Hi to you all who have taken out loans with this company me also being one I feel we are all same unite here cos we are all similar cases loans done by the company mine has been too trauma to put on here its cost me dearly in my nerves etc I just want to say thank you for saying on here to each and everyone of you I know we all have experienced same things to do with this company, please hang on cos I believe there is now light at the end of the tunnel. BLESS YOU all and try relax , sometimes it just takes one more to move the mountain . I had to remember nothing is impossible is it, release is coming we have to remember its just a loan and yours and my views count , whither its 1 person 2 people 50 people 1,000 plus people with same view multiplication is coming or is not needed because sooner or later it just takes the right place, action, things, people to change things.

Hi, This morning I had a very important meeting that I could not miss and went to park in my usual car park. Unfortunately it was full, this has never been the case before, but I sucked it up and used the larger car park across the road where the minimum stay is 4 hours and they charge £2.50, this is why I never use it. This car park is never more than half full, but was full today. Obviously something local was going on as this has never happened in all the years I have been parking. After driving around for 10 minutes and no space appearing I saw a space that was not blocking anyone at all, and it looked like a space. There was a small triangle of yellow lines right in the corner of the space, that made it look like you could maybe not park there, but I checked all around and it was blocking no one at all, there was ample room. I took the chance as I really could not miss this meeting and paid my ticket. When I came back I had a ticket on the car, this small triangle in the corner was half obscured by leaves and was not the easiest to see. I took a pic of the leaves covering it down the side and at the back, I also took a pic of the front of the car as it really did look like a parking space with white lines at the front and to show it was not blocking anything. It was just this small half obscured yellow triangle at the back that made me doubtful, but that made no sense as it blocked nothing. I am not trying to say I am in the right as I thought it maybe a non parking spot, but paid my money and had no choice but to take my chance, missing the meeting would have cost me far more than the ticket. Is there any point trying to challenge this ticket or do I just suck it up and take it, the least they could do is take the £2.50 off is the ticket was invalid. Thanks for any help Paul

Hi everyone, My Daughter has got herself in a pickle - she is going to uni and against our advice re-signed her tenancy agreement that doesn't start till June 2018 my wife was the guarantor but she has not signed and my daughter has not paid any deposit yet. she has now fallen out with the others that she is sharing with currently and does not want to continue staying there next year after the current agreement expires in June 2018. She has been in touch with the letting agents who have told her that there is no way out since she signed unless she finds someone herself to take her place. she only did this due to the amount of emails they kept sending and they were using scare tactics to tell her that if they don't sign some one else will take the property. This and the Uni workload was stressing her so she signed it and now regrets that. is there any way out of it now as Guarantor hasn't signed and no deposit paid ? thanks for your help in advance alix2

You are encouraged to check your credit file and when you query anything that you don't recognise you always get the same bull from the CRA "We have been advised that this is correct", not interested. I was recently refused an overdraft from my bank, despite having a loan and credit card with them I was informed after the online application that something reported by call credit was the reason, I phone the bank and asked them the reason, they said to contact call credit which I did, who told me to contact my bank. Being fobbed off from all ends. My credit report has nothing on it to suggest why i was declined, everything paid on time, never over my limits, salary going into the bank every month etc. the bank won't tell me why and call credit won't tell me why. No adverse reasons from the other 2, only call credit. Also, I know credit scores are just a guide but experian and equifax are showing "Fair" while call credit shows "very poor" and have been stuck on the same score with them for 6 months, what's that all about? Is it not my legal right to know why I have been refused credit?

Hi, I am in the process of trying to source a mortgage however the fact that I have historic defaults on my credit files from telecom companies is causing me problems. These are all with Lowell and range from 4 years to 5 years old. What's the best way of dealing with this to ultimately get the defaults removed off my credit file within the next 3 months due to wanting to take advantage of a "right to buy" offer we have. Obviously I am NOT saying that I don't want to pay these however if its best to go down the "final settlement" route as long as the default is removed etc than I am happy to look at that? Some of the defaults I genuinely don't have a clue what they are and would protest against them if time was not against me. any help would be gratefully received. Many Thanks Scott

Changes to the Driving Test will likely be introduced on 4th December 2017 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/driving-test-learner-sat-nav-three-point-turn-dvsa-driver-and-vehicle-standards-agency-uk-a7684801.html

