Bloody jury service

[fussychica]

In all my years at work, where I would have been paid by my employer, I was never called for jury service. I'm now retired and I've been called right in the middle of the summer. Although I don't mind doing the actual thing getting there will be a nightmare, (I dont drive) and the subsistance doesnt even cover 2 drinks let alone lunch. I dont have an actual holiday booked but had quite a few plans for this part of the summer. I know its my civic duty but Im a bit pissed off about it as if you couldnt tell

During the course of a year most people (although I accept not all) should be able to find some childcare or fit it between contracts
But you don't get a new date there and then when you defer. You just have to sit and wait on the letter again.

Oh perhaps that's changed then? I had to say when I'd be available but this was a few years ago. I was moving house to a different area, so a different reason to a work / childcare one though.

ItsNotAs I TOTALLY agree with you I care for my dh full time. He is 23 years my senior on state pension and has arthritis ischemic heart disease and emphesema. we would be seriously fucked if i got called up.

"We want to force you into doing this but you have to find and fund the childcare upfront and we will reimburse you later after you have racked up debts and been unable to pay your council tax. But its your DUTY to do this"

I received my first ever call up shortly before xmas. I sent them a polite 'I am not available' and never will be letter in response and heard nothing since.

Hopefully I am in the clear forever.

Here's a link www.juryservice.org/before-jury-service/deferring-or-delaying-jury-service/
Looks like you still do give dates you can do if deferring. It also says you can be excused totally for very good reasons but would need evidence e.g. doctors certificate.
This has reminded me that a family friend who cares for her disabled child got excused as there was no suitable childcare she could use.

Fair enough Abbey. When DH deferred he just got a 'fair dos then' letter and didn't hear anything for years.

Shame the 'very good reasons' don't include total loss of income. DH had deferred already 2yrs before due to his finals so couldn't again. They weren't interested in the fact that he needed to work to get paid and to pay the mortgage. We thought we could grin and bear it for 2wks but it ended up being 9 bloody weeks.
Would a sahp be able to find that dirt of childcare even with a years notice? And who does that childcare? Do you enrol them in nursery for 2wks or possibly more? Engage a childminder for those weeks? Expect your spouse to use up all 5wks of their annual leave meaning the children in that family don't get a family holiday that year? What do you do? We have zero extended family between us.
Financially we'd be fine these days but it would be a logistical nightmare. Goodness knows what happens when people are reliant on every penny they earn.

Me and DP both deferred - next time I will though - call me morbid but I'd quite like a juicy one - not fraud though

This is an interesting article:
www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/money-saving-tips/10273024/What-are-your-options-if-summoned-to-jury-duty.html

Germany doesn't have trial by jury, I wouldn't consider them a particularly repressive country.

I wish there was the option to volunteer for jury service.

I have never been called up but I would like to. Seems like the people who aren't chosen are the people who wouldn't mind doing it.

As I'm employed it would mean I would 'fill in' for someone who is self employed and would not receive sufficient financial compensation.

"...but that's a small price to pay for avoiding being deprived or your pret a manger lunch or having to leave the dog alone"
TTWK I did NOT say I wouldn't want to do jury service because I wouldn't want to leave my dog alone. And I realise to many he's just a dog, but he's a commitment and dog sitters aren't cheap (makes not to self to check his insurance policy for JS expenses). I'd love to do jury service but I'm not going to pretend it wouldn't potentially cause problems.

"It's a bit like complaining about our electoral system though - just because others have it worse, that doesn't mean we can't discuss how to make ours better."
Exactly MrsHathaway. Just because we are better off than many countries doesn't mean we have no right to express our concerns. Everything is relative.

I'm not against doing it if it were only 2 weeks but as I have engagements booked every week for 12 months and only take 1 or 2 weeks of holiday a year and they are booked over 12 months in advance I would need to be able to specify the period that far in advance and it would be very difficult as I would leave the court and then go home and do 6 hours of work into the early hours as no one else is here to do the work and I don't want to lose more money than I already lose. In this 12 months I will have one week of holiday and in that holiday I will reply to work emails throughout which probably I would not be allowed to do in court and the £65 a day v £1k a day plus is not exactly going to be compensation for lost earnings.

Unfortunately LotusLight being too busy and important isn't on the list of grounds for exemption.

I think you've already established how crushingly inconvenient it would be for you but your situation is hardly typical.

I agree with whoever said above that everyone eligible should have to nominate a period where they would be available if called.

Ilovesooty (I do too!) Lotus's income may not be typical but her situation is not uncommon. I have every week except holidays (and I take a lot more than her - 7 weeks a year (some of it to make up for frequently having to travel on weekends) - booked up for the next 12 months. Most people in senior positions do.

Being too busy and it being inconvenient is exactly why I was exempt from JS.

I can think of 3 people off the top of my head who are in the same situation as Lotus, I don't think it's that unusual, plenty of people are booked up months in advance.

Narvine I'm just getting annoyed at her perpetual repetition as though we should all be impressed.

I don't think the self employed should be exempt. I'm self employed as well as working full time and bring management chair of a charity. I know what it's like to be booked up months in advance. The system does need adapting and I think that should be looked at but I think everyone eligible) and physically and mentally able ) should do it if called - no exemptions for self employment other than making a case to be retained for a short trial only.
If you defer I think know you should be able to specify another time slot so that you can clear your diary.
I must admit that I don't understand why some are called several times and others never though. I think that ought to stop.

Sorry for typos there.

That's an interesting point,no wonder why some people are called multiple times and others not at all

DH isn't "super busy and important" but he can be out of the country with work for twelve weeks a year - he's flying to the US on Tuesday for three weeks and only found out on Friday afternoon. How much notice do you get? He can block his diary out of course.

Ilovesooty - sometimes it not a simple thing to 'clear your diary'. I could certainly clear whole weeks quite easily, but a four week block? No. I believe there is a period after you serve that you don't get chosen again but it's not that long. If they did restrict the potential pool the selection would no longer be random.

If you decide that it's impossible for you to manage and therefore pay the £1000 fine, is that it? Do they just send you a receipt and that's it over with, or is the fine in addition to the court chasing you up, saying you have to be there etc?

Narvine it would be impossible to clear more than a week regardless of the length of notice?