Well, FINALLY: The TAX form … !

Ok, Ok, it’s another funny picture of my nephew, Jude.

I make no apology.

Well … He’s me nephew, what CAN I tell you … ?

Apart from “Lets get moving on with the post” … ?

Yes …

Lets …

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Now, you probably remember me complaining, a few weeks ago, now, that I’d not received either a final payslip, or a P45 from my previous employers.

Well, there was one bit of good news, last Monday.

CeX finally managed to get a replacement final payslip to me.

Which I promptly took down to the local benefits office, complete with an explanation of what was going on, that CeX Brentwood hadn’t supplied me with a P45, and that I didn’t think they would.

The benefits people … ?

Told me to phone back on Friday: they’d be able to let me know what was going on.

Which is exactly what I did.

Thankfully … ?

I’ve been put on full benefits: which, while it’s not much, it does — with careful budgeting* — mean I can survive more easily.

Not only that, but I’m also due some backdated benefits: something I’m grateful for as it means I can settle some outstanding bills and arrears.

Not to put too fine a point on things, but finances have been getting seriously tough: I’m just grateful for the help I’ve had from both friends and family.

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There’s just one irony, though …

Just one.

You see, not long AFTER making the initial phone call to the Department of Work and Pensionsº about whether or not I’d be getting anything from them, I got a call from Brentwood CeX.

Guess what … ?

A week after I’d got the final payslip, and some three months after I’d been given the boot … ?

The P45 had turned up.

You know, there’s possibly a lot of very cynical — and very vernacular — comments I could make, here.

ESPECIALLY in light of two facts.

Firstly … ?

It had turned up after a HELL of a lot of badgering, on my part.

Secondly … ?

It was a photocopy …

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Wouldn’t you know it … ?

Actually, you possibly would: or at least, you’d be taking a good guess … !

But, at ANY rate, I headed BACK to the local benefits office, after heading into town to pick the form up.

AND visit Brentwood Library to scan the various parts into digital formª: just to make sure I’ve got a copy …

And just when I got to the benefit office in Brentwood, to see whether it was still worth my while, sending it in … ?

Is when I got the phone-call from their Basildon branch, to tell me the benefit — and the backlog — had gone through.

Wouldn’t you bloody well know it … ?

* Something I’m sure most of my ex-girlfriends will tell you I’m not good at …

º The government department that handle pensions and the various benefits here in the UK.

ª My multi-function printer/scanner/copier bit the dust a long time ago: although I MAY just dig it out of the attic‡ to see if the scanner functions still work.

‡ OK, I live in a flat. It’s a metaphorical attic, that’s physically located in the same place as my fuse box. In the airing cupboard.

CeX Work …

Hmmm …

You know, I’ve got to admit, I’m …

Disgruntled …

Possibly more than disgruntled, but lets stick with disgruntled, for now, shall we … ?

Yes …

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Do you remember that — a little while back — I was hired to work at the Brentwood branch of CeX … ?

And, after Christmas, had my hours reduced.

And then let go in March.

Hmmm …

I’ve got to admit, that was …

Well …

Annoying, looking back: in the way it was done, I should say.

But, at any rate … ?

At any rate, the job was finished, I started signing on looking for a new job.

Not exactly easy …

Yeah see, in the UK, those of us signing on for what’s called Job-seeker’s Allowance.

Usually … ?

Usually find it goes through fairly quickly.

Once the relevant government department gets your final bits of paperwork from your previous employers.

So far … ?

It all depends on getting that one little tax form that tells the Benefits people — or a new employer — what your tax code is.

The Brentwood branch of CeX … ?

Hasn’t done that, as yet … !

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Oh, I’m told by various shades of management that the form in question has — apparently — been sent out, not long after I left, in March.

But I’ve got to make a confession or two, here.

For starters … ?

It’s early June.

That particular form … ?

Usually turns up, within a fortnight …

So waiting around for a form — for THIS long — is not only causing a lot of financial hardship.

But getting ridiculous.

I’m going to make a suggestion, for those people reading this post, in the UK, in my town, and after a job.

Don’t apply at the Brentwood branch of CeX.

It won’t be fun, leaving it.

CeX Lives

Hmmm …

You know, I’ve got to admit, I’ve sort of been mulling this over: and hoping I’ll not get into any sort of trouble about it …

But there we go …

At any rate, I’ve got to admit, I’m now starting to happily get settled into my new job.

Which — in case you were wondering — is with a company called CeX.

Pronounced ‘sex’ so you know.

Leads to all sorts of fun when you’re handing out leaflets: can you imagine walking up too any of Brentwood’s monastic community and asking them if they’d like to talk about Sex … ?

The mind boggles: no, really …

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But …

Lets get serious, here, shall we … ?

Yes, I think think I should …

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Do you remember me telling you, a little while back, that I had a job interview to go for … ?

Well, I did …

The company in question was CeX: who’ve been going, now, for something like twenty or so years.

Old for a technology company, when you think about it, but relatively recent compared to many high-strett retailers

And what they do … ?

Or what we do, I should say … ?

Is simple.

We buy and sell second hand electronic kit.

Everything from games — for the Playstation 2, 3 and PSP, Xbox 360, Wii, DS and Game Cube — to films and TV series on DVDs and blu-ray.

To both the consoles, themselves, to TVs and monitors to connect them to, and laptops and desktops, as well.

AND second hand mobile phones, as well, so that you can tell your friends about the bargain you’ve picked up.

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You can imagine my reaction, when I realised that we had some fairly recent model second-hand Macs, can’t you … ?

And just as importantly, from where I’m sitting, still-sealed copies of iWorks ’09, iLife 11 and Microsoft Office 11: For Mac, as well.

Not that I’d be interested in the latter, you should know me better than that by now.

Lets get back on message, shall we … ?

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At any rate, what the company does is buy in second-hand bits of electronic kit.

We check the state of any DVD, Blu-ray and CDs we get in.

We also test any hardware we get, as well.

Say you want to sell us your old mobile phone*, for example. And, incidentally, want to buy one you’ve seen in our window.

You have to join up for membership, for starters. It’s a formality, really, and you need ID, but it means we can offer you cash for your phone, instead of just a credit note.

Once that’s done, we’ll take the phone in for testing: check it’s still capable of holding a battery charge, for one thing, and that it’s capable of making and receiving calls, and what ever else it may do. And that it’s not stolen, as well.

Usually, that can take anything up to an hour or so, depending on how busy the day is.

Once that’s done, we can give you a better idea of the price we can offer you — cash or credit note — which is when you decide that you’d like to either not bother.

Or accept the price we’re offering you.

Once you’ve done that … ? And made sure you’ve signed all the necessary paperwork … ?

That’s when we can start talking about that iPhoneº in the window you’re interested in.

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Now, I’ve got to admit, I’m hoping to come out of the initial trial period well.

And I’mstressing the hope, I should add.

After all, someone my age comes in expensive, going on the minimum wages we get.

So I’m hoping my time-keeping and general reliability counts in my favour, here.

And my customer facing experience, as well, even though it is with-in a different — very different — industry.

After some fifteen years in the licensed trade … ?

The change is challenging.

And all the more fun for that …

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* I’m using a phone as an example, here: the same basic procedure applies to any games consoles, computers or accessories you’d like to trade in.

º Blackberry, Nokia N90, what-have-you …