jonesy43

As an advisor at one of the jobcentres mentioned in this thread, I am concerned that customers believe we are out to trap them, sanction them..and do what ever we can to make life difficult for them.... As a Volunteer you are entitled to work as many hours as you like as long as it is in a role that the employer would not normally pay someone to do. If they usually hire someone, but are using you as cheap labour..notional earnings come into the equation... I try to go the extra mile for my customers, I fit them in whenever I can, try to offer the best advice and support I can..and offer any relevant training or experience opportunities if necessary. I receive regular phone calls to keep me updated from customers..and I would be mortified if anyone was having a sleepless night worrying about seeing me.. Yes we have targets....and you would be surprised at how unrealistic and un-achievable they are and the pressure we are put under by managers and ministers to get people into work..but if the jobs aren't there..they aren't there... An advisor's role is to advise, help and support a jobseeker, not to brow beat, bully or demoralise them...so if one of my customers was applying for jobs they were not qualified to do..I would be asking them why...and if I suspected they were just 'playing the game' in order to stay on benefits..I would tell them what I was thinking.. I actually get thank you cards, presents and praise for helping my customers, many of whom are so fed up at being unemployed they have been totally demotivated and demoralised..Not everyone is a box ticker..some of us actually take pride in our work...

Hi bought bike from SMC brand new NoV 07...they want £180 for second service of a Yamaha FZR S2...we think this is a bit steep...any thoughts please???

Hi I did it online, dead easy, took about 10 mins to fill the form in, and the deed poll and certified copies were on the mat in a few days, no need to pay a solicitor at all.

Oh and by the way I do not believe it is egotistical to ask for proof if you are accused of something. I do not believe i am better than anyone else, that is purely an assumption on your part.

Im at work and on a quick break, haven't got time at the minute to answer all the questions. But Solomon, just to clarify, we have not admitted speeding, someone else posted that, not me. We queried been accused of something we do not believe we have done. If you read all the thread you will see I have put we are accused of doing 38mph in between a 30 and 40 speed limit sign. I can assure you I am not a mad speeding driver, who is a danger to other motorists and has no respect for the law. Will post later at length....

Benefit fraud is 'theft' anyway you want to dress it up. It is 'stealing' money you are not entitled to. Everyone who has income tax deducted from either their wages, or pension, shares, dividends etc are victims of people who think they have the right to have money for free. Nothing is ever for free, someone always has to foot the bill. I have no qualms about reporting thieves.... I work and pay for what I need, I do not think it is a god given right to have it for nothing, and people who do, have no values, morals or scruples, and have no idea what it is like to have to provide for people who dont deserve it.

Hmmm ...you are definately now in my mind a policeman. Thank you for informing me 'officer' that I am wrong, and I am misinformed. As I said earlier, it is always useful to have other peoples viewpoints, but, I would never ever ,tell someone that they are not allowed to think what they want to think and that they are 'wrong' for not agreeing with me. You appear to give the impression that your opinion is more valid than anyone else's.T hat may not be what you are hoping to project, but that is they way I am at the inclined to think.,at the moment. But saying that I appreciate your comments. By the way, just as an aside.....one of my closest friends is a traffic officer with 25 years experience in the force...I am quite aware of what the role consists of. I am probably not as misinformed as you might think I am...... Cylcone thank you for your comments, you got it in a nutshell.

oh and by the way you spelt ulterior wrong....

Troubled Joe, now Im fairly sure you are policeman. Speed cameras are revenue generating anyway you look at it. The police use it to target people who are normal lawabiding citizens, to avoid the paperwork involved in catching the real criminals who use human rights to evade paying the price for their criminal activities.....just my thoughts..... I do not condone speeding, and feel terribly for people who have suffered at the hands of irresponsible motorists, but playing 'catch out'' for a target is wrong. Many people are victims of serious crimes and the police dont give them the time of day, motorists are easy targets.

Well the chief constable of a police force up north somewhere, I think it might be Durham, refuses to us mobile units on his patch. He said all it would serve would be to catch 75% of the population speeding, raise lots of money but totally alienate the whole community. Wise thinking....

Troubled joe, you sound like a policeman!! My solicitor said if we fought it we would win, even if it had to go to appeal. We decided rather than drag it on for another year, to settle out of court. Either way, we have not admitted speeding, and they haven't proved we were speeding, its all been like playing chess, hypothetically speaking. I am sceptical of the police, regarding speeding offences anyway, mainly due to the fact for all his preaching and public speaking the Chief of Police of South yorkshire breaks the law himself, by speeding!!!!!!

Well its truly amazing isn't it that the police can use their discretion when 'they' feel like it....I think the system is all flawed....they seem to be able to just do what they like. If they offer one person a speed awareness course ,then they should offer everyone one.

Hi Sorry for the delay in updating the situation, been really busy. Well, we received 2 letters in the post on the same day. One very very long letter stating they did not have to provide the information we requested, some data protection act was quoted. They said if they answered everything we asked for it would not be in the public's interest to know, ie, we asked how often they used mobile units....they said if that information was made public, people would definatley speed more as they could calculate the risks of getting caught or not! They did provide a copy of the calibration certiicate, amazingly enough dated 2 days before they zapped us....and the officers training certificate, also dated just before the alleged offence.....hmmmm......so they provided the information they wanted us to have, but nothing else. To be honest the letter was about 5 pages long, and mind bending, couldn't understand half the jargon and we are relatively intelligent people....happy to let anyone see a copy if they want to see it out of interest. The second letter ( which we opened second by chance, I thought it was a bill and was at the bottom of the pile!) offered us a speed awareness course and no points.....so that was interesting....they also said thank you for returning the NIP form....which by the way we did not complete or return, it's still here. Our lawyer said the main reason for using them would to be avoid points on the license, as the police already offered this option, he advised we pay the £60. It would be cheaper and easier in the long run. My other half felt it was 'giving in' but I felt it was just the equivalent of settling out of court. So, all in all it was an interesting experience. Despite what many posters may think, and it is a contenious issue, but police sitting right next to a badly sign posted change in speed limit, is in 'my' personal opinion not foremost about reducing speeding, but about generating revenue. What a co-incidence that the speed awareness course is also £60, the same amount as a speeding fine. That to 'me' just proves they are more interested in the money. If they wanted to reduce speeding,t hey could put rumble strips on the road and large painted numbers of the speed limit in use. I have yet to meet anyone who measures 183metres between lamposts to work out what limit they should be driving at. Im too busy looking at the road, not lamposts. I wasnt driving, so it's not me that is affected by it, but I do believe in challenging accusations when it is doubtful we actually did it and if the police have any proof. Thank you for everyone who took the time to comment on this thread, it is always useful to take on board other peoples viewpoints. J

We went yesterday, via chesterfield, total traffic nightmare. Never going to Chesterfield again in my life, the town planners need their heads looking at ! The new road layout system causes complete congestion in all directions. Came back via Sheffield, much much quicker. The show itself was great. Fanatastic that so many people where there with their dogs, ourselves included. Prices £13 per adult, kids under 14 free, our dogs were free, and parking was free. Good value for money. The air display is highly recommended.

Breakfast: Special K with fruit berries, one low fat yogurt Lunch : Grated Cheese and tomato sandwich with salad cream on 2 small slices of seeded batch bread.2 crabstixs to snack on whilst making sarnie and a Banana for afters. Tea: Chicken in thai/chilli marinade in a pitta bread with salad, mayo and jalapenos, homemade kebab. The way today is going, think it will be a bottle of wine tonight! lol