it was cashed at, and just view the CCTV footage (what post office is not crawling with CCTV camera's in this day and age) of who cashed it.

By the time 7 weeks is up, the footage could well be deleted, and they wont have much to go on.

Seriously if they were competant, they could get this sorted in a matter of days.

All they need to do, is rule out that the claimaint cashed it, and they can do further investigation in to who did at a later date surely?

Ok, first off they couldnt just send someone round to the post office, given the geographical areas involved and the amount of people who claim not to have received their giro this would take a ridiculous amount of staff to achieve.

The OP has not said when their giro was 'stolen' so you are making assumptions on timescales. The post office only retains the giro for a short period and then it is sent for reconciliation. If the claimant leaves a sufficient amount of time between cashing the original and applying for the replacement then the post office wont have the documentary proof to hand and that is why the investigation needs done.

As for CCTV, the CCTV would necessarily be wide angle in order to get everyone attending the various counters, so unless the post office have FBI/CIA/MI5 standard cameras then I think it is going to be pretty difficult to establish the exact transaction that took place.

Further to that, the DWP are not alledging that a crime has taken place, so involving the police would be wrong.

Seven weeks is an accurate amount of time given the (Still) huge amounts of giros that are issued.

Ziggazee

Not sure I understand the OP's comments that he doesn't see why he has "to do what they say when its not my fault and its more for their benefit than mine".......surely it is of more benefit for him that the process is followed........after all it is "his" Giro. Having said that, he could always get a job to avoid this happening in future ;-)

drbluebox

Ziggazee wrote: »

Not sure I understand the OP's comments that he doesn't see why he has "to do what they say when its not my fault and its more for their benefit than mine".......surely it is of more benefit for him that the process is followed........after all it is "his" Giro. Having said that, he could always get a job to avoid this happening in future ;-)

Well in that sense thats like if a debt collector claims I owe money and sends me letters and pesters me with phone calls then its in my best interest to do what they want to stop them bothering me.

And yes it is my giro, I have worked many times in past and paid tax and NI in each and every job I have had(and was offered cash in hand work a while ago and turned it down as didnt want to be a benefit cheat!)

If it is not my money then it is also no one elses money as if my tax doesnt count then no ones does.

If your employer told you that you werent getting paid this month as they claim to already sent a cheque to you, would you just roll over and do anything they want when you only have their word for it?

I have done nothing wrong and it seems they can ask me to do anything they want as its their routine, I have no problem with speeding up any process but I shouldnt be expected to do so, if I didnt fill in the forms and they still find out I didnt cash it I have still fulfilled what is set out in the jobcentre agreement yet I still wouldnt get the cash so as far as I am concerned this is a issue between the jobcentre and the post office especially as the giro was cashed without any id.

So would you have any issues if it wasnt a benefit payment that went missing?

swanny65

cit_k wrote: »

7 weeks to investigate?

Blimey, they could send someone round to the post office, or get the police round to the post office it was cashed at, and just view the CCTV footage (what post office is not crawling with CCTV camera's in this day and age) of who cashed it.

By the time 7 weeks is up, the footage could well be deleted, and they wont have much to go on.

Seriously if they were competant, they could get this sorted in a matter of days.

All they need to do, is rule out that the claimaint cashed it, and they can do further investigation in to who did at a later date surely?

Until the OP declares the giro not received by completing the relevant forms there is nothing to investigate.

If this is done tell me how, without the giro, anyone will be able to identify when, date and time, the giro was cashed. This assumes the giro hasn't been altered to be cashed at a different Post Office or the OP didn't ask someone else to cash the giro for them.

Get the evidence (the giro) first