This topic was closed on 10 March 2019. If you have a problem which is similar to the issues raised in this topic, then please start a new thread and you will get help and support there. If you would like to post up some information which is relevant to this particular topic then please flag the issue up to the site team and the thread will be reopened. - Consumer Action Group

This topic was closed on 09 March 2019. If you have a problem which is similar to the issues raised in this topic, then please start a new thread and you will get help and support there. If you would like to post up some information which is relevant to this particular topic then please flag the issue up to the site team and the thread will be reopened. - Consumer Action Group

This topic was closed on 03/08/19. If you have a problem which is similar to the issues raised in this topic, then please start a new thread and you will get help and support there. If you would like to post up some information which is relevant to this particular topic then please flag the issue up to the site team and the thread will be reopened. - Consumer Action Group

Thanks for your response LaughingGirl. Yes, she did submit her Housing Benefit application at the same time as her JSA application. As the Housing Benefit office is around 50 miles round trip she doesn't want to have a wasted journey which is why she has been trying to ring them first but has just spent so much time/money on the phone now. As her partner is now working, albeit on a temporary, casual basis, the jobseekers has now ceased. They still do not have enough to cover their expenses and as they were not even paid the minimum wage in their last job they did not have much in reserve to cover themselves. She is not one for doing nothing and when taking on this part time job she did not realise that she would be much worse off with having to pay travel expenses for two hour shifts. I think that if she had turned down the job she would not have received any benefits anyway so she could just not win. Also, they have deducted tax from her wage although I know she will eventually recover that, but it doesn't help her at the moment.

My daughter and her partner claimed jobseekers allowance at the beginning of November, 2012 when their seasonal employment came to an end. They were entitled to £111 a week. In that time my daughter got some part time employment up to 8 hours a week and declared this. She has now found that this has been deducted from her benefits even though technically she earnt nothing. (The two hour shifts did not even cover transport costs). Her partner now has employment even though first pay will not be until the end of January and they are struggling to pay their bills. Housing benefit has not been forthcoming. I was sat with my daughter and she spent over 3 hours on the phone to the housing benefits (they put her on hold, said they could not speak to her without her partner's permission, which he gave. Then they told her they had lost her file. Then she was cut off and had to start again and after having hung on another 50 minutes was told that she would have to have his permission to speak to her. She said he had already given permission but had been cut off so she had to start the whole process again. Then after another 50 minutes the line was cut off again because the office had closed. All of these phone calls cost her in excess of 10p a minute and she is now getting to the end of her tether with all the aggravation and the worry of how they are to pay their bills. They have had approximately £300 to live on since the beginning of November, less the amount it has cost her to work and will receive no other payments until the end of January. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you all for your response. She is still at college so not in a position to make any payments. I think sister already has a criminal record and ccj's for previous debts which is why she opened an account in her sister's name. Any monies, personal items she gets are stolen or broken by her sister. Her mother an stepfather are always too drunk to care and always take her sister's side. Her brother is prettyr much the same and at fourteen already has a criminal record for burglary amongst other things so really think that she's best out of the situation anyway but the problem is what to do next. Think I will have a word with the police myself and see where she can go from here.

My son's friend has received a formal warning that a debt has been referred to a debt collector. This is the first time she has been notified of any debt owing and upon investigation has found that her sister has taken out a credit agreement for a catalogue in her name (using her own bank details) but has never made any payment. Apparently she started it in her sister's name because she already had a bad credit history herself. She is understandably very upset as not only does it look as if she is liable for the debt but this could obviously affect her future. She lives at home with her parents and her sister and her parents seem completely unconcerned about the matter. She is not sure whether to approach the debt collectors or the police although either way she is terrified of the repercussions as she has been badly beaten in the past. Any comments would be welcome.

My son took out a sim only contract in June 2012 for £10.50 a month and has now had an email telling him the price has now gone up to £15.50 a month (nearly 50% increase). As he is a student with no income this is going to make things difficult for him as he had a set amount of money with which to pay his phone bill. Is there any way he can get out of it?

No, he hasn't had any paid holiday. Any days off have been deducted from his pay. When he queried the overtime he was told that the hours would even out over the winter period. However, when everyone else got their letters giving them a week's notice to terminate their employment he didn't get one, so yes, when all the hours are totalled he was paid far less than the minimum wage. He recieved only.. two days notice because the person that was supposed to give him his letter was away. Unbelieveable what these companies get away with and the above is only the tip of the iceberg. The company are telling the staff that they will receive a bonus at the end of the season as long as they stay until the end - it is only holiday to which they are entitled.

Just found out now that they led him to believe he would be staying on after the end of the season but he's now found out that he has to leave and with only two days' notice. I have yet to look at any contract.

Not sure about a contract - think it was just a simple letter offering him the job but will check myself later on tonight and get back on here. Have been checking online the reviews this company has and it really is disgraceful - they don't treat the customers any better than the staff.

Thanks for your reply. No, he can't prove the hours in writing most of the other people working there could confirm it - except his immediate supervisor who doesn't want anyone to think that he made a mistake. They just keep quoting that he doesn't get overtime as he is on a salary but when he gets a day off they don't pay him - so they just seem to work on what is best for them. So he has worked, as an engineer, for around £3 an hour - unbelieveable that these companies can get away with it.

A relative was working in a seasonal job on a "fixed salary" with a hint that he may be able to stay over the winter. He put in over ninety hours overtime in two weeks but as he "was on a fixed salary" he was not entitled to overtime. He had a few days off, supposedly in lieu of overtime worked but instead his pay was deducted for the days he did not work. When he queried this he was told not to cause any problems as this would impact on the possibility of being retained at the end of the season. He was kept dangling all season and thought that he would be staying on but has now received a one week notice to leave at the end of the season. What are his rights regarding the overtime payments - I think that if all his hours and pay were totalled he would not have received even the minimum wage although this is something that I would have to check with him.

It's my son's phone and probably will be able to block calls, texts etc. He's keeping them (downloading to computer I think). Police advised us to keep all copies, details of incidents etc. and to get back to them if things escalate. Not really sure at the moment whether to just give her a bit more rope before contacting the police. Heaven help the person who has supposedly fixed the console now if anything goes wrong again as he appears to be an unlicensed waste carrier and is advertising for cheap red diesel, amongst other things!!!!

Now again, out of the blue, she has started texting abusive, foul language comments. We will just ignore them.