I was working until I became very sick in August. As I had just recently changed jobs and had only been at my new job for a few weeks, they couldn't pay me SSP so I put in a claim for ESA. In the meantime my husband was signing on at his local Jobcentre but not receiving any payments. Then out the blue, he started receiving just over 50.00 a fortnight. We were shocked and couldn't understand why he had started receiving payments for 1. He had always been old he hadn't paid enough NI Contributions. 2. We were in receipt of WTC and 3. Because of my part time wages. He receives Carers Credit which have been helping to build his NI Contributions. I have had several problems with JSA for several months now. When he started receiving these payments, I informed him this couldn't be correct. I made several calls to JSA stating I felt he shouldn't be receiving payments and asked why. Each time I spoke to an advisor I was told a different thing. Several months ago they had also started asking for my wage slips which my husband was taking into his local Jobcentre and which the Jobcentre have on their system. Not only was he taking in my wage slips but we were also sending them by 1st class recorded delivery. I have called them several times and written letters of complaint asking for a Manager to call me back. I have had no reply to any of my letters. They weren't even acknowledged. As I had suspected all along, the payments he had started to receive in August was their mistake and they are asking for over 400 pounds back. This should not have happened in the first place. He wasn't entitled to any JSA payments as (being Tunisian) and being in UK since 2010, we were informed he hadn't paid enough contributions hence the reason why he had never received any payments until JSA started paying him this year (August) out the blue with no letter of explanation. All this has had a knock on effect with my ESA claim and HB. It is just one huge big mess thanks to JSA, When I call ESA to find out if there has been any progress made on my claim, I continue to be told different things. Also now that my husband has been in UK since 2010, and now has his ILR and British Citizenship, plus the fact he has been getting Carers Credit for me (to build the contributions) his Jobcentre advisor told him a few months ago he now has enough NI Contributions to be entitled to some payment. She said the only reason he had not been receiving payment was because of my part time wages. I am so annoyed with JSA as this has been now going on for many months ie ourselves and the Jobcentre keep sending documents and JSA keep saying they don't receive them. We are now almost into the middle of October and still nothing has been sorted. I have spent a fortune on calls continuously trying to sort this out which has all been a waste of time. I am registered disabled with several medical conditions and have been going through a stroke since August. Also recently being diagnosed with Diabetes. All this obviously is making me worse. I don't seem to be getting anywhere. I am entitled to CB ESA as I have always worked. Each time I call and speak to advisors, I am continuously being told a different thing and getting nowhere. Again today I spoke to ESA who said I should put my husband on my claim. I am completely at my wits end with everything. When I called ESA last week, they told me they were waiting for my husband's JSA to be processed (which he shouldn't be receiving in the 1st place) I am continuously going round in circles. Because of JSA's mess up it has had a knock on effect with ESA and HB. I feel it will never get sorted out. Currently I receive 125.00 a week WTC but this will stop soon as the job I was working at is closing on 24th then neither of us will have anything coming in as this is just not getting sorted out. I am expecting a callback in the morning from JSA but im sure that again will be a complete waste of time. Im sure they wont us to live on NOTHING!

Thanks for reply. They have all my details. RE WTC, I have already informed them. They say there is no change, other than I may be entitled to more depending on how much ESA I eventually receive and also because I am no longer receiving a wage. As I had thought WTC is paid up to 26 weeks. I am having a nightmare as the fact we have joint WTC they had started paying my husband some JSA, even although JSA were aware how much WTC we were receiving. I told them months ago, yet he has had some payments in today which he should not have received. He has taken my last few wage slips and WTC letter to Jobcentre. Because of what they have done, through no fault of ours, it has had a knock on effect regarding my ESA and ESA wont give me anything until this problem is sorted out with JSA. The whole thing is rapidly turning into a nightmare. I have requested to speak to a Manager from JSA who is, as the advisor informed me, will call me back on Monday...(deep breath)

I was informed by someone at Payroll Dept it was posted on Monday. As it is now Friday, I should have received it by now. The whole thing is turning into a nightmare. Thanks for your reply

