It did look like forum spam, but I emailed anyway. got an autoresponse saying 'we've recieved your message' and then no reply, so make of it what you will. Since they have already had my laptop a total of 20 days (actually a couple more, it came back later the first time), and they will probably take another 10 days to fix it, am I within my rights to claim refund/replacement once they've had it for 8? Honestly I'm attached to the thing, but I don't believe it will come back in a much better shape. Can anyone advise?

Well the situation has gotten worse. the laptop was still having problems after a fresh windows install and added freezing up to its list of issues, shortly followed by refusing to boot up without a windows install disc (it came with its own windows installing software which I now can't access).Looks like I have no choice but to go without

Hi. I have been looking around, but a bit unsure what, if anything I can do about this. Bought a netbook mid last year, so its still under default 1 year guarantee. It one day switched off, no warning and just wouldn't power back on. I took it back to the store, no probs with that, got it back only this time it had an interesting new problem in that it shuts down instantly if you touch one corner of it. Took it back again, and got it back with only the dodgy corner reinforced. Fair enough, it doesn't power off from touching it any more, but now I get blue screen crashes frequently - at least once a day, as many as 5 times in a few hours use. Now I'm about to take it back a third time, but the problem is finding time to do so. Unfortunately I need this laptop for work (I work from home, online) and have already lost 20 days from them 'fixing' it, I'm struggling to find another 10 days that isn't going to cost me my job or an amount of pay I can't afford to lose. When I tried calling the tech guys they refused to acknowlege that my laptop was on the system at all. And I called 3 times, seemed to get the same guy each time! Anything I can do to stop them messing about? How long is it before I can request a replacement or a refund? Thanks

I've been speaking to the council re council tax, and aparently the landlord has told them I was there till december, when I moved may This is going to be an interesting mess to sort out. they were quite helpful and said they could see that I moved in may as I was claiming benefits from the new house, but to see if I could find some proof and get it in to them. I'm not sure where my documents from there are at the moment. can i write and request benefit details from the time period?

Thanks for the replies. I believe these letters are coming from dcas, but would have to double check. I've just come back to find a letter of seizure of goods for council tax from that address I will have to call them in the morning - I do not live at my parents address but found these letters as I've been feeding the cat while they're away. I don't know how they even got this address, I have not been here for over 2 years and it wasn't used as a correspondence address during the legal proceedings. a lot of my stuff was lost at that flat as I was threatened & harrassed pretty much whenever I went near there and even before I stopped turning up I'd come home to find the door unlocked when I know I locked it. not to mention he frequently stole my mail. so probably it came up from going through it The flat rental was not including bills, but I was told I would be given information with the contract about which companies etc (had no idea how to find out for myself, and had never dealt with bills directly before). the contract didn't actually materialise till I was on the verge of leaving quite early on, did not include this information and was never signed. I also had flatmates at the beginning of the tenancy that were dealing directly with the landlord and covering 50% but they disappeared suddenly. with all the craziness going on I hadn't really thought about it it was a very messy situation.

Hello. Wasn't sure where to put this, so I hope here is okay. This is kind of odd, and I'm not really sure what I should do next? I rented a flat and was there 2 or 3 months before the landlord got very nasty (after weeks of harrassment) and attacked me in my flat. there were legal issues and I had a solicitor sorting it out, but being in somewhat of a fragile state at the time after agreements were made to settle I lost contact with my solicitor and couldn't really handle dealing with it all. Now over a year later my parents are recieving mail addressed to me - only in the wrong name completely (my nickname spelt completely wrong, and my last name is spelt wrong) from things like british gas, an electric company (forget which one at the moment) and the council etc threatening legal action. I don't get my mail from them much and I havn't lived there for 2 or 3 years :/ While I'm happy to take responsibility for bills whilst I was living there, I was not informed my name was being given to any of these companies and these bills are for hundreds of pounds. the gas bill alone is £394.99 and it didn't even work most of the time I was there Can anyone advise what I should do next?

I still have my key and recent proof of address (ongoing housing benefit award letter no less) am I allowed to enter the property to collect my belongings or does it all depend on whether or not they actively refuse entry? I'm worried about turning up and them simply saying 'no' and the police shurgging and walking off. would be a waste of time and resources. I'm also stuck for transport at least until tomorrow. will they do anything if I report the potential theft of my belongings?

