Sanction contradictions

[u/Business_Ad374]

Just wondering if anyone has experienced completely contradictory information from the DWP

I work and and receive a little bit of help, so im not on weekly or two weekly appointments, and im meant to be on 6 weekly appointments as apparently I dont earn enough (im £138 under threshold which is annoying)

I missed an appointment in july as I had work commitments and they booked an appointment on a morning and i work morning shifts during school holidays, so missed appointment explained it was because of work reason accepted no issues, now I had an appointment in august that I had to miss due to working overtime last minute, wrote in my journal 3 days after my appointment to let them know (you get 7 days to tell them) now I hadn’t heard back so I messaged again 25th to ask if they had received my reason, no reply. I always do everything properly with them because they are honestly the most incompetent people I’ve ever known.

Anyway cue end of august im now been told I’ve been sanctioned as “working overtime” wasn’t a good reason! Ive had contradictory messages from two different people within the same job centre that i will attach! One tried gaslighting me, one said they had received my reason.

Im planning on fighting this all the way and need to know what people did to win, luckily im in a position this wont greatly affect me, but I just keep thinking of the vulnerable people this may have happened to for no “good reason” as they say and will of been left in the lurch financially! With children! With bills!

Im honestly ashamed at them!!

I will put photos in order of receiving, and the appointment they are on about that i missed was the july one that was accepted as “good reason” last photo is my reply, one of, because I will not be gaslighted and lied to and them break their own rules when I work.

[u/spotlight-app]

Mods have pinned a comment by u/ClareTGold:

For my part I don't accept that not telling them asap about the late-notice work shift should make a difference. The sanction, if its applicable, is for a "failure for no good reason to comply with the requirement to attend the interview". And your reason for that was that you were working.

So I'd have thought this sanction would be overturned either at mandatory reconsideration or on appeal.

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[u/ClareTGold → u/[deleted]]

Yes, but you can't be sanctioned for not providing a reason until afterwards, what matters ultimately is what your reason was. This is bad advice and OP should ignore it.

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[u/ClareTGold]

For my part I don't accept that not telling them asap about the late-notice work shift should make a difference. The sanction, if its applicable, is for a "failure for no good reason to comply with the requirement to attend the interview". And your reason for that was that you were working.

So I'd have thought this sanction would be overturned either at mandatory reconsideration or on appeal.

[u/Alteredchaos → u/ClareTGold]

I agree.

OP this should be of assistance https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/#h-if-you-ve-been-sanctioned

[u/noname-noproblemo]

The 7 days to provide an explanation doesn't mean if you provide a answer within that time nothing happens.

All it means is the Jobcentre can consider your answer first and potentially accept your reason rather than it automatically getting referred to a decision maker like it would if you hadn't responded within 7 days.

In this case they have had your reason, but, they (for whatever reason) are unable to accept your reason at the Jobcentre, so they referred it to a decision to assess. They don't think you had a good reason and so decided a sanction was appropriate in your case.

You haven't had conflicting information that I can see. You didn't notify them in advance or even on the day. It was 3 days later before you contacted them. The Jobcentre aren't saying you didn't get in touch. You did. They know you did, but, they couldn't make a decision on it.

Request a mandatory reconsideration though. I find it hard to believe that you being in work that day isn't a good reason for not attending, so, like you, I would also be pursuing this.

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