My dad's rotten phone interview

sweeper12

I'm fuming :mad:

My dad had his interview by phone this morning and at first, everything went well and he was told he would probably get early discharge. The interview was conducted by a trainee and his "minder", telling him what to ask. He ended up getting 4 phone calls from the trainee, all asking more questions and generally being a prat.

Anyway, he told my dad that he has too much surplus income and that he will be trying for a IPA/IPA and I am staggered at this. All my parents get is state benefits and attendance allowance for my mum and a small carer's allowance for my dad. He was even told his petrol use was too high but that's cos he has to drive my mum everywhere and also my brother who has severe hip problems.

I'm really fuming guys - needed a quick rant and maybe some advice :mad: :mad:

S x

radarjay

I'm pretty sure that if your only income is benefits you can't be given a IPA/IPO. I'm sorry that your dad was dealt with so badly as well.

blind-as-a-bat_2

If his income is solely benefits then he cant get a IPA end of

now as far as im aware state pension is classed as a benefit, but if im wrong im sure i will be corrected the rest deffinatly are so i think your trainee [STRIKE]pratt [/STRIKE] examiner needs a bit more training

philnicandamy

I can only echo what everyone else has said......someone I know in the same situation as your dad went BR in Nov and didnt have to hand any cash over he had a surplus as well....BUT because benefits were his only source of income they were left alone

blind-as-a-bat_2

blind-as-a-bat wrote: »

If his income is solely benefits then he cant get a IPA end of

now as far as im aware state pension is classed as a benefit, but if im wrong im sure i will be corrected the rest deffinatly are so i think your trainee [STRIKE]pratt [/STRIKE] examiner needs a bit more training

Can i just add my last post was directed at this one examiner only and whoever was supposed to be supervising him not OR examiners in general:o

uhuru_2

Sorry to hear your dad had a bad experience with a trainee - I guess they all have to start somewhere though.

From my knowledge, the other comments on this thread are correct regarding IPA, if the only income is state benefits then and IPA cannot be taken. However, if non means tested benefits are received (eg Attendance Allowance) and there is a surplus when these are included in the calculation then an IPA can be suggested but no enforcement action can be taken.

If there is personal (ie non state) pension or other non benefit income then an IPA will be considered as normal and can be enforced by an IPO if necessary.

I would suggest a complaint is made if there is any insistance on the IPA so that the actual OR gets involved - should get sorted pretty quickly then.

Addicted2Chocolate

Hee hee Blind as a BAt, are you getting all touchy feely?
To the OP if your fathers income is only state benefits, an IPA should NOT be sought. Where the bankrupt is either unemployed or retired with state pensions/benefits only (no personal pensions or other income) No IPA should be sought, so his outgoings should not even be commented on.
If he cannot afford an IP he needs to disgaree and not sign the IPA.

blind-as-a-bat wrote: »

Can i just add my last post was directed at this one examiner only and whoever was supposed to be supervising him not OR examiners in general:o

sweeper12

Thanks everyone

I'm going round to see him soon and hopefully put his mind to rest. The trainee said he would be writing to him with all the imformation that they required, wants to know how he spent it all etc. My dad did tell him that he had difficulty remembering (he's 72) and that he'd been with Payplan for 2 years but he just kept cutting my dad off at each sentence.

All their income is state benefits, pension credit, housing benefit etc. The only asset he has is a car which he is resigned to losing anyway. I'm just hoping they let him have a modest car now because they are virtually housebound and only have bus passes which are pretty useless where we live.

S x

Addicted2Chocolate

The trainee interviewer was asking your father questions but not letting him reply fully? Did you listen in to the interview?
For info, part of the examiner qualification includes having interviews observed. One of the many criteria are 'conducts interviews at a pace and level appropriate to the interviewee'
Sometimes an interviewer may 'cut off' an interviewee if the person is rambling or not answering the question, but the interviewee should always be allowed to answer the questions fully and not repeatedly be interrupted. The trainee sounds like they have a lot to learn.

sweeper12 wrote: »

My dad did tell him that he had difficulty remembering (he's 72) and that he'd been with Payplan for 2 years but he just kept cutting my dad off at each sentence.

S x

sweeper12

Hi ATC, thanks for your reply.

I didn't listen in to the interview as I was at work but the first one lasted for half an hour and my dad was told that they had all the info needed and that was that. He was then phoned again for another half an hour and my dad had put his notes away - we prepared them in advance so that my dad wouldn't get too confused. Apparently, the interviewer was firing quick questions and twisting everything my dad said, as if trying to catch him out. He also asked my dad how on earth had he racked up debt of £40k in 10 years which my dad replied had just spiralled out of control and that's why he had approached Payplan, to this the interviewer said he would be getting in touch with Payplan as they were taking a cut and were basically for the high jump. My dad also was told that he couldn't have the money for a car - tax, petrol, insurance etc included in his I&E as he no longer could have a car and he would take that surplus into consideration, my dad replied that he needed a car for his disabled family - the interviewer then told him that the family could chip in and pay for that and that we, his wife, son and daughter should pay for his car expenditure.

Oh, he also told him that he would apply for a court order to get an IPA put into place.

To cap all that, during the interval between the second call and the two after, my dad's GP phoned to tell him they had found a heart problem in his tests. So all in all I'd say things went pretty bad for him and he's in a bit of a state. I'm so angry and I don't know what to do, it's disgusting that he's been treated this way.

Another thing is, the interviewer then said that my dad needed to tell him exactly where all the money had gone cos he would be contacting dad's creditors to explain to them what my dad had spent it on, he basically made out that we, as a family, had had a jolly good time on holidays and such and that we should be ashamed.

He was also asked to provide statements (shredded), credit cards (cut up 2 years ago) and a rent agreement. He was told to get statements for everything and asked why on earth he'd cut his cards up.

What a pig

maxmycardagain

40k in ten years? pah, humbug i did that in 3 months......