I have just joined the Community here for your thoughts and we thank you in anticipation of any help you may give. We had a questionnaire from Abbey Life regarding enhanced annuity. They state on the bottom of the letter with the enclosed questionnaire - 'Abbey Life did not offer enhanced annuities, but one may have been available to you from another provider if you were eligible, and therefore you may be due compensation.' So we wrote to them saying we consider we may have been entitled to an enhanced annuity via an Independent Financial Adviser. (They do say this questionnaire is in relation to the purchase of your Abbey Life - Joint Annuity.) They have now phoned because of the letter and we have arranged to talk to them Friday afternoon. 1. My husband had a Waiver of Contributions implemented as a result of an accident before he reached retirement age. He does not get a huge amount because he only took out what we could afford at the time . We had hoped to increase it over time, because his employer did not offer one, even so we were pleased we did a Waiver of contributions option. Note: He went onto have a TIA and now has a pacemaker. I also went onto have breast cancer in 2007. 2. Looking at the questionnaire in our mind it was not relevant - we thought he was committed to Abbey Life. In fact it starts off with 'Why did you contact Abbey Life ......' So our question is - (a) this person from Abbey Life is saying he could help us over the phone to complete the questionnaire. But we are wondering if we should be seeking independent advice now? (b) being my husband was already on 'Waiver of Contributions' then is he in a different category? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Good Morning, I'm seeking some advice/direction from you for my mother following my fathers death in 2014. Her mortgage started in 2002 and was called a Natwest Foundations Mortgage, it was effectively an arranged credit line that allowed you to borrow up to the value of the property and pay off extra amounts when suited. Natwest withdrew this product and started locking peoples money in, there was widespread complaint online about this. At this time from research, many customers moved to other products offered by the bank however my father insisted he was staying on the product. Still to this day that mortgage is in place, it reached the 14 year term in 2015 and has rolled on a SVR extension for 3.5 years... I have drafted for my mother with her consent, the issues that she has with her mortgage. Some advice and direction would be greatly appreciated. Issue 1 - Natwest Payment Protector sold as Life Insurance with Mortgage Foundations Mortgage Account taken in 2002 – This was done 100% at home by an Natwest advisor called XXXXXX XXXXX. We have hand written letters that were included in the SAR that show this. Natwest say that they have no records to indicate he ever worked within the company. I feel this is crucial to my complaint as XXXXX XXXXX completed the mortgage with myself and husband at home and advised us on everything. We were advised we had to take a life insurance product called ‘Natwest Payment Protector’ in order for the mortgage to go ahead. From the beginning of the mortgage up until my husband’s death in July 2014, we were led to believe that the Natwest Payment Protector was Life Insurance on the house. It is proven that this is what we believed as when my husband had his first heart attack in May 2008, he contacted Natwest to try and freeze the account. At no point did he use the Natwest Payment Protector whilst sick, which is apparently what it was for! We both were led to believe this was Life Insurance. At this point, I am upset that Natwest did not inform us what this product actually did - If they had, it would have covered the payments whilst he was sick and also would have made us aware of the product they had mis-sold at a time when we could have done something about it. This has had a huge financial effect on myself. Natwest have produced after many letters to the bank, a document with my husbands signature agreeing to the costs and benefit of the NatWest Payment Protector… This was not signed by myself nor do I believe my husband signed this understanding what it was he was signing – I stress, the Natwest advisor forcibly made us take this product as part of the ‘deal’ and this product was ‘Life Insurance.’ Issue 2 - Failing to supply information under SAR My initial SAR request was handled carelessly and was to say the least, incomplete. It was missing huge amounts of information and the majority of what was sent was not legible. I complained about this and specifically requested it to be resent as well as information pertinent to the mortgage to be sent. Following this second request – there is still clearly information missing. Issue 3 - The original mortgage agreement/contract and terms and conditions Despite two subject access requests being submitted a Natwest complaints handler has informed me that – quote ‘A further search has been completed by the Mortgage Operations Centre and they have been unable to locate a copy of your original mortgage offer’. I find this un-acceptable and ask on what grounds this mortgage is enforceable under the CCA between 2006 and 2016? Further to this, despite two subject access requests and specifically asking via letter to the Chief Exec’s office on more than one occasion Natwest have failed to supply the original ‘Terms & Conditions’ of the mortgage. Nor have I been supplied a reason as to why these are not available. In fact, since asking for this information shortly after my husband passed away in July 2014 I have not seen any paperwork produced by Natwest that form an ‘agreed mortgage contract’ nor an ‘agreed credit arrangement’. Issue 4 - Status of mortgage agreement during the years 2002 to 2018 leading to issues surrounding compliance of the CCA in 2006 and FCA Regulations at the ‘supposed’ end of term. My understanding from recent research is that this mortgage is a pre-2004 First Charge Mortgage that was unregulated when put in to place in 2002. 2002 – 2006 Between these years the mortgage should have complied with the CCA, however from research it seems like the £25,000 barrier stops this from being required… In the Natwest supplied SAR upon opening the loan, I find it very convenient that there is a column entitled CCA (Consumer Credit Act) – marked with ‘NO’. I would like this explained to me as the bank deemed this important information to record however I was never informed of a regulatory body nor law that would be/become important… Is this a fair relationship? 2006-2016 Between these years the CCA was amended significantly and as this loan is a pre-2004 first charge mortgage, from my understanding it was subject to compliance with the CCA between 30th March 2006 and 21st March 2016 when the mortgage becomes regulated by the FCA – see PS17/6. During this period, several compliance failings occurred however two of which I feel are significantly important: Failure to send NOSIA – At no point was a specified notice of sums in arrears sent, by trawling through statements I can see that this should have happened several times. The first of which took within the 2006 onwards period is May 2008. Failure to do this would make the agreement 'unenforceable' until notice is given. Failure to send Annual Statements – None sent. Failure to do this would make the agreement 'unenforceable' until notice is given. During this period of time, my husband had passed away and I was completely unaware that the bank had these obligations to me. Further to this, I made several complaints via telephone and in branch as I didn’t even have access to my mortgage account online. Furthermore – I still don’t have access to this online now! (August 2018) Issue 5 - Product Extension Concerns June 2015 – August 2018 (Taking into account FCA Regulations enforced on 21st March 2016) It is my understanding that the verbally agreed extensions following the ‘supposed’ end of term mortgage are subject to the rules and regulations of the FCA now. This loan extension and all monies paid on this ‘extension’ should have been a ‘Regulated Mortgage Contract’ and there should be certain paperwork in place, such as a Loan Contract, Terms & Conditions, Key Facts, Annual Statements etc. There have been serious failings by the bank to comply with FCA regulations during this period. ----------------------------------- Thank you for any advice and direction in advance.