Hello I hope you can help - I have someone who is a decent human being but has been put is a difficult situation. Someone else was helping him before but I’ve been called on-board as the other person hasn't got the time. He has been on ESA for a long time, He suffers from severe social anxiety, depression, body image issues and also post-traumatic stress due to many issues; most of which are childhood-related, whereas the traumatic stress (I believe) was relatively recent (5 years ago) due a severe facial injury that required intense facial- reconstruction; (were talking hours of surgery and many surgeons) He has been on a continual downward spiral since as he has no support network and his heavy drinking with which he has used to cope with his social anxiety! This has now culminated with him having a psychotic episode a few weeks ago that resulted him being imprisoned for 6 weeks on remand. He received a suspended sentence plus counseling for drink. No one was hurt, though I’m assuming the experience hasn’t been pleasant for anyone that was involved. I cannot stress enough that the person Is decent human being that hasn’t had the help he’s needed for years. His ESA was such that even wrote him off (never needed a tribunal etc) but since coming out of prison he has found that his ESA has been stopped. Im assuming it was because he went to prison the last amount paid into his account was june 6th! and nothing after this. He doesn’t have the skills to get it reactivated on his own! I have done some homework, and found that he is classed (still) as a remand prisoner as just being locked up from June 6 to approx 5-6 later! I believe from my own research (limited) that..... 1 There is a 12 week period within which the EAS can be re-activated / or linked) is this correct? 2 and that this means that there is not major/ substantial extra information needed to be sent to the dwp? And that it is merely a case filling in a new form and re-activating the claim? 3 However he hasn’t been in proper contact with a DR due to him slipping off the radar in terms of doctors notes (he hasn’t needed them for over three years, so you can imagine that someone who suffers from such conditions has simply let things continue!) will he need one now? 4 Or is it simply a case of filling in the correct forms etc? He has no money since coming out of prison- his rent was paid by housing benefit but the short-fall which was made up by himself with the ESA which obviously means the current situation is-not sustainable 5 he will not need to see Atos, surely if it is simply the case of linking the claim? In conclusion I’m unsure which type of ESA he was on but I’m sure it falls within the category of not needed to attend any support group. He hasn’t needed to supply an updated Dr’s note to Atos or the dwp. I have not phoned the ESA yet on his behalf as I’m not sure if I’m up to the task. But the idea is I would like to get the ESA up and running the way it was before, but obviously to try and get him some type of support group as well. Can anyone help? As the 12 week cut off period is looming? Thanks

I have a charge order placed on my house by Bristol & Wessex Water for £1800. They recently sent me a letter stating that if I don't pay the full amount they will be taking legal action and apply for an order for sale. I then will be sent an order to vacate my property within 28 days. My house is owned outright with no mortgage and currently valued around £200K. I am living on a small private pension with no chance of paying back the debt. I went to the CAB who told me that I will end up homeless and living on the streets as there is no social housing available for single men. The Water company placed a CCJ on my credit record so it's impossible for me to borrow money to pay back the debt and keep my house. I could never understand why there were homeless people on the streets, but I do now. I will be joining them soon. What an idiot I was buying a house. If I had a council house I would have nothing to worry about and a safe roof over my head. I know a chap near here who lives in a housing association bungalow. He owes banks £73k and will not end up homeless. Comments welcome.

I swapped the tags in TKMaxx yesterday (30/11). it's the first time I did something like this so don't know what happens next and would be grateful for help. . Got banned for a year from all TKMaxx stores in UK and due to a crime prevention system they operate also from all the shops in the Birmingham city centre. I was told it's the city centre only, but the leaflet seems to say otherwise, I'd appreciate if someone had the same experience and could advise, please. When asked if it means I'll have a criminal record now, the guard assured me it had nothing to do with the police and the only reason my name and address were passed to the officer already present (there were some police officers already, detaining two men) was to confirm my address as I had no such confirmation on me. Was told the store's solicitors will be in touch asking for a fine, which might be between £50 and £100 and if that's not affordable, I will need to let them know. I checked the leaflet after finding this forum, it is RLP . I wanted to pay, but not sure I should anymore? I wouldn't be able to pay it all or all in one go, so I would have to speak/write to RLP . I am very scared of another debt collector and also of possible court prosecution, don't know what I should do? I've been looking for a job for a while, RLP says they're allowed to share my record with potential employers. Does it mean I can only apply for positions open to people with criminal record? Or abroad (or maybe this doesn't make a difference as they'd check even from overseas)? I'm also scared it may count as another fraud, so would like for this mistake to be rectified. Thank you.

