The FSA website suggests that claimants living in Scotland should put in their sheriff’s court claim in now, rather than waiting for the FSA outcome. Apparently it might prejudice the case if I don’t. My last letter to Halifax was on 12 July 07, and I was waiting on the FSA since any outcomes would have to await the FSA outcome anyway. Now I'm not so certain.... Any advice?

I haven't had a correct bill from Vodafone since I signed up a 24-month business contract with them over a year ago! They don't seem to be able to get the billing system to correctly charge for services signed up for at contract. Last month's debited bill was over £345 - it should have been £55.90! I have lost count of the number of times Voda's customer services have said 'it's now sorted' - until the next bill comes in and the calcs are wrong again. No-one would give me a contact name, either. Vodafone is not billing services correctly as per my contract and is therefore breaking the rules of the direct debit guarantee. Under the Direct Debit guarantee scheme, you can expect that bills presented are 'correct' ie, they represent the correct figure for the services provided under the terms of your contract. You can reclaim direct debits paid which are 'wrong' because the bill calculation was wrong in the first place. Do not cancel the direct debit instruction: just reclaim or cancel the incorrect payments by calling your bank. My bank struggled a little to find a category, but were very helpful. You either cancel the DD on the day it goes out, or you claim it back after it's paid. I confirmed my actions by registered post to Vodafone and the bank, and offered to pay Vodafone the correct amount for that month in the letter. (You have to claim the whole amount back, not the incorrectly debited proportion.) Ask to escalate the problem to a Team Leader when you next speak to Customer Services. So far, it seems to have worked - I have a real person to deal with, and the problem (which they've admitted is known/common) is being dealt with systematically for the first time. Watch this space. Hoping for the same joy in reclaiming some bank charges...