Hi all, I have been refused life and income insurance by legal and General after they rejected me based on my medical report. I had cancer 17 years ago, not an aggressive tumor and my consultant is positive it will never come back. It was a very rare tumor and only a specialist consultant would know the details. Basically they have took one look at my report and refused me. Can I appeal? Can I request to see their report (not my medical records but why they refused me) Can anyone recommend an insurance company? Thankyou!!

I have an ex Friends Life with profits investment bond now under the ownership of Aviva. This was transferred to me by my mother. Over the past three years I have made a number of successful partial withdrawals on the policy without issue. This all changed when in early September of this year, I submitted another partial encashment for £3000. After not receiving the money within 10 days I contacted Aviva and was told that due to a technical issue sufficient units could not be cancelled to action a payout. Therefore, the process was delayed. To exacerbate, the issue, I had a building project which was underway and tradesman and materials need to be covered. Towards the end of September I decided to encash and cancel the whole policy. I was reliably assured that this would not be hindered by ‘the technical issue as it was a full encashment. I submitted a claim for a full encashment for £28000. Once again, after 10 days I still had not received my funds I contacted Aviva. This time it was claimed that I needed to submit certified copies of my passport and bank statement despite Aviva having paid out in the past from the policy to my bank account, Aviva suddenly needed to check my documents. I had these stamped by the bank on Friday 12th October and sent them off. On Friday 19th October, I was assured that all was fine and that the payment was on the way. Having not heard further I again phoned on Wednesday 24th October only to be told that actually the payment was delayed again as they needed on the verification documents, the contact details of the person at the bank who stamped the documents. I would therefore have to resubmit new verification documents again. Even at that stage I felt that the handling of the matter was unacceptable especially with different customer agents giving confusing and contradictory assurances and information. However, I resubmitted new verification documents this time stamped with contact details of the person verifying them. On Wednesday 31st October, I was informed that the documents had now been verified and payment would now be authorised the next day and sent out. On Tuesday 6th November I phoned Aviva again to check on the progress of this payment. I was told that the payment had just been authorised but it would be with me in “3-5 working days” By Tuesday 13th November I still had not received any money I contact Aviva, yet again. I was informed that the payment was definitely on the way and I should contact my bank to see if it was coming through. On Friday 16th November, Aviva finally admitted that there may be a problem and that my money could be missing. My bank told me not to worry and that they could trace it if given a payment reference number. Despite requesting this on both Friday and today, the Aviva/Friends Life call centre have been extremely reluctant to furnish me with this simple information which would help Barclays easily trace the money. Today it is Monday 19th November and a payment that I was due to originally receive on September 15th is still delayed with no one seemingly knowing where it is. Any suggestions would be most appreciated as I have lost all faith in the ex-Friends life branch of Aviva and am starting to suspect there has been a misappropriation of funds. Two weeks ago, I was offered and given £100 compensation for the stress and inconvenience caused by the initial delays but I think any objective person would agree that in the circumstances, £100 is extremely paltry compensation. In short, you have to remember that the original request was submitted in early September. We are now in late November and I still have not received any of the money from the policy (apart from the £100 compensation!) Also, I needed that money to pay bills and tradesmen as soon as possible. The two-month payment delay has led to me having to resort instead to credit cards to pay for my £50000 renovation project as the builders became fed up with my excuses as to why their labour and materials had still not been paid for. The cost of this interest has been astronomical. This has been so stressful, but I believe I can’t take this to the financial ombudsman until Aviva close the matter (?) so any suggestions would be very much welcome.

Hi I signed up to a gym in august this year. I was pressured into signing & have been a few times. I have tried cancelling with letter from GP stating due to anxiety i wouldn't be able to attend anymore. I heard back from ashburn saying they would hold my membership & add unused months onto end but i would have to continue payments of £51 per month. It is now making me ill & my consultant has written a letter stating i will not be able to attend anymore due to lifelong illness (ulcerative collitis). I fear i am going to have issues cancelling so any advice is greatly appreciated.

Hi I have received a letter from Zurich saying they have mis calculated my payments since 2004. Giving me two options a refund + interest or keep paying what I am and increase cover Can anyone send me link to interest calculator please had it on my old computer which is long gone. Smiles OSW

