Good luck with the appeal. It all seems rather harsh, unfortunately Jobcentre Plus is really not the kind of place, in my view, really designed to get you back into work !

They have obviously applied a sanction to your JSA for not applying for said job. As long as the job is one for which your are suitable essentially you need to apply for it. If there was any reason why you were not suitable the Jobcentre should not apply any sanctions. I assume you simply forgot to apply or was there any other reason ?

Ok, thanks !

Hi guys, Been on here a quite some time, think this is my first thread ! I purchased a TV back in November from Cash Converters for £80. At around that time my Sky+ box packed up so I hardly used the TV. When I finally did ( after Christmas ) I noticed it kept switching itself off. I adjusted a few settings which helped a bit but I was not happy so returned it, or tried to. I am generally very good at keeping receipts, in this case I could not find it. I don't even recall actually getting a receipt. Anyway I was told without the receipt it was not possible to change it. I was not happy but decided to make the best of it. Anyway 3-4 weeks ago I took it back to CC just to raise some cash. I gave it to them on buy back which means I had the option, within a month, to buy it back. However, firstly they needed to check it was Ok so I left it there and returned an hour later. It was fine I was told, they handed over £30. So we already have a scenario of an £80 TV only being worth £30, not great. But it gets better, or actually worse ! Last week when my pension arrived I had to decide how to budget. The fact my PC monitor was playing up ( it now does not work at all) added to the fun. Anyway I thought I would take the cheap option and buy back said TV for £40. So another £10 it has cost me. But wait, the best is yet to come ! As soon as I tried to use the TV I found it was more erratic than ever, I simply could not use it ( I have now forked out for a new one, it "only" cost £150 but it is damn good and is, whilst I have it, doubling as a TV and PC monitor. I have it set up for both so only need to adjust input mode to watch TV or use the PC. ) . As for the CC TV I took it back to sell it, as before I left it there. When I returned- "sorry it is faulty, we don't want it ! " Well it was fine when I took it in according to them so what happened in the few weeks they had it ? But there is more, consider these 2 points : 1) Why was in Cash Converters on the day I bought the TV ? I'll tell you why ! In early November I took out a small loan, £35 with £40 to be repaid on 25th November when my pension goes in. Now the £5 charge doesn't bother me at all, it's a handy ( and by the standards of this type of loan cheap ) option to have given my Mum and brother live £100 miles away so if I need a few quid it saves a lot of bother. Now the £40 was taken from my debit card on 25/11, no problem. On the 26th I checked my online bank statement, it had been taken again ! So I went to the shop, very nearby luckily, to query it and eventually they agreed it was an error and gave me £40 in cash, I left the shop. Why did I go back again ? Because no sooner did I get home again then I found that another £40 had been taken. So I returned again and received another £40 ! Whilst they were checking I looked at the TV's and needing a new one I decided to buy one in there. Now I had spent a few pounds en route so with the £40 they gave me I had about £78-79 on me. HOWEVER, they graciously let me have the with a £1 discount, I figure I deserved it. But this is relevant moving on to point 2.. 2) I have been checking and I think, according to the Sale of Goods Act, not only should they refund me without the receipt all things being equal, it is actually a criminal offence to tell me otherwise !! Now at no time have they ever denied selling me the TV, it would be hard to do so so what the hell are they doing ? The dates all tie in with me being there the day in question, they have loads of CCTV so if it came down to it I cannot imagine any reasonable person would dispute the fact the TV came from there. I have sent a written/email complaint to their Head Office, typically no response as yet. I will go in there if needs be but I will struggle, even in my calmest mood, to control myself . However, I would like to get some further advice before I go in there, it would clearly help if I was sure of my rights etc: Surely CC are no different to any other shop that sells goods ? Thanks, Chris

It is the Inland Revenue who determine if a person is employed or self-employed. There is a leaflet, IR56, which gives some information but if in any doubt contact the Revenue who should put you in touch with your local Status Officer.

