Ingeus

[doesn'tworkforingeus]

Hi lemonnews,

 

Feel free to put in a complaint, by rights there is rigorous complaints process but it is rarely followed. What should happen is that your complaint should be followed up by a Lead Advisor or PDM.

 

Though it should not be overlooked - Ingeus are going through difficult times at the moment. Only 2 weeks ago a huge restructure had been announced - with many redundancies highlighted. Though it concerns non-essential staff (mainly Admin, GFs and PDMs) staff are running round like headless chickens at the moment.

 

Good luck though! Poor service should never be ignored.

[trebormoinet]

Though it should not be overlooked - Ingeus are going through difficult times at the moment. Only 2 weeks ago a huge restructure had been announced - with many redundancies highlighted. Though it concerns non-essential staff (mainly Admin, GFs and PDMs) staff are running round like headless chickens at the moment.

 

Interesting, I wonder if the restructuring is down to squeezing out the last bit of profit there is to be had in anticipation of the contract not being renewed when it ends as far as I know sometime next year, probably wishful thinking but savings have to been gained from somewhere and by all accounts the scheme is not very cost effective at the moment for either party.

[Mr.P]

whats the best way to complain about an Ingeus adviser and your bad experiences in general with the company i general?.

 

starting a job next Monday so finally free and to boot its a job i found myself!.

 

i`m signing on for the last time on Friday so shall i have a word with the adviser i see?.

 

You should have been informed of their internal complaints procedure when you first started. If you were not given the documentation (or have binned it), there is nothing to stop you from asking for it again. For an overview, there is the DWP issued guidance on the subject: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/394690/wp-pg-chapter-16.pdf

 

In your shoes, I would say nothing to either Ingeus or the JCP about your new job. When you come to sign off, just state "personal reasons" if asked. However, be prepared for harassment from Ingeus in their attempts to elicit employer details. Feel free to express yourself in what ever manner you deem appropriate when they call

 

Ingeus are going through difficult times at the moment. Only 2 weeks ago a huge restructure had been announced - with many redundancies highlighted.

 

An ideal opportunity to give them some advice on job hunting and living on £73.10 per week.

[doesn'tworkforingeus]

Yes that's true, the Work Programme did get a 1 year extension and is due to currently end in early 2017, though there have been rumours from management that very soon it could be extended further.

 

But the facts can't be ignored. Last year in England referrals to Ingeus averaged at approx 10000 per month. So far this year it's around 3000. Advisors are experiencing falling caseloads from around 100-150 to numbers more like 40-50.

 

There are extreme costcutting measures being installed and my concern is the poor service some of you are already receiving will get worse. Clients are being assessed in payment groups on a more regular basis, as opposed to identifying true and accurate support.

 

Management feel Ingeus will have to shift focus away from JSA claimants as there are not enough of them currently. There has been a significant increase in ESA claimants but the numbers JCP are talking about have yet to be referred to WP.

 

The next few months will be very interesting as this is round 1 of redundancies and we can expect more.

[Mr.P]

When a business only has a single source of revenue, it is in a vulnerable position. When this source of revenue is dictated by government policy, the business model is subject to the whims of who ever is in power. Now that front line staff are being pressured by management to improve profitability, the clients have to be more proactive in their dealings. My recommendations (as always) are:

 

• Record ALL conversations & meetings.
  
• Challenge every provision, target, or mandated task.
  
• Get everything in writing, including all meeting reports.
  

[Lapsed Workaholic]

I would hope that claimants currently on the WP are sympathetic with their advisers who may lose their jobs and offer to point out to them how to survive the WP and its advisers when they get referred.

[trebormoinet]

To be honest I cannot see this business model being sustainable for much longer, as stated, the number of referrals have dramatically dropped and they are not paid any more for referrals, so in my opinion the numbers game does not work for them any more, they actually have to spend resources and now will only get paid through earned results.

 

There is a phrase called "parking" where they basically go through the motions with the customer but not provide any real support, concentrating time and effort only on those customers they feel are more able to find work quickly, I think the number of "parked" customers will rise as both the job market and unemployment rate have plateaued which would indicate in my opinion that any scheme would not be cost effective at present unless they reinstate the referral fee.

 

But considering the cuts would the government reinstate the referral fee, could Ingeus survive without it ?

[RebeccaPidgeon]

To be honest I cannot see this business model being sustainable for much longer, as stated, the number of referrals have dramatically dropped and they are not paid any more for referrals, so in my opinion the numbers game does not work for them any more, they actually have to spend resources and now will only get paid through earned results.