Hi all I hope that somebody an assist with a money claim online against FedEx. It concerns a package that was mailed by my wife and I from the UK to India. It contained life saving medicine for our cat. Unfortunately it was delayed –FedEx admits liability for the delay – and it meant that the medicine was no longer viable. It was specially packaged in insulated wool with ice packs which kept it temperature controlled for 72 hours. FedEx have refunded the £177 that we paid them for carriage but we have had to pay another £207 for the medicine (its original cost) plus another £50 or so for the packaging for the medicine. We submitted the claim and FedEx asked for extended time. We then received a letter from a paralegal from TNT stating that their conditions of carriage meant they were not liable. I’ve attached the letter here. When I sent the claim, FedEx had not at that point refunded all of the original order but they have now. The letter is attached. Fedex had to reply by 29th May. What I’m puzzled about is that this letter is not recorded on my money claim online dashboard but seems to be trying to warn me off continuing with the claim. I have a couple of questions: 1.) Can I ignore this letter and just see whether FedEx will actually dispute the claim and go to court to contest or just pay up? 2.) If it goes to court, does anybody agree that the conditions of carriage are unreasonable exclusion clauses and that just because they said they are not liable does not mean that the court will agree. I stated that the cat medicine was £207 in the original FedEx order. I just want to be put back to my original position. I have letters from the vet saying that the medicine is no longer viable plus a letter from the drug company stating what would happen to the medicine if it ceased to be temperature controlled 3.) Do I need to provide a power of attorney for my wife? Thanks in advance for any advice – basically – should I continue the claim or is it unlikely to succeed? NB: Some interesting caselaw here: https://openjurist.org/917/f2d/1119/hampton-hampton-v-federal-express-corporation

Hello, I just found this site and it looks like a godsend as I was recently banned from Sainsbury for shoplifting items to the value of £20. the security guard took my name and address and gave me a standard banning letter. I paid for the items fully and was lead out of the store by the deputy manager. It was a shaming and stupid act, after a day from hell during a rock bottom period of my life.I now understand the meaning of the term "Cry for help". Anyway No police where called at the time, and I therefore didn't receive a caution or spot fine demand. I then read the standard banning letter carefully and it had a paragraph about Sainsbury's civil recovery policy of sharing my details with their partners in case of loss to the store and that I may be contacted to recover that loss . I spoke to the same deputy manager about this who told me that as I paid for the items there would be no further money recovery action, but reading on this forum about others experiences, I am concerned that I may get a further demand to pay for security staff time cost. furthermore. i don't know how/ where my details will be shared and if it will affect my future employment prospects, or whether I will be included on a criminal or dishonesty register accessable by others, and if this incident would invalidate my existing home/ car insurance policies. On this matter , what should I answer on furute insurance applications to quesions like " Do you have any non motoring criminal convictions? "There are a number of issues raised here and i would be grateful for any guidence please.

Hi, I was repo'd 4 years ago but have nothing showing on my credit file and can't see anything on the registry trust website for either of my two previous address including my repo'd address. The whole court case dragged on for a couple of years as we tried to sell the property but eventually the court granted the decree for repossession. The mortgage no longer shows in my credit file (previously showed as settled although there was negative equity when bank sold it) having checked on noddle, clearscore and checkmyfile. Where are repossession decrees recorded in Scotland? As there was no money featured in the decree would it even be registered? Am I free of this now or is there another register that lenders could access and see the decree or my old mortgage arrears? Thanks in advance. Been a while since been here used be -1 in user name but can't access the email address I used back then so have resigned up.

Hi all Had a standard life endowment back in 1989 , stopped paying it probs 10 year into it, not got any details of old policy , is there anyway I can get policy details from standard life cheers

go after Aviva as the under writers then. http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?473350-Aviva-as-Underwriter-PPI-Endeavour-Personal-Finance-HSBC&p=4985203

Apparently he had repeatedly asked how much he had been overpaid/overclaimed and he never received a response. He was terrified that he would be £thousands in debt. Another tragic victim of the benefit system http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/coal-miner-took-life-after-10477308

