Applying for Universal Credit (Welfare) over the Phone in the UK Will Cost you up to 45p a Minute
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[url]http://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/struggling-families-charged-45p-a-minute-by-iain-duncan-smith-to-discuss-benefits/17/02/]source[/url]
[quote]If you are trying to apply for Universal Credit you will have to use an 0345 number, costing up to 45p a min from a mobile and 12p a minute from landline.
In a time when the majority of people increasingly use mobiles rather than landlines, this is a bitter blow to people already on the breadline.
The Work and Pensions Secretary has decided against using on 0800 freephone number, to help people up and down the country. Millions of people are about to begin claiming in a new way through his new Universal Credit policy.
Previously the DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) said they would have free calls “for all major benefit claim lines,” but this pledge has been kicked into the long grass for Universal Credit.[/quote]
Living for almost 1.5 years in this country, I can say that a lot of stuff happening here is done ridiculously backwards.
[QUOTE=Dark RaveN;49759507]Living for almost 1.5 years in this country, I can say that a lot of stuff happening here is done ridiculously backwards.[/QUOTE]
Because anything to do with getting help for yourself or your family is ridiculously backwards.
Like your rent mysteriously not being payed and you receive no letter or call saying so, then find yourself in £1500+ rent arrears.
Not meaning to turn it into a benefit thread but it really does suck here most of the time.
It doesn't help that these phone lines put you through a god-awful automated voice that drones on for about five minutes before letting you get anywhere.
how else are we going to pay for the welfare
i see no clear and obvious logical issues with this at all
[QUOTE=GordonZombie;49759658]It doesn't help that these phone lines put you through a god-awful automated voice that drones on for about five minutes before letting you get anywhere.[/QUOTE]
"I'm sorry we are especially busy right now"
If you are [b]especially[/b] busy literally 90% of the time you need to hire more staff.
Huh, The UK has really gone back to were it was in the 1980's.
You think people would learn?
[QUOTE=ElderRanger;49759853]Huh, The UK has really gone back to were it was in the 1980's.
You think people would learn?[/QUOTE]
I'm genuinely starting to think that our government's plan to combat immigration is to make this country as shitty as possible so even Syrian war refugees won't want to come here.
Apply online like any sane person does?
[QUOTE=Cloak Raider;49759687]how else are we going to pay for the welfare
i see no clear and obvious logical issues with this at all[/QUOTE]
Well we have this thing called taxes, but no you're right people should have to pay for their own welfare when they're not earning enough to support themselves, there's no gaping logical hole there at all.
[QUOTE=RainbowStalin;49759880]I'm genuinely starting to think that our government's plan to combat immigration is to make this country as shitty as possible so even Syrian war refugees won't want to come here.[/QUOTE]
That's kinda hard to do without making your country a warzone, although they seem to be going for the 1984 theme.
[QUOTE=Matthew0505;49759991]Why go through the PR nightmare of removing the welfare system when you can just cripple it to the same effect.[/QUOTE]
They're doing the same shit with the nhs
[QUOTE=Coffee;49759891]Apply online like any sane person does?[/QUOTE]
If you need welfare chances are you can't afford the internet to do that. Unless you're in a house with people sharing bills. No one should be charged to get help all that does is drive people to do negative social things to get by.
[QUOTE=DELL;49760219]If you need welfare chances are you can't afford the internet to do that. Unless you're in a house with people sharing bills. No one should be charged to get help all that does is drive people to do negative social things to get by.[/QUOTE]
Don't the people in the UK have libraries?
[QUOTE=gokiyono;49760296]Don't the people in the UK have libraries?[/QUOTE]
It is true that libraries are an amazing public resource (I should go more often to the one near me). Any decent library will have a few computers for patrons to use. However, the main grievance, I think, is that the phone line for UC, having once been free, is now nickel-and-diming people who choose to apply through it and my understanding is that the wait times are extreme for the most part. So now people without home internet have to put up with being charged up to half a pound per minute for however long it will take, or they can go out of their way to the library instead.
It is just a matter of being shafted, however moderate it may seem right now.
[QUOTE=Coffee;49759891]Apply online like any sane person does?[/QUOTE]
Apply online then get forced to call the line to finish off the application, only for everything you did online to get ignored and have to redo the process over the phone because they "accidentally" lost all the records from the online forms.
Welcome to Universal Credit, replacing what once was a working format for Jobseekers, Housing Benefit, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Employment and Support Allowance and Income Support with one that just fucking doesn't.
[QUOTE=gokiyono;49760296]Don't the people in the UK have libraries?[/QUOTE]
My local council is very publicly closing most of the libraries. Well, they told us they couldn't afford to pay the staff anymore and told the community they would 'have to' provide volunteers. They said that after extensive consultation, it had been determined this would work. The libraries are now closing, because who the fuck has time to do a previously paid job (which paid a graduate librarian's salary) on the regular? These days, nobody has time for that. So no, soon enough we won't have libraries. God help the elderly.
This is your Tory government, ladies and gents. You really can't vote the Conservatives in and then act surprised when they fuck over poor people.
Honestly the only thing I'm in doubt over is if this is intentional or just good old fashioned incompetence.
Odd, when i had to apply for this shit heap, im fairly sure i didn't have to phone them at any point. Thats kinda scummy and the phone service is fucking terrible to boot on a regular occasion, god forbid you're phoning to get into the bloody system.
The entire system just downright sucks but right now it really is my only source of income until i find my third job. And it can be rather cryptic too with how things work, money wise.
[QUOTE=Highwind017;49802520]Odd, when i had to apply for this shit heap, im fairly sure i didn't have to phone them at any point. Thats kinda scummy and the phone service is fucking terrible to boot on a regular occasion, god forbid you're phoning to get into the bloody system.
[/QUOTE]
They instruct you to call them when you find a job or need to check/ask anything, they don't tell you any other option for that.
And when you call them they drag it out for ages too.
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