Withholding bank details

[ptol]

Daily sign on is no hassle for me at all. Gets me out of the house, gives me different people to talk to at the dole office each day and generally helps me keep positive. In fact I had a really good idea for a funny stunt today. You notice at the job centre how the security staff spend 90% of their time telling people to turn off their mobiles. Now wouldn't it be fun to set up having everyone's mobile ring at exactly the same time with the same ring tune and then see how long it takes for security to realise they've been had. Won't make me any money but it might be funny.

[watchinginvestigation2010]

Mobile phones going off.

 

Glad to see you can cope with daily signings, I would have trouble coping with fortnightly if had too.

[ptol]

I actually think that it was because it became quite clear that daily signing was not pressurising me was why this person started getting a bit high handed. There is some quite obvious banter between me and the security people. They see me every day, and there's usually comments like "do you work here" from them, with me replying, "yeah, but I'm not sure how much longer as the pays a bit lousy" and other stuff like that.

[ptol]

Sign on today went super smooth.

[watchinginvestigation2010]

Good.

 

Soon might have to be going bankrupt to stop dcas harassing me to death, literally. Hoping my bank as its a basic non credit one and up to date, would allow me to continue using it, some do some dont, if not I might be using giros myself soon, now thinking on it!!!!!!

[ptol]

Well I have been thinking of what could be a better excuse for not having a bank account than the millitary / CIA stuff from earlier. I've come up with this one:

 

"I am sorry, but at this point in time I do not wish to nominate a commercial organisation for you to donate my benefit money to in the hope that they are solvent long enough for me to ask them to give me my benefit money. However, what you allow the government to do with your tax money is entirely up to you."

 

anyone want to use it?

[ptol]

The Job Center has now put me onto normal 2 weekly signing... How am i going to cope! I'm going to have to remember alternate weeks and keep track of the day... Man, its going to be so confusing.

 

And I am going to miss being given £5 for £3 of fuel each day. that was a nice little earner...

[antone]

Giros, in general, are a security catastrophe, and you would not believe how much time I spent, as an ESA processer, replacing Giros that had gone missing or refusing to do so because it was the fourth time in a row that the customer had not received the payment. Now don't get me wrong: I believe the customer genuinely hadn't received the cheque, mostly, though I did see one or two cases of egregious attempted fraud. It's just that, well, if giros keep disappearing into a void, we weren't that keen on sending more of them. A POCA provides exactly the same function with far more security.

 

JCP staff are expected to "encourage" benefit customers to use a bank account, but they sure as hell aren't expected to browbeat or harass them into doing so.

[flumps1976]

as pp said Direct Payment is a more secure method if payment and as a JCP employee I certainly wuld not even consider for one moment sitting at my desk telling someone they had no choice but to open account etc, it really comes down to both security of the payment and also the cost to the department. Gircheques actually cost a considerable amount to produce believe it or not in comparison of the BACS method which only costs pence.

We also have daily signing in our office most customers do get fed up with having to traipse in every day to sit the office in the signing queue so go and get a basic account just to go back to fortnightly signing. On the plus side with daiy siging at least you can pove one of 3 weekly activities as visiting the JCP daily!

[ptol]

Imposing a punishment for requesting something you are legally entitled to do, is morally wrong and is still a form of bullying.

[antone]

Imposing a punishment for requesting something you are legally entitled to do, is morally wrong and is still a form of bullying.

 

Although I'm very much in favour of using basic bank accounts or POCAs, I'm inclined to agree with this. Are they making people sign daily simply because they want to be paid by giro? It's a year now since I worked for JCP, and I'm a bit out of the loop. Plus, of course, I didn't work with JSA.

[ptol]

Yes, exactly that. When I first applied for JSA in January, i was initially put on weekly signing because I withheld my bank details. After a 3 week of that, they then put me on daily signing, and I have had 4 weeks of daily signing before they gave up with me.

[Helen2264]

i have two bank accounts. Both of which would be suitable for being paid a months salary into, and are also capable of swallowing a fortnights benefit payment leaving no money left over.

 

I read your thread and I am somewhat very baffled. I have been in lots of debts that was a few years ago and being on benefits my monies was swallowed as soon as it came in but I took full control of my bank account cancelled all direct debits or any payment that was automatically coming out of my bank then wrote to all my creditors and tell them I cannot afford to pay them certain amount of money each month because I had so little to live on to this day I am still paying my debts little by little but I have full control of my bank and benefits money I refuse to have any direct debits even though my creditors suggested I should have one.