I had repair or replace insurance on an American style fridge freezer with d&g and had to have it replaced they replaced it with one from hot point and gave me one with water and ice which was a bonus however I had to pay £79.00 for delivery and install and I asked if that was a complete install and was told yes! I phoned hotpoint to book a time and was told it was a special team that had to book it as it was an American style unit I spoke with them and confirmed again it was a full install again I was told yes. Imagine then to my dismay that when it was delivered the delivery guy said they couldn't install it as there was supposed to already be a tap plumbed in to attach it to no one hade ever mentioned this I was furious but hotpoint stated I should have known this ( I'm not an engineer how was I supposed to know )I had to pay a plumber £80.00 pound to install it . However the fridge then died the next day and ruined all my food I had to fight to get a replacement as they couldn't get me an engineer to assess it for 5 weeks what a joke. They came to replace after much arguing and lo and behold when the moved the fridge out there was a large tear in my flooring underneath which wasn't there before they delivered the first fridge they then proceeded to drag the fridge across my flooring putting to long and deep dents across my kitchen diner floor. I called them about it and had to get an engineer as the second replacement fridge handle came off in my hand I was assured that the engineer would also inspect the floor damage when he attended and we could resolve that issue. The engineer arrived and when I asked him to inspect the floor as per customer services instructions and he laughed and said it wasn't his his job to do that and customer services at hotpoint were always saying stuff like that to get people off the phone I called customer services furious and was told to email my complaint in writing and the escalation department would deal with it that was six weeks ago and still no phone call I emailed again 3 weeks ago and received a reply from an alleged customer service director apologising and stating that someone would contact me shortly I am at my wits end as still have had no call my flooring covers a large kitchen/ dining area and will be expensive to replace can anyone advise me or point me in the right direction of what my options are to force them to resolve this as I am at a loss any help would be gratefully appreciated I Would certainly not recommend a hotpoint product to anyone and I would never buy from them again as their customer service department are a comple and utter joke

