Take Two

I am waiting for this phone call that will move along my Jobseekers Allowance claim. On Wednesday, at 13.30 I have a missed call from an 0800 number. No message was left. These days, I get so many calls from pesterous sellers that I either do not pick up the phone or let them leave a message. An hour later, I get another call from a number I do not recognise. Again, no message. So it is either one of those sellers or it is not important because surely the DWP/ Jobcentre would leave a message. I could be in a job interview...

However, to be sure, I pop the number into "Who calls me..." and the comments are anything but reassuring. It is a call centre in Grimsby. Some posts say, it is the DWP, others say it is Child Services (wouldn't know what business I have with them) and others again say it's one of those cold calling sellers. So I keep waiting, but no phone call comes. I am beginning to wonder.

On Friday, 5th August, I have the following letter in the mail:

First of all, my name is spelled incorrectly, despite me entering the information in their online system correctly. It then says that their policy is to contact the claimant over the phone. They have tried to ring me "on two separate occasions" but were unable to reach me. Therefore, I now need to ring them and start a new claim. Uh?!

I am not sure whether I would count 2 phone calls on the same day within an hour "two separate occasions". What if I was in a job interview? Or had a doctor's appointment? Also the fact, that while I hang in the queue on Friday afternoon to follow this up, the annoying voice on the phone keeps saying: "You can now claim Jobseekers Allowance online!" - I have done that, lady, to avoid all this phone shenanigan, and look!! I am on the bloody phone, despite your online application system! After 15 min of waiting, I hang up frustrated.

Fast forward: Monday, 8th August 2011
It is early morning, I am on the phone to sort out this claim business. I anticipate that I need to answer all the questions I have answered on the online form again, because I need to start a new claim. I have collated all the papers that I needed previously, just in case. Again, I spend 15 min in the queue with the annoying voice telling me that I could do this online - I can't and feel progressively annoyed.

Finally, someone picks up and asks: You want to start a new claim? No, thanks, I've done the online thing and you phoned me twice on the same day within the same hour and now sent me this letter that I need to do it all again. It just all gurgles out of my mouth. However, the woman is friendly and very helpful. She asks for my reference number and tells me that all the information is on the system. She will just check through that I have answered all the questions (oh dear, I do need to answer them all again!). But, it turns out she just asks a few minor details where I've not provided information (the savings certificates vs premium bond issue) and declares my form complete. Horrah!
She then proceeds to tell me that my nearest Jobcentre is Kingston and that she will check the diaries there to book me in for my initial work focused interview. I can get one on Thursday, 11th August. That's fairly swift and my brain starts to think I might actually get some support and maybe they could even refer me to some help for self-employment... but I am getting ahead of myself.

The first part of the conversation was very much focused on keeping me happy and posing as little strain on me as possible, which I found very helpful and supportive. Finally someone who is actually interested. However, that feeling got a damper quickly when she then launched into the legal information (my responsibilities to provide accurate information, seek work, and keep them updated of any changes), when she rattles down what documents I need to bring to the interview, gives me the address, a phone number. Asks whether I want the phone number for Jobseekers Direct, their telephone service - eh... do I want to? Yeah, go on then (although I know that in the way of academic jobs there won't be much, but I want to appear willing to search a job). At this stage I am slightly overwhelmed with information and just glad when she asks if I have any questions. The whole phone call took about 10 minutes.

Overall, I have to say after the disappointment and struggle with the online system, I found the telephone interaction the first helpful support, with some minor hick-ups. But at least it set me on a positive outlook for the Work Focused Interview.

The Start

Everything needs to begin, even a claim for Jobseekers Allowance (incl. Housing and Council Tax benefit). My claim history begins on August 1, 2011.

Thankfully, via direct.gov.uk I find out that this can now be done online. Quite honestly, I dread doing money related stuff over the phone, so the internet will do just fine, plus I'm not bound to office hours which is a bonus. Or so it seems.

So, on 1 August 2011 I attempt to start a claim. I get through the first screen and then - crash. The website is not available. I should have thought about this. It's August 1st, start of the financial year for most universities and a load of other businesses, so everyone who has lost their job as of 31 July is on the website to start their claim. It has got to be a lot of people, if it makes the website crash. Throughout the day, I keep trying, but nothing. I am unlucky. So I postpone the operation Online Claim until tomorrow.

