https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/jun/17/uk-debt-bubble-queens-speech-consumer-credit-loans-spending I noticed quite a few advertisements for 'no interest' loans taken over 4 years with companies such as PC World/Currys - B&Q and a Carpet store. So, it looks like for companies to stay in business they need to sell - people cant afford to buy - so lets tie them up with MORE credit for 4 years !

Hi, I spent a few days in Manchester last months and parked at SIP Gunn Street. Unfortunately I parked slightly over the line of the bay (there was a pillar on the other side, I am only slightly over the line looking at the pictures -from what I recal I was only on the line but their photos show otherwise). I received a PCN on the windscreen and appealed it on their website (from reading posts on the forum I now understand that I should have ignored it) My appeal and their response is below - is there anything else I can defend? Not sure if it means anything but I did notice from their photo the the ticket I got from the machine has the wrong number plate on (I must have mistyped) and so does not match the number plate on the PCN I thought maybe there could be some technicality there? I really don't want to have to give them £100 right now :/ ironically the ticket was issued on my birthday too! they say I have 7 days to respond You completed the appeal on 10/06/2017 14:52:14. I am appealing this charge notice on the basis that the claimed amount is disproportionate to any potential loss of earnings for SIP, that the rationality for the implementation of the charge is unfair and that the signage could be considered to be ambiguous. On a personal note I feel that SIP have applied this charge in a cynical ploy to extort funds from me over and above that of the value of my the "purchase" from them. 1) the cost of my stay was £8.20 - I did not overstay in the carpark, I did not prevent anyone else from using other spaces in the car park. In issuing this notice of £100 (with various discount incentives to pay them immediately) SIP are suggesting that £100 is fair retribution. To reiterate the manor in which I parked did not prevent any other potential customer from using surrounding spaces, if this was the case I still feel that £100 is disproportionate but could in some respect understand the reasoning behind it. From my point of view the charge has been issued without a valid reason. 2)SIP issued this charge on the basis that I was "Not in Marked Bay". To clarify I parked in a space which had a large concrete pillar to the left of the space. Naturally I parked slightly to the right in order to minimise the risk of impacting the pillar with the left side of the vehicle and to allow my partner to exit the vehicle more easily. My vehicle was not parked extremely to the right and did not intrude into the next parking bar, my right wheel did rest slightly upon the surface of the line but at no point exceeded the outer confines of the bay. 3) the signage states (in very small writing considering that it can be reasonably assumed that the sign would be viewed from within the vehicle possibly whilst in transit) "if the car park or road has marked parking bays then you must park fully within the confines of the marked bay". To return to my previous point at no point did my vehicle exceed the outer confines of the bay. 4) To clarify I feel that the manor in which the notice was issued was dishonest and cynical. I have caused no loss of earnings yet SIP are attempting to effectively increase the cost of my stay tenfold. This is not treating customers fairly and goes beyond the presumed contract of purchase. I'd also note that when I returned to my vehicle I was greeted by people sleeping in the stairwell and the stairwell itself had been used as a bathroom (and I do not mean a urinal). Although this could be considered incidental I'd stress that SIP are attempting to extract an unfair amount based on incidental circumstances. I could argue that SIP did not provide secure (and indeed sanitary) storage for my vehicle. I also do not feel that they gave due attention to my appeal - they offered no explanation other than restating that my vehicle was "not in Marked bay". I do not feel that they addressed any of my concerns or arguments. I also asked that they provide evidence (copies of their photographs) for my review, I have not received this (I was hoping to submit with my appeal but was informed by SIP that I only have 15 days to challenge their assessment of the situation. Again I feel that this is an unfair, cynical ploy. ============================== The operator made their Prima Facie Case on 12/06/2017 12:07:33. The Operator Reported That... The appellant was the driver. A manual ticket was placed on the vehicle. The ticket was issued on 16/05/2017. The charge is based in Contract. The Operator Made The Following Comments... The terms on the signage are explicitly clear that a vehicle in addition to having a valid parking session must also "park fully within the confines of a marked bay" by failing to adhere to the above terms the driver agrees to pay a parking charge of £100.00. As can be seen from the photographs the vehicle was not parked in the confines of a bay thus the PCN was issued in line with the contractual signage. I will address the other points raised by the appellant; 1) The amount is a contractual amount ergo loss is irrelevant 2) The vehicle is clearly not in a marked bay, and as can be seen there is sufficient room for the vehicle in question to have parked correctly and still been not even close to the pillar; 3) The signs are designed to be easily noticed (bright yellow) to then advise a person once they have parked and exited their vehicle that they can read the content of the contractual terms. It is not expected nor advised to do so while the driver is in the vehicle especially whilst moving. 4) The appellants belief on the fairness is irrelevant as the information was provided and agreed to upon the driver leaving the vehicle, further no dishonesty was involved in this matter everything has been very transparent.

