Talk To Me About Disability Allowance Etc

[Clint Iguana]

My advise is get someone who KNOWS what they are doing

Agreed

These sorts of questions pop up regularly in my role as a trade union rep, and we have the standard answer of... speak either to the benefits agency or the citizens advice. That is what they are there for ans should be quite helpful.

The system changes regularly and advice that was correct last year might not be correct now. There is nothing worse than being only half right.

 

[tar1984]

Why do phoneboxes always smell of piss? It's the last place I would go for a piss, even at night they're lit up ffs!

Tbf the ones in dundee will sometimes let you use the phones inside the jobcentre. But it makes no sense - you go into the jobcentre then phone a call-centre in clydebank or somewhere.

 

[tufty79]

the jobcentre makes me panicattack and asthma to the hilt

i've had to have the bouncers lead me outside and shout me when my appointment's due.
don't cope too well with using their phones either.

 

[tar1984]

I can relate. It's too many people and too much activity under the one roof. Plus it kind of reminds me of call centres and offices i've worked in, which automatically makes me feel anxious.

 

[tufty79]

y'ain't seen the brixton centre - it seems to be on the verge of rioting whenever i go there

 

[tar1984]

All job centres are like that. The dundee one is jakie central. Like a holding pen for the jeramy kyle show.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

It annoys me how you have to go to a phone box and phone a call centre rather than just go into the jobcentre and speak to them.

last time i tried to use the phone box by brixton job centre, it smelt of piss, and the receiver had been ripped off the wire

I've not signed on for quite a few years (thank God). What's the deal with the phone boxes

 

[tufty79]

things like crisis loans, updating the ESA department about your circumstances, all kinds of bits of admin, can now only be done over the phone.
normally on an 0845 or 0800 number.

i dont have a landline, and can't afford to call them from a mobile most of the time.

so you can (sometimes) use phones within the job centre, else they redirect you to your nearest local friendly phonebox

 

[tar1984]

Yeah if the jobcentre is quiet and the receptionist/security guard (srsly they have combined these jobs) is sound then they can let you use the phone. At their discretion. I can't stand in a phonebox for half an hour trying to get through to the call-centre, it drives me mad. And don't even bother trying the crisis loan number. Last time I called I didn't even go into a waiting queue - it just gave me a message saying they couldn't take the call right now then disconnected. Cheeky fuckers.

 

[tufty79]

i applied for a crisis loan to get a lock fitted in order to make my house secure.
they could only do it by posting a form out to me, which needed to be posted back - takes seven days. so got lent the money for a lock, filled out the form and sent them a receipt.

their response? they turned my crisis loan request down. because they would only authorise one if it were to make my home secure.

i'm running out of energy.

 

[tufty79]

i think we might need to start a separate 'dwp/benefits complaints' thread and stop hijacking el jefe's

 

[tar1984]

i applied for a crisis loan to get a lock fitted in order to make my house secure.
they could only do it by posting a form out to me, which needed to be posted back - takes seven days. so got lent the money for a lock, filled out the form and sent them a receipt.

their response? they turned my crisis loan request down. because they would only authorise one if it were to make my home secure.

i'm running out of energy.

Do you ever feel the system is structured in a way to delibarately suck the energy out of you? I do.

It's fucked. Last time I applied for a crisis loan was cos the bank took interest off my account which took it over a limit - causing charges to come off as well. I had no money for 2 weeks.

The reason they gave me that I wasn't entitled to a crisis loan was that I didn't show them how I was going to prevent this happening again*. Yeah, thanks guys.

*Getting some money to put in the bank might've helped.

 

[tar1984]

i think we might need to start a separate 'dwp/benefits complaints' thread and stop hijacking el jefe's

Oh yeah. Sorry jefe. We are not making this system sound very appealing!

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Oh yeah. Sorry jefe. We are not making this system sound very appealing!

Might as well let him know what he's letting himself in for

 

[tar1984]

Might as well let him know what he's letting himself in for

"Welcome to hell..."

 

[El Jefe]

well i just had a 90 minute telephone interview for ESA, which went relatively smoothly. I guess after this it starts to get tricky

 

[rennie]

Good luck.

 

[Orangesanlemons]

well i just had a 90 minute telephone interview for ESA, which went relatively smoothly. I guess after this it starts to get tricky

Yeah, I did this a couple of weeks ago too. Send in the P45/Sicknote, then do all the Housing Benefit/Council tax benefit stuff you'll receive in a few days and *in theory* that'll be all you need to worry about for now. It all seemed quite straightforward at the time (compared to the last time I claimed anything - around 1992 ).

That said, I haven't heard anything from them yet.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

i applied for a crisis loan to get a lock fitted in order to make my house secure.
they could only do it by posting a form out to me, which needed to be posted back - takes seven days. so got lent the money for a lock, filled out the form and sent them a receipt.

their response? they turned my crisis loan request down. because they would only authorise one if it were to make my home secure.

i'm running out of energy.

Tell them you're an MP

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

well i just had a 90 minute telephone interview for ESA, which went relatively smoothly. I guess after this it starts to get tricky

How's it going Jefe?