Civvy Street Forum

To whom it may concern

Dear Sir or Madam.

All of the following is absolutely true

I am 55 & was called into the Job Centre recently & told by my adviser that I will be randomly chosen for a course (Remploy) a week or two later I had to sign something to do with Remploy I think but dont know, they did not let me read it covering over the whole document with a few sheets of paper being told that my advisor wanted this done (in my experience you do not say anything and besides I am blind in one Eye and my sight in the other is not half as good as it was & sometimes goes blurry for a while) - I signed it not reading.

In between all this I put in for a job and got an Interview date for a job as a tutor on 15th Dec.

I was in the Job Centre sorting out things to with the Interview when my "Advisor" walked by and wondering why I was their I told them I had an Interview (I never wanted to tell that to this person).
When the person found out what job it was (working with the unemployed) they laughed and told me I had plenty of experience of being unemployed and with the work I have done for the (local) Unemployed Workers Centre I should be ideal and laughed further. First I do not and have never done any work for any Unemployed Workers Centre - but then my advisor has no idea of any work I have done (I will attatch my CV) - My Advisor has no idea of any job I have ever done & always verbally says & makes me feel that I am worthless telling me I am a drain on society and I alway feel very anxious with that person).
I felt really down on leaving the benefits office and being laughed at.
To give you an idea of the bad treatment I get from my "so called New Deal Advisor"
a couple of years ago I got a course in Mansfield - a course doing x amount of computer courses which then translated into driving lessons.
My "Advisor" tried everything for me not to do the course at all but I enrolled - Now I live in Chesterfield & Mansfield is 11 miles away - I had to walk to Mansfield & back for the entire duration over many many weeks - I hichhiked from Horns Bridge Chesterfield and mostly walked back from Mansfield to the M1 to get al lift from the Dual Carriageway (22 miles per day).
I could not get any help with Busfairs asking them if I could borrow it & pay it back - all requests went to my "Advisor" & no reply ever came back (I nearly passed out after returning once (my doctor knows) - I never receive any answers from the advisor & have often been told tha the people downstairs do send my requests upstairs but nothing gets past thisa advisor..
At the end of the course I started my driving lessons & had took the theory test and passed with 3 lessons to do and the Test, the Company went bust and I was never able to finish - putting requests into my Advisor to be able to finish it - no answer ever came back and after the course was made to sign on in a secure area behind plate glass amongst all the Heroin Addicts - for two years this went on and finally my advisor came too speak to me, but never get past them to do anything & they even told me I was not allowed to do ANY voluntary work.
That is just one example of how my Advisor is most unhelpful and it is really easy for me to prove how true it is.

Now I find my sight lessening but had never ever told the job Centre about my sight until this last year or so (I have been sent on many computer courses where I ask if I can change the screen to suit my eyes & always they say yes but when on the course I was never allowed to (having to take a magnifying glass instead)

I used to be in the British Army and had the same blind eye then - on my eye test they asked me to cover my eye up and read - then change eyes - I just changed hands no one noticed.
I have never ever wanted to mention about being blind in one eye ever & now my advisor knows but ignores - infact my advisor ignores everything I say and I find myself realising not to say anything about what I am trying to do, I just nod my head to their demands - It is not nice how this person constantly undermines me - and worse when they stop your benefit and go hungry - and my advisor has no idea about any one of the jobs I did and never believes anything I say.
And I know I am truthful

On the day I was in the Job Centre sorting things to do with the intervew i got a witheld call, they said from Remploy from a chap called Sahid who wanted to give me a 20 min questionairre as I am walking home - On the threat of losing benefits I tried my best to answer his questions but became very aware of their posasibly may be being a Muslim (they were calling from Leicester) and became anxious about telling them my work history (Army etc) National Insurance and many other weird questions.
Sahid said they will ring me the next day - I got another witheld call from remploy this time from an Itallian chap called Chris D'ursa who asked me to take the questionairre and I tried so hard to demand a face to face interview instead

They said I would receive a face to face Interview with Remploy at a place they called Houldsworth Crescent Station Road Chesterfield no house number name etc - since checking this this "office" does not exist - I have since found out they have a room at Tapton House chesterfield - a place which banned me for saying it was cold & that they treat all the people forced their as second hand citizens - by way of trying to sanction me they brought in other people on courses there and they asked them if it was cold to which all said yes - we also could not have a hot drink or eat anything their like everyone else their being told by the manager that the Computers give out enough heat and people on the dole do not clean their cups after them and generally are a messy bunch - I just objected to the idea of such treatment to unemployed people and they just kicked me out.

- (a friend offered me a job working with him in London and I needed a course on recognising fire extinguishers etc (construction) and wherever I went where this course was it was run by the same place that banned me and was told they would never ever give me such a course and as the sole contractors of this course I could do nothing and so could not take the well paid job my frieind offered me - anyone else could Sue them for that.

Meanwhile Remploy had made up the idea of my having a face to face meeting at a ficticious address and the phone call from Remploy went on... They kept asking some very personnal questions Email addresses Health Mental Healt Criminal Records Drug dependancy and many more all of which over the phone to someone I have no idea who - but the worst question was "Do any of my family brothers Sisters Aunts Uncles Relative Neighbours FREINDS & NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOURS pay tax and who were they.
My parents split when I was around 16 (for seriously horrible reasons) and to cut a long story short I joined the Army to get out of the way of the Social Services in 1969 and this chaps questions brought everything back to what happened then - I have never had anything to do with my family since then (this is so hard to write).

I told them about my job interview next week and they said I was going to be sent to the very same place and put on a scheme - I pleaded with them not to do any of the paperwork to do with this until AFTER I had had my Interview with them and they said they would comply and I would receive a letter in large print weeks later.
The very next morning I received a letter from the very place I have an Interview with as a job as a Tutor and the letter said I was going on a scheme (on Level 4?). - So I have letter that sort of says go for the Interview you aint getting the job but you will be coming here as a client in Jan.

This is the most confusing I have ever been I have never gone for an interview and then received a letter saying as such - All of this is true by my oath and I can tell you it has nocked me for six - I was looking forward to this interview but now feel very anxious and what do I say about their putting me on a scheme a month later - This is all so Bizzare and I really wish my NEW Deal Advisor did not know about my Interview next week.

I am sorry about the length of this but to be honest I am so so really fed up with it all.

And now i find myself writing and telling someone all this.
I have since been for the Interview where I showed a lady the confusing letter and was told to come on their scheme as a client anyway or I would lose my benefits - needless to say this is very confusing.

This is the tip of the Iceberg on the way my supposed advisor treats me - I could write pages of incidents and most of the staff downstairs know how this pertson meddles and stops whatever I try to do and that nothing I ask or request ever gets dealt with especially when my so called adviser finds out of anything (apart frm my challenging the volunteer work last year - but till then for 7 years was not ever allowed to volunteer for anything)

I am not trying to cause trouble I am just fed up with being treated like a prat.

Yours Faithfully quietly most confidentially and sincerely

John R Grass

I am sorry about sending this letter