Hiya just an update, my husband has been sacked and we are lodging an appeal against this as we have been informed that we could go for constructive dismissal due to errors in the procedural side. here is the letter: Having received the notice of dismissal on the 25th June 2009, I wish to appeal against this. There are several reasons behind why I want to appeal. This first started when I was assaulted by J's partner after work. She was present at the time and the assault was a result of her extending a dispute outside of the work place. Your duty to protect and care for your employees was compromised as she was in no way apprehended for her part in the assault, as it would never have happened if she did not extend the dispute. This caused me a great deal of emotional distress not just to me but to my family also. I no longer feel able to go into the town centre for fear of it happening again. I was subject to two disciplinary meetings. The first one included a vast array of allegations following meetings between E c and the staff members. All of the original allegations were discounted. I provided the relevant information that you requested and the doctor’s note which stated I had depression brought on from several recent traumatic events in my life. I have been described anti-depressants and will be attending counselling. I was told by N B that this was enough for me to return to work. I received a phone call from E C on Tuesday 16th June 2009 at 9:27 am, asking me to meet her at Costa coffee to have a chat and answer a few questions. This was an informal meeting between myself and E C, however when I received the letter inviting me to the second disciplinary it stated it was an investigative meeting. Investigative meetings should be carried out in the work premises, in order to be formal. I attended the disciplinary on Friday the 19th June. I was presented with the notes from Tuesday. I should have been given these at least 24 hours prior to the disciplinary so I could prepare accordingly, instead I had a limited time. I was told I would be informed of the outcome by the end of the day or Saturday. I received a phone call at 11:12am from N B on the 20th June 2009 which I accidently missed so I redialled at 11:13am and was informed that I was being dismissed, and that she had consulted the legal department and HR. I should have been re-called to an interview to explain why I had been dismissed, and then written to. Later that day I received a call from R B, the Leicester store manager, at 5:50pm on 20th June 2009, asking if I was alright as E C had told him I had been dismissed. This is appalling conduct as I had only been informed that day and was still unsure of the exact reasoning and yet other managers had already been informed. I have consulted ACAS on these matters and they have informed me of the correct procedures that should have been conducted as outlined above. I am currently seeking legal advice on these matters in order to ensure I receive a satisfactory reference for future employment. Please let me know if you think this letter is incorrect or unsuitable in anyways thanks as always

Hiya thanks for the quick replay. My husbands work does not have a union, he was only allowed a member of staff to accompany him but he didnt trust or know anyone well enough to involve them in this. There was no substantial evidence apart from what the employees had said. He answerd them to the best of his ability and knowledge. He had been with the company for 3 1/2 years and the manager for 3 of those years, he does not have any marks on his record nad has won several awards for the shop and continuously hit targets set! Which is why this is difficult to digest that he has been sacked.

My husband has just been sacked (i have posted about it in the employment section) would he qualify for any type of job seekers or any other benefits as i earn £15000 a year? My income does not cover the bills at all so anything he could get would be a great help. He wants to get a job asap! Thanks in advance

Help needed please............. My husband has just been sacked today by his work. 3 weeks ago he was assaulted by a member of staffs BF after all staff refused a 1-1. They were not doing their jobs properly after countless training and friendly discussions. After realising the collegue may get into serious trouble for her BFs actions all members of staff made false allegations towards my husband, saying he was rude, angry, was stealing etc etc. He was suspended on full pay whilst they were investigated. He had a disciplinary and handed in a doctors note as he was diagnosed as having under lying depression. The collegue was never punished for allowing her BF to assault my husband!!!! Last sunday we recieved a call from the police saying the BF had been formally cautioned. The tuesday after that the area manager called to say she would be talking to staff and could my husband answer a few questions and meet her at a coffee shop that day. He did and new allegations had suddenly come to light (after the police had cautioned BF). ( i thought you had to give 24hours notice before a meeting) All previous allegations had been cleared and my husband was clear and he could have returned to work except for these new allegations. He had a 2nd disciplinary yesterday and was presented with the notes from the tuesday (again i thought you had to have the notes for 24 hours before a disciplinary?) He was told he would have to wait for the outcome today. They rang this morning and said he was sacked. He does not yet know exactly what he has been sacked for. the allegations included taking company property - we borrowed the hoover and swapped it with ours temporarily because it worked better on out carpets - taking bribes from a customer - they were gifts for our wedding anniversary, brithdays etc - not charging a customer late fees for a service - my husband used his managers discretion for a very very long standing customer that generated a lot of profit for the store. He has also just recieved a call from a manger from another store who had just been informed by the area manager that my husband has been sacked (area managers dont work weekends!!!!) which i think is disgusting as he hasnt even had the letter through yet! He has 10 days after the letter has been recieved to lodge and appeal which we will do. I think the way they have handled everything is un professional and incorrect as the first allegations were cleared as there was no proof and a full audit had been done which showed not 1 item was missing! all the cctv was checked and re-viewed showing none if the alleged events. The 2nd allegations only came out as the BF had been cautioned and the employee was 'upset her boyfriend had been cuffed and arrested'. Surely they should have said all the allegations for the first disciplinary, not waited and then tell them. They also accused my husband of lying about the ammount he has his son and said that he has his on thursdays and every other weekend, which is also incorrect and nothing to do with any of them. He was also accussed of lying about a court custody battle we had to gain equal access!!!!!!!! Any help would be much appreciated as we are now in big trouble, my wage does not cover all the bills, i stand to looses my house, the car etcetc sorry for the long post thanks in advance

