Tractorgirl, did you go to court and what was the outcome? I would love to know. I'm having severe difficulties with this moronic institution right now and have been considering taking similar action. To cut a long story short they claim I used £901.56 electricity in the space of 2 weeks. Even if I left every light on, ran the 2 A+ rated fridges on full, tumble dried every load of washing, plugged in every chargeable device I own etc I would never burn that much power in such a short time. Each time I call BG I get a different explanation as to why the bill is so high.

Your employer should consider one postponement of the hearing. If you beg off the second date set then they may go ahead in your absence. Also, you say that the sales employees are basically covering themselves. You can write to your employer before the hearing and request that these colleagues are available as witnesses at the hearing and say you would like to question them in front of the chair. If your employer refuses then you possibly have a care for tribunal. If your colleagues decline to be questioned use that in your defence. It may not work at the hearing but a tribunal will consider it.

Ell-enn, as a co-worker you may address the meeting, but you can not speak on behalf of the person you're representing, nor can you answer questions for them. As someone who has chaired more disciplinaries than I would like to recall I suggest: Speak to your colleague and ask them to tell you everything. Firstly, reassure them that you will be discreet and will not blab around the work place. Tell them that some facts may come up at the hearing that they may not have mentioned to you due to embarrassment or think are unimportant. Remind them you're on their side if they are honest and open. I have lost count of the times reps stay silent with a shocked expression on their face. Take notes at the meeting. Don't be afraid to call a short halt to consult these notes and to talk to your colleague. If necessary, ask if you may leave the room to consult in private. Don't be alarmed if the chair calls a break - you may have rattled their case (it happens). Don't bring up irrelevant subjects like 18 mouths to feed at home and grandmothers who are in prison - the hearing is about workplace conduct. Ask the chair if they have evidence that your colleague has been given / notified of the company's policies for disciplinaries, grievances and whistleblowing (whichever is relevant). Signed receipt of a company handbook / letter of employment saying these policies are in place and available to all is sufficient for the employer as it is then up to the employee to read these. If there is no such evidence use this fact. If your colleague did make a mistake encourage them to to say sorry before the meeting ends and to explain how they intend to improve in the future. If necessary ask them to produce an individual development plan with clear and realistic time lines for completion. This should go a long way as most disciplinary policies do not set out to be punitive but to prevent future wrongdoing, also many companies do not need the stress and expense of a tribunal and will try to resolve the situation in-house. Above all, the employer does not need have to have proof that a crime or definite misconduct has taken place, just that they have to have a reason to believe it has. They are not a court of law, and in rare instances will be prepared to go to tribunal, so make sure you have the story straight . Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

Oh, yes.... Some of the messages on this forum are quite long and I suspect it may be because it's therapeutic to share our woes with others who have been in the same boat. We have been hurt by debt, but it has also made us much better people. ?? Read on... In October 2006 my OH was dismissed from work for incapacity, despite it having been the job which made him ill. It was frightening to see him like that, and all I felt I could do was get him to a psychiatrist and be there for him. The firm offered absolutely no assistance or even token empathy. He was invited for a meeting to investigate the matter and therefore was not entitled to a representative. At this meeting he was dismissed with blatant disregard for the law. He felt too ill to take the matter further and I suspect the company anticipated he would. (I've pulled the same move on employees in the past, and feel no pride in it now. At the time, I was the go getter for the company.) He had been receiving SSP since July '06 so things were starting to get tough even then. We had been used to having a combined income of more than quadruple the national average, and had been spending accordingly. We were responsible, well educated professionals and, not for one moment did we think it could go wrong. We were also conceited. As we both were into 'saving the planet' in our spare time, and used to donate to several green issues, we used to send the same Christmas card to each other each year and not only to save trees - it depicted a shiny smiling couple holding up wine glasses and the words "Every Christmas Harriet and John would toast the poor people on the council estate". In February 2007 I felt I had no option but to return to my old higher paying job in London. By this time OH was on benefits - a whole £180 every fortnight. Ironically, we had moved to the South West coast to destress and both took lower paying jobs as we thought that in the long term the lifestyle would be good for us. Thankfully, I not only got my old job back which I had left in March 2005, but a promotion too. Not only did I get a higher income, but as a now even more senior manager in a FTSE 250 company I got even more stress. I'm certain that if I saw a doctor I would be diagnosed with clinical depression, but in my job if any one found out it would lead to me being pushed out the door. Our difficulties have led to us finding out who our real friends are, and at work I'm a much nicer person. I believed I'm called the office mother behind my back and I will fight the corner of any innocent, honest person. Staff who are experiencing debt (yes it happens all too frequently in the city) speak to me about it, and where possible I help. I've referred many to this web site. I've often wondered if I should go the stress route and take another lower paying job. My debt repayments would surely be reduced proportionately and I would be able to have some time to live a half decent life.

Thanks for the advice. I went to my branch today without any luck and carrying my financial breakdown. The most helpful advice I got was to stop my subscriptions to 2 proffessional journals (all tax deductable and my only luxury). I will start my new claim asap. I explained my situation to the landlord today, and while she wasn't happy she has agreed to let me pay off the arrears over 4 months with a charge of £40 for the inconvenience. Fairy nuff, I suppose. Thanks again.

Hi Please help! I have written a rather long note below as background to my situation and really need some level headed advice. I successfully claimed from HSBC in July 2007 after having read the advice on this site. Thanks to all who helped albeit unwittingly. Although they did not pay all that they owed me I settled for a smaller amount because I needed the money then. Post claim HSBC continued their excessive charges and I am finding it nigh impossible to get my head above water because of it. Three weeks before pay day I found there had been a withdrawal of £999.00 from my account. I panicked and called HSBC to report an unauthorised transaction. HSBC casually told me that the amount was taken by my HSBC mastercard becuase it was in arrears and they had seen some money in my account so took it. I explained that it was still 3 weeks to pay day, my rent wasn't paid yet etc and there was no way I could survive on the remaining £3.20. The response I got was "we've written to you (they hadn't).... it's in the terms and conditions". I asked if a portion could be returned with an arrangement to set up a payment plan and the response was flippant. I said I would change my bank and they would then be losing money as they would have one less person to overcharge. Response, quote, "do what you want". A few days later I received a letter saying they had sent me a letter by securemail but no one had been available to sign for it and I should contact them. I received none of the 'we called but you weren't in' type notes that royal mail etc leave. I have now changed my bank account and want to get my charges back in order to pay off the overdaft. I will deal with the mastercard as a seperate issue. Can any one please help me with wording a letter to them to sort this out? In fact, any advice will probably do.