I'm actually LIVID! SO ANGRY

JCD_Capulet

:mad::mad::mad::mad:Friday I had my interview with jobcentreplus, because of timing anf not having anything to wear, I called the jobcentre to tell them I couldn't sign on that day. I tried for an hour but couldnt get through so instead called the jobcentre plus number, explained my situation and the girl on the phone said she'd email my local office and let them know. I asked, and she assured me it wouldn't affect my benefit. So that was that.

Tuesday morning I get a letter from the jobseekers folk saying I had failed to sign and therfor my benefit might stop if I don't go in and explain myself! I called the number on th eletter and told the guy I'd spoken to someone on friday, she emailed my local office and that I was told everything would be fine. He told me the person I spoke to recorded that I had called in but didn't record any details nor send on an email!! He said that it now needs to go to a decision maker to see if I can keep my benefit!! I did my part so because someone blatantly cannot do their job IM THE ONE who gets to suffer?!

WHAT THE UTTER F*CK??!!
I hate jobcentre, fu*king hate it. You're damned if you do and damned if you dont. So now I'm leaving the house to go get verbal.

Oh yeah, my benefit has already been stopped. I have no money to live on 'untill further notice'. Nice, eh? being guilty untill proven innocent.

I'm shaking with anger.

themaccas

The jobcentre call centre are totally incompetant, when I had to sign on a couple of years ago I could never get hold of them to do so, my initial claim took 8 weeks to go through by which time I had started a new job. They are totally useless I hope I never ever need to sign on again, the thought of depending on those useless morons makes me feel ill! Good luck with your claim, I hope things get sorted out for you, I can totally sympathise with your situation.

Broken_hearted

Ok sorry if I missed it in the OP but why didn't you go.

sandy2_2

JCD_Capulet wrote: »

Playing devil's advocate here.....Surely you had several days notice of your interview with Jobcentre and could have sorted out something to wear.... or contacted them earlier to rearrange

Broken_hearted

I'd have gone in my underwear (not joking) rather than risk being left with nothing.

lynzpower

I think JCD actually had an interview with the jobcentre for a job with them, at the same time she was meant to be signing on is that right JCD?

You can get a crisis loan you know till they sign you back on. Small comfort I Know

Huggles to you hun, you really are having a carp time of it.

If you lived near me Id have you round for your tea

wherediditallgo

OP, I'm a bit confused. Was the interview for a job with jobcentreplus, or was it one of those interviews where they prepare you for going for interviews elsewhere? If it was one of the former, then I can understand why you wouldn't have wanted to go inappropriately dressed, & if you had another appointment at the same time, though it would have been better for you to give them more advance notice rather than ringing on the same day. If the interview was one of the prep ones, surely it wouldn't really matter what you wore as long as you explained yourself if necessary.

Did you tell them the real reasons why you couldn't attend, or make something up? It's a long time since I've been out of work, so I don't really know how the system works now & I'm not judging you. However, when I worked in the benefit system if someone called on the day to say they couldn't attend when they've known about the interview in advance (emergency or exceptional circumstances notwithstanding) it was pretty much taken that they were giving an excuse rather than a reason for not attending, & sometimes that was because they were working elsewhere. In any event, your interview was on Friday. It's quite conceivable that even if an e-mail had been sent, it wouldn't have been actioned in time to stop the letter being sent to you for the letter to arrive on Tuesday. Rather than going to the office & getting angry with them (the surest way for you to be shown the door without any money), I suggest you go there appropriately dressed for an interview and calmly explain what happened (give the name of the person you spoke to if you have it) and ask when the interview can be rescheduled for. You never know - if it's one of the prep interviews, they might be able to reschedule you for later that day, & it would be worth you hanging around to have it.

jo1972

Oh Joanne, sorry you've having such a carp time hun (((((Joanne)))))

I hope you get it sorted

BILLIE

My OH is currently out of work and I couldn't agree more the Job Centre are useless (and I am being polite here). Add to that the Tax Credits people have decided they would like us to pay back £5k because someone had not input information given to them. Like JCD, the person whom I spoke to many months ago, made a note of having had a conversation with them, but somehow forgot to input important information. Likewise when I queried the amount we were receiving and TOLD THEM we were being overpaid the reponse was "don't worry it will get sorted in time". It all seems so unfair - under tax credits we are a couple and everything gets taken into account and are penalised because we have gone over the threshold - my children but OH's monies have to be assessed. Then with Jobcentre my mortgage doesn't count!!! Life just isn't fair - when you are down you are really down and crawlling back up is so hard. Good luck JCD.

angelavdavis

I keep warning people to follow up telephone conversations with a quick note confirming the conversation. Ensure you make a note of the individual you are speaking to and mention this in the letter.

