It is unfortunate that it appears those most affected by the cuts the Tories have and wish to have implemented just do not vote. I live in a small close of 22 houses where about eight households have someone in full time employment - mostly care workers and cleaners. 12 households claim some form of benefit and 2 I do not know anything about. Yet to my knowledge three people voted in the last general and council elections (I don't know about postal votes that may knock the total up a little) and that included myself and the wife! Yet when I talk to any of my neighbours whilst out walking the dog they are very happy to moan and groan all day long and are happy to admit they do not vote. 'Waste of time' - 'they're all the same' - 'no point' and so on is the response. One rather load mouthed individual was even proud of the fact that he had never voted in his life - 62 years old and unemployed for health reasons. When you have such apathy it is hardly surprising the Tories are doing what they are. I live in a constituency that has been Tory without a break since 1950 yet if the total electorate voted I doubt if we would have had a single Tory MP in that period. People living in the working class poorer areas of the constituency have a very poor turn out record. Yet the affluent areas that ring the constituency have a very high turn out record which is the Tory vote and they are very successful in making sure these people vote.

If you send it by ordinary mail with a certificate of posting is a package deemed delivered in a certain time frame according to the Interpretation Act? If this is the case I do not think Tesco can get past that!

You will be very lucky indeed if eBay send you the call transcript - particularly from a telephone request. Perhaps others with more knowledge can advise? I suspect your best course of action would be to send a SAR (cost £10) specifically requesting a copy of the telephone conversation plus any other information they hold regarding your account.

Paypal, as far as I know, have never taken anyone to court. What you will get are threatening letters from whichever debt collector they currently use. Personally I think you can ignore this until your receive Court papers which IMHO is highly unlikely. Your Paypal account is now knackered and possibly your eBay account. But it is not too difficult to open new ones. You simply need different email addresses and a different bank account. A small change of other details and you are up and running again. For example if your registered name with either was John Albert Fish - just re-register as J.A. Fish and put something like Ground Floor at the beginning of your address. Unless someone reports you eBay/Paypal will not pick this up as almost everything is computer generated - so the slight differences simply mean a brand new registration! So I would stop worrying about this until you actually have to.

If you live in the Middle East you can simply buy a bank draft (cheque) from a money changer. When I lived in Kuwait such a service cost half a Dinar which was then about a quid. Elsewhere I have no idea - but British PO's are still available in some places - Malta being one. And banks in some countries do offer 'counter cheques' in a variety of currencies. These are cheques you buy made out to whoever you nominate in the currency of your choice payable through a bank in that country. You will need to check what is available where you live.

I am a businessman (now semi retired) and I remember very well what it was like before EU membership exporting to the EU zone. All my items had to have a green customs label (if sent by post) attached on the reverse stating the full retail value of the item. On arrival it was delayed and had customs duty applied and clearance charges applied. My customers expected to pay the price in my lists not all the extras so I ended up relying on the home market for my sales. Then there were the hassles with larger items and the charges employing someone to clear the way through all the red tape and myriads of regulations. Since membership - all gone. No charges no red tape and my items reach my customers quickly and at the price in my lists. In the end I gave up and lived in the Middle East where I had no hassles trading as where I lived was part of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) I also lived in West Africa where ECOWAS was/is the trading block - again few hassles. We leave the EU we are on our own - having to negotiate our trading terms from zilch. Back comes all the red tape and expenses of trading with countries where we have no customs union. Also the effect on prices as we import items - the Government will as sure as night is day slap on customs duties again as they do for items imported from outside the EU. The days of EFTA are long gone and even if it was revived the countries its regulations/agreements applied to were almost without exception minor economies compared to the UK's. I suppose as I am now an old fart it would not have much effect on me personally now if we stayed or left but it would have a huge impact on my children and grandchildren. Fortunately they do not appear to have the hangups many have as the 'Rule Britannia' and sod the rest generation one hears often arguing in the local hostelries.