Thanks for feedback. Realize that now. I guess I will be on CB ESA

Hi, As I am not used to this Forum I initially posted in the wrong place so now posting in the appropriate place. My problem is this. I have been on the sick since August 19th. My present company won't pay me SSP because 1) I haven't been with this employer long enough (started July 24th) and 2) It is zero contract hours. I am registered disabled but recently have new added medical conditions (waiting to be assessed by Neurology) I also receive 125.00 per week WTC which I believe is paid for up to 26 weeks. My husband is currently unemployed although seeking employment and although signs on at the Jobcentre, doesn't receive any JSA due to our joint WTC payment. I applied for ESA yesterday bit so confused about it all. Is it best to claim IB ESA or CB ESA? I asked the advisor what the difference was regarding whether I include my husband on my claim or not. She informed me he must be on my claim as we are married. Is this correct? What is the best way to go about it. My husband would rather continue signing on every 2 weeks (even although he doesn't receive any payments) in the hope of finding work soon so he can support me. As I am used to working, I find the whole ESA thing very confusing. Could anyone please tell me the best thing to do. Thank you in advance.

Hi I got home from work tonight and my husband informed me the Landlord and his partner had come round at 10.30am. I am not happy about this as he didnt call either of us to give any Notice. The last time he called me around Christmas time and said he wanted to see the flat as he hadnt seen it since we moved in. I said that was fine but asked him to give us at least 24 hours Notice of when he was coming. My husband had just come off nights. He said he wanted some chairs which were here. My husband didnt invite them in and went to get the chairs. The Landlord just walked in uninvited after my husband said he was very tired after just finishing work. The Landlord just walked in without being asked and said he wanted to look round the flat. He said he was happy with it. I dont know what he thought we were doing, painting the walls black or something! If this happens again i will be furious as they cant just turn up unnannounced. I could have been in the bath. He asked my husband where i was which was the first thing he said. I dont see it is any of his business where i am as long as we are paying the rent. As it happens i was at work. Really not happy about this especially as i had asked him before when he had called me to give us some notice even 24 hours.

Ok thank you for your help. I was informed i could go to any other Tesco store except that one although after what has happened it has put me off them for life. Thanks for trying to help. Much appreciated.

That is a very good point. No we werent cautioned.

Hi Thank you for your reply. If you mean by arrested were we taken to the Police station then no. Several officers had said to me they werent charging me with anything. One member of staff said i hadnt done anything wrong but still took my clubcard which is no big deal. They then went to speak to the staff in private. After they came back one officer said to me "in fact we are chargoing YOU Also with theft. I asked on what grounds as i had handed my pen to my husband and had walked away. he wouldnt tell me he just said "We are saving it for Court". How can several officers first say they are not charging me with anything then about 20 minutes later one officer says they are. As i have mentioned even the member of staff repeatedly said to me "you havent done anything wrong". At the point when i said i want a lawyer. Several officers had said "You are welcome to call one but we are not charging you with anything". I now know what RLP is. The letter i received back from Head Office was in fact a very nice letter which is strange considering they are accusing us of theft. Makes me wonder if they are actually sure the store have their facts right. I asked to see the CCTV and was refused.

Thanks. I wrote the letter to Head \office on 17/01/13 and it was about a week after the incident so i reckon it happened somewhere between the 7-13 January. but a lawyer i spoke to said it can take up to 3 months to hear anything back

Thanks D x Its difficult playing the waiting game and also being worried about future pre employment checks

I am confused as the letter from Head office says "Pending with the Police" not " Pending with the Court" so does this mean the Police decide if it goes to |Court?

whats RLP? cant remember exact date was mid Jan. I mean the officer came back after speaking to staff and said he was charging me also with theft. (After the member of staff said id done nothing wrong and after another officer informed me i wouldnt be charged) Before this several Police officers had said to me "we are not charging you with anything" when i had said i want a lawyer.

Please see my reply below. We are waiting for a letter to let us know what they intend doing about it it will clearly be the decision of the PF. They didnt take us to the Station

Thanks Which Forum as i couldnt find one in relation to my Query

.After a member of staff stating i hadnt done anything wrong and a PO saying i didnt need aa lawyer i wasnt going to be charged, another PO came after speaking to the staff in private and said he was charging me with theft. I said on what grounds. He wouldnt tell me and said he would save it for Court