Hi, I currently am in breach of a suspended possession order dating back to the 4th of september 2015. An order was made that i had to pay an extra £1000 on top of my normal payment of £650 per month in order to pay off the arrears of £6000... at the time i was lead to believe that i had to accept this or the judge would def evict us in desperation agreed...i know now that was a mistake. I actually did manage to just about get the arrears under control by selling most of the contents of my house and stopped all building works. ..which was what put me in arrears in the first place (old house with loads more problems than originally quoted for). I have approx £175,000 equity in the property and the mortgage was for 50% of the purchase price. I currently have arrears of £5208 and my monthly payment is £670... i have offered to pay £250 a month which they have refused to accept though i have been doing this each week. I have 254 months left to pay on the mortgage which if im right would equate on the norgan rule? to be £20 extra per month? Today i have received a letter stating if i dont pay the arrears in full within 7 days they will be applying for a warrant of possession. ..please someone give me some advice.. , would the judge take into account the 1000's and 1000's i have spent renovating this house and give me abit of slack. ..feel desperate and like ive let my family down just as things should be getting better!

Hi, I work a 6 week rotating rota - contract is 37.5 hours a week . Every 15 weeks we are given a "training day" which is 11 hours ( our shifts are 12 hours) . So around 2 1/2 training days a year which we are paid for and are expected to use to cover various mandatory and voluntary courses related to our line of work . It is our responsibility to arrange this training and if you start to owe the company training days e.g. not using them , they can tell you when and what you are doing as you owe them these days as your paid for them ! Anyways i am a good boy and use my training days as soon as i get them and more to the point i do not owe any training days until 2019 ! (we can carry them over as "credit" ) Now we are getting a barrage of emails telling us that we have to do two MANDATORY training days in the next 2 months - i have highlighted to my managers i will obviously attend but only when i am roistered to work , i am being told this is not allowed and that i will have to attend and i can have it as ToiL Before i start getting into a big row with them (getting no replies from union reps ) , am i in the right here or could i be forced to attend these mandatory courses in my own time ?

Hi My friend received a letter from Sandwell Council regarding 14 Day Notice for tax liability order dated June 2007. My friend leaves in Sandwell council house from 2009 and this is the first time (it's been 10 yrs) he received any notification about the Liability Order. Previously, he was renting a room from his friend and the room payment was covering all bills, so his friend's name would be on the rent agreement. Could anyone advise if the council can request the money since they have not been in touch about the court order? Thanks MJK

My partner bought a vehicle for £2650 from car dealer with no warranty on 7th March 2017. On 25th March 2017 the bottom end crank shaft went and we had to be towed. The garage said the work is minimum £1500 and we've shopped around and nowhere can do it cheaper. The car dealer said that is an extortionate amount for what needs to be done and has agreed to pay half. Leaving us to find £750 to pay for the rest. My partner is about to agree to it as he feels he's had enough stress with it but we're having our first baby this year and really can't afford it. Is there anything we can do? Do we have the right to fight?