Companies like Toyota, Nissan and the like (from outside the EU) only located here because of easy access to the European market. All those jobs will go and all the 'feeder' jobs as well. Suppliers plus all the jobs that exist because of the primary jobs the main factory provides - corner shops, supermarkets, plumbers, gardeners, window cleaners et al. All these will be relocated inside the EU because there will be no customs duties, currency conversion fees and the like to pay. Places like Swindon and Sunderland will become ghost towns. Whether you like or dislike the EU an awful lot of jobs depend on our membership and leaving seems like cutting off your nose to spite your face. Once outside the EU no one is going to give much credence to the UK or care too much if we are in terminal decline because of a few ' hurrah Henry's' who hark back to the time when the world map was a quarter Union Jack. There is no doubt we could survive outside the EU - but at what cost! Personally I'd rather have a comfortable existence inside the EU rather than a very uncertain one outside it.

Thanks Armadillo for the useful information. As my wife will be away for a month or more leaving me to hold the fort I will keep an eye on her mail and see what transpires - if anything! It just amazes me they get away with what they do. Several of my wife's friends have been caught by this outfit and coughed up the money they demanded without question - a very nice little earner for little or no effort from people who really should know better.

On 27th April my wife mailed off her letter asking for a POPLA code for the Parking Charge notice she received. Proof of postage was obtained. Since that date a deafening silence. Does this parking company have to provide a POPLA code within a certain time frame or is this open ended? She disappears off on a family holiday to the far east in a week or so's time and really wanted this done and dusted by now so can she safely ignore this and forget it or is it likely to come back and bite her on the bum at some later stage?

A bit like a German Shepherd wanting to be called a Dachshund! Ethnicity is not something you can change as it is a descriptor. If you are Negroid what is the point of trying to label yourself as Caucasian? Or vice-versa?

I don't think you can use the Small Claims as your seller is in Scotland. You will have to issue the claim through his local Sheriff's Court (I think) which operates like the Small Claims here in England. Personally I have done this to someone in Scotland who ripped me off and was successful but that was many moons ago so things may have changed a bit since then. What I did was write to his local court asking for Claim forms to be sent to me which I then filled in, sent off with payment for the fees. I did not attend and the defendant in my case did not turn up or offer any response so I won by default and the defendant then coughed up. Before you go down this line find out what the process is these days in chasing someone in Scotland as I'm way out of date.

Presumably the seller insisted on the f&f option? This should have set alarm bells ringing because it negates any protection Paypal affords. It should only be used for what it is meant for - certainly not for sending payments to someone you do not know! Anyway no use 'crying over spilt milk' now! Your only option it seems is the Small Claims. So long as you have a print off of the sales listing (his advertisement) with all the claims the seller makes and proof his description was misleading (an independent report. eye witness statements etc.) you should win. If this sale was 'word of mouth' you may have a harder time proving your case if the seller defends. But if he knows he is in the wrong he may back down thinking it is not worth all the hassle so see what his reaction is to a LBA because if he loses the cost of the claim is added to the total cost.

Unless you used the family and friends option to send the money you can do a chargeback for 'item not as described'. If you used the f&e option you cannot do anything as Paypal gets no commission on such transactions. Anyway what have you to lose in attempting the chargeback? Paypal will 'freeze' the money whilst they investigate and it may galvanise your seller to actually be more proactive in settling the dispute.

One series of letters and numbers I find very easy to remember are my motor cycle registration plates. I'm sure most on here know their motor vehicle plate numbers. I use mine as passwords and to make them longer I use symbols in front and at the end (tilda, exclamation marks, questions marks and the like). But I use a plate number from a bike I had a few years ago simply because it was a memorable plate number on a bike I purchased in Northern Ireland. Similarly you could use your National Insurance number the same way. As both are alpha numeric both are difficult to crack if used as the base for passwords.

Did you pay him by Paypal? If yes just do a chargeback - item not as described!

I think both organisations 'pull' details from Company House and appear to have a data base of limited companies that do not have licenses. Over the years I have received and binned letters from both demanding payment for licenses. I've never had anyone call or any debt collector activity over my non communication with them. They have no way of knowing if I play music or not or whether my premises are commercial or not unless they actually call and inspect. Until they do I will continue to ignore them.

Firstly I'd print off a copy of the listing on eBay so you have proof of the description the seller gave. I would then contact the seller regarding any shortcomings and give him the chance to reply - possibly for him to offer recompense for any mechanical faults should there be any. If it is just a battery causing problems this I personally would simply replace and forget the whole matter - as to me it would not be worth the extra hassle over an extra £20 or so for something that would eventually need replacing through normal wear and tear. If there are further problems with the bike and the seller is not willing to come to any arrangement you will need an independent report on the bike's condition that clearly indicates any mechanical faults. Then a LBA claiming the cost of either repairing the machine or a full refund of the purchase price paid for the machine.

