I applied for a role as a business analyst based in Sheffield. I had an initial telephone interview which went well, and was invited to a face to face interview. The only downside was that the face to face interview was in Norwich, 3 hours away, with no offer of a Skype interview, and no consideration whatsoever for those with caring, childcare etc responsibilities, or disabilities.
As I was unemployed, and as they said they wouldn't pay travel expenses, I spent 24 hours and more meetings, negotiating with the jobcentre for a £78.50 return ticket to Norwich. I booked the cheapest advance tickets, on fixed trains, as a requirement of jobcentre conditions. Aviva then cancelled me the day before, and told me the interview would take place on another date. I then had to phone the jobcentre back and explain what had happened, take my tickets to my railway station and pay a further £10 to get them amended, only for Aviva to then tell me the role was put on hold.
No offer to reimburse any expenses was made, and the jobcentre have now told me I have reached my threshold for travel costs, and won't pay anymore, thus costing me interviews with more diversity friendly and ethical employers.
I am an actually an Aviva customer and based on this experience, am instructing my financial adviser to remove my products held with them. Utter disgrace. Despite the job being put on hold, nobody has contacted me in the 6-7 weeks since with any updates. Aviva have also wasted public money.
