Before I start, I have no specific HR or personnel qualifications, but I have seen a few similar cases handled badly and a couple handled well. I'm afraid I have less tolerance where people are not doing their job. Personally I would write a memo to the line manager setting out the concerns and saying that although you have no personal experience of working with this individual, you understand from colleagues there are likely to be these specific issues. Then I would report each incident in detail in writing (giving date & exact circumstances + impact on you), indicating that you expect your manager to take action and that if you do not see improvement within x amount of time, you will have to take it further, using these memos as evidence you have tried to use the chain of command. Someone is skiving and stealing, and their manager is not doing their job. Your company will have disciplinary procedures designed for exactly this situation. You are suffering, as a result. You can go on suffering or make them fix the problem. They may dislike a whistle-blower, but you will have given them ample opportunity to step up and do the job they are paid for. Don't feel guilty.

It seems like a normal part of the process of leaving rented property - having to fight to get a despoit back. When I moved out of rented accommodation they tried to keep the entire deposit for cleaning & rubbish removal, repairs etc. I responded with a clear denial of every point & they backed down immediately. I was helped by my numerous emails to the agents asking them to remove the landlord's rubbish & repair the damage they caused during their inspections.

Having smoked for over 20 years I quit on 10/1/10, and I feel so much better. I would say there are several tactics you should consider. 1. Work out your reasons for quitting. The money you'll save, the health benefits and most importantly the extra time you will have around the people you love. 2. Use whatever substitutes work best for you. They may be expensive, but they're only temporary. If the patches leave a nasty taste try the gum. Have plenty of options and make sure you don't run out. 3. Make sure there are no cigarettes available. Give your remaining cigarettes away and ask friends to stop offering you a smoke. Support from friends and family is important. 4. Avoid the situations that make you smoke if possible. Keep yourself occupied. It's especially important to keep your hands busy. Computer games are a very useful diversion. 5. Keep reminding yourself that you're doing brilliantly and remember your reasons for quitting. The cravings do ease off, and you will find that you don't need the patches or gum as often. Smoking is a vile addiction that causes grim illnesses. If you can do this (and I know you can), you will feel better, live longer and have more money. Good luck to you matey

Be polite in the initial stages of the investigation. I had a bill for £1000 more than the usual quarterly amount. Investigation showed it was my plumbing at fault, but Anglian water gave me a one-off concession that wiped out the cost of the leak. If I was confrontational I doubt if they would have given me that. We averaged out the readings for a few weeks after the leak was repaired and that's what I paid.

Distraint...like a bailiff I guess (not sure who made the spelling mistake)

The discussion got a little personal yesterday Ford. One of the earlier posters said some of the replies sounded like male NHS executives. I felt that probably referred to me and I was just pointing out that I was neither. I am a scientist with first-hand knowledge of the difficulty of researching and implementing new methods. When a question has been asked, it seems a little silly to reject any responses that sound like 'sound bites' or those from men. The issue IS political because politics determines how much funding is available, who gets it and what they can spend it on. The issue is also complicated and it doesn't move the debate any further forward by slagging off the people who try to contribute to the discussion.

If you were referring to me - I am a female Microbiologist who does not work for the NHS.

Hi Shirli, I am afraid the answer is complicated. The test for cervical cancer is cheaper than treatment, and better for the individual so of course the health service wants all eligible women to be tested. As you say, the current test is unpleasant, and if the practitioner is unsympathetic, can be traumatic. You should tell the practice this - they have options for supervision, retraining or replacing the person in question, and I believe if you want an improvement, you should complain to the people with the power to make changes. Unfortunately, at the moment this test is all there is, so you need to evaluate whether you would rather take the risk or the test. Research costs money, and there are many different cancers and other ailments without a practical routine screening test of any kind. Funds for research are limited and need to be targeted where they will do the most good. Cancer research is complex and development of a new test needs funding and advances in technology. This is where the issue gets political as the NHS doesn't have the money and those with the money don't want to spend it in this area. It may be that the only place cervical cancer can be detected is in the cervix, and that there is no trace in the blood or other bodily fluids. If this is the case, I am afraid there may never be an alternative test.

On a related note, I was told by my motor insurers that all companies automatically renew policies every year because it is the law that you must have insurance. They were going to take the full year's payment using the card information they were given the year before. Are they telling the truth that all motor insurers have a legal duty to renew automatically unless they receive a written instruction in advance? I am perverse enough to change policy when I feel I am being bullied, so I switched company, but I would be interested to know the law.

But do return the pot & lid to ASDA - you should at least get an apology and full refund (or replacement)

As a Microbiologist, I suspect you'll be OK. If it didn't smell off or taste revolting, you should be fine. You could worry yourself into sickness, but I have known milk 1 month over date still taste fine. I have also known mis-prints on the labels.

