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Jim_Cooke

sangie595 wrote: »

some people struggle with the benefits system. That is why MSE DO NOT CHARGE those people for benefits advice.

It isn't just Benefits forum. MSE don't charge for any other of the forums either, including Savings and Investments forum where there appear to be many millionaires. MSE make their income in ways that Benefits and Work do not. I have no doubt MSE has made a lot more money than B&W!!!
MSE do not charge for benefits advice because they do not give any. The Benefits advice is given free not by MSE but by anyone who posts, some of it is very good, some of it is irrelevant, some of it is wrong. If you want to take a chance on that to save a subscription you are free to do so, I just want to help you by making you aware of the risk of taking advice from anonymous posters on the internet.
Its like overhauling your car. You can trawl the internet for free advice, or you can save time and possibly costly mistakes by buying a manual. I use both

sangie595

Jim_Cooke wrote: »

It isn't just Benefits forum. MSE don't charge for any other of the forums either, including Savings and Investments forum where there appear to be many millionaires. MSE make their income in ways that Benefits and Work do not. I have no doubt MSE has made a lot more money than B&W!!!
MSE do not charge for benefits advice because they do not give any. The Benefits advice is given free not by MSE but by anyone who posts, some of it is very good, some of it is irrelevant, some of it is wrong. If you want to take a chance on that to save a subscription you are free to do so, I just want to help you by making you aware of the risk of taking advice from anonymous posters on the internet.
Its like overhauling your car. You can trawl the internet for free advice, or you can save time and possibly costly mistakes by buying a manual. I use both

Hmm. Isn't it interesting how many posters with almost no posting history are all showing up to suggest that people might want to buy a manual, or pay subscriptions to a website? Has CAB closed? All the other advice centres have closed? All the charity information and advice services have also closed? This is sounding more and more like advertising.

I would point out that anyone subscribing IS taking advice from anonymous posts on the internet. - you lot ARE anonymous posters on the internet. Perhaps this is all legit and above board. And perhaps you have the forum teams permission to advertise your site here. And perhaps you should go and ask them to make that into a sticky, so that it is above board and honest and fair to everyone? I'm sure that if the forum team are happy that you are advertising your paid for services on MSE they are going to highlight that so that it benefits everyone.

Glen_Clark

sangie595 wrote: »

Hmm. Isn't it interesting how many posters with almost no posting history are all showing up to suggest that people might want to buy a manual, or pay subscriptions to a website? Has CAB closed? All the other advice centres have closed? All the charity information and advice services have also closed? This is sounding more and more like advertising.

I would point out that anyone subscribing IS taking advice from anonymous posts on the internet. - you lot ARE anonymous posters on the internet. Perhaps this is all legit and above board. And perhaps you have the forum teams permission to advertise your site here. And perhaps you should go and ask them to make that into a sticky, so that it is above board and honest and fair to everyone? I'm sure that if the forum team are happy that you are advertising your paid for services on MSE they are going to highlight that so that it benefits everyone.

JakiT wrote: »

I myself have bought the manuals but I often give them free

People aren't going to buy B&W manuals if he is giving them away free are they?
So if the OP was working for B&W why would he be giving their manuals away free?

Glen_Clark

sangie595 wrote: »

Has CAB closed? All the other advice centres have closed? All the charity information and advice services have also closed?

I don't know what other services you are referring to so I can only discuss CAB. I have the greatest respect for them They are a generalsed service, and they subscribe to Benefits and Work to get their training courses / Benefits information. They are severely underfunded, and just don't have enough time and resources to help everyone.
I wouldn't contact CAB unless I had to because of the waiting time, the possibility of not being seen, and the fact I would be taking their limited resources away from someone else

pmlindyloo

Glen_Clark wrote: »

I don't know what other services you are referring to so I can only discuss CAB. I have the greatest respect for them They are a generalsed service, and they subscribe to Benefits and Work to get their training courses / Benefits information. They are severely underfunded, and just don't have enough time and resources to help everyone.
I wouldn't contact CAB unless I had to because of the waiting time, the possibility of not being seen, and the fact I would be taking their limited resources away from someone else

And your evidence for this is?

Glen_Clark

pmlindyloo wrote: »

And your evidence for this is?

on the home page of the B&W website http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/ where list of subscribers includes;

• Royal College of Nursing
• Spinal Injuries Association
• Chesterfield Law Centre
• Coventry Mind
• Birmingham Citizens Advice Bureau
• Colchester Borough Council Welfare Rights

NYM

So Birmingham CAB subscribe but what about all the other CAB offices?

Plus you stated they got their training courses through them. What evidence do you have for that ?

Do the Royal College of Nursing also do their training through them?

pmlindyloo

Glen_Clark wrote: »

on the home page of the B&W website http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/ where list of subscribers includes;

• Royal College of Nursing
• Spinal Injuries Association
• Chesterfield Law Centre
• Coventry Mind
• Birmingham Citizens Advice Bureau
• Colchester Borough Council Welfare Rights

Fair enough although this isn't actually Citizens Advice itself, just an individual bureau where someone has subscribed.

NYM

pmlindyloo...please don't get sucked in. You are way above all this.

pmlindyloo

Not trying to be pedantic but your post does seem to suggest that CA uses the site for all their training and advice which is far from the truth.

I am not knocking Benefit and Work, by the way, it is very useful and I dip into it myself but haven't subscribed as I have no need to.

I also recognise the manuals on B&W are written by 'experts' and are a very useful resource centre for those who can afford to subscribe.

My only concern about such manuals is that I am a firm believer in people seeking face to face individual advice and getting a 'helping hand' with completing forms etc etc.

Even with an excellent manual/guide some people find the task of completing forms/appealing a benefit decision just too overwhelming and may even add to an already stressful situation.

As for this forum I accept that misinformation may be given but in general terms the poster will at least be armed with some questions to ask and have general background information which would then allow them to move forward,