johannes_d

Is this sharp practice?

2007-12-05T09:29:28Z

At the end of August I was made redundant from High Storrs school after 33 years. I was given my minimum legal redundancy payment and led to believe that the cost of living increase, due from April, would be paid in due course. I have been doing supply teaching and last week I was in a school as the pay slips were being given out. There was some joy as the backpay to April was in the November pay. I expected my money to be sent to me directly as I thought the HR person had said would happen. I checked my account for payment and the post for a payslip. Nothing. Yesterday I phoned Liberata who process payments for sheffield. A helpful young lady informed me that as people might change their bank accounts on leaving employment the back pay was only sent after the person who was owed it applied by letter for it including their bank details. If they did not apply no attempt was made to get the pay to them. She also said that today was the last day for payment in December and that if I sent it in by post I would probably be paid at the end of January.

I went in person to the offices and spoke to a very helpful person who informed me that the policy was as described and had been since Sheffield had been forced to pay this backpay, the former policy being to not pay pay rises if the consolidation date (this year November) fell after the employee had left employment. Once forced to pay it they implemented a system whereby the ex employee has to apply for it but is not told this. Anyone leaving after April and before November would miss out on the back pay unless they make an enquiry and apply. There could be hundreds of people in this position each losing a few hundred pounds for the lack of a reminder.

I spoke to a person at South Yorkshire pensions as this would also affect my LGPS pension and they were well aware of this behaviour by the authority.

My payments are now sorted but if anyone out there reading this has recently left employment in Sheffield or knows some one who has please make sure you get what is owed to you.

daemons

2007-04-26T10:52:39Z

I quite like3 where this starts Ocelot

Natwest another way

2007-02-09T15:13:12Z

The advertising for Natwest says that they do things differently. I've just experienced it. I am Treasurer of the local branch of my union. I inherited a Natwest account. Eighteen months ago we attempted to change the signatories on the account. Despite filling in the forms correctly and having the new signatory provide his details and methods of identification several times the change was not made. Eventually they said they had mislaid the documentation and we would have to start again.

I got a new set of papers and the new signatory took them in with his identification to make the change. It took several visits to the branch. We believed we had done it we had changed the signatories.

Last week I phoned the branch to check up on something. I got forwarded to a call centre. One of the security questions related to signatories. The new signatory was not an acceptable answer. I was able to answer other questions and get the information that I wanted plus the information that we had failed to change the signatories again.

I phoned today. I got through to someone at the branch rather than at a call centre. They told me that David had been on the account since the end of last September. It turns out that they have two systems that hold signatory information independently. One is used for, among other things, providing security checks for phone queries and is in our case at least 5 months out of date, and the other they say is the one used for checking the validity of signature on cheques and is correct. I asked for a letter confirming that cheques with David's signature on would be honoured. They don't want to send me one they just want to reassure me over the phone.

Natwest another way of irritating customers

Ok I've got A CARD

2006-11-30T13:01:59Z

COMBAT CARDS 2.1

watch johannes_d fight

CREATE YOUR CARD

Technology needs some refinement

2006-11-27T12:47:01Z

service over the phone

2006-10-17T16:50:18Z

Today I have been mainly waiting for people to answer the phone. Number one for total lack of service is BT.

We have a small problem with the line that supplies our fax machine.

dialing 154

start
enter number of phone
choose option
receive warning number may need to be entered again for security purposes
choice rings
goto start

I did the above for 9 iterations once, 7 interations a second time and only 2 a third.

using the website I got this wonderful message
" Sorry , we are unable to accept faults on this line type at present. Please contact us on 154. "

Dialling support for our MIS this puts us in a queue on an 0870 number distorted music interrupted by a message telling me how valuable my phone call is every 45 seconds for up to 40 minutes before the call is answered. A colleague said he has fallen asleep waiting.

Exam results update

2006-08-18T12:52:00Z

I have just been told that our new whizbang MIS has just managed to import our geology results (about a dozen candidates). Well that's only two days late and most of the results short.