Hi All This is a long post so bear with me. I've done a lot of research and I think I know what I'm doing but I would really like to hear your thoughts, comments and suggestions on my tail so far. At this point in time small claims is unavoidable so any suggestions where my claim is weak and what I could do to address it would be greatly appreciated. I have laid out the story so far in a time line below. Many Thanks Jonathan At the beginning of May I purchased a Mercedes A Class A200 for £3000 including delivery. I stupidly bought it unseen from a dealer over 150 miles away using my debit car for the deposit and then the balance. I did call the dealer and ask a lot of questions before hand and do a HPI check which was clear. The car came with a 6 month third party warranty from WorldofWarranty.com which I now know is not worth the paper it is written on. 03/05/2015 Called dealer, Confirmed specification, Asked pointed questions about rust as 2005 mercs can have a problem, was told the car was good and although rust had been there is had been sorted. Paid deposit and received receipt for deposit stating car identity, amount and number of miles on clock was 105K 06/05/2015 had to chase dealer to pay balance 14/05/2015 Car is delivered by a driver, I have no time to look at the car as I have to give the driver a lift to the station to get a timed train. I do notice the instrument cluster display is blank/faulty I am unable to see mileage. 15/05/2015 I email the dealer say I am unhappy with the car and it is not as described. I outline the following faults which I have found. Ask dealer to call me · Engine is overcooling · Engine light on due to faulty glowplugs · Obvious and advanced rust in both doors and tailgate · 7K more miles on clock than advertised · Service history missing last two stamps · Instrument cluster faulty, no mileage displayed · Passenger side folding mirror faulty & unsecured · Both front tyres need replacing · Warped front brake disks, and rears badly corroded. 16/05/2015 email dealer chasing reply, I get what looks like an automated response saying I will get a response in 48 hours 17/05/2015 received email from dealer, says that the faults are not that serious and that he has already spent money fixing the car, stated that he has already spent putting a brand new shock and spring on the front and a hand brake cable. Dealer offers £100 as good will. 18/05/2015 I respond to dealer stating that some of the faults are serious and need to be addressed. I try to be reasonable and state that I will keep the car if they agree to two things They source two replacement doors in the correct colour within the next 6 weeks and I will fit at my expense, They arrange to have the glow plugs replaced at a garage or their choosing, near my address. If they agree to this I will fix the remainder of the faults myself. 18/05/2015 I get almost immediate automated response stating I will be contacted in 48 hours 21/05/2015 in the morning I send chaser email as I have had no response. Not long after this I spot a very similar car being scrapped on ebay. I contact the scrap yard and an able to do a deal for two doors and a tailgate for £75 each plus £80 delivery. 21/05/2015 I email the dealer stating I have found these doors and suggest that if they agree to pay for the doors I will pay for the tailgate. A couple of hours later I receive an email from dealer stating that he agrees to pay for doors but not postage???. I feel as they are agreeing to my terms outlined on the 18th that I will foot the postage just to get this sorted. That evening I receive an email asking for an email confirmation stating if they pay for the doors I will agree that they have resolved the issue and have been very helpful. 22/05/2015 I send email saying I am happy to state the replacement doors will resolve the rust issue but that I am still waiting for the glow plug issue to be resolved. 22/05/2015 late evening I receive £150 from dealer into my account for the doors. Over the next two weeks I chase the doors and get them fitted and sort out a trip to the garage to get the car looked over. Perhaps naively I assume the dealer is sorting out somewhere to get the glow plugs replaced. 22/05/2015 Concerned about how the car feels and sounds and now loosing trust in the dealer I put it into a local garage for them to service and look over. The following faults are found on top of what I had already discovered · Fuel filler pipe corroded · Centre exhaust corroded · OSF shock & spring broken ( the one they said they had replaced) · Flywheel worn I ask about flywheel and was told that although it is noticeably noisy there are no other symptoms like vibration, slippage, or poor gear change so just keep a close eye on it. The mechanic also stated that in his opinion no service had been carried out on this car for a very long time. The air filter had a 2011 date stamp on it and was effectively blocked. Having a broken spring and shock renders the car dangerous to drive so I booked the car in to get this replaced. 23/05/2015 two front tyres replaced £182 at my expense(I have not claimed for these) 24/05/2015 Instrument cluster from ebay fitted at my expense(I have added this to my claim) 29/05/2015 Replace all brake disks and pads at my expense(I have not claimed for these) 08/06/2015 I contact the dealer stating the doors have arrived and been fitted and that the rust issue is now closed. I request that we deal with the glow plug issue. I provide 3 quotes from local garages ranging from £220, £300 and £500. I state that I wish to go with the £300 one and in an effort to be reasonable and bring this to a conclusion I will pay the difference between the lowest and the middle quote. 10/06/2015 I request a response to my email from the 8th 12/06/2015 Again I request a response to my email from the 8th 12 06/2015 I get the front shock and spring replaced at my expense (I have added this to my claim) 13/06/2015 I receive a response from the dealer simply asking me to resent email 14/06/2015 while driving the car develops strong vibrations indicating the flywheel has taken a turn for the worst 15/06/2015 I resend my email from the 08th 15/06/2015 I arrange the car to go into a local Mercedes specialist to diagnose the vibrations. I give them the warranty information I was supplied with the car which appears to cover flywheel faults. Later that day they confirm the flywheel is faulty and could possibly disintegrate if driven. They tell me they have been in contact with the warranty company who will be sending out an engineer to confirm their findings. 16/06/2015 I receive an email from the dealer simply stating the final payment has been made and matter is closed. I don’t know if this meant they have sent payment for glow plugs or are just talking about the doors so I send an email asking for confirmation about what payments have been made and when. 17/06/2015 I call the Mercedes garage. The engine has been removed so that the flywheel and clutch can be closely examined. This was at the request of the warranty company. He confirms that in his opinion they are beyond repair. He confirms that the warranty company have sent an engineer to examine the flywheel clutch. He tells me I am looking at over £1000 for replacement. He will get a more accurate estimate when he gets the actual cost for the parts 17/06/2015 I immediately email the dealer stating that the flywheel and clutch have failed and that the warranty company are looking at it. I state that the warranty only cover up to £500 and the actual bill will be significantly higher. I state that as I have only have the car 5 weeks and have done less than 250 miles in that time then the fault was clearly there at time of purchase. I state I wish to invoke my rights under the sales of goods act and will either return the car for a full refund or accept a substantial contribution towards the repair. I ask them to call me to discuss. 18/06/2015 the warranty company call to inform the garage that the clutch and flywheel are not covered as they have simply come to the end of their life rather than suffering premature failure. They state due to the short period of time between the the inseption of the warranty (ie when I purchased the car) and the failure that the fault was already there when the warranty was started. 18/06/2015 I email the dealer stating that the warranty company have refused to cover the flywheel & clutch. I State they are now liable for the full cost of repair or I will accept a refund + plus the costs of diagnosis. I also state that the car is currently taking up a ramp at the Mercedes garage with its engine out and needs agreement today. I also state that given the time they usually take to respond to emails that I require a response today or I will be forced to have the repair done at my expense and will seek to recover the cost from them. I give them the number of the Mercedes garage and again ask them to call me to discuss. 30 mins later I get the following email form the dealer Sorry to hear once again from you that you are complaining about something else.We are surprise to hear every time you email us you come with new issue I spoke with gaffer and he confirmed that full and final payment of settlement has been sent to you last time when we replace the door and we have email to confirm it there will be no further emails. We are not here to make cars from Old to new You been given warranty Best warranty cover for this age and warranty allowed us to grant under the Act or under any condition on second hand car dealers are not liable for wear and tear That's why warranty been given so in case of any issue you can contact with them and get it repaired Unfortunately on this occasion i am unable to help Thanks Trying very hard to keep my calm I immediately send a response outlining all the faults to date. I pointed out the lied about the mileage, they lied about replacing the front strut and spring, they lied about servicing the car before delivery, they lied about it having a full service history and they lied about obvious rust being present. I pointed out they they have made very little effort to address the issues I had raised and that they where legaly obliged to do so. Yet again I stated that I either wanted a full refund including the cost of repairs to date or they paid to have the clutch and flywheel replaced. An hour later around 12:30 I received the following We received your email and pass it to legal department so they will answer you within 14 Days Thanks So I was left with a car in pieces in the garage and the garage pressing me for a decision as it was taking up a ramp and space. I could have simply got the car put back together with the faulty parts at a cost of £600 labour or I could go ahead with the repair at a cost of £1300, the only silver lining is as the engine is out it is very easy to replace the glow plugs and thermostat so that would only cost £100. I figured at this point it was reasonable to conclude that the dealer has no intention of refunding or repairing the car, they said as much when I asked about the glow plugs before the flywheel issue. If I simply paid the £600 and to put it back together I could get it home but it would be unsafe and unusable and a complete waist of money. Also I need my car for work. So reluctantly I reached for the emergency credit card and asked the Mercedes garage to go ahead and replace the clutch flywheel and glowplugs. 18/06/2015 I send a final email the the dealer thanking them for the confirmation that they would not be addressing any issued raised. As they are apparently an AA garage I send them a link to the AAs website where it outlines my rights as a buyer and ask them to send all my emails so far to their Legal department for review. I again outline the circumstances and their legal obligations and the consumer rights act and give them one more chance to pay for the repair or I will be forced to let the small claims court decide on all the issues. 19/06/2015 I send them a registered letter outlining the above except AS I was being forced to go the small claims route I was now including full repair costs for the flywheel, clutch, glowplugs, instrument cluster, Shock and spring plus a small amount to compensate for the additional 7k miles the car seemed to have traveled from me paying my deposit to it arriving. In total £1840 and I gave them 7 days to reply. 20/06/2015 at the suggestion of a friend I look up the cars MOT history online. It turms out that it had an MOT in March this year where among other things it failed on osf shock and spring its mileage at this time was recorded as 112K, no retest was done. Its next MOT was on the 12/05/2015 2 days before delivery, it failed on OSF shack and spring, it was retested the following day and passed with a recorded mileage of 112K. The OSF shock and spring was the one I had to have replaced. I think this establishes that the garage think nothing of selling cars with dodgy MOTs and that they knew the mileage when they sold the car. I have to date received no further reply from the dealer.I have retained all receipts, replaced parts and emails sent and received and I received from the warranty company an independent engineers report stating the flywheel and clutch where faulty when the car was purchased. Tomorrow I will send a final BEFORE ACTION letter and give them a final 7 days to reply. IF I don’t get a response by then I will start proceedings. As mentioned above any thoughts, comments and suggestions much appreciated. Thanks Jonathan

