Duplicate post

Hi all, Am on JSA and wanted to offer up some tips on how to deal with these people. Over the last few years I've been quite aggrieved that they no longer phone employers for you, nor try to match your skills to existing jobs, and all they do is just spy on our own job-seeking efforts trying to find patterns. Yet they're quite happy to plaster up soothing posters saying, "The help you need to get back to work" Such utter BS !! I decided not to offer up any extra info as follows, and I hope this will save some other members the grief and headache: 1) Only list two applications per week, and then, be generic, ie "Applied for Marketing role"; don't give the employer details unless asked; 2) Only give one other form of media you tried, in my case the local paper, and you can pretty much just say, "Checked local paper", and under the 'What happened?' column write, "No relevant vacancies". Don't write down what interviews you had, and don't refer back to the 'What happened' column a few days after, it's a daily diary but they're hoping people treat it like a ledger you go back and forth making updates. Treat it as a diary and when you send off a cv, just write, "CV appeared in Sent Items". That's it; my job diary only has 6 entries for every two weeks. In 6 months I've only been challenged once with the 'A Doubt Has Arisen' form (nice name!!), just a couple of weeks ago, and I spent slightly under an hour completing the form, and beat it. Also, if you are referred for a job that you don't like (for whatever reason), simply email your cv and ask exhaustive questions about the state of the trades union in that workplace, even if it's just a minicab office, and if none exists, whether they would have any objection to you forming one. Chances are the company will see you as a possible troublemaker, but Union membership is an ABSOLUTE right and the DWP would be in deep poo if they tried to punish you, however slightly, for bringing up the matter.

My other question is, would this amount be automatically deducted from my salary when I return to work?

Hi all,Apparently I owe about 600 or so from overpayments made 3 years back, which they are deducting from my JSA.I disputed this the following year at a tribunal but sadly the fella ruled against me, do I have any kind of case for quashing this?Thanks all,Jaybee.

Hi all, A certain London council issued me a PCN with a picture of my car making a right turn into a road commonly used for that purpose. I won't specify which council or who was at the wheel, given that I'm sure some overzealous, underpaid stuffed-shirt with an axe to grind against convertible drivers and without a home life is reading these forums avidly. I wrote back stating that I did not believe I was the driver at the time of the alleged contravention, and for them to provide video footage id'ing the driver. I got back a letter asking me to attend a viewing, and a series of pictures, on of them showing the side of the drivers head, his specs on. In the spirit of, "If they can't show your face, they can't show a case", the image was grainy but ya know, I think the guy looks a lot like like a gardener I used who wore thick glasses and has since returned to Himalayas!! He doesn't need sunglasses as we don't get much sun here. Now, I still need to see the video to determine whether it was him picking up a bag of Fison's for me, but I'd rather not toddle down to the Town Hall. Any ideas, good people?

Hi all, My auto gearbox went belly up, as described in the other thread, and the gearbox mechanics want between £900 and £1200 +vat to rebuild it. Alternatively, I can purchase the gearbox and labour separately, for nearly half the total (£275 x 2 + Vat = £650), but is it worth it? See, if the job goes wrong, how do I prevent the the supplier and fitter pointing the finger at each other, leaving Mr Muggins here in the middle? Look forward to the benefits of your wisdom, Jaybee.

Why is the time a crucial factor?

The news: they're fighting it, on grounds that I signed a form at the start of my claim stating that "I know that I must let you know in writing straight away about any change in my circumstances which might affect my claim", - which they are ALSO considering taking legal action about - and secondly that they can confirm that no notification was received from the DWP. I've written back that we're going to Tribunal as they have not provided proof of non-reception, and I didn't know about the money. Would appreciate your thoughts, people. Jaybee.

Well, the gearbox has gone awry again, only now reverse gear doesn't work either, and I still have to rev the engine before the car moves forward. Can I sue this guy given that I don't have any PROOF that he's botched the job more than once? Thanks, Jaybee.

Thanks mate. Well, a happy ending - or at least, a happy development. I've gotten the car back, it drives fine, although only tested in traffic so far. Got a headed receipt (with today's date!) for the £600. I'll take it round a few garages tomorrow and canvass professional opinions. Depending on the consensus, I'll sue, and/or inform Trading Standards. Cheers, Jaybee

38 views and no replies? Help a fella out people, SOMEONE must have a resolution!