I wonder if Orange realise they are shooting themselves in the foot...so many potential customers (myself included) read consumer sites like this one. Certainly they will need to make a significant improvement in their attitude before I consider using them

The addressed mail can be stopped by registering here: http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/ For the rest, they pay the post office so you can't opt out. I try to return their junk in their freepost or pre-franked envelopes, so they have the cost of the postage. Hit them financially and they may give up.

That was my point - I wrote to the UK head office and they sent the letter on to India. I tried every means possible of communicating with them short of semaphore...nothing worked.

My letter of complaint was scanned and emailed to the call centre in India. I had to translate it into words of one syllable and when they failed to understand, they closed the complaint.

I had similar fun and games with the imcompetents at BT. For a telecommunications company, they are truly dreadful at communicating. They took months to begin delivering the service they were billing me for, and when I tried to check they were not going to charge me £200 each for all the cancelled appointments, they refused to discuss the bill for three months. No compensation, and I needed to keep very careful records of the case so I could make sure the bill was right. Don't trust them for a second. Add the hassle of 30 minutes on hold every single time I tried to phone them. ..I really can't wait until another company offers decent broadband here.

I always find Twitter to be useful when dealing with companies that communicate poorly. Amazing how much their actions improve when your comments about their poor service are visible to anyone. @NatWest_Help is their @ and putting a . in front means anyone who follows them will see your gripe.

Yup. There is no reward for loyalty any more, and every company I have used is the same. You have to change insurers every year to get the best rates. You are not allowed to try setting up as a new customer. However, if you let them know you are leaving, they may let you speak to their 'customer retention team' however named, who will still not offer you the same rate new customers are getting. Shameful, but there you go. I tell them as I leave that I will not be back until they change the policy...but I guess they make enough money from automatic renewals not to worry about retaining business.

Sounds to me like someone has tapped a wrong number into their fax machine. I had this many times (at all hours of the day & night) before finding the fax preference service and signing up with my phone number.

This happened to me - six days before I was due to move house. I can confirm you are likely to lose all your expenses. If you're feeling vengeful, do check with their Estate Agent - if the vendors are messing around, the Agents can claim full fees from the vendor and your testimony that you were fully prepared to go ahead will help them.

Try Environmental Health - they can inspect without telling the store who informed them. If E.H can't help, they will point you in the right direction. I suggest you email - a great way of making anonymous enquiries. Keep it specific - they can't investigate hearsay & it's better to direct them to one or two specific bad breaches rather than a lot of general stuff - they can't take samples of everything. Which things should they sample? As a Microbiologist, I am more concerned about the thawed food & un-refrigerated milk. Mouldy strawberries are probably labelled Class 1 & are therefore not the class of goods they purport to be so the store is therefore breaking the law.

Tesco are on Twitter...and they're very sensitive to criticism (@UKTesco). I bought a Tesco's finest flan with rotten fruit, ate most of it & took the empty box back. I got an instant refund & by post a £5 money card. Try tweeting with "." at the start - before the @. Anyone who follows Tesco will be able to see your tweet.

Yes, you can pull out of the sale at this stage. You will probably have to pay your estate agent's fees as they are due as soon as they find you a viable purchaser. It happened to me - the seller withdrew the house from the market 5 days before the moving date with no explanation. The sooner you speak up, the less painful it will be for the others involved.

Look online for information about the hazards of black mould - try googling "black mould health hazard". I am a microbiologist and a friend's aging relative was in similar accommodation. I identified the moulds growing on the wall and wrote a report of the findings and possible health implications. Don't panic, but Stachybotrys is a nasty one, and if your landlord receives written notification that you have advised them of the dangers, this may help move things along. In my friend's case, the result was full professional redecoration within a week.

I placed an online order with Matalan a few months ago, and a couple of days later received a card to tell me the delivery company had called. As I was not home (I work during the day), they had taken the goods away and would try again the following day. I found the card when I came home for lunch, and phoned the courier to get them to drop off the goods with a neighbour - they refused. I tried to arrange delivery on a day when I was going to be home. They refused - they would only attempt delivery for three consecutive days, then send the goods back to Matalan. I tried to find out what time they would deliver - they would not tell me. I tried to arrange delivery at my workplace two miles away - they refused. The courier was only interested in posting three cards through my door, as then Matalan would have to pay them. I immediately phoned Matalan (too long on hold - I gave up), and emailed, but their response time to emails is so slow that I had the full set of three cards before they even acknowledged my communication. I was completely frustrated - the items I wanted had been inches from my house, three times, and I couldn't have them. I sent a detailed email to Matalan setting out the history and demanding a full refund. This took some time, but eventually I got my money back. They also dismissed the courier and hired another one. They also sent me a money off voucher. Excellent customer service is not difficult, and it makes a great deal of sense. Matalan had lost me as a customer, but by their actions they rescued the situation. They also have some free publicity - I tell people about it. Thanks again Matalan - you are the best example I have seen of effective customer service.