Fast forward: 2nd August 2011
Hooraaah! The website works and I make it to the introductory screen. The system explains to me that the online application will take between 30 and 60 min (a rather large window of time) and that I will only need a few documents: my bank account details and my payslips from the last 6 months. It also offers the opportunity to return to a started online application for the next 7 days by using an online ID and a password that is given to you. This seems all rather convenient and I am a bit non-plussed why this process might take 60 min.

I breeze through the first few questions. But all of a sudden it asks for a tax code which can be found on my P45 or P60. Why was this not listed in the initial list of documents? I trot off and go on the hunt for my P60. However, the way the code is named on the online form is nowhere to be found on my P60. Eventually, I decide that what they are looking for is the "Employers PAYE code", it fits closest with the website description. When would I like my claim to start? Well, yesterday. Why did I not contact them yesterday? Because the computer system crashed.

The next question I stumble over is whether I am expecting any payments to do with work but not for work done. What is that supposed to mean? My statutory redundancy payment? I have no idea and cannot derive it from the help information either. The following questions seem to repeat earlier questions about my previous work. Have I had a job in the last 6 months? Yes. However, some of them are asked in such a convoluted way, that I am struggling to decipher what they mean - and I used to think that my command of the English language was reasonably good.

It follows a section on my work seeking behaviour. Have I been available to work since I want the claim to start? Yes. How many hours am I available to work? Well any hours really, but interestingly, the computer system only accepts 40 hours per week and less than 40 hours only if you have caring responsibilities. This is interesting, since it completely impinges on my freedom to chose my working hours and does not reflect working life these days. Jobs in my area have a standard working time of 37.5 hours per week if full-time. And what if I only want to work 4 days a week like I have? It would be enough to support my living, so why am I being forced to put down 40 hours? It goes on to ask what I have been doing in terms of finding work since the start of my claim, which I find somewhat funny, since for many people this would have been the day before and they could have reasonably done nothing yet to find work because they are still trying to sort out their new situation.

The questions about my housing situation which are obviously vital when claiming housing benefit are not worded any better. Do you pay the rent for the whole property? Err... no, my flatmate pays her share of the rent. However, there is no option in the following box that asks about my relationship to the person who shares the rent with me that says "flatmate". The options all assume a personal relationship to the person that rent payments are shared with. The sharing questions comes up a number of times in various guises and none of them are any more easy to understand. I just resign to saying "No" because I do not know the deeply personal information that the form asks about my flatmate - and quite honestly, I would not want my flatmate to know that her information is being requested in my benefit claim.

A section that assesses my savings and income follows. It asks, whether my savings exceed £16,000 or whether I own any property or receive any rent or pension payments, which is all fair enough. It then goes on to ask specifically what types of bank accounts I own and how much money I have in there: savings accounts, current accounts, cash, ISA, shares, premium bonds, national savings certificates.... I confuse premium bonds and savings certificates and on the next screen it then asks me for the certificate numbers. Another piece of information that was not mentioned on the introductory screen, that now I have to go and dig out. I am getting frustrated. What have I done the last 6 months to support myself? Err... I worked!!

Eventually, we get to the payment information and the screen where I am told about my responsibilities and that I am obliged to inform them of any change of circumstances as soon as possible. There is also a nice paragraph about overpayments and that I have to pay them back if they have paid out too much. Surely that's their responsibility to get the payments right, right?

Finally, I am ready to submit. A final check through the document. All looks good to me and to the best of my knowledge the information is correct, but somewhere I have nagging doubts that I might have misunderstood some of their questions and I have to admit it stresses me out a bit. From my work I know that in these contexts the answer to a question can be the difference between getting money and not getting money and I am concerned about that. But, I don't know any better at this point, and so be it. SUBMIT.

The next screen informs me that within the next 2 days someone will ring me to discuss any open questions and to make an appointment for me for my initial work focused interview. A look at the watch shows, it has taken me 60 min to complete the form.