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?

I probably wouldn't have a go at the work coach as they have to follow the guidelines of weekly appointments until you are above the AET.

I don't get the AET thing anyway. If you are working what does it matter how much you earn? For many of us we would work more if we could!

I don't get UC so I don't know. No such thing as a free lunch I think the term is.

I don't have experience with uc but every thread I read on here I am shocked and how universally shit and counterproductive to work and common sense thdr are. What an awful system.

This sounds like a really poor system, similar to our old tax credits and has led to way too many people being overpaid and having huge debts to pay back.

It's not about a free lunch it's making it a usable service for the people who need it. How would you like your welfare system to be?

Fair?
Accessible to those who need it?
Efficient?

There are many examples above which show a string of needless unnecessary demands on the user. Also people working part time choosing between working a shift and attending a meeting with a work coach.

Nobody should need to book time off work to claim benefits, that's doing the opposite of what the system exists to do.

Good thing it’s not compulsory then.

You can always close your fucking UC claim, if it’s too much bother.

And how will she pay her bills? Surely it doesn't ask a lot to apply common sense? Making an appointment for my husband to attend "a getting into work" appointment when he literally mentioned he has a new job?

Green doesn't suit you by the way.

See https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/20893/ for a very similar case

The system doesn’t make sense in lots of ways. I was made redundant and let them know, I’d been offered a job before my first meeting and was just waiting for my dbs to start. Had to go in every week for a work search appt until I started. It was a waste of mine and the work coach’s time, she’d just ask if there was an update and send me on my way.

Some pp I really hope redundancy, job loss, change in circumstances visit you and you will have a better understanding of how frustrating and vindictive the benefits system can be.

Look, you claim you know the rules.

They aren’t calling her there for shits and giggles. When your earnings drop you need to look for additional work

They have their rules they have to follow.

If OP is not happy, she does not have to claim.

Sorry that was for @OnyourbarksGSG

My DD was asked to take an hour away from her new full time permanent post to discuss how her CV might be improved!

This is something I never understood about UC. If someone gets a job, why do they need to keep applying for random jobs until they start. Who would hire and start quicker than the onboarding process for a job you’ve just secured? It’s idiotic.

The aim is to get people working more. If there was no AET, surely people would just work minimal hours knowing they’d get more UC.

Also, your other comment about the appointment for your husband.
The work coach will look at the earnings at the end of the assessment period- if below AET, they have no choice but to book the work search apt.

If your partner leaves a journal message to state they have started work any decent work coach (which is some cases they clearly aren’t) would reschedule the appointment for after the end of following assessment period, when earnings would be showing- they could then cancel it. Or, if they were able to, just do a quick phone apt.

Yes they have cancelled it luckily. I did read of a couple where one is a SAHM and the other earns over the AET yet they were saying they preferred both of them to earn that AET together. I don't see the point of that??

You don’t have to do it on the day. For instance, I have to do mine on the 4th and my UC is paid on the 11th.
As long as you do it by the 11th, it’s paid. I usually got mine around the 6th or 7th. You don’t have to do it on the day.

That's what I have read. You get zero obviously but then it closes automatically after 6 months of a zero payment.

But her earnings didn’t drop. Her employer made an error, which would have been corrected the following month. It wasn’t a drop in earnings.
That should not require a meeting. That should just require her to upload the evidence to her journal and that’s that.

They waste huge amounts of resources on these pointless meetings because they can’t use common sense.

Well anyway, went to the appointment. Explained the situation but I have another appointment for 2 weeks time because my pay would not be visible until 25th. Thankfully she set up a video call said it would only take a minute. They can't override it even knowing that it will be resolved by 25th.

There’s lots of things people could just say they were doing.
Looking/applying for jobs
Interview preps
Checking for updates on applications made
editing CV
Researching potential carers

exaggerating how long it took them to fill in an application

Don't get caught up in this , follow the advice you got on your own thread.👍