Title says it all!

Whilst helping a friend to find a good template for disabled claimants I have just found a 12 point easy to use PDF diary. This will allow you to keep clear and precise records of your condition. Use if it helps you and keep each sheet safe. Why? This can be used to support your claim for DLA/PiP. Please see the attachment and feel free to use it. This was found here >> https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Documents/Advice%20(public)/pip-diary.pdf If the link gets broken I have attached the PDF for you to get from this thread... Further useful reading can be found here >> https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-pip-claim/your-supporting-evidence/ Sources of interest can be found here >> https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/

In brief - We went to a local independent flooring company, wishing to purchase a wood floor. The owner talked us through the various products, came to our house to look at the area it was for, measured up, checked the subfloor etc. He then recommended a product for us, ordered it and arranged for "his team" to come out and fit. He arranged the day and time they were to come out and told us that we should pay them cash on the day. In the meantime, he took moisture readings, spoke to the manufacturer and also the manufacturer of the underfloor heating we'd had put down, to check what underlay might be needed. The floor was fitted by "his team" - his brother and another man. It subsequently failed 4 times in the course of a year. The first 2 attempts to remedy the problems were made by the fitters. After it went wrong the 3rd time, it came to light that the fitters and the company owner had parted company, so the company owner/supplier came out and attempted to repair it. The same thing happened again, and he came out again. At this point, the supplier offered us a replacement stair carpet for our trouble. We said that this was not necessary, but if the floor failed again, we would be seeking a refund. When it failed again, we requested our money back. The supplier agreed, minus fitting costs. When we argued, he withdrew his offer and offered us a replacement floor instead. We expressed our concern that we had no confidence he had the neccesary skills and knowledge to fit a floor, given our experience thus far. We then took advice from the CAB and wrote a letter before action, inviting the supplier to comment on what he believed to be the issue with the floor, and offering to go to mediation. He responded, trying to lay the blame on us with various spurious claims, including that the contracting of the fitters had nothing to do with him - since the receipt he issued clearly stated "supply only." We then wrote again, offering to have an expert inspection and report done on the floor, and asking that both parties share the cost in order to confirm what had caused the problems with the floor. He refused, saying the cost was too great in relation to the value of the floor. We once again gave him the opportunity to refund us, while warning him that he may be asked to pay the cost of the report, should we take our case to the small claims court and win. In order to ascertain whether we had a case, we had the expert inspection done. It found that the fitting was to blame for the issues, including inadequate moisture and humidity readings taken by the supplier. The expert contacted the supplier to find out exactly what prep he had carried out and the supplier told him. The report also queried the suitability of the product for the conditions of our property. Once again, we wrote to the supplier with details of the report's findings and requested a refund of both the flooring, fitting and cost of the report or we would have no choice but to take our case to the small claims. The supplier has not responded. We feel we have a strong case. However, our concern is that it may be thrown out on the basis that the receipt we were issued was for supply only. In the letters from the supplier, he does state that he tried to repair the floor on 2 occasions, hut says it was purely a good will gesture. However, he also states that he did the pre-fitting site visits and prep. So, what is our legal position regarding his responsibility for the fitting of the floor?