Hi, I'm a new user here. I was caught stealing 4 items worth £1 each from Sainsbury's. This is my first time shoplifting (I'm obviously not very good at it) and it will be my last as I'm completely in pieces about it, and I have learned my lesson but I won't go into all that. They issued me with a letter saying that I'm BANNED from ALL Sainsbury's stores FOR LIFE. They didn't pass my details on to the police, and I'm grateful for that. I can't begin to explain how debilitating this is for me. I know I caused it myself, but I shop for my partner who can't lift. I also have anxiety that's related to blood sugar issues and makes it hard for me to leave the house - I sometimes get caught out and I have to dip in somewhere immediately. I'm already hugely anxious about how this ban will affect me and I feel like I've let down my partner. I know I caused this on myself but I just can't face a lifetime ban for this stupid mistake. I was told I can appeal to the area manager for a lift on the ban. MY QUESTIONS ARE 1 - what should I include in the letter of appeal? What kind of tone should I take? Should I tell them my situation with my partner? 2 - if I admit to shoplifting in writing, will that make my case even worse? I already admitted in the store, so maybe this won't be an issue. 3 - Has anyone else had success lifting a ban like this before? Any advice on this much appreciated. I'm really ashamed and won't be shoplifting ever again.

Apologies if this is in the wrong forum, I have spent many hours going back through statements and other related paperwork. I have kept every scrap of paperwork so have proof of everything I refer to below. I would appreciate your help in what to do next. I have tried to summarise events as best I can. The things that stand out to me are the Mortgage Protection & Income Protection did I really need both and that Norwich Union would pay the bank commission for arranging the policy. There just seems too many Critical Illness/Life policies at this time the total we owed around this period was about £45,000. Looking at it now it just seems over the top. I am no expert and will stand corrected obviously. I would really appreciate it if someone would take the time to have a look through and advise what I should do next if anything. If there are any questions then I will do my best to answer them as soon as I can.Thanks in advance. Regards Will INCOME PROTECTION, ENDOWMENT POLICIES, CRITICAL ILLNESS, LIFE POLICIES 1984- 07.10.08 CIS Cooperative Insurance Policy Number xxx6695 This was the Insurance policy against Endowment Mortgage account Number 40-xx-xx xxxx2998 (xxxx8196) Interest Only Mortgage Guaranteed Death Benefit/Target Amount on maturity £19,000 CIS Premium: £39.06 15.08.94 Midland Repayment Protector IPT will increase your MRP premium from 1.10.94. your monthly premium £10.47. 20.09.95 Midland Life Mortgage Endowment with Critical Illness Benefit Plan xx4339R To be issued by Midland Life Limited on the lives of Myself and Wife. 1995 - 2006 Cover £10,000 Term 11 years Monthly Premium £60.30 03.10.95 Midland Level Term assurance policy with Critical Illness for Me sum assured of £52,054. On a Single Life basis for a term of 18 years. Policy xx9914L-01 1995 - 2013 £34.06 per month. 03.10.95 Midland Income Protection for Me after 26 weeks Premium £11.52 per month. 03.10.95 Norwich Union Healthcare will pay Midland Bank commission for arranging policy. 01.12.95 Norwich Union Healthcare Safeguard Income Protection Policy Number Insured me xx8593Scheme 26 wk DP/IND Link Monthly Benefit £518 Premium £11.52 10.04.96 Midland Mortgage Repayment Protector (MMRP) Insured Person Me Policy Number. MBRP xx9966 Monthly premiums £8.70. 04.09.1997 Midland Life Policy (Joint Policy)Mortgage Protection Plan with Critical Illness and Permanent and Total Disability Benefit Policy Number xx9542B Insured Persons Myself and wife Amount of Life Cover £10,500 decreasing over the term of the policy. Commencement Date 02.09.1997 Expiry Date 02.09.2007 Premium £13.68 20.10.2000 Norwich Union Healthcare Safeguard Income Protection Ref xx8593 (HSBC-was Midland 31.10.95) Commencement Date 01.12.95 Monthly Benefit £575 Premium £ 21.53 April 2005 HSBC Letter Mortgage Repayment Protector Policy MBRPxxx849 To say that the policy is administered on behalf of the Insurers by FirstAssist Insurance Services Limited, future DD will be collected by FAIS Limited instead of Royal & SunAlliance, w/c 22.05.05 12.04.06 HSBC Mortgage Payment Repayment Protector Policy Number MBRPxxx849 Monthly Benefit Increased from £550 to £1,300 Monthly Premium £77.22 (27.04.06) 20.10.09 Aviva Income Protection(see 03.10.95) Midland Bank/Norwich Union Agent Name HSBC Bank Plc Policy Number xx8593 Premium Monthly £32.67 Payment Due Date 01.12.09 Monthly Benefit £733