My husband and i had been in a particular Tesco store quite a few times as i had been looking for a Stylus for my Samsung phone. Different staff had helped by using various styluses including one for Samsung but none had worked. They mentioned something about having a Universal one i could try but was currently out of stock and said on 2 occasions they would give me a call when this particular one cme in. They never called. Anyway one evening last month myself and my husband had gone into the same store. We had been out for the whole day but i wanted to go to the store to get a few things for work the next day. We ended up being in the store for a long time as i was looking at clothes. Also one customer had asked me what i thought of a particular jacket that was for sale there so we hd a long chat. We were just about to go an pay for our shopping when i remembered i wanted to go and look at the Styluses. I have a multitude of medical conditions including M.E so feel very drained much of the time but i always make the mistake of pushing myself too much/far.. We went over to look at the styluses. I noticed there was one there (Universal) which was in an unopened box. When i say unopened i mean the box was not sealed, taped etc. Obviously had the box been sealed i wouldnt have dreamt of trying to open it.. I knew i needed to try it on my phone to see if it worked. As it was after 1.00am by this time and there were no staff about to ask i took the stylus from the box and tried it on my phone. As with what happens with M.E i felt by this time more drained than ever and knew i was so tired i needed to go and thought i would look at the stylus another time. I gave the stylus to my husband and said "can you put this back, i am feeling very drained i need to go" and walked away. Unbeknown to me my husband thought i was giving him one of my pens as i am always doing this eg giving him my car keys and much more so he was used to mehanding him things. We were both half asleep. He put the pen in his pocket and put the box on the shelf. We paid for our shopping which came to £70.00 and then proceeded to leave (unbeknown to me he had the pen in his pocket). As much as i can see what this perhaps looks like it was a genuine mistake on my husbands part. He may be Absent minded but he is not a thief. We of course were collared by members of staff and taken into a back room. One of the staff kept continuously saying to me "you have done nothing wrong". They wouldnt allow my husband to speak to explain what happened. We were shouted at and received the most horrendous abuse. I explained all i had done was give the pen to my husband as at the point i was completely drained. The Security guard who had previously been aware i had been looking for a stylus pushed me when i asked what i had done. he said we are accusing you of aiding and abetting.and pushed me. I said i had done nothing wrong. One of the staff searched our bag ad asked if we had stolen anything else. Of course we hadnt! They called the Police and as i have never been in trouble in my life i asked for a lawyer. One Police officer said i didnt need a lawyer as i wasnt been charged with anything. Also the member of staff who had repeatedly said i had done nothing wrong took my clubcard and i was told i was banned from the shop. When i explained i had taken the pen out the box as the box was open and not taped, sealed etc one Police Officer informed me it was still stealing. They wouldnt let him speak and one of the sraff said to him where is it? My hsuband thinking he had my pen and nothing else told them he didnt have anything. When he realized what they were talking about he took it out and said "do you mesn this? i thought it was my wifes pen" They wouldnt allow him to speak. I have never stole anything in my life let alone been in trouble and in fact all my friends say i am too honest for my own good. I have been shopping in Tesco for over 40 years and this has never happened. Neither myself or my husband have ever been in trouble. I have recently received a letter from head Office saying that after investigation the Manager of the store acted appropriately and that we had a "Pending Charge" and were also banned from the store from life. I cant sleep properly since this happened as i have not done anything wrong and am worried sick when i apply for future jobs this "Pending Charge" will show up in a Pre Employment check.especially as i work in Banking. I have spoken to a few different lawyers about this. Each one tells me something different regarding the checks. They all have also said that they may forget about it, take it to court or give us a fine. My husband had been absent minded. He is neither a thief nor stupid and why would he try to take a pen when we had all the shopping and also knew there were cameras everywhere. This has come as the icing on the cake after a serious of nightmares which have taken place since we moved here including the fact my car got broken in which incidentally the police cant do anything about.My husband didnt even get a chance to explain what had happened. After being told i wasnt being charged with anything another police officer came in after speaking to the staff in private said he was also charging me with theft. I said on what grounds what have i done? Show me the CCTV which no-one would. He said" i will save it for Court". So he had charged me but couldnt tell me why> Why would my husband try to take a pen worth a measley 10.00 when we had paid 70.00 for shopping. I am living my life wondering what is going to happen next and wondering why i am having all this bad luck as i havent done any harm to anyone in my life.

Hi D Thx for reply. The problem is i dont want any Summons as i normally work in Banking and i dont want it affecting any future positions in any way. Im really angry as this is not a case of someone just not paying. As far as i was aware payments were getting taken out. They have also charged me to October 14 although we took over our new tenancy on September 12. (they have seen copy of our TA) Just not sure what to do for best. This came totally out of the blue as i thought everything was up to date. How can they expect me to pay CT for 2 properties at the same time ie September 12-October 14. It seems like all these Councils are a law unto themselves. I am gonna call them on Monday and ask for the address of the CEO.

