To be absolutely fking sick of Universal Credit

[scorpiogirly]

Posted a few days ago regarding being called in for an appointment after work messed my wages up.

Went through all pay slips and could see the mistake, also could then see the basic pay per month which is over the AET. This is after increasing my hours.

So I messaged the work coach and explained what happened and that going forward my pay would be over the AET and asked if I still needed to attend the meeting which is today.

I was told yes as it was under last month. And we can discuss this apparently when I go in. Discuss what? Possible reasons work made the mistake? This is a work search appointment. For which there will be nothing to discuss or put in place as I will be over the AET.

But no, let's still waste my time, their time and also taxpayers money.

I just hate it. The way they make you jump through hoops in order to get the help you're entitled to.

Just a rant really. Does anyone hate UC as much as me?

Dh started a new job. They wanted him to take a morning off to discuss going back to work... So miss work to discuss work. Nuts.

Yeah, it's total wank.

They always seem to make appointments for me on my work days too after telling them numerous times what days I work. Also they always clash with the school run!

But MN is the wrong place to rant about it. Just wait, you'll get the frothing hordes along to tell you you should be more grateful for your free money etc etc...

I don't know if it varies from place to place. But I just reply with sorry, I'm working, I can only do Wednesdays and they rearrange.

Well yeah, course I am grateful for the help, but they don't half make you feel shot about yourself. Like you're the scum of the earth. I'm doing everything I can to get off it including looking for other jobs and running a small side hustle. The money from which of course doesn't count toward the AET as it's not gainful self employment. They don't mind treating it as gainful income when it comes to deductions though.

They're awful.

DS had a phone appointment which he answered the phone twice and the guy was saying 'hello? Hello?' And my son was telling him he can hear him etc...

He got sanctioned £10 a day for 30 days for not answering the phone!

Had to go through an appeals process.

Another time he was sanctioned for not answering the phone whilst on a course that UC told him to attend. And he told them he was at the course so wouldn't be able to answer the phone nd they still sanctioned him.

That is disgusting @ChappRo.

I've heard a lot of stories too of different work coaches giving different information , which can be incorrect.

Yeah they're awful. None of them seem to have a clue what they're doing either. The unprofessionalism in their journal responses is staggering.

The system is so flawed as well. Carers allowance made a mistake with my claim a few months ago, which they admitted, where they had accidentally pressed the wrong button and put me down as having "ceased caring" - so my CA stopped. For 7 weeks. During this time UC still deducted the carers allowance from my claim - so over £300 a month, despite the fact that I wasn't receiving CA. They would do nothing about it. The only way to stop it was to completely cancel the carers claim and start a fresh one.

I work with the DWP. They are hopeless , really useless. They just want to tick their own boxes and really don't give a fuck about the jobseekers themselves

My DD has severe MH problems and been waiting ages for her LCWRA component. They don't tell you what's going on or when to expect anything.

I didn't know they deducted carers allowance from UC. Blimey.

Absolute knobs.

I'm actually interested to see what she has to say mind you. She will probably ask me if I have been looking for jobs etc😆 there as info there about taking in my CV and areas of interest.

Hope she gets in sorted @Spanglemum02. I thought that would have been easy for them if they're having fit notes etc.

It is an absolute joke.

It's designed to be helpful for low income families and just causes huge stress.

There is a similar payment in Ireland that is stress free in comparison,

The allocated weekly payment based on your wages stays consistent for the year.

If you go over hours, the following year payment will get reduced based on your wage.

Trouble is its public sector, arse and elbow spring to mind. I worked in it for many years and the NHS. I was discharged from an NHS wait list recently, I had informed them to not send an appointment but keep me on the list as I needed an ok from another health professional to be allowed to have the tests. They discharged me and sent a letter 3 weeks later. I rang them. I have to be referred again via my GP. I ring the GP, they have to physically see me. I apologise about wasting an appointment, GP agrees it is ridiculous.