Thank you for the response. I have called the police helpline and they are telling me what I expected to hear anyway - that they won't get involved as it's a 'civil matter' so if he refuses me entry they won't step in I really don't expect a better response in person although now I am recieving threats to sell my belongings tomorrow morning. the police have said to come back to them if he does as it's then theft. any suggestions? I am also of the impression that I don't actually owe them anything now as from my workings I am up to date minus the next week which I am not obligated to pay as I do not have access to the house. they have failed to tell me anything otherwise and have still not even told me what they are expecting me to pay them. I'm reluctant to get in contact now and on top of that my phone battery is very low and they have my charger so I have switched it off to preserve the messages.

Hello. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this sort of thing. I have been renting a room on a weekly basis shared with my 'landlord' (who is subletting as her name is on the lease) and her partner. I was suddenly met with a lot of verbal abuse and from my landlord's partner yesterday afternoon in the form of phone calls and texts (10+ in an hour) after dropping off some money to cover some minor accumulated rent arrears. I also left a note detailing my workings of what I thought was still owed (they were requesting £500 and I thought it was less) and asking for the full amount so I could pay it all off later in the day. I'm not sure if some misunderstanding occured as we were quite friendly up until that point. recieved more texts stating my stuff was being dumped outside and threatening me with the police should I try to enter so went with my step mum to retrieve the belongings. we found some of them left outside (quite open to being stolen and threats of provoking this were in the texts) and shortly after packing them into the car recieved a text stating 'rest of money rest of stuff'. and that takes us up until today. I have not responded aside from 2 texts early on politely asking what the problem was and what was the amount so I can pay. I do feel the hostile nature and mild threats more than a little uncalled for - I would not have given them any trouble had they simply asked that I leave. I have called shelter and they have suggested either contacting the council or police - given the threats I feel the police is a better option, but I could not find out if they are actually allowed to grant me access to get my things? I have proof of address on me and still have my keys. Any suggestions on how to get this over with smoothly?

Anyone?

My landlord has essentially locked me in, I have a thread in the housing section, however I need to know what I can do regarding the immediate issue of not being able to regain entry to my home should I leave. I have work in an hour and will not finish till 4am, there is nowhere else I can stay. Can I remove the lock? This is not ideal, but the 2 flat doors themselves lock so should hopefully not cause any problems. Can I get the lock replaced? Also not ideal as the other people living here will not be able to gain entry until keys are passed on, and if I were seeing them before work would be able to get a key cut. I've found a 24hour locksmith in my area, I could call them to regain entry after work, but it would be costly. Can I bill the landlord if resorting to this? If I miss work because of this, can I chase up the landlord for the wages missed, or exclude the amount from my rent? Any other suggestions are welcome. I just need a solution that will enable me access to my home after work.

Thankyou for the response. I have informed the landlord both of my rights and that his money is waiting, but I now have work tonight and will not be home till 4am. No one is home to get a key cut. Am I within my rights to remove the lock or get it replaced? If I get it replaced, can I bill the landlord for it?

I believe it is an assured shorthold tenancy. I have paid him money but not yet signed the contract as he has not given it to me to sign. I moved in february, paid £500 cash upfront which I have a written reciept for, and owe a further £500 deposit + £250 rent for march. All of this is able to be paid today, I have a cheque waiting, but in light of his behaviour I'm unwilling to give it to him just yet. The lock was changed last night because of the rent arrears. The landlord was here and did not even attempt to talk to me about the situation, I only knew as his wife was yelling at me about it a few minutes earlier and I took the liberty of checking my key before leaving. I do have a witness to the whole situation, if not a few.

Hi there. I've run into a spot of bother. I'm running late on my rent and as a result my landlord - and his wife, I might add - have gotten quite threatening and abusive. After threats to throw all my stuff out onto the streets and general unreasonable comments, he has changed the lock to the front door (which then leads to my flat door and another flat). As such, I'm locked into my house. Is there anything I can do about this? I'm unwilling to stay here in the long term, or indeed any longer than I have to, as I find this kind of behaviour completely unacceptable, but it also means I can't really leave the house without taking the lock off until I have a means and place to move my belongings. Even if there is nothing to be done immediately, is there anything I can do regarding the uneccessary stress this has put on me? I've recently come off medication for depression and this is not exactly helping. Thanks, ~DP

I will happily post more information, but can you give me a clue as to what you need? I was unsure what to ask as I don't fully understand the situation and my dad didn't really know what to tell me :-|

Posting on behalf of the parents who were mis-sold an IVA. They're looking to claim the money back. The IVA is with IDS. They've been contacted by the IVA council who are so far sounding dodgy, does anyone know if they're legit? If you need more details please ask as unsure what to do next. Thanks!!