Exam Results

2006-08-16T14:39:35Z

A day spent manipulating the A level and AS results in preparation for results day tomorrow.

4:30 am download data files

6:00 am wake up. Oh the joys of schedule software.

I have sorted all the results despite a clash of codes between music and english. The results are better again this year, 96% so the head's happy but we don't have much scope for further improvement. Tomorrow the panic, all those students coming to see if they have performed well.

Today was supposed to be the first test of our new MIS. I did the results the way I have for several years. The shiny new system with two staff working on it was to do the data in parallel and if it got significantly in front of me I would stop and let it take over. More likely we were to run the two systems in parallel as a check on each other. Its half past three now. I am going home soon. The new system has not managed to import a significant amount of data. So a win for John. I am beginning to worry about this shiny new system.

I always thought so

2005-12-15T16:56:32Z

Genius
You are 90% knowledgable and 96% intellectual.

Amazing! You have an incredible brain (intellect) and a powerhouse of information (knowledge)! Keep up the impressive work-- we all bow to you.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 87% on knowledge

You scored higher than 75% on intellect

Link: The Knowledge vs. Intellect Test written by rattytintinface on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

And I wasn't trying too hard as I had other things to do at the same time.

So that's me then

2005-10-19T09:57:46Z

Your Inner Child Is Sad

You're a very sensitive soul.
You haven't grown that thick skin that most adults have.
Easily hurt, you tend to retreat to your comfort zone.
You don't let many people in - unless you've trusted them for a long time.

How Is Your Inner Child?

Time Wasting couriers

2005-07-06T10:26:02Z

I got home yesterday to be told that a card had been left saying a parcel had been delivered. It said "the parcel has been left in a safe place ~~cupboard~~ outhouse"

no parcel number, no contact details, no parcel in our old outside loo, the only place it could mean.

I look up DHL phone number for Sheffield. BT will give me only an 0870 number. I call it and after navigating an extremely unhelpful auto-attendant system twice I manage to speak to a human. It appears I am through to the wrong department but he can transfer me. He does, more explanation, then number two decides I do not want the Manchester depot so he gives me the Sheffield number. There was no answer at quarter to six.
This morning I get straight through to person number three. "Oh it's a white card, then you have the wrong department. They are in this building but I cannot transfer you. This is their number."

Person number four answers quickly. Yes he can deal with it. He will ring back in 15 minutes with an explanation as to where the package is.

Two hours pass.

I ring the last number again and get person number five. I say " I want to know about my missing packet that I was told I would have a phone call about nearly two hours ago" I can hear a conversation between four and five. Four tells five who tells me that the courier (number six) had been given my number to call me and should have done so with the explanation.

Six didn't.

There should be another card saying the parcel was not after all in my ~~cupboard~~ outhouse because it had been taken back as it wasn't my parcel

Says it all really

2005-06-24T12:06:45Z

One more step towards becoming a Dalek

2005-06-17T15:20:13Z

I've taken the plunge. I've ordered a scooter. Short range I am still quite agile but the after effects of charcot, DVT and peripheral neuropathy mean that extended walking is not sensible. This was made evident by our trip in London to Tate Modern etc.

Now however seems a good time to buy. There seems to be a price war being waged on the model that interested me. List prices of £2-3000 are clearly fiction. The local mobility centre has a close relative of the model I want for £1400. Second hand they are going for £4-600 on ebay. I have a new one for £625 complete with 12 month warranty. £20 extra gets me it delivered tomorrow morning.

first effort

2005-06-14T16:01:01Z

So a first post in an LJ account.

Feeling relieved after doing a simple recurring update on the main school database which for the first time ever seemed to go wrong. 20 minutes mild panicky fiddling and it is working OK.

Go collect my loved one soon, possibly go swim then home.

This is an odd sensation rather like talking to myself out loud. I'll send this now and watch it disappear into the aether.