Hello to everyone I decided to join David lloyd club in Dudley last Friday 10th March . On the day when I was introduced I explained that I am working full time so I can attend gym from 7 pm also I am working some weekends. Main reason why I joined was my 11 years old daughter could use a gym facilities with me . Next day when my contract start we arrived at the club just before 7pm swiped our cards to get to a lady in reception . I was going to book a gym induction (health and safety policy) I was told that my Hanna is not allowed to use it because she didn't turn 11 (she will in august) I was shocked- no one mentioned that fact that she has to be 11 I asked for a manager , one of the member of staff turned up _ same who signed me in. I explained my problem, and I informed that in this case I have to cancel my and my daughter membership because I was not informed about age restriction, he said I can still use other facilities, but he knew there is not much classes for me and I cant do it without my daughter by my side, I will not use a tennis courts or swimming poo because we don't like itl - main reason was gym! He said he have to go and double check with other member of the staff if they can make an exemption for my daughter, will back up in the system my entrance through a gate. He came back after few minutes saying that she is not allowed to use gym facilities till she turned 11, he saw a contract, I put my daughters date of birth in it , why he didn't said a word?! He gave me a advise to go back home do not use a gym till my answer come and send an email to one of the sales manager, so I did. This Tuesday I got a email saying they can not cancel our membership (even if it is within 7 days) because I entered the building and swiped a card- I have to mentioned that I have witnesses that I never used any of the gym facilities, also I have a witness who can confirm that I was not informed about legal age of 11, there is no such a thing in david lloyd contract. Please give me some advice's what to do kind regards Aga

Hi everyone, I have a court hearing with Lowell's in 2 days time, and I'm wondering whether I have a leg to stand on. I admit, I've been stupid in not dealing with this earlier, but I suffer from depression and stress, and this was something I just couldn't deal with. The brief circumstances are that a catalogue (Jacamo) was apparently taken out in my name, at my previous address (where my ex boyfriend still lived). At the time the account was taken out, I was living in Ireland. The first I knew of this debt (£900) was when 2 letters arrived to my new address in the UK, around a year ago, from Lowell's and BW Legal, and then court documents a couple of months later. Naively, I have filled in all of my defence submitted to the courts simply saying that I had no knowledge of any debt, and asking that Lowell/BW Legal provide evidence (at this point I didn't know what the debt was for, or when it was from, so I was unable to give a proper defence). I know now that I should have done things differently, but that's spilt milk now. On the last day of filing for evidence, Lowell/BW Legal sent me a pack containing - - reconstituted Credit Agreement, which contains my name and old address (hand written), and a scribbled signature in their section. Nothing is dated, and it does not have my signature (I know that this is no longer required). In addition, the print is copied so badly that the text of the agreement is unreadable. - print out from their system showing various amounts, dates, etc - print out of what was ordered - letter, dated 29 April 2014, sent to my old address, (on blank paper, no letterhead, so not entirely clear who is supposed to have sent it) saying that the account with JD Williams has been sold to Lowell Portfolio I - letter , dated 29 April 2014, sent to my old address, from Lowell, introducing themselves. -letter, dated 19 April 2016, sent to my current address, from Lowell saying that I have not repaid the account and it has been sent to BW Legal. -letter, dated 19 April 2016, sent to my current address, from BW Legal saying that they have been instructed to commence Legal Action. The letters from 2014 were not received by me, due to me not living at the address they were sent. They appear to provide a Notice of Assignment, but not a Deed of Assignment - does this matter? There doesn't appear to be any copy of Default notices which should have been sent - does this matter? I'll get scans of all of these uploaded, but in the meantime, does anyone have any advice? Since I did not know the details of the debt until after I had to submit my evidence, am I unable to take anything in to court to prove that I was living elsewhere at these times (including when the debt was originally incurred)? I'm just so mad about this....I trusted my ex boyfriend, but it seems that that trust was misplaced. Here are the scans of the documents they've sent, excluding the list of what was 'purchased' (which I'm not sure is relevant - if it is I'll post it). I'll blocked out all personal details. Credit Agreement (address is my old address at which I was not living at the time) Print Out from their system - showing my current address Assignment of Debt Letter from JD Williams?? sent to my old address at which I was not living at the time. Introducing Lowell Letter - again, sent to my old address Lowell 'Litigation Letter, sent to my current address BW Legal Letter of Claim, sent to my current address on the same day as the above. Is there anything here to go on? doc1.pdf

I need some help. I was very foolish back in November buying an item off Ebay. The item was a supposedly haunted piece of jewellery from a magickal seller. The item cost me £160. Needless to say I am not happy with the purchase and want to return the item, but because its gone over 90 days I cannot open a dispute with Ebay. The seller is refusing to respond to my messages I have sent. Can anyone please advise what I can do to reclaim my money back over an item which is clearly not as described.

