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Becca00

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Posts posted by Becca00

  1. Last night I got a call from the police to say my daughter, who is 15, had been accused of shoplifting by a shop keeper.

     

    On her way home from town she went into a shop with a friend (more of an acquaintance)

    who had offered to buy my daughter a packet of crisps.

     

     

    Daughter handed a packet to the friend then walked about 6 feet away to look at something else.

    A few minutes later the friend then put the crisps, along with another packet, into their bag and ran out of the shop.

     

     

    My daughter was a bit confused as to what was going on and started walking towards the door.

    The shop staff then rushed to the door and locked it so she couldn't get out.

     

    My daughter was quite frightened at being locked in a shop, at ten o'clock at night, with three men

    and so was shouting at them to let her out.

     

     

    The staff phoned the police who came to the shop about 20 minutes later.

    The owner of the shop was phoned and said that as she was under 16,

    if her mother agreed to pay for what had been taken, he wouldn't pursue the matter with the police.

     

    The police who attended phoned me and explained what had happened.

    I agreed that I would phone the shopkeeper the following day to discuss paying for what had been taken.

     

     

    At this point, both myself and the police were told that my daughter and her friend had filled the friends bag with goods

    before the friend ran off, which turns out not to be true according to my daughter.

     

    The shop has cctv, and after explaining to my daughter that she had to tell me the whole truth about what happened,

    and that the police would be able to see exactly what had happened on the cctv,

    I am absolutely convinced that there were 2 packets of crisps involved

    and that my daughter did not actually steal anything.

     

     

    She may be a stroppy teenager but has always been very honest

    and I can usually tell if she's trying to pull the wool over my eyes,

    and she's very respectful of authority and would have caved in when the police questioned her if she'd done something wrong.

     

    I phoned the shop keeper this morning and he was talking about damage to his business,

    staff wages for the time they had to spend with the police, bags full of goods stolen.

    I really think he's trying to pull a fast one.

     

     

    He said he hadn't seen the cctv footage yet, and neither had the staff in the shop,

    but he will ring me tomorrow when he's seen it to let me know how much he thinks I should pay him.

     

    I know that shoplifting is a huge problem, and feel for those shopkeepers who lose out financially because of it.

    I know that their income suffers, prices have to be increased to make up for losses etc etc,

    so I'm not making light of the fact it was a couple of packets of crisps.

     

    What I would like to ask is

    does anyone know what the legal stance is as to holding a 15 year old locked in a shop?

    All the shop staff saw her do was hand a packet of crisps to her friend.

     

     

    She had nothing hidden on her, hadn't left the shop, yet they locked her in for around 20 minutes and she was very frightened.

     

     

    Can they make me pay, for what I suspect will end up being a large amount of goods that were never taken?

    The shop keeper said his cctv isn't very clear. Can I ask to see this myself?

     

    Any advice would be great thanks

  2. Reference not a problem now and they are giving standard reference as they do for all employees. I think the manager will take her time with it though....

     

    Still no word back about my notice period but apparently the manager said to someone she thought I was leaving end of January which is what I wanted to fingers crossed.

     

    Spoke with the manager again yesterday and she gave me my shifts for xmas and new year. Company policy is that employees have to work either xmas or new year, xmas being counted as any day from 24th, 25th, 26th, new year being any day from 31st, 1st, 2nd. Among other days she has allocated me to work 26th then a late shift 31st, 14 hour shift 1st, 14 hour shift 2nd, late shift 3rd. So I am down to work both xmas and new year and she's really gone to town with my shifts for the new year week!!

     

    Am I right in thinking that if I am signed off up to and including this coming Monday, that Monday counts as being part of the qualifying period for sickness, therefore SSP and contractual sick pay are payable, therefore I wouldn't be required to work a full week on my return on Tuesday?

     

    Thanks

  3. Thanks for the replies. Quick update!

     

    Went to work the day after I posted and had an awful day and ended up going to the doctor and being signed off sick for 2 weeks. i've spent most of that time sleeping and trying to get back to normality. I was absolutely exhausted with the ridiculously long hours and work load.

     

    During this time I have been offered another job which I applied for before I went off sick, and I have accepted it. I have written to the director of my current company asking if my notice period can be reduced to the same as other deputies in my company as I believe my contract is incorrect. No word back yet but she would only have got the letter yesterday.

