No-one can be sure what the affect of the new government will be on the job centre and its approach and overall performance. I for one cannot possibly see how it can be worse.
I have blogged many times about the failings of the Job Centre, my run in with the staff there and the uselessness of their job search facility. Well now I can add another service to my list of abysmal showings. When you go back to work you are given a number to call, presumably to end your benefit in a simple and easy way. I put aside half an hour for this, expecting it to be long enough.
I called the number to find it engaged, repeating this process many times over a period of around 20 minutes. At one point I did actually get through only to confuse some poor girl in Winchester's Environmental department, a short and embarrassing conversation revealed I had misdialled by a digit.
After about 20 attempts finally the phone was answered by an automated robot..telling me the Job Centre was closed and urging me to call back during its opening times of 9am-5pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Now correct me if I am wrong, it is FRIDAY. So why is the centre giving me such a retarded message. I have decided given I have spare time before my meeting with my employer later, that I will go down to the job centre, even though it is not my appointed time and see if they can succeed where their hopeless phone service fails.
I cannot wait to be rid of anything to do with the Job Centre and hope that the new coalition seriously reforms it to actually be of some use.
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