Jobseekers - they did not phone for my fortnightly appointment

EdGasketTheSecond

Hi, as the centres are closed, I was told I would get a phone call instead of an appointment at the centre for the two-weekly meeting. I waited in all afternoon but got no call. I tried to phone my advisor but it just goes to answerphone. I thought it was a requirement to check-in with them every fortnight in order for benefit to continue but how can I do this when they haven't phoned me at the appointment dat and time and the advisor won't answer the phone? Has anyone else experienced this? I don't want my jobseekers stopped for failing to keep an appointment.

tomtom256

It won't be stopped, your work coach was probably busy with new claims.

All current JSA customers are having their benefit paid automatically or should be.

calcotti

All work search conditionality has been suspended for three months,
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/coronavirus-support-for-employees-benefit-claimants-and-businesses

EdGasketTheSecond

OK thanks. Would have been nice if they'd phoned or sent a text though as last thing I was told was I had to have a phone call instead of attending. Guess the story is changing from one week to the next.

poppy12345

EdGasketTheSecond said:

OK thanks. Would have been nice if they'd phoned or sent a text though as last thing I was told was I had to have a phone call instead of attending. Guess the story is changing from one week to the next.

Lets be honest, with the thousands and thousands of claims in the past week, they most likely haven't had chance to do anything else. It maybe DWP but they are only human, at the end of the day. It's difficult times for everyone.

TELLIT01

EdGasketTheSecond said:

Hi, as the centres are closed, I was told I would get a phone call instead of an appointment at the centre for the two-weekly meeting. I waited in all afternoon but got no call. I tried to phone my advisor but it just goes to answerphone. I thought it was a requirement to check-in with them every fortnight in order for benefit to continue but how can I do this when they haven't phoned me at the appointment dat and time and the advisor won't answer the phone? Has anyone else experienced this? I don't want my jobseekers stopped for failing to keep an appointment.

You should be staying at home anyway, so it's no great inconvenience that a call wasn't received.  As others have said, DWP staff are under enormous pressure to get new claims onto the system and will be prioritising that work over all other.

epm-84

TELLIT01 said:

EdGasketTheSecond said:

Hi, as the centres are closed, I was told I would get a phone call instead of an appointment at the centre for the two-weekly meeting. I waited in all afternoon but got no call. I tried to phone my advisor but it just goes to answerphone. I thought it was a requirement to check-in with them every fortnight in order for benefit to continue but how can I do this when they haven't phoned me at the appointment dat and time and the advisor won't answer the phone? Has anyone else experienced this? I don't want my jobseekers stopped for failing to keep an appointment.

You should be staying at home anyway

You're allowed to leave the house for daily exercise or essential shopping. (I'm presuming no-one would have a medical appointment booked the same afternoon as they would be expecting a call.)  If you're unemployed then ideally you should be doing the exercise and shopping at quiet times, when most people are working (whether at their workplaces or at home.)

Addy2013

EdGasketTheSecond said:

Hi, as the centres are closed, I was told I would get a phone call instead of an appointment at the centre for the two-weekly meeting. I waited in all afternoon but got no call. I tried to phone my advisor but it just goes to answerphone. I thought it was a requirement to check-in with them every fortnight in order for benefit to continue but how can I do this when they haven't phoned me at the appointment dat and time and the advisor won't answer the phone? Has anyone else experienced this? I don't want my jobseekers stopped for failing to keep an appointment.

For future reference if you are expecting a call from your work coach and you do not receive it, then I would suggest you to send a message to them on your online journal stating that you are waiting for the phone call just to be on the safe side and for your own recording purposes. And as others have stated, it won't be stopped as the advisor(s) most probably been busy dealing with 1000's of new claims. 

tomtom256

Addy2013 said:

For future reference if you are expecting a call from your work coach and you do not receive it, then I would suggest you to send a message to them on your online journal stating that you are waiting for the phone call just to be on the safe side and for your own recording purposes. And as others have stated, it won't be stopped as the advisor(s) most probably been busy dealing with 1000's of new claims. 

JSA doesn't have a journal, so they would be unable to do that.

Addy2013

tomtom256 said:

Addy2013 said:

For future reference if you are expecting a call from your work coach and you do not receive it, then I would suggest you to send a message to them on your online journal stating that you are waiting for the phone call just to be on the safe side and for your own recording purposes. And as others have stated, it won't be stopped as the advisor(s) most probably been busy dealing with 1000's of new claims. 

JSA doesn't have a journal, so they would be unable to do that.

Okay thanks for the info. Sorry I was under the impression it was same as Universal Credit. Since one of my mates told me they also did not receive a phone call for their appointment and it was a face-to-face appointment that got changed to over-the-phone and they did not receive the call on the due date and time and when they tried to call the centre the line was busy and so they messaged on their online journal to day they have not received the call and after two days when they logged on to their account, it stated my friend took part in the phone call.

Thanks