Jobcentre

The appointment system is quite shoddy to be honest, if you have an appointment at 9am you have to wait until 10am. It’s a ridiculous system, staff are never in on time and the lack of acknowledgement is even worst, in order to be seen you have to pester the poor security staff and they chase up the person who you’ve got an appointment with.
I’m suggesting a better appointment system, staff should be in and ready for work at least 10minutes before shift.
Show some respect towards the general public, you don’t know the person’s circumstances, don’t belittle people.

They could be professional and courteous to the folk they call "customers". Rude, patronising, ill-informed and poorly trained staff on the whole who really should be signing on instead and let decent compassionate people deal with the unemployed at their most vulnerable. One or 2 advisors seem to be decent.
Am moving boroughs in order to get away from the callous person I have the misfortune to have as an "advisor". All she does is criticise and bang on about sanctions. I suspect I am easy prey because I am a polite, middle aged, middle class guy who does what she says.

Some staff there are polite and professional, but most including security are not. Making a complaint is pointless, the manager is worse than the staff. She doesnt deal with complaints, she joins in with the other employees rudeness and general lack of respect. Some things/staff need to be changed.

Please write down all your negative experiences and send them to the branch manager by post. There is a serious problem at this Job Centre and it won't be solved by complaining on websites; you need to make formal complaints!

Name: Mike
Location: London

I'm glad to see that I am not the only one who has had problems with Barnsbury job centre. My first meeting at 8.20am on a Monday morning I was made to wait 25 minutes (no one else was there) whilst the staff all got together and talked about the night before. A member of staff actually walked past me and said "I'm still ****ed!"

Furthermore, why is there no working telephone line?? Surely it is the first thing any office has. I have called on numerous different occasions and never once have I got through to anyone. Today I called the Job Seekers Switch Board just to try an get hold of someone at Barnsbury and they described Barnsbury as 'a very frustrating branch'.

Where do I go to complain? They can be so horrible in there I'm obviously not going to make a complain in house, but I don't know where to turn and have had to vent my frustrations on this website they probably will never see.

AFTER BEING UNFAIRLY REMOVED FROM MY LAST EMPLOY IN MARCH 2011,I HAD TO SIGN ON AS PER REGULATION.I HATED IT MORE THAN I WOULD HAD I BEEN MADE REDUNDANT DUE TO THE WAY I WAS TREATED IN MY LAST JOB.SO THINGS WENT FROM BAD TO WORSE,MUCH MUCH WORSE, WHEN I STARTED TO CLAIM WHAT ENTITLEMENTS THAT WERE LEGALLY MINE.THINGS GOT VERY MESSY PSYCHOLOGICALLY FOR ME FOR PRIVATE REASONS,AND I EXPLAINED THIS TO ONE OF THE "MANAGERS" THERE.SHE ADVISED ME TO SEEK ESA AS I COULD`NT FACE WORK AT THAT TIME.TO CUT TO THE THREAD OF MY EXPERIENCE,I ENCOUNTERED ONE****UP AFTER ANOTHER AND BEGAN TO UNDERSTAND THAT LIFE IS VERY ARBITRARY,AND IF YOU GET A BAD RUN OF LUCK IT WILL REALLY TEST YOUR RESOLVE.I AM STILL WAITING FOR A REPLY WITH REGARDS TO A COMPLICATION DUE TO THE FACT THAT I AM SUPPOSED TO HAVE RECIVED A LETTER FROM THE GLASGOW OFFICE REQUESTING MORE INFO.I NEVER DID GET THAT LETTER IN THE FIRST INSTANCE.DELAY AFTER DELAY UPON LIE UPON LIE.REALISING THAT THE ONLY WAY TO GET SOME TYPE OF INCOME FROM THEM WAS TO RE-CLAIM JSA,WHICH I HAVE DONE.AFTER A DELAY IN JSA PAYMENT I VISITED THE FRONT DESK AT BARNSBURY ROAD TO EXPLAIN MY CONCERN,AFTER BEING TOLD THAT THE "CLERICAL" DEPT WAS DEALING WITH THE CLAIM.SO FROM PILLAR TO POST THE "ASSISTANT" AT THE FRONT DESK CHECKED THE STATUS OF MY CLAIM,AFTER I TOLD THEM THAT IT WAS THIS CENTRE THAT WAS BLOCKING THE RELEASE OF PAYMENT,AND INFORMED ME THAT I WAS CORRECT AND THAT PAYMENT WOULD BE IN MY ACCOUNT THE FOLLOWING WEDS....THAT WAS LAST WEEK....STILL NO MONEY....I MAY HAVE TO TAKE A HAMMER ALONG WITH ME NEXT TIME TO BASH SOME SENSE INTO THE INADEQUATE UNEMPLOYABLE RIFF RAFF THAT ARE CONSIDERED TO BE "CIVIL" SERVANTS....I WILL RETURN THERE NEXT TO SIGN OFF AS I HAVE JUST FOUND THE STRENGTH TO RETURN TO WORK USING MY SIA LICENCE.THE SHEER INCOMPETENCE OF THESE CRETINS ACTUALLY INSPIRED ME TO REGAIN MY DIGNITY,VOWING NEVER TO TEMPT FATE BY LEAVING ONE JOB AND STARTING ANOTHER ONLY TO BE REMOVED FOR NOT "FITING IN"....ABSOLUTELY DI

Poor service, unbelievably rude and unhelpful staff, and little real help towards finding a job. I had the temerity to make a complaint and found the person dealing with it to be the most obnoxious person in the building. A perfect Orwellian nightmare, the only real purpose of this place is to provide employment for its own hopeless staff.

I would like to say avoid at all costs but, of course, if you are unfortunate enough to be unemployed you don't have any choice but to put up with what these appalling people decide to throw at you...

Note to Mr. Cameron: Please close down this ridiculous, process driven, self-serving backwater of a public service and use the money to help people that really do want to work find proper employment.

When I was unemployed and signing on there, I found the staff courteous and helpful.

Name: Mark
Location: London

I called into Barnsbury jobcentre at the beginning of February to report my brothers death and to stop his benefits. I filled in all the relevant forms but when I try to get any assistance with what is now happening I'm treated like a complete nuisance. I don't claim anything nor do I want to - I pay shed loads of tax and expect a public office to be more helpful and sympathetic. Haven't these people ever had a death in the family. Its difficult enough without being pished from pillar to post. Just help people. Surely that really isn't too much to ask.

Name: Beverly Simm
Location: Leeds, Yorkshire

These people need a education in how to deal with and interact with people in society, this is the public sector for you a bunch of ill educated morons that would not get a job anywhere else.

Name: Not given
Location: Not given

I compeltely concurr with the previous review, never have I met such rude people. I understand that a lot of the people they deal with there are total scum, I find it frightening to go there, esp with my baby but I resent being grouped in with the dangerous dog people, the drug addicts and alcoholics.

There is no flexibily and no help. I could do most of their jobs better and they seem to spend most of their time eating biscuits and chatting to one and other.

The staff at the Barnsbury Job Centre are rude. They have no manors and are disrespectful. Many don't speak proper English and are hard to understand. The rest are patronizing and condescending. If they worked in the private sector they wouldn't last 5 minutes. They would only get jobs as a toilet assistant.

Looking for work is hard enough without having to be treated in such a disrespectful way.