 

There is a phrase called "parking" where they basically go through the motions with the customer but not provide any real support, concentrating time and effort only on those customers they feel are more able to find work quickly, I think the number of "parked" customers will rise as both the job market and unemployment rate have plateaued which would indicate in my opinion that any scheme would not be cost effective at present unless they reinstate the referral fee.

 

But considering the cuts would the government reinstate the referral fee, could Ingeus survive without it ?

The Business Model was never sustainable from the outset...in the case of Deloitte-Ingeus (Deloitte entered a joint venture with Ingeus in October 2010 to bid for the Work Programme Contacts {announced December 2010 by the DWP]), bid 70% less than any other party and ended up with 23% of the Prime Contracts), they presumed that all candidates would access employment from the outset and/or become Self Employed vendors for the Acme Corporation (or similar - such as eBay Sellers)) and need not put any effort into the job selection process, and even the Deloitte-Ingeus Employer Services Teams failed to generate any interviews for candidates. In the recent year or so, Deloitte divested itself from the joint venture, and Ingeus sold its stake to a US Private Equity Business Provident Service Corporation (reported on April 1st 2014).

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2c771c22-b9a7-11e3-b74f-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3cfu90KbR

 

 

The term "Parking" can be quite erroneous...the term simply means that Welfare To Work Clerks within Deloitte-Ingeus did not possess a basic level of competence to speak to employers on behalf of candidates. If the candidate in question, whose sole responsibility was to the Job Seekers Agreement and to Job Centre Plus, did not sign the Data Protection Waiver, then there was little incentive for Welfare To Work Clerks within Deloitte-Ingeus to put any effort in.

 

Given that the DWP own research suggested that the Work Programme was less effective than doing nothing, it is not surprising that the Business Model was a flawed extension of the belief system of George Iain Duncan Smith.

[trebormoinet]

The term "Parking" can be quite erroneous...

 

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/20/work-programme-success-creaming-parking

[RebeccaPidgeon]

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/20/work-programme-success-creaming-parking

 

The term "Parking" is even more erroneous in the context of the Welfare To Work Sector, irrespective of whether through the Flexible New Deal or successor Work Programme.

The payment-by-results model means 'job-ready' jobseekers are being helped more than those in need, costing more long term

The DWP reported through its own research findings that the Work Programme was less effective than doing nothing,

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/spending-review/10146659/5bn-Work-Programme-worse-than-doing-nothing.html

 

The scheme was never designed to provide any "help" to any unemployed person, but did help the self-serving Welfare To Work Sector, including the likes of A4E, to grow extremely rich at the expense of the taxpayer.

[trebormoinet]

The scheme was never designed to provide any "help" to any unemployed person, but did help the self-serving Welfare To Work Sector, including the likes of A4E, to grow extremely rich at the expense of the taxpayer.

 

The tax payer are voyeurs to the sadistic practices reaped upon the less fortunate , I think they getting their moneys worth

[Mr.P]

As a taxpayer, I object to my taxes being used to inflict misery and suffering on the poor and/or vulnerable. Those in power who are responsible should be held to account and made to suffer in equal measure.

[LemonNews]

cheers for the reply tfp,

 

funnily enough my issues are also with a female adviser at Leeds branch of Ingeus.

 

it sounds like we have had similar experience, this women was rude, looked down on you like you were worthless and constant texts about crap jobs. also dismissed any talk of self employment.

 

form beginning to end from letters she didnt send for appointments and trying to insinuate i was lying to putting me forward for jobs which were not even in my options. too many workshops and didnt give a toss about your own job searching and records for the job centre. also she woulnt give me a copy of my ingeus contract which i first signed last year. not even a blank copy of the contract...i just wanted one to know what was expected of me as i`m sure you feel that your very much in the dark at times.

 

it was very hard not to be rude but i always kept my cool. i`m going to go in tomorrow and see her line manager, at least she might get a talking to but how she works with the public on a daily basis with her people skills and demeanour. if its the same women then that will be at least 2 complaints against her.

 

all the best.

 

If anyone is going to the candidate pool preperation workshop anytime soon your in for a treat ha!...still had to attend even though i wont be going into it.

Meeting with her line manager on Friday.

still had to go to all these workshops (green light thinking), (skills assessment) even though i`m starting work in the near future and no there no getting any details.