Hi. I had a medical last month with ATOS, and got a letter recently putting me in 'work related activity group' . I then got an appointment with the job centre which I went to last week. It was basically a woman talking what to me, with what sounded like jibberish for 10 minutes before handing me a paper leaflet called 'work programme' , it didn't really have a lot of information on it. Yesterday I got a phone call from another lady from a company called 'prospects' we were on the phone for about half an hour whilst she reeled off bizarre questions which had no relevance to my situation whatsoever, she also didn't really know why I was on ESA . and said I had been found fit for work which is why I'm on the work programme . But if I had been found 'fit for work' then would I not be on JSA instead ?! I have been told to expect a letter or a call next week from my 'new advisor' who will arrange an appointment with me. I a!m ever so confused now. Theres no way I can sit in any 'group inductions' or go off on any courses, not at the moment anyway. I'm trying to remain calm but this has panicked me no end. Am I suppose to be on a 'work programme' so soon? And what does it entail?

I complained to the Energy Ombudsman last June about British Gas Business. We had been in dispute since 2010. I've had a "report" which is totally inaccurate and based on a telephone conversation that the EO had with BGB the same morning as the verbal report was given. BGB had not supplied any correspondence to support their answers to my complaint which was supported by correspondence. I have been informed by the EO that it has no power to enforce disclosure of correspondence. Apparently the "report" is not a final decision, I or BGB have to take it a step further by providing more evidence. A previous offer made by BGB (in writing to me) was denied by BGB. That offer accepted responsibility for poor service including the attendance at my shop by a BGB representative looking for payment despite the fact that I had been told I would not be pursued whilst the matter was investigated. I paid by cheque in full under the duress of a shop full of customers. This low life wanted cash and made the throw away remark that if the cheque bounced, "and it probably would" he'd be back to disconnect. Of course the cheque did not bounce but when I complained about his manner I was told that I should have paid by debit card, it would have cleared quicker than the 16 days for the cheque! I am now interested in hearing others dealings with the Energy Ombudsman. I mean let's be honest if you were BG it is much easier not to pass on any information and pay a small amount of compensation but still demand the bill. It appears to me that the EO's system is flawed before it starts. Any interest?

So here's an interesting one. I worked in a small business (not as a director) . I organised for them broadband, at the business address, supplied by the nice "be unlimited" people. I never signed anything (let alone any kind of credit agreement), and the bills (direct debit) will have been paid out of the company's bank account. Some time later, company gets bought. New company takes over everything. Meanwhile "Be Direct" gets bought out by (ack, spit) Sky. What I suspect happens late last year is the new owners, somewhat incompetently, close the old business account, and DD payments start to fail. Looking at my archives, I see a single email (to my business email) from Sky to "avoid suspension of your service" - and then - nothing. But I've no real idea as I have no visibility of how it was ever paid for. Late last year I start getting texts and emails from 'pastduecredit' - that I totally ignore since there's no information about what they want (I figure - if it's important, you put a stamp on it and post it to me). I have no idea if it's related to the threatening email I've had today from BPO, on behalf of Sky for..... £20. I frankly find the whole approach pretty rude. Other companies seem to be able to send email or post to request payment, and I'd simply pass it on in the company and they'd pay it. I've heard nothing, save this sudden "pay up or else we'll recommend further action or a field visit" bullying. I'm minded to ignore them until they can find a stamp? I'm certainly happy to spend my own money to bleed these beggars on 'due process' (e.g: please prove it, I'll only talk to you by post, etc) just on a point of principle. Any danger in that?