I cant quite remember his name, i think he has told me it once but thats it. Must be a tactic so i cant make a direct complaint. In the process of producing and sending another letter as they still havnt responded. I will also record the phone calls if i do decide to speak to them at all. They are evil, all of them. I would love to see what they would be like if the shoe was on the other foot!!!!!

My electric meter just has one line to read from with a dial that spins at the bottom but you cant read anything from it and my gas meter reads m3 on it with one line to read from! Sort of come to a full stop i think, I have double checked my appliances, they are all AA rated. I have a few energy saver light bulbs, dont leave things on standby etc.... Luckily though i think my application to transfer to scottish power has gone through, they have asked for a start reading for electic and have said my gas should follow on the 26th june, fingers X-d. They want £70 a month by DD for gas and electric, based on the highest level of consumption for a house my size/style, then i cn start re-paying npower at a reduced rate! Thank you for everyones help by the way esp mattlamb

I have been disputing with lloyds trying to reclaim my bank charges, i posted this in an earlier thread - "i recieved a letter from lloyds complaints dept today, it basicly says that because i signed the terms and conditions of the account when i opened it, that i agreed to the charges! they say that they think their charges are fair and that if i take them to court they will ask to put the case on hold. They also say they will not refund the intrest charged on the charges as this intrest it standard among all lenders as i had the 'benefit of borrowing the money'. I didnt borrow money i went overdrawn by £60 which has resulted in charges now totalling £300+ The weird thing is that they recognise i am in 'financial difficulty:cry: or hardship' - im on a dmp - yet say they want to negotiate a re-payment plan. Im confused now as to where i stand. What do i do? Does this mean the accounts on hold? and i have to wait for the court appeal to come through? I havnt yet recieved a response to the letter i sent about the telephone calls - i used the template provided by you guys thanks. Another thing - i had a silver account and downgraded this to standard as i switched banks so they couldnt take my money - yet they were still charging me the £7.95 and still are as far as i know (havnt had may statement yet) and have passed this to another department to investigate." Do i write again or just do nothing? Thanks in advance

I stupidly took out a 'debit card advance' with the money shop at the begining of january. I had to write out cheques to the value just incase i didnt pay by card. I rolled this over 3times at £40 a time as i was in no financial state to pay in full. I explained that i was struggling, they said i need to pay or they would cash the cheques and i would incur a £25 charger per cheque (3 cheques). They cashed the cheques! So now i have been issued by one of their default notices as they didnt clear. My balance is now £325.00 balance! They ring me allllll the time so i wrote saying i would only respond by letter or email. they ring my work and one day my collegue answerd the phone and they had a go at her thinking it was me!!! i was mortified! The bloke that rings me all the time says that untill i talk to him, he will continue to ring and that no letter has been recieved. Hes a nasty piece of work!!! they also send cards through the post, making it clear that i am in difficulty which is embarassing! they have not responded to my letter, i have proof it has been recieved as i sent it recorded and i have a copy of the letter! Any advice much appreciated as i will not be bullied by these people!!

hiya, i live in a property that is just 1 year old, i privately rent. I may have to move soon but am a bit worried as several things have happened in the house. Near the front door the plaster has cracked down the edge, same at the patio door, some of the plaster on the walls is cracked slightly and the skirting board leading up the side of the stairs has cracked at the bottom which is quite noticable. I dont think we have caused this and think its because the house is new and still setteling down into itself. I have however caused a few scuffs to the paint work from moving furniture, brushing against it etc, nothing majour, jus some marks. would i loose some of my deposit over this? i only paid a low deposit in comparison to the rent, so dont really want to loose any as would need to boost it up if i move Thanks