I'm not sure you get a fee refund for vehicles

As far as mail illicitly entering my mail box goes, bargepoles come to mind. Just curious is all As I said, I recall a few people talking about them, and actually having them. I can't imagine why anyone would apply through any of these sites, they're not even a little secure.

Anyone? I'm really not sure what to do. How can I hold them off till I can afford to clear the debt?

Are any of these actually reputable? I get spammed with ads frequently, but obviously I'm wary of those. I do recall some people on here chatting about them though. The kind where they give you cash and you pay it back on payday? Just wondering...

Well, me being me, I totally forgot to send that letter to Avon so now I have IJ on my tail. (Note that Avon never sent me anything in relation to this, else I might have remembered I had that letter to print and send) Just called them after recieving a somewhat threatening letter suggestion court action against me. Told them I could not afford to pay in full and they suggested I pay £23 something over 6 weeks. Thats almost half what my wages are going to be over the next month I'm having to cut down my shifts as my small business is taking priority - and no profit from this is guaranteed, especially as I'm paying off credit cards, overdrafts and loans from friends as I go. I did not tell IJ about this income either, just the £50-100 per week I make at my part time job. The lady was being very rude and up herself so I just hung up in the end. The debt is only £139.13, but I just can't afford to clear it till november. I'm pulling everything I can together to buy my dad's 50th birthday present, and I'm supposed to be moving out so I'm at a bit of a loss Suggestions on what I do next? Please ask if you need more details, I'm not really sure what to include.

My sister buys student discount bus cards from her college. However, the staff are quite rude and unreasonable. They will refuse to sell her a bus pass if it does not match exactly with her college schedule. Eg. If she has 3 days left of college before a holiday, they will not sell her a week bus pass, forcing her to pay twice as much on individual bus fare for each of the 3 days. She also has the problem of having to pay the first day back after a holiday as they will not sell her one for use when she gets back. It is not as if she buys unreasonable amounts of passes, she only ever buys what she needs. Now, I full expect that they can do this as they are the sellers, but does anyone feel like helping with a letter to explain what ****s they are being and how much they are costing her?

I am contemplating buying a large lot of collectable items that has been offered to me to help 'jump start' my online business. I had intended to be selling items from the same range (alongside other stuff) already, so it fits in perfectly. The problem is that I can't afford to make this purchase at the moment. I have just set up a new business account with A&L (I had one with natwest for a few months but their service was.... not good. I havn't had much call to use it.) I'd like to apply for an overdraft but I have no doubt I will instantly be turned down if put through any automated system as the account is new. I'm planning to get some information together on these items concerning the profit margin they are offering. This will mostly be copies of ended ebay auctions compared to the prices that are available to me. Do you think this will be sufficient for them to consider me? What are the chances of them accepting based on this? Any information that could help would be greatly appreciated. I've never done this sort of thing before. Sorry if i'm being vague or incoherent, I have an excuse, honest.

Update - the seller coughed up after my reminder mail. Well, after stating they were out of that particular model of bike and could send me a different one or would I like the refund I've been requesting for the last 6 months?

I posted on here a few months ago about an exercise bike I ordered off ebay. Bike was bought in January, paid for via paypal and recieved promptly. Item was faulty and as a result could not be assembled. This was a manufacturing fault, not transit damage. I opened a 'significantly not as described' dispute with paypal who found in the seller's favour. I have since returned the bike and requested a full refund. They are denying recieving the item which is silly as I have tracking and proof of delivery I sent them a message once I was sure the item was recieved giving them 10 days to sort out my refund or I will send a LBA and after that start court proceedings. I have sent them a reminder of the first message today (they have 3 days left) Now, I'm ok with carrying out court proceedings, but I'd like to be aware of where I actually stand so I don't screw up. Will the fact that it took me a few months to return the item go against me? I did not have the money spare to return it to them immediately, they would not help, and eventually it slipped my mind. I did inform the company immediately that the item was damaged. I have a copy of the original emails. Can I add the return postage to the court claim? Any comments/suggestions you can give will be appreciated.