Advice Case Studies
At Citizens Advice Direct
we provide various types of advice to a diverse range of
citizens. We have impressive service levels and are often
praised by clients for the advice given. Following are a
selection of advice scenarios from the past year.
Client Profile: Female seeking debt advice
Issue: Spiralling financial issues and recent
redundancy led to this lady seeking further information on debt
management companies.
Outcome: Initial debt advice was provided and
the role of debt management companies explained, highlighting the
downsides of using debt management companies. For further
information she was directed to her local bureau for a longer more
detailed meeting and she was also pointed to the Consumer
Counselling Service.
Client Profile: Older male seeking retirement, health &
benefits advice
Issue: The client called for advice about going
on early retirement on health grounds at age 62, as health issues
left the requirements of his job difficult for him. He required
information on where he stood in terms of his pension and benefit
entitlement.
Outcome: The adviser obtained a lot of
background information and advised the best course of action would
be to explore Disability Living Allowance and Housing Benefits. He
was also directed to his local Citizens Advice Bureau for a benefit
check.
Client Profile: Polish client seeking advice around starting
employment
Issue: This client had been living in Scotland
for a few months and had a few possible opportunities for
employment. As a Pole living in Scotland, he needed to know what
procedure to follow before starting employment.
Outcome: It is important that migrant workers
first register with the Home Office Worker Registration Scheme. The
client was given an outline of what would be required and given the
contact details for the Border and Immigration Authority. Issues
such as Tax and National Insurance were also explained and relevant
contact details provided. Finally, information was provided on Job
Centre Plus in the event that the initial job falls through.
Client Profile: Student seeking consumer advice
Issue: The client had purchased a couch and
paid a £100 deposit. Having reviewed his finances he was
forced to cancel the order and requested his deposit back and was
refused.
Outcome: The client was informed that deposits
are not usually refundable and that his statutory consumer rights
has not been breached as he simply changed his mind. However, he
was advised to try and negotiate directly with the
supplier.
Client Profile: Pregnant female seeking maternity leave
advice
Issue: The client was due to go on maternity
leave taking 6 months off work. She wondered if she would have to
repay Statutory Maternity Pay back to her employer if she did not
return to work.
Outcome: This was a straight forward query
which was answered and closed by the adviser. She would not have to
pay it back, although if she had received contractual maternity pay
then she would have to check her contract of employment to see if
she was required to pay back this contractual maternity pay.