I moved to my new address in Scotland last September (2012). While i was living in England i was made redundant twice in 2012. First in January 2012 and then on August 15th. While i was working i set up a DD when i started working again in April 2012 for monthly payments of Council Tax to be taken out. As far i was aware payments were getting taken out. When i lost my job on August 15th i took in all the relevant information/proof/documents that i had lost my job and also my JSA Award Letter stating i started receiving JSA from August 16th. It wasnt until a couple of months ago the Bedford Council contacted me to say i owed almost 300. I was shocked because as far as i was concerned everything had been paid and nothing was owing. I appealed against the decision which didnt make any difference. They told me there were many different changes going on between April-August but the only changes which had taken place was the fact i had lost my job. My DD was set up for payments to be taken out but there was only one payment taken out in June. I cancelled my DD in August at the advice of one of the Advisors as i told them i had lost my job. All these months later they are demanding i pay the 300 by the 27th or they will issue a Court Summons. The Appeal Decision only arrived today. They havent even given me as much as 2 weeks to pay this. They had also stated they sent me several letters around this period which i never received. I asked for copies of these letters but they are saying they are unable to provide copy bills for a past period beyond the issue of the latest bill. This is outrageous. I havent got a spare 300 floating about as hubby is out of work and i am currently working part time. If i had known they werent taking the payments i could have done something about it a long time ago. They are saying their Royal Mail person definitely sent them but i received none of them. Surely it isnt my fault if the DD was set up for payments to be taken out. They said "due to several changes taking place around this time we had to give you 10 days notice regarding a change to your benefit entitlement. I never received one of those letters. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. They havent even given me the chance to pay by instalments. Basically they are saying i pay in full by the 27th or they will issue a Summons. They have also charged me HB to 20 August yet i was on JSA from 16th.

Yes. I saw the benefits manager this morning and he said i dont need to sign on and my husband can continue to sign on but not receive any payments. They then said to call JSA to let them know. i did and got through to a nasty person from a callcentre who said he would get JSA to call me between 4pm-5pm. No-one called me.

I have already done this but to no avail but thanks anyway

Just original but spoke to Liquidator who informed me we couldnt get everything we are owed as the company have no money

For me its not whether he can get IB JSA or not. Its the fact i am struggling with my health already and under a lot of pressure. Its bad enough driving all that way to work and having to do 10hour shifts with M.E without having to sign on, look for full time work, fill in a report and much more. All the stress of everything is making my health much worse. I have had M.E for many years including several other medical conditions and always in a lot of pain, despite this i have forced myself to work full time however as one of my conditions is degenerative (getting worse) i am finding it more and more difficult to manage full time. i feel like they are almost forcing me to give up my part time job as i have been informed i need to look for a full time position. In the 90s i was on IB for some time but was determined to go back to work. No one forced me i wanted to. But i refuse be forced to do any full time job if i feel it is too much for me especially as my conditions are getting worse. If it wasnt for the fact my husband helps me so much with so many things i wouldnt be able to drive 90miles to work. How can they almost force me to give up my part time job? Before i knew about this i have been searching for a full time position in Glasgow which had suitable hours in fact i had a telephone interview today which i passed. I am not ruling out full time but i need to be sure it is the right job for me as my health comes first and it doesnt help the fact some of my conditions are getting worse. (Degenerative) Now i have to PROVE on a regular basis i am looking for full time work. With the multitude of medical conditions i have i dont agree with this. I should be able to have at least a choice something i feel comfortable doing whether it be full or part time and the hours need to be right for me. Many other people use the slightest excuse not to work yet i have always worked full time despite my medical conditions up until last month which is the very first time i have ever worked part time. (Any other person i know with a degenerative slipped disc is in a wheelchair) and i dont know anyone else who works with M.E.

Just wanted to add in respect of the RP1 the Liquidator had told us to send this off with the tribunal letter for him to forward to the "Government".

I have done the RP1 but it hasnt helped. Liquidator has informed me the company have no money and the only way i could have received the full amount the tribunal ruled is if the company was still operating. so looks like i will just need to put it down to experience.