Hi everyone, i would like some advice please I have had an insurance policy for 11 years and i am claiming under the permanently disability rule that I can no longer do my job. I have now been informed by the hospital that i will have to wait 55 weeks for my operation which means that it will maybe be February 2018 before i get the operation.. I will then be on the sick for about 14 months with only benefits to keep me going. After the operation I will have 2 months recuperating time and even then I might not be able to go back to work . Is there anything that I can do to make the insurance company pay out or will I have to go to the ombudsman. Thanks i appreciate any help in this.

Hi, I have just been banned from all Tesco stores for life and had my key fob taken off of me. I was using the click and scan device and had not realised an item had not scanned. The security guard stopped me as i was leaving the store (in a panic as I thought my phone was sitting in the centre console of my car). I was taken through to the back room and had my photo taken (without me knowing), had my driving license copied and my key fob removed from my possession. The lady said she was about to finish her shift and she didn't really want to call the police. I explained that I had not realised it hadn't scanned. The outcome was that she told me I was banned and that I would receive a Civil recovery fine. My questions are 1) how much would the fine be and do I have to pay it? 2) what happens if I don't pay it? 3) how would they stop me from visiting other stores? do they get in touch with all my local ones? 4) really silly but due to having saved all my vouchers for years will I know lose them as I no longer have a key fob?

Good morning, My father has asked me if it is possible to reclaim a life insurance policy which he took out with Friends Life, actual policy was with AXA Assurance). When my father took out the policy he was not aware that the policy expired after 12 years (policy was taken out in 2004 and expired in 2016. He thought the policy was for the rest of his life and would pay out enough on his death to cover funeral costs etc. I have asked him if he recalls receiving any documentation confirming this either from them directly or through the post and he does not recall receiving anything advising him an expiry date. I have also personally checked through all of his paperwork and cannot find anything. I am guessing I would need to do a Subject Access Request with the organisation, where would I go from here would I follow the same route as a PPI claim, what do you believe our chances would be of succeeding. Any help/advice at all would be appreciated. Thank you.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/saving/article-2895425/Lloyds-life-misery-insisting-DEAD.html

Please forgive the length of this post. Very stressed mother of 20, 18 and 14. 18 year old staying on foster child. All in uni, college. Husband primary carer for looked after child. We rented the same house for 13 years, initially through an agent, but the landlord took over himself for the last 3 years. He was a pain and kept increasing rent every 6 months. We should have moved, but, children, work school etc. He issued a section 21 notice at which point we started looking for somewhere to live. I lost £750 in deposit and referencing fees. I have to admit that business wasn't going well and money was very tight so our rent was not very regular but it was paid. He applied for eviction and claimed arrears of rent via a money claim. The court refused him possession saying section 21 defective and he appealed. We stopped paying rent to save up a deposit and we finally found somewhere to live and moved. In the meantime, moneyclaim came to court. Sum was increased from £5k to £16k and court gave him judgement despite no notification on increased claim before I got to court. I told judge I would have come to court to with counsel if I had known. I appealed and was denied leave to appeal, but granted an oral hearing. Meantime, landlord withdrew appeal to judgement on Section 21 and asked we make repayment proposal as we have 2 very successful businesses. He has had in his head for years that we have money just don't want to pay him. He has been telling me he will ruin my credit for years everytime I argued about rent increase, looks like he will shortly get his wish. I will have to sign on and claim HB to be have any hope of being able to pay next month's rent if I don't get a job asap. I need transcripts, but can't afford to pay as I am currently unemployed though not on job seekers, I need to send a bundle to court shortly in advance of hearing but only have a thin idea of it needs to go in. Any, all advice most gratefully received.