LBA to eBay's head office. They are supposed to be a site that puts buyers in touch with sellers and supposedly do not involve themselves in the nitty gritty of each transaction that takes place on their site. What they have done is is decide you have acted wrongly in some way and refunded your money to the buyer. eBay should have insisted, at the very least, the item you sent was returned to you using a trackable method. They have acted as judge, jury and excecutioner to suit themselves without consideration of your rights as a seller. To get eBay's registered address go to the Company's House web site. I'm sure they will back down but may close your account as they do not like to be challenged in this way. If you want to carry on selling just open another account with slightly different details. As everything is automated as far as possible a new registration is fairly easy.

Who says your father ticked the box. A lot depends where the card was taken out. For example if taken out whilst being canvassed and having the forms filled in by someone else then being presented for a signature and not having a copy at time of signing etc. Also would your father have been able to claim should the need have arisen? If he was self employed or retired there is no way PPI was suitable for him.

I agree with Unclebulgaria. The anti EU brigade always seem to cite Norway and Switzerland as two countries that do well outside of the EU but fail to realise their economies are inextricably linked to the EU without having a seat at the top table. They simply have to grin and bear it when new EU policies are made and implemented. Besides which both countries have tiny populations compared to the UK and do not need to export on an industrial scale on behalf of non EU countries like Japan who only invested in the UK because of easy access to EU markets. All those jobs plus all the other industries that survive on the coat tails of the likes of Nissan, Toyota and the like would go elsewhere. Countries like Slovakia would bend over backwards for some of that action. Those who hark back to the 'good old days' need to remember we no longer have an empire to dump our industrial output apon and countries like Canada, Australia, India have now developed their own economic blocs and certainly do not need to kow tow to us any more either politically or economically.

I don't think eBay have changed their policies at all. They simply look at the online tracking - if it states delivered and it's been signed for its enough for them. You case is with the seller who should then take this up with the courier company - after all is said and done the seller paid for the service and the contract is with him. If you can prove non delivery you are entitled to a full refund. You simply have to decide if it is worth the hassle of pursuing a claim against the seller. If it's only for a few pounds it's probably not worth the effort or expense simply to prove a point - but that's up to you.

Who sent the parcel? It is up to the sender to take this up with UK Mail. Inform the sender you have not received the parcel - no need to explain any further! If a commercial package ask for a replacement or refund. You do not need to get involved in any correspondence 'table-tennis' except to confirm you have not received the parcel. It will be interesting to see how UK Mail can prove you have received it!

You are on a losing wicket - as it is the sender not the recipient that must make the claim. Under the Distance Selling Regulations it is up to the sender to ensure an item gets to you and if it does not for them to refund you. So any action is up to the sender not you. Unless you can actually prove a postman has stolen your items you are leaving yourself open to action particularly when you make these accusations on an open forum. You being convinced your items have been stolen is not proof and this will not be seen as proof either as what you state is simply deemed as hearsay. You will get nowhere with this in any legal action contemplated either unless you have actual evidence to show the item has been stolen and by whom.

The point is being somewhat missed here I think. Only the sender can make a claim for the missing parcel and AFAIK the OP was not the sender. If the sender claims the Post Office does not have a leg to stand on if it was a signed for service. Personally I have argued with Royal Mail when Recorded Delivery items have 'disappeared'. Royal Mail always gave me the run around when I tried to claim for them but when push came to shove they paid out as they could not provide a signature. Often I was simply told it must have been delivered by being shoved through the letter box. But when it was pointed out I had paid for a signature on delivery and asked them for their definition of Recorded Delivery they backed down. Unfortunately the Post Office get away with shoddy services because most will just give up when faced with their delaying tactics and prevarication or happily accept the book of stamps they are sent to shut them up.

Will look forward to hearing how you get on! For sure you will get your money as they don't have a leg to stand on unless they can prove delivery. The LBA should get things moving for you - if it doesn't the Small Claims action certainly will!