I have had possibly the worst experience in my whole life dealing with the DWP. In January after I lost my job, I signed up for benefits. I was told I had to claim Universal Credit. Ok I said, go ahead then. I was told I would have to wait up to 6 weeks for my money to come through. Fine I said, I have my last wage coming through, I can live off that until the UC comes in. I was still responsible for paying some rent, as I was when I was working. I was advised by my job coach to use most of my last wage on paying rent and council tax, meanwhile I got a food bank voucher so I didn't have to worry too much about buying food. I went on a hospitality course to pass the time while I was unemployed, which was to lead onto a work placement at Costa coffee, with no promise of a job after it, no matter how well I did. The time came for my UC to be paid, and there was nothing in my account. I called to ask why there was a delay. Oh we don't know how many bedrooms your flat has. Ok, talk to the council, they will tell you since they own it. They wouldn't. (I mean isn't it the next obvious thing to do since they didn't believe me that it only has one bedroom?!!) Next day still no money. Oh it will be paid in later today just keep checking. Nothing. I call the day after that and I am told my claim was terminated because I had an 'income'. Yes, my last pitiful wage is now an income. I was being treated like I was a secret millionaire and they had just discovered all my hidden away cash. In reality it was £505 that went fast because I was paying rent and council tax with it. No sympathy for them telling me to spend all of my last wage, leaving me with nothing to live on.
I call up in tears insisting they put me on JSA, there's no way in hell I'm waiting another 6 weeks HOPING they will pay UC this time. No, just get me on JSA, its a much shorter waiting time. I fought for it and got what I wanted. Meanwhile, I was waiting for the Costa coffee placement to start. My job coach decided to put me in job club for a month. Job club is a useless, 10-15 minute gathering of the herd of unemployed to tell them what they're doing wrong when applying for jobs. Why it has to last for a month is beyond me. I start attending job club, but the bus makes me late. 10 minutes late to be exact. I get sanctioned. My job coach then has it out for me, despite me being pretty much penniless. She obviously gets off on taunting people in poverty. I continue to attend job club, despite the fact I will get no JSA for doing so. My hardship allowance gets approved, but it will be paid nearly a week after my sanction finishes. So I 'survive' for a month on zero money, but its ok because JSA paid in £10, as my job coach reminded me, I did get SOME money. Yknow, because £10 is a lot. You could do your weekly food shop and buy gas and electric on that! For a month! While you're sanctioned!! My job coach continues to try and make my life a misery, by claiming that I came in an hour late one day. I was actually 5 minutes early, but you know, DETAILS. I'm guessing she never bothered reporting this lie, because one look at the cameras would tell you I was in there early. So my sanction stayed as it was. We could get you in here everyday if we wanted to, my job coach cackles. Pretty sure she sits around with the rest of the coven when everyone is gone, talking about all the evil things she managed to get away with that day.
Next blog post will be about the truly awful Costa coffee placement that I did while sanctioned. Stay tuned!
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