Hiya, it was quarterly on reciept of the bill, when i set up the account they said that as they wouldnt know my usage to ring up when i get the bill to arrange a re-payment plan. The bill was for 23rd december to 23rd April (had to ring in march when i got the first bill and give accurate readings as they only had estimates). The ammount owed for gas is £312.39 - 522 cubic meters first 22785 at 9.016p and the next 3028 at 2.488p. The ammount owed for electric is £312.39 - (from 23/12/08 - 30/03/09) - 1829 kwh used based on the 1st 196 at 15.52p and the next 1633 at 12.91p - (from 30/03/09 - 23/04/09) - 452 kwh used first 48 at 14.65p the next 404 at 12.19p. It just concerns me as when i lived at a preovious house because it was rented there were pre-payment meters and i used 40 on electric and 50 on gas a month even during winter, bearing in mind this house was a very old terraced with some wooden windows, older appliances and one window that didnt shut properly! Thanks again

i took the meter readings when i moved in, me and my landlady went round together. I agreed the units with npower over the phone in december, so i have no paperwork to state what the unit costs were that i agreed to. bearing in mind this is my first time dealing with my own bills like this. my first bill i revieved from npower had the correct opening units on in, but the final readings were estimated so i rang up and gave the correct readings and this doubled my bill to £655 my meters are outside in those flimsy lockable cupboards child is 6years old, is my partners son, and stays with us mostly every night. I have even checked my meters to see if they are the new ones and not old ones that have been recycled to see which volume i am being measured in. Hope this helps answer a few of the questions Thanks

I am absolutly fuming, got home today and have had a letter from npower saying that they will instruct a debt litigation officer to come to my house and cut off my gas an electric!!!!!!!! on or after 9th june 2009!!! I have a child!!!! They want me to set up a payment plan of £158 a month to pay them off.... i cannot afford that but they said no this is the only option or pre-payment meters! Im not allowed pre-payment meters!!!! i owe them £655.15. HELP please coz im livid! :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Hiya, Wondering if anybody can help me? Got my quarterly bill from npower and it is £650 for gas and electric. My house is less than a year old, has A rated appliances, gas central heating on a thermostat, cavity wall insulation, uvpc doors windows etc, and a 3bed semi. This to me sounds rediculously high and they want me to pay £158 a month which there is no way i can afford as i am going to uni soon so will be a poor student. They said the only other option is to fit pre-payment meters but my landlady wont let me and i hate them. My husbands wage will just cover the bills and thats it. Just wondering where i stand? I tried to switch providers but they wont let me because of the outstanding balance. I was told once by edf that an energy contract is a 30day rolling thing and that they cant make you pay any more than what you can afford. Just wondering if anyone knows what i can do about this? Thanks in advance

Thanks for the advice, i recieved a letter from lloyds complaints dept today, it basicly says that because i signed the terms and conditions of the account when i opened it, that i agreed to the charges! they say that they think their charges are fair and that if i take them to court they will ask to put the case on hold. They also say they will not refund the intrest charged on the charges as this intrest it standard among all lenders as i had the 'benefit of borrowing the money'. I didnt borrow money i went overdrawn by £60 which has resulted in charges now totalling £300+ The weird thing is that they recognise i am in 'financial difficulty:sad: or hardship' - im on a dmp - yet say they want to negotiate a re-payment plan. Im confused now as to where i stand. What do i do? Does this mean the accounts on hold? and i have to wait for the court appeal to come through? I havnt yet recieved a response to the letter i sent about the telephone calls - i used the template provided by you guys thanks. Another thing - i had a silver account and downgraded this to standard as i switched banks so they couldnt take my money - yet they were still charging me the £7.95 and still are as far as i know (havnt had may statement yet) and have passed this to another department to investigate. Thanks in advance your help is much appreciated

