Work Programme (PeoplePlus) Complaints Query

digital_sneeze

So, my situation is as follows.

Was with the work programme for a few weeks, and I was finally shoehorned into a job working in a hotel. I was fine with the work no problem, but everything went pear shaped pretty quickly. The events are as follows:

- I got the job, after a work trial, via someone who works at PeoplePlus (I'll call him John), who I was put onto through my advisor (I'll call her Anne). I don't know his job title; I assume he sources jobs for the company and arranges the interviews / work trials through the employer. He's described as an "ERM" in the complaint letter response.

- Was signed off, at my adviser's behest, on the Friday (26 / 02 / 16), at around 2.45pm.

- I turned up to the job following Monday (29 / 02 / 16) at 11am. I was told there and then by the employer that the company no longer wished to employ (for a nonsense reason). She said there and then that she had spoken to John the previous Friday informing him of this. At no point had I been told this.

- Irritated, I ignored the phone calls from my adviser the next two days, who via voicemail. was asking how was I doing at the job and if I had started. On Wednesday (02 / 03 / 16) I received an email from her stating:

How are you ??
I have been trying to contact you to check that you are ok and had started work on Monday and to make sure everything is ok.

- At this point I was fairly peed off that John had informed neither her or myself, despite obviously knowing I wasn't there. It was this day I sent a complaint to PeoplePlus via there website.

- Today I received a letter in response, which partly states:

...Unfortunately John was not informed that the employer wished to retract the offer of employment until Monday 29/02 and Anne was not informed until you was [SIC] due in work. Once Anne was aware of the situation she tried to call you on Monday, but you did not answer making her think you may have still started work. Anne has consistently tried to contact you since Monday to see if you did start

Aside from the fact they're calling my potential employer a lier, why would my adviser consistently call me, and send me that email up there, on the Wednesday, as though she had no idea that I was not employed at the hotel if the letter states that she knew on Monday? The letter seems to directly contradict itself and implicate her as being negligent. In actual fact to me the blame solely lies on John, who at no point appeared to tell anyone that I wasn't working there after all. Though it does now seem that Anne is trying to change her story regarding her messages to me.

I was wondering if anyone feels this is worth taking further, possibly to the DWP. I have the letter and the email, and probably voicemails, and I'm sure contacting the hotel proprietor is easy enough. Are they just going to wriggle out of this on a technicality and it end causing future discomfort for me when I no doubt get thrown back at the programme?

I'm no doubt going to lose out on money as a result while I wait for my claim to be renewed (going from JSA to Universal Credit so I'm guessing it's going to take longer). Luckily I'm in a position I can borrow from people. Others might not.

I get that it wasn't necessarily their fault that the employer changed their mind, but I signed off late-ish Friday afternoon, and my employer supposedly told him this on that day, possibly before I signed off. I could have avoided having to resign on. And even if my potential employer was lying, why is it that the PeoplePlus employees don't bother keeping each other abreast of "customer's" situations? It all sounds unscrupulous to me, and the "thorough" investigation seems like poorly grammaticised whitewashing.

BoJangles_2

There is no evidence either way so you can't know for sure who is at fault.

Regardless, you should have informed them straight away, not picking up their calls was a bad idea and even though you say you were angry and feel you had the right, it won't help your cause.

digital_sneeze

I don't think it's necessarily about pinpointing the blame on an individual. I think there's a fairly clear example of contradictory statements here that could be further investigated. The fact I didn't answer calls is fairly immaterial considering I wasn't contacted at all until later Monday with them having no indication of my situation, and then having a complaint reply which states that they did in fact, supposedly, know of my situation. That to me sounds highly suspect.

tomtontom

As above you haven't helped yourself here. When the hotel told you they were no longer taking you on you should have contacted both the JCP (to do a rapid reclaim) and Anne (to advise what had happened).

What did you do for the next two days, apart from ignore calls?

digital_sneeze

I reapplied for JSA asap of course (thank you for implication that I didn't). I feel I wasn't mandated to maintain contact with the work programme as I wasn't currently claiming JSA, and felt that doing so would only validate their ineptitude. I feel an adviser is the one that is supposed to advise me, not the other way around. Perhaps it would have helped, but at that point my main concern was getting back on JSA via the Job Centre.

tomtontom

digital_sneeze wrote: »

I reapplied for JSA asap of course. I feel I wasn't mandated to maintain contact with the work programme as I wasn't currently claiming JSA, and felt that doing so would only validate their ineptitude. Perhaps it would have helped, but at that point my main concern was getting back on JSA via the Job Centre.

Now you're contradicting yourself.

You're making an issue where one does not exist, and you're doing yourself no favours alienating the WP people that have tried to help you. Forget about it and focus on finding alternative work.

digital_sneeze

"Reapplied" is not the same as claiming. I do not have an interview until next week where they assess my claim. I am in the system and I am not currently claiming Job Seekers allowance. That seems like a fairly simple scenario to understand and I'm somewhat at a loss as to why you are attempting to suggest I am currently claiming money via JSA when I am clearly not.

tomtontom

digital_sneeze wrote: »

"Reapplied" is not the same as claiming. I do not have an interview until next week where they assess my claim. I am in the system and I am not currently claiming Job Seekers allowance. That seems like a fairly simple scenario to understand and I'm somewhat at a loss as to why you are attempting to suggest I am currently claiming money via JSA when I am clearly not.

If you have made a rapid reclaim then you will be paid from the date of applying. A rapid reclaim will be the only option open to you since your last claim was so recent. Hence you do have an active claim for JSA.

digital_sneeze

In fact it wasn't. On the https://www.gov.uk site even clicking on the rapid reclaim link takes me to Universal Credit page because of my location details, with no other options. I was assuming this would be addressed during the interview and the claim turned into a rapid reclaim. If you don't have technical knowledge of application procedures then you should desist from giving advice on it: http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?456304-JSA-Rapid-reclaim

Incidentally I've had rapid reclaims before and they still require interviews which typically occur a week or so after the reclaim. I would still not be claiming job seekers allowance simply because I submitted a rapid reclaim.

This isn't relevant to my query anyway, which hasn't been addressed at all (aside from some work programme apologism).

I will conduct this through the DWP.

tomtontom

Ha ha, good luck making trouble for yourself.

If only those efforts were put into job seeking, just think what you could achieve

digital_sneeze

Thanks for your advice, and sarcasm. It is no longer solicited. Please reread my above post, which I edited to include information which shows that your advice is ill informed. Perhaps it will prevent your from proffering false information in the future, and perhaps even the shaky Daily Mail-esque supposition you seem to revel in.