 

You have two banks are you are not working how are you then managing to pay your debts with very little money and also paying bank charges as well I am very surprise why you can't have control of your own bank accounts no one can tell you what to do not even debt people.

[Helen2264]

That argument has already been tried by the job centre. It does not hold water, as I have two bank accounts, and I am quite happy for an employer to pay me directly into a bank account, and have done so in the recent past.

 

Of course you would be happy because an employer is not going to check your bank accounts they are not the dwp, why are you so worrying about the dwp knowing you have bank accounts also wouldn't your wage be swallowed as soon as they come in to your bank accounts?

[ptol]

I read your thread and I am somewhat very baffled. I have been in lots of debts that was a few years ago and being on benefits my monies was swallowed as soon as it came in but I took full control of my bank account cancelled all direct debits or any payment that was automatically coming out of my bank then wrote to all my creditors and tell them I cannot afford to pay them certain amount of money each month because I had so little to live on to this day I am still paying my debts little by little but I have full control of my bank and benefits money I refuse to have any direct debits even though my creditors suggested I should have one.

 

You have two banks are you are not working how are you then managing to pay your debts with very little money and also paying bank charges as well I am very surprise why you can't have control of your own bank accounts no one can tell you what to do not even debt people.

 

I am glad that has worked for you. Personally, I would rather deal in cash, that I can count, and I control by phsically giving notes and coins to people / companies to pay for things.

[ptol]

Of course you would be happy because an employer is not going to check your bank accounts they are not the dwp, why are you so worrying about the dwp knowing you have bank accounts also wouldn't your wage be swallowed as soon as they come in to your bank accounts?

 

The DWP know I have bank accounts, they have copies of bank statements from me, with account details on. They need to see that information as I am making a joint claim for income based JSA. However, I am not nominating a bank for them to pay my benefit money to. I wish to receive my benefits as a Giro,

[satire]

I have two current accounts with Nat West. A joint one with my wife and one in my name for my business. My wife also has her own current account with the Halifax in her name only.

 

None of these accounts are overdrawn, all have a reasonable credit balance at all times.

 

But just like the other poster, I refuse to allow the DWP have access to any of these accounts. I receive my ESA every two weeks by giro, my DLA every four weeks by giro, my wife gets her OAP by giro every 4 weeks.

 

Once they have access they can withdraw money out if they have made a mistake in paying too much. Would you trust the DWP to have access to your accounts and money?

[antone]

Once they have access they can withdraw money out if they have made a mistake in paying too much. Would you trust the DWP to have access to your accounts and money?

 

While fully respecting the rights of individuals to be paid by giro, the above is simply not true. The DWP cannot arbitrarily withdraw money. They merely have sort code and account number details, and that's not enough to withdraw money absent a Direct Debit agreement. The DWP won't ask you to sign a DD mandate as part of a benefit claim.

 

It's not permitted by banks, isn't DWP policy, and is likely illegal as well.

[ptol]

While fully respecting the rights of individuals to be paid by giro, the above is simply not true. The DWP cannot arbitrarily withdraw money. They merely have sort code and account number details, and that's not enough to withdraw money absent a Direct Debit agreement. The DWP won't ask you to sign a DD mandate as part of a benefit claim.

 

It's not permitted by banks, isn't DWP policy, and is likely illegal as well.

 

At the end of the day, money in a bank account is not your money, it is the bank's money to do with as they please. If they are solvent, they usually let you have the money they owe you, when you ask for it, but they also do have a tendency to reduce their liability to you on rather poor excuses.

[antone]

At the end of the day, money in a bank account is not your money, it is the bank's money to do with as they please. If they are solvent, they usually let you have the money they owe you, when you ask for it, but they also do have a tendency to reduce their liability to you on rather poor excuses.

 

Well, if you don't like banks that's fair enough. I was commenting specifically on the issue that the DWP can withdraw money from a bank account without permission. They can't.

[jadeybags]

Well I have been thinking of what could be a better excuse for not having a bank account than the millitary / CIA stuff from earlier. I've come up with this one:

 

"I am sorry, but at this point in time I do not wish to nominate a commercial organisation for you to donate my benefit money to in the hope that they are solvent long enough for me to ask them to give me my benefit money. However, what you allow the government to do with your tax money is entirely up to you."

 

anyone want to use it?

 

I know this is a serious subject but that did make me LOL & is a very good point lol