Hiya, I recently sent letters off to lloyds reclaiming bank charges and to complain about the exceptional level of telephone calls. I have recieved letters saying it has been passed to various departments (all letters are the same wording just different contact details for the various depts) now i have had a letter saying my account is being passed to a DCA! I though they couldnt do this if the account is in dispute? Needless to say i rang them up and they have placed a 14day hold on the account! Another thing, i downgraded my account from silver to normal yet am still being charged for the silver account!!!!! Again increasing my unauthorised overdraft, incurring more charges. This account is also joint with my husband and last october i asked them to change my address as we had moved. They did but all of my husbands correspondance still goes to the old address. The account is set so that we can both make changes without permission from one another and the other doesnt have to sign anything. This is a risk of DPA breach surely? As any one could b opening the letters and using the personal data? Thanks in advance for any replies and help! I will be sending the letter before action if i have not recieved an acceptable resoultion to my complaints by friday!!!!! They will not get away with this!!!! Thanks again

Carphone warehouse provide a digital photograph of the water damaged area, this will normally show the area or corrosion, which is normally a rusty patch or a white powdery patch. Water damage can be caused by a number of things as mentioned above, i have seen a water damaged phone of someone that put it near the kettle whilst making tea, the steam got in the phone therefore causing irriperable damage

Thanks for the help

Hey, im leaving full time work and going to uni (providing i get excepted) in january 2010. I will be doing a diploma in nursing. Because of this the NHS pays a monthly bursary of £560. Is this classed as income? I am currently on a DMP and am thinking that when i become a student, maybe a debt releif order may be better for my husband and i. We had no assetts, but im worried that they will class this as an income when in fact it is for my studys, transport to and from uni and hospital placements, books, uniform etcetc. I will be going from a full time worker to a full time student. My course is 47 weeks a year 5days a week. Thank you in advance for any help you can provide xx

Hiya, have recieved a quick reply to my leter to lloyds ' i am just writing to let you know we have recieved your complaint. thank you for taking the time to get in touch. It is important your complaint gets the attention it deserves so we have sent it to our andover customer service recovery center which specialised in complaints like yours..... It will take a couple of days for the complaint to reach them blah blah blah our enquiries should be completed within 4 weeks .......' I gave them a 14 day deadline, do i stick to this? and is this letter a standard reply? Thanks in advance

dont get me started in these people, they make me sick, i was 2 months late with council tax so they sold the whole years debt to moorcroft, had a baliff round my house saying unless i let him in i will get arressted!!! He could see how distressed i was yet carried on! i was then forced to pay £300 a month to them to clear the debt - only now do i know my rights and when i rang to complain the woman shouted at me down the phone!!! SICK BULLIES

is it legal for lloyds tsb to ring my husband 4 times at work during the day, and several times on his mobile everyday? He told them to stop ringing because it was harrassment and therefore illegal and they said it wasnt. Getting beyond a joke now, good job hes the manager or he could be having to answer to someone over this! im sending the telephone letter tomorrow by recorded post but just needed a bit or reassurance so i know what im talking about when i fight back thanks

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated. Recieved a letter from a dca on behalf of quick quid offering me a reduced final settlement fee, i have written a letter in responce stating i am not in a financial situation to settle in full and included a £5 token cheque untill we set up an appropriate re-payment scheme. I am going to write to the money shop to see what can be done Thanks again

Hiya, my husband has a payday loan, an old one with quick quid. this was constantly rolled over for a period of 4+ months untill it just got too much and we stopped paying it as it was spiralling. My husband has now recieved hundreds of calls, at work and on his mobile so i have written a letter requesting all calls to stop and email to be the primary method of contact. I have included a request for total balance so i can sort a re-payment plan. The issue is they have our old address, i do not want to give them our new address, is this ok? Also, i have 2 payday advances, one with the money shop and one with poundstillpayday. I have cancelled my bank cards so they cannot take money as i cannot afford to re-pay it any more - just had a £600 gas and electric bill!!!!!!! Im worried that as poundstillpayday have my bank details they will set up the direct debit randomly and debit my account. Also the cheques that the money shop has will not clear if they bank them if i dont pay. Last time i stuggled to find the fee, they basically said it wasnt their problem and would present the cheques anyways so i had to borrow funds from my student sister. Where do i stand on repayment? I must have paid off the ammounts with the roll over payments but obviusly these are just their extortionate charges. How can i also make sure they do not ring my work as if my boss answers i will be mortified! And one of them asked for the contact number of a close friend, me being stupid gave them one and i dont want her to get calls either. Any info or advice would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance

Hiya, had the same sort of problem, i had a pre-payment meter fitted but was told by the engineer that they would never cut you off if you have a child! Hope that gives you some peace of mind.

Thankyou for you help, i have internet banking so i will be checking on there, i will be sending both the letter for the charges and the letter for the telephone calls, as again my husband has had 2 phone calls from them... on a sunday!, thanks again