Hi Can anybody help, i received a notice to keeper / driver PCN on 19.01.14 for £100.00, for an alleged parking offence at crown point leeds on 13.12.14, parked in a disabled persons parking place without clearly displaying a badge. I was at crown point for 10-15 mins with my dad who has a valid disabled permit but cannot honestly remember if we put it on the dash. I have now received (three days ago) dated 3.3.15 and debt collection letter fro DRP recovery plus ltd asking for £160.00. what do i do any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks denise

Hi everyone I have a friend who has an EU based business that trades with the UK and other EU states. They sent 2000 Euros worth of products to a business in the UK in Nov 2014 after discussions about building a relationship for the long term, so my friend sent them the goods as a starter. Unfortunately after repeated requests for payment, the UK buyer hasn't paid up what he owes. They either ignore all attempts of communication or lately pretend that they will pay shortly, but never do. My friend has sent them a final notice letter requesting payment by 31/3/15, which obviously hasn't happened. My friend would like to know what's the best and quickest course of legal action for him to take to recover the goods and/or the money owed to him. Any advice/help would be very much appreciated. Thanks radmm0

Thanks in advance for any help or advice. Here is draft complaint I have typed up for being fined yesterday for littering inside my local recycling point. On Sunday 12th October I attempted to use the recycling centre at ****. I was looking to recycle some glass bottles and a small bag of clothes. I noticed 2 men sitting in a private car as I approached the centre. I successfully recycled my glass bottles and attempted to open the hatch to the clothes recycling container in order to put my old clothes in. The container was full and I could barely open the hatch half an inch, which of course meant I could not get my old clothes in. I've used this clothes container in the past and have always found it difficult to open as it's invariably quite full. I've always in past however, managed to get old clothes in even by opening the hatch as far as I can and pushing the existing bags with a stick, and putting my old clothes in one item at a time. On this occasion it was apparent I'd be unable to get anything into the container. I noticed that immediately adjacent to the container there was a pile of black bags where it would appear others have had similar difficulty and have left their bags. This, I stress is within the facility and immediately adjacent to the clothes container. On this occasion I put my bag neatly on top of the pile of bags already there. As I walked away the 2 men approached me, putting their lanyards and name tags over their heads. I was told I was being fined for littering. If it had been 2 or more bags, it'd have been fly tipping. I explained that I had attempted (as they could see plainly from where they were parked) to recycle my old clothes responsibly and it was through no fault of mine, that the facilities were full. I was advised that this particular clothes recycler was provided by a charity and that the council were not responsible for it. I should have taken my clothes back home. I asked if there was another recycling centre nearby which I could use but the officials did not know. I told them there were already bags there and I merely put my own bag neatly on top of what was there. They were not interested. I have no intention of paying the fine for the following reasons : 1. The officers witnessed me attempting to make use of the recycling facilities and through no fault of my own being unable to do so. 2. Albeit, officially littering, the fact I left my recycling material within the centre and immediately adjacent to the clothes recycling container, neatly with the rest of the bags, indicates I did not indiscriminately littler but made a more than adequate attempt to recycle. 3. The reasoning that because the clothes recycling container is provided by a charity, negates the councils responsibility to offer adequate recycling resources, I feel is unfair. No reasonable person would make such a distinction, and the fact it's on council property would lead anyone to think it's under the council's control. I'm sure there is legal notices on the container indicating it's from a 3rd party and outwith the control of the council, but this places an unfair burden on good citizens merely trying to do their civic best. 4. I feel the council have let me down as a responsible recycler, in not ensuring this charity regularly empty this recycling container. 5. I feel that unless the requirement of 2 council officials to sit at a recycling centre is a revenue generating exercise, advising me on having to remove any sealed bags from within the recycling centre if I'm unable to put the bag inside the container, advising me of alternative recycling centres in the area, and that the clothes recycler is not the responsibility of the council and that a fine could be given, would have been a more civic exercise to inform, advise and educate the public who are already trying to take recycling responsibly. They also did not ask me to remove my bag either and were happy for it to stay on the pile. thanks...

In March 2008 my husband began suffering dizzy spells. He went to the doctors who thought he may have some infection but after 1 month of high blood pressure they decided to refer him to our local hospital. After a few months and no change he was then referred to a bigger hospital 30 miles away. After various tests, procedures and changing of medication over 4 years he felt he was getting nowhere and asked to be referred to a hospital closer to us. A few months ago he underwent some genetic tests and an echocardiogram. The results of the echo showed thickening of the artery walls which they say was a concern and today he went back to be told they still have no idea why his BP is so high (221/136) and all genetic testing was negative. They have said they are very concerned about the thickening of the arteries but until he BP is lowered they can't do anything. His BP has been high for over 5 years now and even when he goes twice a week to our GP for bloods and BP he is very surprised how my husband is still walking. For the last 18 months my husband has suffered blackouts. We are starting to get desperate now as his BP is at a dangerous level and shows no signs of going down and now the consultant my husband seen today says he is referring him back to the hospital over 30 miles away. My husband takes 9 lots of medication each day but nothing is working and every consultant he has seen is baffled. Also my husband is only 42. We have 3 daughters aged 14, 11 and 9 and my husband gets so depressed as he has no energy that is needed to bring up 3 girls.