All call centres - governments ones included, are unreliable and very often poor at updating records. They are only interested in clearing your call to take the next one.

You have some comeback if you can prove you have contacted them and updated them accordingly.

JCD_Capulet

Broken_hearted wrote: »

Ok sorry if I missed it in the OP but why didn't you go.

I couldn't go to sign on because I have no clothes suitable for an interview and had to try to find a friend who would lend me some. This meant having to leave the house, travel into the city, rumage around the charity shop my friend works in and then travel home again with clothes she paid for for me. I had to get a bus in rush lunch time traffic, shop, return, bathe then leave 40 minutes early to walk to my interview.

sandy2 wrote: »

Playing devil's advocate here.....Surely you had several days notice of your interview with Jobcentre and could have sorted out something to wear.... or contacted them earlier to rearrange

No on either account. I was telephone interviewed on thursday last week and told to attend on the following day at 1.30. I presumed (silly me) that my office wear from my last job was still suitable, but no. I own two pairs of black trousers, one was torn in the dryer, one was too small (couldnt zip it up).

lynzpower wrote: »

I think JCD actually had an interview with the jobcentre for a job with them, at the same time she was meant to be signing on is that right JCD?

You can get a crisis loan you know till they sign you back on. Small comfort I Know

Huggles to you hun, you really are having a carp time of it.

If you lived near me Id have you round for your tea

My signing on time is noon, the interview was at 2pm, but I had the clothes issue to deal with. Crisis loan?! HA!! Ive already been told im not eligable because I don't have a child and I can be fed at my mothers house a street away. That's all jolly well and good, but now my rent is going to default which now means I'll get a letter from the housing telling me that I've broken my agreement and I'll be issued a notice that I'm being taken to court to have the flat taken from me.
Thanks Lynz x

wherediditallgo wrote: »

OP, I'm a bit confused. Was the interview for a job with jobcentreplus, or was it one of those interviews where they prepare you for going for interviews elsewhere? If it was one of the former, then I can understand why you wouldn't have wanted to go inappropriately dressed, & if you had another appointment at the same time, though it would have been better for you to give them more advance notice rather than ringing on the same day. If the interview was one of the prep ones, surely it wouldn't really matter what you wore as long as you explained yourself if necessary.

I was going for an interview to be employed by jobcentreplus. If I had been given more notice of the interview date and time I'd have passed that on to the job centre. I don't think in any situation, jeans are looked upon lightly as interview wear.

wherediditallgo wrote: »

Did you tell them the real reasons why you couldn't attend, or make something up? It's a long time since I've been out of work, so I don't really know how the system works now & I'm not judging you. However, when I worked in the benefit system if someone called on the day to say they couldn't attend when they've known about the interview in advance (emergency or exceptional circumstances notwithstanding) it was pretty much taken that they were giving an excuse rather than a reason for not attending, & sometimes that was because they were working elsewhere. In any event, your interview was on Friday. It's quite conceivable that even if an e-mail had been sent, it wouldn't have been actioned in time to stop the letter being sent to you for the letter to arrive on Tuesday. Rather than going to the office & getting angry with them (the surest way for you to be shown the door without any money), I suggest you go there appropriately dressed for an interview and calmly explain what happened (give the name of the person you spoke to if you have it) and ask when the interview can be rescheduled for. You never know - if it's one of the prep interviews, they might be able to reschedule you for later that day, & it would be worth you hanging around to have it.

When it comes to the job centre I NEVER lie. I rely on my benefit to keep a roof over my head (which will now be in the running for being taken away from me) and food in my stomach. As far as the email goes, I've been told that not only did they not recieve the email by today, the person I spoke to on Friday didn't take note of the reason for me calling in. "As far as I see here, you called on friday, but that could have been anything. You could have called up for a job enquirey." I don't like being called a liar to my face, or at all for that matter.

---

Anyway, I've been booted off jobseekers allowance. I need to attend an interview on monday to restart a new claim which could take two weeks to process and another week ontop of that for me to get my first payment again. I'm sick of crying.