     

    A reference request for my new job was sent to the manager which she received today. This was confirmed by someone else at work. I am due to go back to work next week and rung my manager this evening to let her know I would be coming back to work. I said to her to expect a reference request and she didn't let on that she had already received it. She asked when I would be starting my new job and i said it depended on my notice period as I believed my contract was incorrect. I told her I had sent the letter to the director. She then sounded really off with me and wanted to know who had told me my notice should be 2 months and said it must have been a previous employee who had done my contract and not her. I know for a fact it was her, and yet again she's trying to wriggle out of something she's done wrong. I did however acknowledge in the letter to the director that I should have checked it at the time of signing which I didn't.

     

    The office manager at work who usually types up the standard references that the company give said to the manager today that she would type one up for her to sign and the manager told her not to as she needed to speak to the director about it. I have a feeling she is going to be her usual horrible self over this and delay sending a reference or not send it at all. I feel like never going back into that place but I'm determined not to let her get the better of me and I WILL return next week to work the rest of my notice period.

     

    I volunteered this evening to work any shifts that are needed over the new year period and said my main reason for phoning was that I didn't want her to think I would be taking the whole of my notice period off sick, and that I was definitely returning. She did acknowledge this and thanked me for phoning her.

     

    If the company policy is for everyone to be given a standard reference can she treat me any differently? Can they make me stick to 3 months notice even though all other employees in the same role have 2 months? I was over the moon when I was offered the new job but starting to feel a bit deflated now as it seems she will try to jepeordise this for me.

  4. I am currently working as deputy manager in a residential care home.

     

    I am handing in my notice tomorrow as I feel I can no longer work with my manager. I love the home and all the staff and was delighted when I was promoted a year ago, around the same time we got a new manager.

     

    The new manager is awful. She is lazy, shuts herself in her office all day, doesn't know her staff, doesn't know the residents. The only time she comes out of her office is to have a quick look round the home looking for faults.

     

    I have had issues on and off with her since I started in my current job. I am 49 and she talks to me like a 4 year old, finds fault in everything I do, has been extremely unsupportive towards me in my new role and at times is verging on being a bully. I am contracted to work 40 hours a week but regularly work 50 or more, simply to get the jobs done that she piles onto me.

     

    Company policy is that managers and deputies don't get paid overtime so I'm not being paid for the extra hours. She lies to get herself out of trouble and dumps everyone else in it with the company directors.

     

    Around 6 months ago I spoke with one of the directors to say I had concerns about the home and the way in which the manager was treating staff and residents. The director was very understanding and set up a meeting with the 3 of us to try to sort things out. Looking back, it was made out to be me who had an issue, not the manager!

     

    Since then the director has more or less acknowledged my concerns on several occassions with comments she has made to me, but nothing is being done about her terrible performance and terrible manner with others.

     

    One of the company's senior managers spoke with me last week and said she knows exactly what is going on but doesn't know what to do about it. I am at the stage now where I just can't do it any more. I feel sick at the thought of getting out of bed each day to go to work, have constant headaches and stomach upsets, feel constantly anxious and on edge even when I'm not at work. I am tired of going in each morning not knowing what time I will finish (not nice to have to tell my child I've no idea what time I will be home!), not knowing what mood she will be in.

     

    At work I spend all day wondering when the next 'telling off' will happen, and trying to avoid contact unless necessary. There isn't a week goes by without one of the staff in tears, and the atmosphere is terrible.

     

    I could write 50 pages of how she makes my life at work very difficult, from trying to cancel my annual leave to basically blanking me when I go in her office and not looking at me when she speaks, to shouting down the phone and making sarcastic comments about my work, not answering her phone when on call so I am basically on call constantly, telling me she's angry for carrying out the directors instructions and saying the director needs to 'button it' because it was something she didn't like.

     

    Anyway, the point of this post is that I am going to hand my notice in tomorrow. My contract states 3 months notice and the thought of this is unbearable. I don't want to go off sick - I'll keep that as a last resort - as my sickness record is excellent.

     

    I'm not concerned about references as the company policy is to give just a basic reference saying what my position in the company is and the dates which I worked there. I haven't got another job yet but in this area jobs in care homes are in abundance so I have no worries about being able to get one quickly.

     

    I don't think my employer will be happy to agree an early date for leaving (I was hoping for 2 months or 6 weeks). Is there anything I can do to get out of my contract early? I don't know if it makes a difference but I was supposed to have a performance review at the end of my 13 week probationary period and that never happened.

     

    Thanks and sorry for the long post!!

  5. I moved into an old farm cottage a few years ago which is owned by a country estate who have a factor who deals with lettings. The previous tennants moved out due to the disrepair, damp issues etc. The house was renovated before I moved in, including new oil central heating system. The house looked lovely. New carpets, magnolia walls throughout, new kitchen, new radiators.

     

    Fast forward 3 years! No end of problems with the heating.