Hi there, On 13 November at 6:14 pm I tried to withdraw £200 from HSBC cash point in Richmond. 2 attempts failed and each time I received error message. The only difference was in second attempt the lid opened but nothing came out apart from fresh air. Next day I went to the branch and explained what happened. One of the staff told me, don't worry, you will get your money back as it happened before. I explained what happened and they told me in 2 weeks time I should get my money back. Now after more than 2 weeks, nothing happened and on Saturday when I went to the branch again and asked for a manager, one of the staff told me he is busy now but I will ask him to give you a call. Then, nothing happened, he didn't bother to call me. my question is what should I do now? And how can I take a legal action and where should I go? Many thanks, Sirous

I'll try and make this as simple as possible. In May 2013 I started work in a school as a lunchtime assistant at 5 hours a week £6.25phr. This went up in November 2013 to 6 hours and 15 minutes a week, same pay. Then in March 2014 I was offered a role in the pre-school for 3 hours a week at £7.19phr. My lunchtime assistant role also went up to £7.19phr in September 2014. I have informed tax credits every time with my change of circumstances and when I did in May 2013 (at the start) they said they would inform Income support, which I know now they didn't. I received a letter from Income support in September saying that they found out my circumstances changed and my earnings had gone up so would now be paying me £2.38 a week. They said I didn't need to get in touch. Last week I received another letter to say that I needed to call them because of my change in circumstances in September which I did and also sent them some recent wageslips. Stupidly (please don't judge as I feel so bad and stupid and I'm a nervous emotional wreck right now) I also forgot to inform my housing and council tax which I've spoken to and they said that as I'm on a low wage and claiming income support that's fine and to just wait for Income support to write to me and then to call them. Today it dawned on me (I'm also a carer to my Autistic son) that I had forgot to inform carer's allowance. I again (stupidly!) thought that because I am earning under £102 a week I didn't need to call them. I filled in the change of circumstances online and sent off a wage slip, I would have sent a few more but I've sent the most recent ones to Income support. I'm so worried that I'll be in trouble and feel sick with worry. Can anyone please advise? Many thanks.

I moved into my house several months ago and I changed gas supplier from NPower to First Utility as soon as I arrived. The bills from First Utility showed a different meter point reference number (and a different meter serial number) than the previous bills from NPower. After the first few meter readings I gave online to First Utility, they started refusing the readings. I phoned them and they said they did not supply me. I called the Xoserve helpline who told me I have two meter point reference numbers listed for the property and one of them is likely obsolete. When First Utility took over, they recorded the wrong MPRN (I know because NPower's MPRN does indeed correlate to the meter serial number written on my meter). My question is - what is the chain of events. How can First Utility start billing me and then stop (they've refunded the money now). How does their system allow them to accept an obsolete MPRN and then what triggers their systems to belatedly recognise that and stop billing me? NPower continued to bill me because "their" MPRN had not been officially taken over. A question for someone in the industry, I guess.

I am 40 this month and am currently on £220 Housing Benefit per month and £202.70 Income Support (Incapacity Benefit) per fortnight, and I have been concerned about the "horror stories" concerning the ATOS reassessments based on their medical examinations. I personally take medication, like Sulpiride for anxiety and paranoia, and Omeprazole for a hiatal hernia caused by my abdominal obesity, ie. I look like a pregnant man, my belly is so big. My knees are also quite stiff, and I don't like resting on them to look in cupboards and so forth. So when I get a letter from ATOS/DWP saying I have to come in for a medical, I just go ahead and answer truthfully, right? If I'm deemed fit for work, I will have to attend interviews and so on, but for a while will only end up with something like £71 per week during the "assessment phase", but eventually end up on the "work-related activity group" at £99.15, right? That sounds not much less at all than the benefit I'm on now, which is a good thing. And I've been thinking about reentering employment for a long time now, as voluntary work just isn't cutting it and I want more money, frankly. The job market is dismal, but I'm strangely confident, for some reason. I would class myself as only slightly disabled, but is it the fear of reduced benefits or having to travel to interviews that are petrifying the genuinely needy disabled people out there, leading to the poverty and suicides we've heard about when they're deemed fit for work? Or am I missing something? Also, does the Universal Credit mean that Housing Benefit and ESA will be all combined into one lump sum per month?