📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Missed UC appointment due to train delay

Options
13

Comments

  • NedS said:
    Ask yourself, if you repeatedly arrived late for work because you missed your train connection, would you expect to keep your job? Or would you reasonably be expected to catch the earlier train to ensure you were not late?
    But it would have been their choice to take a job that ends up being 2hrs+ commute either way in the first place.  It's not their choice at all to attend this particular Jobcentre.
    Too true. 90 minutes is bad enough knowing that the 1st train whizzes past my nearest job centre! Oh well, perhaps the train company will get it's !!!!!! in gear lol. 
  • Brie
    Brie Posts: 14,749 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    I got a text about my first meeting for JSA which was scheduled for 9 PM on a Saturday.  First I was surprised they worked Saturday and I was certain they wouldn't be working so late in the evening!  Yes it was an error but I'm wondering now what they would have done if I arrived at 9 PM as advised and there was no one there.
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Debt Free Wannabe, Old Style Money Saving and Pensions boards.  If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.

    Click on this link for a Statement of Accounts that can be posted on the DebtFree Wannabe board:  https://lemonfool.co.uk/financecalculators/soa.php

    Check your state pension on: Check your State Pension forecast - GOV.UK

    "Never retract, never explain, never apologise; get things done and let them howl.”  Nellie McClung
    ⭐️🏅😇
  • NedS said:
    Any idea what happens if I repeatedly miss the appointments due to trains. I will always leave home at least 90 minutes before an appointment as I have to allow 90 minutes to get there.
    that could be deemed that you are not taking all reasonable steps to make sure you attend your appointments. At that point, exceeding the 90 min travel time may come into play.
    I wouldn't view being asked to allow 2 hours travel time (rather than current 90 minutes) as a REASONABLE step. I'd view that as extremely unreasonable.
  • NedS
    NedS Posts: 4,523 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    edited 13 August 2022 at 3:04PM
    NedS said:
    Ask yourself, if you repeatedly arrived late for work because you missed your train connection, would you expect to keep your job? Or would you reasonably be expected to catch the earlier train to ensure you were not late?
    But it would have been their choice to take a job that ends up being 2hrs+ commute either way in the first place.  It's not their choice at all to attend this particular Jobcentre.
    Too true. 90 minutes is bad enough knowing that the 1st train whizzes past my nearest job centre! Oh well, perhaps the train company will get it's !!!!!! in gear lol. 
    I don't mean to sound harsh, but it is your choice to claim Universal Credit, and there is a requirement to attend mandatory appointments, so that is not a valid argument. Focus on the arguments that may get you the result you want.

    NedS said:
    Any idea what happens if I repeatedly miss the appointments due to trains. I will always leave home at least 90 minutes before an appointment as I have to allow 90 minutes to get there.
    that could be deemed that you are not taking all reasonable steps to make sure you attend your appointments. At that point, exceeding the 90 min travel time may come into play.
    I wouldn't view being asked to allow 2 hours travel time (rather than current 90 minutes) as a REASONABLE step. I'd view that as extremely unreasonable.
    It is not relevant what you view as reasonable. In such cases, the only view that matters is that of the decision maker as they are the one making the decision - not you.
    You can certainly make that argument though, and they may well accept it as a reasonable argument. It may further support your case if there is evidence that you have previously requested to move jobcentre due to the length of journey time exceeding 90 mins (a decision maker can only consider the evidence on your claim, so get that evidence down in writing on your journal then it's there for all to see).
    I would spell it all out clearly on your journal again (both to make the request again, and to get it clearly in writing for any future decision maker to potentially see). I would focus on the fact that although there is public transport that may get you there in 90 mins, it is not reliably and repeatedly going to get you there on time due to the very short connection time, as demonstrated by your recent failure to attend on time on whatever date you recently failed to attend. State that you can get an earlier train, giving you sufficient time to repeatedly and reliably make the connection, but that your travel time would now be in excess of 2 hours. Again request, that due to a 2h+ travel time, you would like to request your claim be moved to whatever jobcentre where you can get to in whatever time it takes (considerably less than 2h??).
    Be factual and polite and keep to the relevant points, and hopefully they can arrange for your claim to be moved. If that doesn't get a satisfactory response, I would ask to speak with the manager when next in the jobcentre, and try again face to face with them - it is harder to deny a reasonable request face to face.
  • The other thing I will do is dig out bank statements to work out when I was unfortunate enough to have to sign on before but at least managed to go the closer office. It might have taken a couple of attempts each time in the past but they moved it to the nearer one. This time they all say "no, you're in our catchment area". Anyway, usual advice NedS. Thanks
    Hoping this will be the last time I ever have to sign on in this lifetime! I should have started the job I've already been given by next month.
  • tomtom256 said:
    Its not your local jobcentre that has to agree to a move, but the jobcentre you want to go too.

    Some managers just won't take extra claimants not in there catchement, regardless of reason for the request. Its frustrating for staff as well.
    Given the above, speaking to the manager of the distant jobcentre probably won't work but I will state my case in the journal.
  • Might not be the greatest piece of writing but I've sent them the following:

    Good Morning,

    Apologies for missing the appointment on Friday. This was due to leg 1 of my train journey pulling into x late leading to a missed connection. There is a very short connection window at x with only two trains per hour. There are no direct services between a and b.

    I would again like to request to be moved to the nearest jobcentre at z. To get to b I must allow a minimum time of 90 minutes door to door. Whilst I may be able to complete the journey in 90 minutes it is not going to reliably and repeatedly be so. If the first train is late I will miss the 2nd train at x and the journey will take at least 2 hours. There are only 2 trains per hour from x and very little time allowed for changing trains. In contrast, the door to door journey time to the z office is 1 hour and there are 8 direct trains per hour.  

    I have unfortunately had to claim benefits several times over recent years but do expect this to be the last time. I attended z many times while living at the same address. I was attending b between dates1, dates2, dates3 and dates4. 

    Please move my appointments to z.

    Best regards,
  • prowla
    prowla Posts: 13,990 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Also got a response re message I would be late:
    Hi,
    
    Thank you for  your message i am sorry that you didn't get a reply when you sent it.  I understand that you were 
    frustrated after coming all this way and being delayed due to train cancellations and then your work coach was unable 
    to see you.  I have spoken to your work coaches' Team Leader and we have agreed to mark today's appointment as attended 
    as you did come to the jobcentre so you won't get any messages about a "failed to attend appointment" or anything like 
    that.  I appreciate that you came a long way and in very hot weather as well so I am sorry if we didn't provide you 
    the level of customer service you deserved.  I hope that you get home  okay.
    
    Kind Regards

    Well, that shows there are real people there!
  • I have just made a pay and delay claim for Friday and checked train times on National Rail. Trains for leg 2 from x are now showing as buses for all future dates. Door to door will now take a minimum of over 100 minutes. 
  • JonVarnas
    JonVarnas Posts: 252 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 100 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Your Jobcentre sounds absolutely dumb. On my Claimant Commitment I only have to look for work within 60mins door-to-door, and that was put in by my Work Coach.

    Get you MP involved and make a formal complaint because what they're asking you to do is ridiculous.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 351.1K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.6K Spending & Discounts
  • 244.1K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 599K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 177K Life & Family
  • 257.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.