job seekers tribunal

struddle

i have been in full time work since i left school,the company i worked for went bust owing me two months salary overtime and holiday pay,i went to the local jobcentre to ask how to sign on they said that i needed my p 45,i did not have this and they said come back when you do,it took 11 weeks to get it but in the meantime i did make an online application,the online service lost it,i made a phone application,aparently no trace of it,i went back to the jobcentre and they eventually gave me an appointment for the next week,when i went i then had to ill out the forms again,i was then informed that as it had taken me so long i had missed my 'slot'and would now have to ait four hours to be seen,which i did,i also then asked for a back dated payment and filled out another form, for this.my back dated payment was refused and so i then appealed,i have never been out of work and did not know that i could have asked the job centre for a p46 no one told me,even my mumwent to the same job centre to be told i needed my p 45.i now have to go to a tribunal on next tuesday,i don't know what really to say except that i have paid my taxes and got wrong info from the job centre,i looked on dwp website but not much help anyone else had this happen.or any ideas what to say i am really worried,have still not got a job but hope to be starting a training course in two weeks,so i really need the back dated money,as i am not going to be physically looking for work the job centre say i cannot claim job seekers allowance.

cavework

If the company went 'bust' you are still owed your money.
How long did you work for the Company and did you get a redundancy notice?

struddle

i worked for them for three years,i have been to a solicitor but legal aid was refused,my brother is in the position,there are alot of creditors and we are way down the list first is the taxman and vat,any ideas for the tribunal with the dwp,

McKneff

I would have thought that if you didnt have your P45 the job centre should have automatically given yu a P46 to complete.

Bloody idiots,

struddle

the worst is,my mum went into the jobcentre on my behalf and was told the same thing,so does anyone know where i stand,as the tribunal is on tuesday and i feel its them against me,and even though i have explained this to the dwp they still called the tribunal which to me seems that the dwp is willing to pay the tribunal people money but not give me a payment which is probably a lot less than the tribunal staff also it is being held in a 'posh'hotel...help....

DCFC79

Just tell them what happened, what ideas do you want for the tribunal ?

struddle

i am 19 i have never been to a tribunal perhaps you might think i am a bit dumb asking these questions but if i got the back dated money then i could pay for one of the courses myself,as i said i have paid tax(alot)over three years,i have never been out of work,we live in a small community with alot of unemployment so i counted myself lucky,so do i wear my suit,how do i present myself,what can i do to convince them i am telling the truth,my nearest Citizens Advice is over 45 miles away,with no transport and a bus twice a day there it was not possible to meet them,how many people does this system treat like me,i cant believe it,what normally happens,how many people question you?

Soldierearth54

Just be honest with exactly what happened. You should be dressed smart as first impressions are important but you should probably try and calm yourself about the whole situation (may be hard) as if you go into the tribunal worried or with an attitude then this may felect badly on you.

The DWP and Job Centres deal with a lot of 'social spongers' and some of their staff act as if everyone out there is trying to get one over therefore customer service or satisfaction is not high on their agenda.

I would really just advise you go with an open mind, look smart, answers questions honestly and most improtantly be factual - don't criticise or bad mouth the staff you have dealt with at the job centres as this will come across badly for you.

Good luck!

suelees1

I know it's easy for me to say but please try not to worry about the Tribunal hearing. It's your opportunity to give your side of the story. It's completely impartial and in no way will a decision be made just on what the Jobcentre has said.

You will have already been sent your appeal bundle which is all the relevant evidence (paperwork) and even though you might not understand it all it should contain all the information about your claims. It might also contain examples of past cases similar to yours along with the relevant law. The Tibunal Service will also have the exact same paperwork and nothing more.

You need to go through this and if you think there is anything missing it's important that you note this down.

In fact I suggest you write down the full details from when you started (or tried to start) your claim and exactly what has happened since you first contacted them. Write it in such a way that it will be easy for anyone to follow.

It's late now but if you can send it to the Tribunal Service by fax or email that would be preferable. Ring them to say you're sending it so they can make sure it's placed with the appeal bundle. If you can't get it to them in time then you need to make a copy and take it with you. Hand it to the clerk when you arrive and explain you didn't really know how to deal with the tribunal.

The judge can then weigh up all the 'evidence'. It's very important that all the information is there as this is the only thing the judge has access to. S/he is not employed by the DWP and so knows nothing apart from what is in that bundle of papers and any supplementary paperwork. You should also get a chance to explain what has happened.

It's not a court of law and it should be quite informal. I doubt if there will be anyone there from the Jobcentre as they don't often send a 'Presenting Officer'. There will probably only be you and the judge in the room.

Good luck with it.

Mupette

mickp67 wrote: »

The DWP and Job Centres deal with a lot of 'social spongers' and some of their staff act as if everyone out there is trying to get one over therefore customer service or satisfaction is not high on their agenda.

good luck!

sorry but that is a really carp excuse, not you just the whole customer service thing, they should be grateful they have jobs... standards should not slip due to personal thoughts on the customer

Gab665544

Mupette wrote: »

sorry but that is a really carp excuse, not you just the whole customer service thing, they should be grateful they have jobs... standards should not slip due to personal thoughts on the customer

Unfortunately alof of people who work in these places have no Customer Service skills at all. Alot of the ones i've encountered can't even work their computer system and have no apparent communication skills at all. You get the odd one or two that appear to be helpful but it's all about stats and after years of working, when I had to go into my local office again, it was the same old tired faces, looking even more tired and just as grouchy as they were back in the day.

If everyone had jobs, they wouldn't....if that makes sense