Sorry, I missed the part about contacting Barclays but since they issue the card they are clearly talking nonsense ! Good luck with contacting the CEO, maybe you could sue him personally Chris

How absurd, of course it exists ! "In a nutshell, the Orange Cash prepaid MasterCard® is a card that can be loaded with cash and used just like a credit or debit card, online and in the shops. It’s just like having cash in your pocket but better, with rewards as you spend and added peace of mind. " That's clearly a joke, peace of mind is one thing you don't have and I see it costs 50 per minute to phone a Customer Advisor. Personally I would try speaking to Barclays who issue the card, perhaps shame them into helping. Good luck. Chris O

If you have a sick note you cannot back to work under Health and Safety Regulations. Your employer would, I am almost certain, be in breach of Health and Safety, if he let you return whilst signed off ! If you can it might be an idea to attend an appointment with the Occupational Health officer or even invite him/they to your house as a goodwill gesture. If your employer is taking this unreasonable attitude then do what you can to co-operate to show you are being reasonable in the ( hopefully) unlikely event your employer dismisses on the grounds of inefficiency. However, you cannot be forced back to work. Good luck !

Sanctions should only be applied if you fail to apply for a job given to you by a JCP advisor and which matches your skills and ability, these jobs should be noted as "matching" on your record. Jobs you find yourself may be entered by should not be shown as matching, I think there is the option to record it as "jobpoint" plus other options I can't remember !

Ah, I understand now, that's a new one ! So you need to wager £1500 but cannot wager more than £15 in one go. Means you have to wager more often obviously. To be honest I think you will find trying to withdraw any money will prove a nightmare, hard to do but I would just put it down to experience.

Ah, these Casinos always get you caught up in disputes over bonus terms and conditions. In this case I'm not sure what they are saying you did wrong. My advice to anyone is to steer clear of online Casinos but if you want to wager a few pound go for someone like Skybet ( £5 free on sign up ) or Ladbrokes (£25 free on sign up ). However, even with these check bonus terms and conditions first. Be aware also Casinos like Spin Palace will allow you to deposit money but then ask you to provide tons of ID before you can make a withdrawal ! Even then there is generally a 3-4 delay before a withdrawal is processed, the Casino hoping you'll reverse the withdrawal and then lose it. Legalised cheating I call it. Chris O

Write a "Do Not Call" letter and send it both to the creditor and their harrassing representative. This letter should include your name, account information, and instructions about when, where, and how they may contact you. Make sure to send this letter via registerd post so you will have evidence the letter was received, should you need proof in the future. Keep a log of the harassing calls. Mark down the date and time of each call, the name of the collector who contacted you and the creditor they represent either on a calendar or in a notebook kept right next to your telephone. You can then use this log as evidence you are indeed being harassed. While this idea may not prevent harassing calls, it will certainly help you prove their existence. Why not record the calls? And even if you aren't actually recording calls, there is nothing wrong with telling a creditor or their representative that you are. More than likely, the tone of the conversation will change considerably. With thanks to ehow Money. Once again though not being able to post links isn't helpful, to be honest.

Sadly this doesn't shock me at all. Jobcentres have long had a culture where clients were only considered important if they were likely to find jobs quickly and add to the office targets in terms of not just finding enough people jobs but scoring enough points based on various criteria whereby finding Client A a job earned more points than finding Client B a job. Some of the criteria used were : 1) Length of unemployment - the longer someone was unemployed the more points you scored if you found them a job. 2) The area they lived in: many offices identified so called deprived areas where unemployment was generally higher so if a client from one of these areas was helped back into work again you gained more points than if you found a job for someone who didn't live in the deprived area. There were others but what this did was create an unhealthy competition between individuals and individual sections. It also led to blatant cheating whereby staff claimed to have found a job for a client when the reality was the client found the job themselves but when they came to close their claim the member of staff would make a note of some fictitous help they had given and claim a job "entry". Management, though aware, turned a blind eye, (in fact often encouraged it !) as they were also concerned primarily in their own targets, be it for the section they managed or the whole office. Jobcentres, by and large, simply do not fulfil the purpose for which they are intended and the whole concept has long been totally flawed. If staff speak up they are quickly slapped down and even if you are really strong enough to make a stand you generally stand alone. In truth most offices are likely to have a bigger problem with fighting between members of staff than they are with unruly clients. Bizarre ! Chris O

Yes, you have regular "Back to Work" interviews with a Client advisor. I thought the 1st was after 3 months but I'm either wrong or it has changed ? You also have one at 6 months, 12 months etc:. Normally all that happens is your Jobseekers Agreement is updated and the advisor will look at ways to help you back into work. It's nothing to be concerned about, if the appointment is on the same day you would normally sign on the Client advisor will do that.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all have their own parliaments with powers to legislate on certain issues. Wales and Northern Ireland abolished charges some time ago, Scotland recently. It just adds to the lottery that the NHS in the UK has now become.