     

    Heating

    The first month or so the new boiler kept breaking down leaving me with no heating for periods in late winter/early spring. Plumber said it was a terrible boiler and he spoke to the factor about replacing it. Being a penny pincher he decided it should just be repaired.

     

    A year later I had an oil leak and lost about 100 pounds of oil. It is an outside boiler and I stepped out the front door one morning to a huge puddle of oil. That was fixed, then at the start of December last year all but 2 of my radiators were only barely luke warm. Plumber paid me around 10 visits all together, checking radiators, re pressurising boiler every couple of days anf then finally after 2 months of faffing about he put leak stuff in the system which seems to have resolved the issue.

     

    I had to buy a couple of halogen heaters as the house was freezing while this was going on, so am out of pocket for those and the extra electricity. Its been a miserable winter and I've had to take my 12 year old daughter to my dad's for baths as the bathroom was like a fridge and she was in tears one night as she was so cold in the bath.

     

    I wrote to the factor asking to be compensated for being out of pocket and for the inconvenience. 4 weeks later and no reply, so I wrote again and he replied saying no compensation will be given as it isn't their policy to compensate for system breakdowns. Doesn't surprise me as he's well known for being a penny pincher and and a difficult man to reason with. He's known for ages that the boiler is rubbish after the previous issues with it! That's not the only issue I gave with the house!!

     

    Cracks in ceiling/mold/damp

    Cracks have appeared in the living room ceiling and bedroom ceilings which have been there before I moved in as you can see where they've just been patched over. They zig zag across the ceiling. Some are 6 or 7 feet long and 3 or 4mm wide and they are gradually getting worse. At one of them in the living room there is an area about a foot in diameter which is covered in brown mold spots and patches and in the bedroom there are 5 damp patches in the area where the cracks are. There is an area of damp at the bottom of the wall in one corner of the living room where the plaster is now starting to come away.

     

    Lighting issue

    There is no downstairs light in the hall, just one upstairs. The switch at the bottom of the stairs doesn't work and never has so I have to go upstairs in the pitch dark to switch it on.

     

    I made the factors office aware of these issues 6 weeks ago. 4 weeks ago they sent their maintenance man round to look at the house. He said they may put a new living room ceiling up under the existing one,without any mention of investigating why the cracks/mold have appeared. He said he'd be back in a couple of weeks which never happened. What can I do?

     

    The house looks nice on the surface so don't know how much disrepair it can be siad to have. I have registered on the council house list but it takes about 10 years to get a house in this area, and I have also registered with the local housing association. I'm a single parent and worry about causing roo much of a fuss incase the factor gives me notice to leave.

     

    Any suggestions?

  6. Just found this on a website:

     

    "Damage done by children. If a child causes damage , a conciliatory approach to settle the matter is probably the best solution. Legally, the child can be sued for damages if s/he is old enough to know what s/he was doing. In practice, this is unrealistic since few courts would look favourably on such an action, and a child is unlikely to have much money to pay any damages.

    However, the parents of the child may be liable for negligence and damages if they have trusted the child with something dangerous that was beyond her/his capability to use responsibly, for example, an air gun. The parents may also be liable if they have failed to exercise the control that would be expected of a parent given the child's age.

     

    Does this mean I can be held liable for negligence as the quad bike could be deemed dangerous? I knew my daughter and her friend were going on the quad bike and they were told to drive slowly which they did. When they were driving round the farmyard they stayed in first gear and tried to be very careful. They weren't driving recklessley, it was just a silly accident.

  7. Today I recieved a letter from the trailer insurance company:

     

    "We write to you regarding damage caused to (trailer owner's name) horse trailer by a quad bike being driven by your daughter.

     

    Please note from the circumstances of the incident we will be looking for reimbursement of our outlay as the quad bike was being driven by your daughter when it collided with our poiicyholder's parked trailer.

     

    We will provide evidence of our outlay in due course in support of the claim, however we can confirm that the cost will be in the region of £570.

     

    Please can you acknowledge reciept of this letter and confirm that you will be dealing with the matter.

     

    I look forward to hearing from you."

     

    HELP!! What do I do now? Any advice very much appreciated

  8. Long story!!

    I am a single parent with an 11 year old daughter.

    We have a pony which we keep at a livery yard on a working farm.

    A few weeks ago we were at the yard and the farmer was there with his quad bike.

    He allowed my daughter and another child to drive the quad bike.

    While they were on the quad bike it skidded into my friends horse trailer causing 2 small dents and the plastic wheel guard was damaged.

    Luckily the children weren't hurt.

