Is this ethical?

What a greedy woman .
It's far too much money .
Believe me the form isn't difficult-just go through it carefully and slowly .

Doodledog

Nanato3

Doodledog

Nanato3

It's not ethical. She's taking advantage of people.

How on earth do you arrive at that conclusion? Is a hairdresser taking advantage of someone who can't (or doesn't want to) cut her own hair, or a grocer taking advantage of someone who needs vegetables but doesn't like gardening and growing their own?

How is this different? If someone has training in and understanding of the forms, why shouldn't they offer a service that people can take or leave?

As I said upthread, the fact that advice should be freely available to all who need it is a separate issue. People can't have both low taxation and high spending on public services.

We've got different opinions and that's ok , no need to question me .
Move on

I have stated my opinion, just as you have yours. This is a discussion. not a list of points of view, so the whole idea is that people interact.

Well please interact with someone else.

I dont see it as any different than my paying a cleaner when I can no longer do the work myself. Ive always paid a gardener because I am not interested in gardening. These people offer services which I am free to use or not, as I see fit.

Citizens Advice will help with form completion and have step by step instructions on their website below:

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/s/?q=Attendance+allowance&button=

emilie

Jackiest

Maybe the unethical bit is that the forms are too complicated for the average person claiming to fill in.

Then the average person must be a bit thick.

Or they could be very anxious.

Or the could be alone not having been the one who tackled such things in the past.

Or they could have sight issues.

Etc., etc.

What we do know is that “The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.” (Dunning-Kruger effect)

friendlygingercat

I dont see it as any different than my paying a cleaner when I can no longer do the work myself. Ive always paid a gardener because I am not interested in gardening. These people offer services which I am free to use or not, as I see fit.

Exactly.

Sago didn’t make it clear in the original post that the person was applying a charge for services.

Actually, thinking about it, is it any different from solicitors asking for fees for filling out Continuing Healthcare Forms for you. They wanted a couple of thousand pounds for their services at the time I was asking.
The only thing I'd like to know is that there is a regulation body for the service offered so that I can be reassured that it isn't somebody fraudulent asking the questions!

Jackiest is right. It took three of us to fill in the AA forms for MiL. Obviously designed to fend off successful applications.

Astitchintime

Sago didn’t make it clear in the original post that the person was applying a charge for services.

This is for a fee!
It was perfectly clear.
Perhaps this is the problem with forms, they are not read carefully before filling in.

The OP says This is for a fee! Astitchintime. You may not have read it but it was certainly made clear.

Sorry Sago. ... I hadn't seen your post.

Emilie, I think your comment about the average person being thick offensive and unnecessary. I would rather be thick than unkind.

There are you tube videos that walk you through the form if that would help.

There was a feature on TV a number of months ago about this. A woman was charging a ridiculous sum to actually complete benefit claim forms and advertised the fact that she was 100% successful as she knew what to note down in order for a successful claim. She was raking it in. If this isn't deliberate fraud then I don't know what is.

Be very careful, this seems like an extortionate amount of money to charge people on benefits, also you will be giving her all your personal details which is always a concern. Before doing anything check if she is registered/approved otherwise stay well clear. As well as Age Concern & CAB some community and church charities facilitate groups who help with completing forms. Good luck.

icanhandthemback

Actually, thinking about it, is it any different from solicitors asking for fees for filling out Continuing Healthcare Forms for you. They wanted a couple of thousand pounds for their services at the time I was asking.
The only thing I'd like to know is that there is a regulation body for the service offered so that I can be reassured that it isn't somebody fraudulent asking the questions!

That is exactly my point, too. It's not as though everyone has to pay. There are options to DIY or to find someone to do it free. By the sound of it the woman advertising is just trying to make a living using the skills she has acquired in her work, which is no different from someone offering a mobile hairdressing service or to help someone make a will/LPA.

As always, it is up to customers to check her qualifications before parting with any money. This thread is baffling me . Why are people so annoyed about a simple transaction? I think I must be reading the situation wrongly.

I think it’s unethical . Ageuk helped fill the forms in for my mother and my late fil . And I believe CAB do the same , all for free .
I would br very concerned about giving personal and financial information to a stranger, who has no governing body .
I understand that some vulnerable people don’t have family to help and maybe that’s who she’s preying on.
Also how do people know her track record. She might be rubbish and people are being refused AA .

I don’t think it’s unethical. Is it not akin to paying the post office for checking your passport application? (Not that I ever have).
I applied for AA for both of my parents over the years, it’s time consuming and can be complicated. Neither of them could have done it unaided.

Can someone (not Nanato3, obviously ) please explain why they think that offering a service is unethical, when people can take it or leave it? I just don't understand.

We had a solicitor come to the house to help us fill out the LPA forms and draft a will. We could have bought a kit and done it ourselves, or gone to Age UK or the CBA and had a volunteer do it free, but we made the decision to pay an expert to do it at our convenience.

Were we taken advantage of, or treated unethically? Have we shown ourselves to be vulnerable and preyed upon by a charlatan? I don't see it that way at all, and would be interested to know why some clearly disagree.

JenniferEccles

I have sometimes noticed on threads discussing filling in welfare claims forms, that there would be an offer of help from a poster. I did wonder at the time just how wise it was to give personal financial details to a total stranger online.

Benefit forms are not just about money.
You could be asked can you dress yourself lots of people are ok with the top half of the body but it can get difficult below the waist. So if you were filling in that form what would you say. How far does dressing yourself go

Having a solicitor draw up legal documents such as a will and documents such as Power of Attorney is hardly being taken advantage of or treated unethically. The solicitor one hopes is qualified. You can complete a will or POA yourself or can choose to pay for it to be done.

This situation OP has dsecribed is a woman on Facebook who a poster above has looked into and has found she has a qualification in floristry. She may be very good at form filling, she may be taking advantage of vulnerable people. Who knows. But it sounds very dodgy and expensive.

There are places to get help free of charge which I would choose should I need to complete and AA request and found the forms confusing. I would feel this woman is behaving unethically. She gets 150.00 even if what she enters is rubbish and is refused.

Sounds to me like one of the many scams we hear about all the time.

HelterSkelter
It’s not a scam. With a scam you’re out of pocket. With this you have a choice of whether to proceed or not.

I think it’s unethical because the woman concerned is a florist not a welfare officer or ex welfare officer.
Also the inference in her advert is that her “ expertise” in form filling will guarantee a successful claim.