Is it just me or is Ingeus just a waste of time?/money?.

[Mr.P]

Is it just me or is Ingeus just a waste of time?/money?.

 

No, it is not just you, nor is it limited to Ingeus.

 

The whole Work Programme is a waste of time and money. Whilst a very small minority of claimants might derive some benefit from this scheme, the majority are there for no other reason than to harass.

[tfp]

No, it is not just you, nor is it limited to Ingeus.

 

The whole Work Programme is a waste of time and money. Whilst a very small minority of claimants might derive some benefit from this scheme, the majority are there for no other reason than to harass.

 

 

Worse than a waste of money, the entire W2W sector is riddled with corruption. it has gone beyond being unfit for purpose.

[LazyToucan]

Just curious, does everyone else on here receive text message reminders of their upcoming Ingeus appointments?

 

Anyone else find these annoying, or is it just me? They are usually delivered the night before, as late as 10:30 in the evening. They also contain no method by which you can opt out of receiving such messages.

[Mr.P]

Just curious, does everyone else on here receive text message reminders of their upcoming Ingeus appointments?

[...]

They also contain no method by which you can opt out of receiving such messages.

 

I have never had text messages or emails to remind me of any appointments. But then I don't have a suitable phone, and when asked, always refused to divulge an email address.

 

In your situation, I think it best to write a suitably worded letter to Ingeus insisting that they remove your number from their system. Do not take no for an answer, and if they refuse, ask for a copy of their complaints procedure.

[LazyToucan]

I have never had text messages or emails to remind me of any appointments. But then I don't have a suitable phone, and when asked, always refused to divulge an email address.

 

In your situation, I think it best to write a suitably worded letter to Ingeus insisting that they remove your number from their system. Do not take no for an answer, and if they refuse, ask for a copy of their complaints procedure.

 

Yeah, will probably do as you say...never explicitly gave them my phone number, but suspect it was passed on in the initial transfer of data from the DWP. My own fault for letting the DWP have my number!

[Mr.P]

One of the dangers of giving the DWP personal information: Due to the way these Work Programme contracts are worded, the DWP is the 'data controller'. So any information you provide them may be shared with any third party without your express consent.

[LazyToucan]

One of the dangers of giving the DWP personal information: Due to the way these Work Programme contracts are worded, the DWP is the 'data controller'. So any information you provide them may be shared with any third party without your express consent.

So, the best way to get my number removed from Ingeus'/DWP records altogether (not just the Ingeus SMS reminder system) hmmm..

 

I'm pretty sure requesting that they remove my number altogether will raise some eyebrows, so will probably just inform them I've changed my number (my guess is they will still keep my old one on record though!)

 

I now use a service called disguisemynumber.co.uk whenever I want/need to hand out a number to people I feel may misuse it. It let's you generate a personal number (which you can delete or change at any time) which is forwarded to your real number.

[Dazza1983]

You could always tell them your mobile is broken and no longer working and as you are on benefits you do not have the money to replace it.They took my mobile number off their system after i told them that.I got fed up with the constant phonecalls especially when they phoned me 5 times in about half an hour just to tell me about a job they wanted to put me forward for.

[trebormoinet]

Most modern mobiles have a blacklist option for incoming sms and phonecalls, saves them bothering you and costs them money once you got them blocked.

[Fmlgthefirm]

Been reading this for a while and left ingeus a few months ago, I withdrawn consent about a month ago which I sent a letter to ingeus manager but no reply, I handed one in the job centre myself and the guy on the front desk opened the letter then took it to a manager who was nice and said she will sort it out no worries, the guy behind the desk was clueless at first then said 'oh...them? '(Ingeus) then he said ' everyone's complaining about them'. I mentioned my signature forged twice (I'm pretty sure) by the same grouchy advisor. Ingeus isn't help its a punishment sugar coated by deluded ********

[ButtersScotch]

Started a college course not too long ago but these clowns are still convinced I've to met with them etc even though I have signed off JSA and therefore not part of the "work programme"

 

 

Is there anyway in which they can be politely told to eff off so I don't get any silly appointments or letters from them ?

[Sparks_]

Started a college course not too long ago but these clowns are still convinced I've to met with them etc even though I have signed off JSA and therefore not part of the "work programme"

 

 

Is there anyway in which they can be politely told to eff off so I don't get any silly appointments or letters from them ?

 

Why be polite? Just tell them you are no longer on benefits so they have no reason to keep contacting you!