     

    My friend pays around 5 or 6 pounds a month for insurance for the trailer.

    She said she could claim for the damage and myself and the mother of the other child agreed that we would pay any excess

    and cover any increase in premium at renewal if this was due to my friend making a claim.

     

    My friend told me tonight that the quote for repairing the damage was over £800 as a whole panel on the trailer would need to be replaced.

    There is no excess on her policy so the other mother and I were quite relieved that all we would have to pay was any increase in premium.

     

    My friend then informed us that she was passing our details onto the insurance company who had said they would pursue us for the money they pay out.

    The other mother and her husband are on benefits as her husband is no longer able to work after having a heart attack.

    I am a single parent and I do variable shifts as a nurse.

    I get working tax credit and child tax credit and as my income in variable,

    some months I get some housing benefit to help towards my rent.

    I cannot afford to pay the money for the repairs to the trailer and wanted to try and find out if I will be liable for the money

    when it was my daughter and another girl who did the damage.

     

    Due to my income, will I have to pay if I am liable.

    Does anyone have any advice please?

    So worried as don't know what I'll do if I'm chased for this kind of money:-(

  9. Ricyd - a while ago in my Barclaycard thread I asked about whether I would have to go to a court in England if it came to court action and I was advised by Slick who is a member of the Site Team:

    "If you or the bank start court action and a defence is filed, you would seek and get a transfer of the case to your local county court. This is where the case would by run from and where any hearings would be held"

     

    Hope this helps.

  10. Just been reading your thread with interest. I am also going through this with Barclays having initially made a cca request last December. Been passed around to Mercers, Calder and a Scottish dca (can't remember their name off the top of my head) with threats of door step collecters and hundreds of phone calls. All went quiet around 8 weeks ago so I'm just sitting tight and waiting to see what happens next. Appears to be great news about the December 1st thing.

    :)

    Will keep watching your thread to see how you get on.

  11. I also recieved the latest letter from Sharkleys yesterday. Funny thing is they have sent me diddly squat in response to my cca request. Not even an application form! I got a letter a couple of months back saying something would be sent under seperate cover but nothing came. Will keep an eye on your thread to see what happens next.

     

    :confused:

  12. Thanks Sunflower - made me chuckle. Rang the swine flu helpline but all I got was crackling.......

     

    Mercers calls haven't been as often since I sent Scotcall a letter, only seems to be a couple a day. My daughter thinks its great fun trying to get to the phone before it rings off. She thinks it's people trying to sell me windows. She managed to get to the phone one day and answered 'Dominos pizzas! Do you want pepperoni or chicken with that?' They hung up! lol!

     

    Still no agreement from Barclays - won't hold my breath....

  13. Hi there. I am currently struggling with Barclaycard to get hold of my credit agreement. Sent cca request beginning of Dec last year which has been ignored. Account passed to their inhouse monkeys Mercers. Now recieved letter from Scotcall saying they will visit me at home to collect the debt! I have a thread on the Barclaycard forum on which I have been given huge amounts of reassurance and support whenever I post anything. One thing I'd like to ask on this forum is whether anyone knows of an alternative way of getting hold of your credit agreement other than the cca request or sar. In England you can go down the CPR route but I believe this only applies in England and Wales. As I live in Scotland I wanted to ask if anyone know the best way to do things here?

     

    Thanks!:)

  14. Thanks Sunflower. Have spent the last hour reading through both threads and feel a lot better now, knowing the Scotcall thing is quite routine for Sharkleys. Wasn't so bothered when Mercers threatened to send someone but just got a bit of a fright when it was a different company. Will post off the bemused letter to Scotcall tomorrow and get a letter ready just incase they come to call. Already have my camera at the ready following previous advice so will just sit back and wait for them now.

     

    Many thanks

     

    xx

  15. Still nothing from Sharkleys. Last letter from them a few weeks ago said they'd send a copy of my agreement under seperate cover but it hasn't appeared yet. However, got a letter from Scotcall today which spooked me a bit. It states they are acting on behalf of Mercers and have been instructed by them to collect the outstanding arrears due on my Barclaycard account. If I don't ring Mercers immediately it may lead to a personal visit by one of their representatives to collect payment.

     

    What should I do? Should I reply stating account is in dispute as no agreement has been sent to me? Is it ok to do this by email or is a recorded letter best?

     

    I've read on other threads about Scotcall being involved with Barclaycard arrears so trying not to panic too much!!:eek:

  16. Thanks for that. It's the court bit that worries me. Would I have to travel down to a court in Northampton or elsewhere in England or would things happen at my local court in Scotland? Does anyone know?

     

    Many thanks.

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