Hi, My partner has had an agreement with IDEM services for a repayment plan of 95 pounds. She was diagnosed with Parkinsons in January. She has been without work for 2 years and now she must accept early retirement as she is no longer capable of working. We wrote to idem and her other creditors asking to reduce the figures to a token 5 pounds of which all but idem agreed. I will fill out and income/expenditure form for her to send, as now I am the only earner in the house and so am responsible for all expenses. is there anything I can do in order to get them to drop their figures or see sense, ultimately she will never realise the conculsion fo these debts as she is no longer in a position to earn money outside of her pension.

Hello, i discovered I have a CCJ, i was not aware of this, as I no longer live at the address, and only get my mail periodically. My question is this:- The CCJ was applied for by Bryan Carter Solicitors, it has now been transferred to Lowell Solicitors. Is that allowable? Secondly, I notice that a large part of the CCJ was made up in charges and interest which would have wiped the total amount of the CCJ. Can these be reclaimed back? Thanks.

Hi everyone, I'm hoping all you knowledgable folk on here can offer your assistance . I started a part time job last year. During the interview, I explained that I was looking for part time hours to enable me to pursue a hobby, which I also get paid for, not much but I do it because I love it. I don't claim any credits or anything like that, money isn't everything to me. They were receptive to this and liked hearing about it. They also explained to me that sometimes they may ask that I do some overtime during heavy workload periods, not often, just an hour or so here and there, which I was fine with. I was also told that it is optional, so if I am busy with my hobby then it's not a problem as long as it doesn't interfere with my normal working hours, which it doesn't. But the overtime is constant, not occasional. If they ask me if I can come in an hour early or stay for an extra hour, I will if I don't have plans. Even then, if my own workload takes me over my finish time, I will stay until I've finished to make sure it's done so it doesn't delay other departments. For example, last week they asked if I could come in an hour early, which I did, and I also stayed an hour later without being asked due to my own work, as mentioned above. I should also say that all overtime is paid. However, it seems that the optional aspect may not be entirely true. For example, I was told that I have to stay for an hour longer due to the workload. It was inconvenient and I missed out on earning a few pennies from my hobby that evening due to it, but it didn't matter to them. I have also overheard little comments and tuts from other team members when I'm leaving for the day and they're staying behind, but they haven't been asked to, they're doing it off of their own backs. I don't see how them staying behind is my problem if my workload has been finished and theirs has not. So really, I'm not happy that this overtime doesn't appear to be optional in most circumstances, despite what I was told in the interview and what it says in my contract, and I'm not happy with the other team member's attitude towards me. I realise that I probably can't do much about the latter, it's the most two-faced place I've worked to be honest. Where do I stand? As the overtime is optional then I have every right to turn it down if I'm unable to do it, right? It's really getting me down, I can't make plans anymore and the attitude stinks. Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Hi Everyone.....it's my first post here, I hope someone can give me a little bit of advice Yesterday lunchtime there was a huge knock on my door, answered the door and was greeted by what looked like 2 police officers (all in black, stab proof vests, walkie talkie) - my heart was in my mouth. They asked to speak with my husband (who wasn't in). They showed a badge and advised they were enforcement agents from the court to collect a debt for an unpaid council parking charge from 2014. Total amount owed £422. One of them radio'd to someone to tell them "stand down I've made contact". They came in and explained that bailiffs were following behind (30-40 mins) and should I not pay they would add fees on. I was absolutely in a bit of a panic, unsure what to do. I actually remember the debt and stupidly thought we had sorted it (we disputed owning the car at the time of the parking charge). The enforcement agents were polite and friendly but they said there was no option but to pay (if I couldn't pay or get someone to pay) then bailiffs would follow and they had already gained entry. So, I paid £422 on my debit card. He wrote me out a receipt and gave me details of who I needed to contact if I did dispute the debt (DVLA firstly then go to Northampton County Court with the evidence). He also showed me some paper trail on his ipad thing which said that someone had been at 7.08 on a Friday in January (I am in everyday with children so deffo not true). Now the panic is over I am feeling somewhat stupid. I looked at the receipt and it is from Marstons!!!!!! So, were they just bailiffs dressed up to look all official???? We have had no correspondence from the bailiffs (this I can guarantee as I work from home so get the post each day) I am guessing that this £422 is mainly fees???? How can it be fees when they have only just come??? So - I guess the question is what can I do? Anything? Other than the handwritten receipt I have no documentation (I had to call the enforcement agent to find out the court reference!!). Any help would be gratefully received. Thank you for reading. Luau

