Q. What are your experiences of claiming UC? Especially the role of computers in making decisions about your benefits?
It’s a difficult one.
I prefer using the computer, but only because I find the work coaches at the job centre worse! At least a computer doesn’t talk down to you, or turn up late, or sit judging you.
If I could avoid having to trek to the job centre completely that would be wonderful.
I find that people I’ve dealt with have been very “computer says no” anyway, so they seem to be following the same rules as a computer would to determine a decision. I think there is no leeway in decision making or specific circumstances anyway. You’re wedged into the hole whether you fit or not, and neither computer nor person will help you.
When the computer has made mistakes (when we first started on UC and had some savings from redundancy) the people have been no more human in helping, they’ve been just as black and white and rule driven.
If the people working for the system were kinder and more understanding, and behaved more humanely, then they’d 100% be better than a computer. But as it stands, with the way they treat us, I prefer a computer.
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"text": "It’s a difficult one.\n\nI prefer using the computer, but only because I find the work coaches at the job centre worse! At least a computer doesn’t talk down to you, or turn up late, or sit judging you. \n\nIf I could avoid having to trek to the job centre completely that would be wonderful. \n\nI find that people I’ve dealt with have been very “computer says no” anyway, so they seem to be following the same rules as a computer would to determine a decision. I think there is no leeway in decision making or specific circumstances anyway. You’re wedged into the hole whether you fit or not, and neither computer nor person will help you.\n\nWhen the computer has made mistakes (when we first started on UC and had some savings from redundancy) the people have been no more human in helping, they’ve been just as black and white and rule driven.\n\nIf the people working for the system were kinder and more understanding, and behaved more humanely, then they’d 100% be better than a computer. But as it stands, with the way they treat us, I prefer a computer.",
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"text": "It’s a difficult one.\n\nI prefer using the computer, but only because I find the work coaches at the job centre worse! At least a computer doesn’t talk down to you, or turn up late, or sit judging you. \n\nIf I could avoid having to trek to the job centre completely that would be wonderful. \n\nI find that people I’ve dealt with have been very “computer says no” anyway, so they seem to be following the same rules as a computer would to determine a decision. I think there is no leeway in decision making or specific circumstances anyway. You’re wedged into the hole whether you fit or not, and neither computer nor person will help you.\n\nWhen the computer has made mistakes (when we first started on UC and had some savings from redundancy) the people have been no more human in helping, they’ve been just as black and white and rule driven.\n\nIf the people working for the system were kinder and more understanding, and behaved more humanely, then they’d 100% be better than a computer. But as it stands, with the way they treat us, I prefer a computer.",
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