Ridiculous box ticking all over the public sector plus a minority of utterly shit workers, that should be sacked but it’s very hard to sack them. I was a trade union rep but stopped because I hated representing people that were just awful at their jobs. This was the minority and a big shout out to the vast majority who have a very difficult job but some of them were useless.

Got told 2 completely different 'rules' by 2 different job centres. I mean which one is correct?? Take a chance biding by whichever!

If are an absurd disaster. When I migrated in June it was great. Got transitional protection and for 3 months everything was fine. Then I got approved for LCWRA and lost £200 a month as you can’t be a career AND get full LCWRA. TP doesn’t cover that. So I messaged them, why am I being penalised? Why wasn’t it made clear to me that I didn’t HAVE to apply for LCWRA, I could have just declared being a career and kept the same money? The journal robot said “ you need to go and make a retrospective change from X date” so i did. That was in early November. Since then I’ve lost my LCWRA. TP had not been restrictively applied. I’ve left 47 messages on my journal and nobody? Not my case handler, not my MP, not a divinity knows what is happening or why it’s taking so long. I made a formal complaint on the 30th December. They said it will be death with within 15 working days. And I’m still here being fobbed off “ez are trying our hardest and expect it will now take 15 an extra 15-20 working days”. Then I get a call from my useless case handler saying he’s leaving two days later and he’s got zero idea what’s happening but everyday I will given a a new case handler. He openly admired that he had not read any of my messages in full, just skim read the first sentence, even the payment message I sent saying “ URGENT PLEASE READ MESSAGE IN FULL”. My money UC went from £1607 to £748 including rent in November

At this point they owe me between £2000-3200 and I am just incredibly lucky that I get PIP and carers Allowance and have a credit card and understanding family. A week before Christmas I had £7 in the bank.

Anything run by the government is usually useless and devoid of all logic in my opinion! A bit like with the NHS where you usually end up having to take an entire day off work for a hospital appointment because you never get seen on time!

Bloody hell there are some horror stories on here. How on earth can being awarded something actually cause a deduction? It doesn't make sense at all. Wouod closing the claim and starting a new one be helpful? Might get it sorted quicker that way.

I work for civil service too although not NHS oflr DWP. UKSA in fact. Who are now blaming video doorbells for the lack of data response.

You couldn't make it up.

I had to go on UC for a while (thankfully off it now) and although I was very thankful for it I don’t know how anyone can consciously choose it over earning their own money. I felt like they owned me for the price of £300 something a month.

That is a good way to put it.

It's hard to find jobs that work around school, I've been quite fortunate to be able to work quite flexibly where I am.

Also a single parent so have to to all school runs, appointments etc.

I had to laugh whilst I was waiting for work to increase my hours at the request of universal credit. They were sending me jobs for waitressing at hotels and what not for evening events. What part of single fucking parent don't they understand?

I definitely need to get the hell off it.

Full sympathy OP - DWP are so awful. I'm currently trying to sort out a colleagues access to work funds, honestly it makes you want to give in. Perhaps that's the aim?

The paperwork is so awful, no support given by DWP, and I work in admin so very used to this sort of nonsense! God help people who are claiming for themselves and aren't used to this bureaucracy.

Well strangely, I have read that it's hard to come off it too. Even if you earn too much to claim anymore, they still keep your claim open for 6 months I think it is, just in case. So it also feels I'll be stuck on it for some reason.

Another thing with it is that it's less money than tax credits but you lose free prescriptions and dentist when you're moved over. How does having a reduced income make these more affordable? I'm skimping on dental work that I need due to long term issues because I can't justify the cost.

The tick box exercises are awful, though I have had 1 really wonderful individual work coach. It's not hard to come off UC. You just write a note on your account that you wish to close your claim and that's it. I did try closing the claim online, but the system didn't want to let me! It just kept routing me elsewhere.