Hello CAG I haven't posted on here for a while, hoping you can help. I’m writing to complain about the way Barclays have reported the payment history on my Mortgage. I recently applied for a credit card and got refused; I signed up to ‘Credit Expert’ and spoke with one of their representatives who said the reason I was declined was probably because I have not been keeping up with my mortgage. Although I have had some difficulty in the past when I lost my job in 2009, I have not missed a mortgage payment in over six years so I thought this was odd. In 2009 I lost my job and was unable to pay my mortgage and, after a number of missed payments Barclays obtained an order of possession. Fortunately I regained employment and was able to strike a deal with Barclays just in time to fend off repossession. This deal was to pay my full mortgage payment plus an extra payment towards the arrears. This was under a suspended order of possession. I believe this is defined by the ICO as a rescheduling of the agreement. Barclays have agreed to reschedule the terms of the agreement for the medium to long term, in this case 4 years, in anticipation that the arrears would be cleared and I would return to the original level of payment and some of the arrears were recapitalised. It states quite clearly in the ICO guidelines how this arrangement should be reported: - The credit reference file should record the correct payment history up to the time of the rescheduling. - The account should be marked to show a new arrangement has been made, and reflect the modified repayment terms. - Any record of monthly payments after the reschedule should reflect payments made against the modified agreement. - Where a rescheduling of this type breaks down, a default may be filed when the total value of the arrears is equivalent to three monthly payments under the original terms. However, this should not result in the customer being placed in a worse position than someone who has made no effort to pay whatsoever. Yet Barclays have been reporting each payment as an ‘Arrangement to pay’. This is not factually accurate. An arrangement to pay is defined by the ICO as a temporary this involves a temporary, short-term (up to six months) arrangement where the lender agrees to accept reduced payments. Arrangement to pay markers imply that I have been making reduced payments towards my mortgage and that I am accruing arrears each month. This is not the case. Please advise. This is a major problem for me, the last AP marker was September of last year. This will be on my credit file until 2020. If I had known this was going to be how things would pan out, I would rather have defaulted in 2009 and had a clean credit file today. Its ridiculous that some one who defaulted six years ago is in a better position to some one who has paid off all the arrears.

Hi My parents wanted to close down their investment accounts with Standard Life and have the money in their banks so they could access their money more easily. They are in their 80s and are not that bothered about earning interest. We wrote to Standard Life, at their request, quite clearly stating which bank account to deposit the money. They paid the money, £27,500, into the wrong account. They paid it into a joint account, which is shared with my brother. Because my brother has been helping himself to the money, we have had to use my Dad's sole current account for any deposits, ie his pensions. Of course now my brother has stolen the £27,500, transferring it online to his own bank account. He also stole £94 from their joint account. We are in the process of freezing the joint account. A complaint has been raised with Standard Life as to how they could have made such an error. The woman I spoke to on Thursday said it was their error. Therefore, if my brother will not pay back the money he affectively 'stole', I would say it is up to Standard Life to recompense us. I would also like compensation for the stress their error has caused. My Dad has not asked my brother for the money back because he is slightly frightened of him. Do you think it unreasonable to ask Standard Life for compensation as well as refunding the money? If you think it is reasonable to ask for compensation, how much would you suggest we ask for?