a4e- Sanctioned phine calls

[Jaymie]

My brother has been sanctioned for not answering his phone. It was a review by A4E and he was not informed he was being called (a4e says he got sent a letter but he didn't) and when they did call his phone was turned off as he was visiting our father hospital and as it was the cardiac unit it was necessary to switch his phone off.

They say that he isn't entitled to hardship payments and should go to a charity for food, while that idea is fine he has missed job interviews as he can't charge his phone and has no way of showering or cleaning clothes for his interviews anyway.

The CAB were pretty useless in that they just reiterated what the jobcentre said.

 

I am financially unable to help and live miles away.

Only other family is our dad who's in hospital.

 

He has to miss seeing his son at the weekends due to this and his ex will use this a leverage to stop my brother seeing his child again.

 

Can anyone help?

[Nystagmite]

Does he have any proof that he was in the hospital at the time?

[Jaymie]

Sadly not, he was just in seeing my dad. My dad would vouch but would that be enough?

[san_d]

Having your phone turned off is not the same thing as rejecting a call. However some phone providers have a facility that informs you if you've been called when your phone was switched off (Vodafone does), otherwise it's very difficult to prove you deliberately ignored the call.

 

For the letter not received or not sent, this is a bit tricky. I think if the OP submitted an appeal to the DMA he would likely win it.

[flumps1976]

When did the "fail" occur? Was it prior to or after 22nd October 2012?

If before then there is no entitlement to Hatrdship but if after then he can claim hardship on form JSA/ESA10JP which he can get from the JCP.

[Charlotte_Henderson]

Sadly not, he was just in seeing my dad. My dad would vouch but would that be enough?

 

I know this is an old thread, but i know someone who had the same problem, he got the nurse to say he was at his mothers bedtime when they were trying to ring him!