Hi all, Background I got a replacement gearbox in August for about £700, this took 4 weeks to put in, with one "dead"-line after the other being missed. It worked fine until early December, when I noticed it didn't engage until I revved the engine a bit. Gave it straight back to the garage, I've just seen the mechanic today, sure enough my car is at his "other" garage, he missed yet another deadline, all he could tell me was that he'll call me before 6pm, "guaranteed". He has promised that all paperwork (of which I have none so far from him) for both jobs will be supplied when the car is ready. I realise I've been foolish to let this saga go on with nothing in writing - apart from a receipt he scribbled on the back of his business card. Questions If he stalls indefinitely with the work, or changes his mind about supplying me with the receipts for the parts/labour, what action can I take against him? When (or IF!) he completes the work and supplies paperwork, I want to take the car to an independant mechanic to get the gearbox checked out. What do I need the paperwork to reflect if the report shows the gearbox is a dud? Thanks all, JB

How's this... Dear Sir or Madam: I am writing to dispute the recovery of the outstanding overpayment of Housing Benefit, detailed in your letter of the 6th December 2007. When I signed off from Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) on the 24th June, 2007 I was informed by Eltham Job Centre that they would notify you that I was no longer in receipt of JSA. This notification was duly sent to you on the 26th of June, as is official procedure across the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) upon cessation of all income-based claims for JSA. Furthermore, the overpayments were small in comparison to my subsequent weekly wage, and therefore went unnoticed by myself. Had I noticed that your department had not acted upon my change of circumstances, I would have returned the monies in good faith. As such you have failed to act upon my change of circumstance, after receiving due notification, within the Government guideline of 9 days. You have 14 days, from the date of this letter, to supply me with both an explanation for your failure to reassess my circumstances within guideline, and a copy of the notification from the DWP to your offices of the cessation of my claim for JSA, to which I am entitled under the Data Protection Act of 1998. If I am not satisfied with your reply, I shall refer the matter to Tony Redmond, the Local Government Ombudsman for North London, to petition for a remedy. Yours faithfully,

What does she do, if I may ask? Public Sector is always the poorest payer because it's a government job, thus rock-solid after you pass your probationary period, thus it attracts bunches of unambitious people who work flat out in the first 9 months, then slack off. No offence to any Public Sector people reading this, I've seen eager beavers in the Council, but they were rare. It's only in the last few years that HR practices in Public Sector have been subtly retooled to TRY to weed out future slackers before they are even interviewed, but of course, you still have a majority of 'Legacy' staff. Such people aren't particularly ambitious, and as such the more ambitious you are, the likelier you'll be in the Private Sector. Hopefully as I finish up my training in the next few weeks, I'll never have to set foot outside the Private Sector again.

Please thank your daughter on my behalf, Surprise! Frankly I've got half a mind to invoice them for the damn time spent on this matter! I see why they are screwing up so royally with the outsourcing, I've been...let's just say, intimately involved with one of their suppliers, the sheer maladministration and waste would horrify you. In the words of the Client Liaison Manager to me; "I've had to tell the client so many effing lies so they don't know we're in breach of Service Agreement, if you can't sort this we're all in deep crap". That's as specific as I want to get right now, but we're talking telephone numbers, believe me.

Excellent advice, you and Surprise! Let me add, the chap at Job Centre stated categorically that it is their official procedure to notify Bromley Council of cessation of JSA. I started to pin him down, then he said that a dozen or so people sign off every week, and they've been telling claimants for YEARS that they'll discontinue the HB. Here's some interesting text from the back of the Council's letter: "Overpayments: Most overpayments of Housing Benefit are recoverable. The only exception are those overpayments which occur as a result of 'official error' where the claimant or the person receiving the benefit did not contribute to the error and could not have reasonably known about the error at the time the payment was made". "Official error"...interestingly and I think deliberately vague clause. Does that include only those errors made by the offices and officials of the Council, or does that extend to those made by the DWP? Did I contribute to the error? If the legal onus is upon me to directly notify the Council, then my failure to do so is a contribution. Could I have reasonably known? As it turns out, I didn't notice. It was a good contract there was a bit of money flowing through my account after the first month, every week.

Alright, I've talked to the Job Centre in question. Apparently, the notification went off on the 26th of June, two days after I signed off.

I've just checked with their helpline, it was actually Income based.

Probably contribution, and they were paid direct into my account.

Thanks...by spooky coincidence, I just heard that "Hippy-chick, Hip-hip-hip-hip" song again a couple of days ago after 17 years!!!!!!!!??!?!? :o

Hi all, Got a letter asking for repayment of £600 in HB that was overpaid earlier this year after I came off Jobseekers Allowance. Now, when I signed off in June the woman at the Jobcentre assured me categorically that the Housing department would be notified, so I took her word for it. Now, their letter said they paid 3 months extra until September, which is also when my contract at work ran out, I haven't worked since then. Nor have I claimed, because the contract was a good payer, and I don't claim dole if I'm not actively looking, I did some studies to get my rates up a few notches. I don't feel I should be penalised for their mistake, but they're saying it was MY responsibility to inform the Housing department??!!? In any case, £600 is going to cause me a lot of unbought presents for my family this Christmas, what can I do to get them to cancel the invoice or at least go halves with me? Thanks, JB

Hi all, Great site here, had a read around first off, about time we had forums like this that stood up for people's financial interests! And...Merry Christmas to one and all!! Jaybee.