I will be travelling abroad for 7-10 days and will be signing off, I am on old style JSA and want to avoid if possible making a fresh claim for UC and make a rapid reclaim for JSA instead upon my return. Would it not be the case that if I signed off from JSA for one week to go overseas then I would need to make a claim for housing benefit due to a change of circumstances to cover me for the period I am on zero income. So I make my housing benefit claim immediately after I close down my JSA claim. Therefore I cannot go on UC due to me awaiting a desicion for housing benefit ? If you've applied for other benefits You can’t get Universal Credit if you've applied for any of the following and you're waiting for a decision: Jobseeker’s Allowance Employment and Support Allowance Income Support Housing Benefit Child Tax Credit Working Tax Credit Thoughts ?

Im fuming. It just seems to me that car owners are one big cash machine for councils. Stick some cameras up and let the money roll in. I recently moved to a new area and started driving to work. Unbeknown to me one of the roads I was turning into on my way to work each morning at 7:30am has a time restriction in place that you cant turn into it after 7:30am. Its dark, its christmas , the streets are empty, no one was killed, no traffic was caused. But yet I have appealed against these tickets and am told by the council they are 'certain an offense has taken place' and I need to pay £390 thankyou very much. That is like almost half a months wages. For making a mistake that has harmed no one. Does anyone know how I can fight this?

Hi all. I have a good friend who just happened to mention in conversation two weeks ago that he is using a claim firm (that he heard advertised on the local radio) to make a claim on a loan he had years ago. My wife says that my face was a picture at that very moment. Needless to say, I spent about 15 minutes going over the reasons why he should do it himself:wink: He added that they had told him that there was PPI on a loan back in 1994. However, yesterday my friend said that the firm had been in contact and said that the bank had said that the PPI had been taken off after 30 days of the loan starting. I am now going to help my friend send a SAR, along with the £10. My question is - has it ever been know for banks to claim something like this but then when challenged for the proof, show otherwise?

Dear all, 31 days ago I purchased a Mini One Convertible with just 39,000 miles on the clock. Today (31 days after purchase, typically just outside the 30 day rejection window) the clutch has started slipping badly. I phoned the dealer who refused to accept any liability. I put pressure on them and they offered me £100 towards the cost of repairs (c. £400). I told them under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 the car was not of satisfactory quality and that, as this fault has developed inside 6 months, the burden of proof is on them to prove otherwise. I told them I would not hesitate to take them to a small claims court to recover my costs should I need to get this repaired privately. They then offered to repair the clutch themselves. The problem is the car is not drivable ( And I am worried they would try and bodge a repair) and their garage is 200 miles away from me. My interpretation of the Sale of Goods Act is that they are liable to come and collect the car or liable for the expenses of having it taken to their garage if they want to repair it themselves.. Is this true? If so I will insist on having the car repaired locally (unless they come and collect it), and if they do not pay the very reasonable bill I have been quoted I will take them to court. Please can someone kindly clarify if I am able to insist they collect the faulty car or fit the bill for have it taken back to their garage? Thanks so much in advance, Nicola

Hi It seems that Cabot Finnace has brought both mine and my wifes credit card debts from Lloyds, they have not provided a CCA in the 12 +2 days. What do I do next?

I've just got off the phone from a solicitor's. They have re-iterated exactly what I have said above. Under section 23 subsection 2b the dealer is required to replace the clutch and bear and costs of doing so including the collection of the un-driveable vehicle. I have been advised to put this in writing to the dealer and give them one chance and once chance only to either come and collect the car and repair it, or agree to a local repair where I am. If they fail to do either of the above I will simply commence legal proceedings and I cannot see them having a leg to stand on. I suspect once I deliver an NIP on their doorstep they will cough up! "23Right to repair or replacementE+W+S+N.I. This section has no associated Explanatory Notes (1)This section applies if the consumer has the right to repair or replacement (see section 19(3) and (4)). (2)If the consumer requires the trader to repair or replace the goods, the trader must— (a)do so within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to the consumer, and (b)bear any necessary costs incurred in doing so (including in particular the cost of any labour, materials or postage)."

Heritage Open Days is England's biggest heritage festival . It celebrates our fantastic history, architecture and culture; offering people the chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences - all of which are FREE to explore. Free of charge and right on people’s doorstep, Heritage Open Days is an event for everyone, whatever their background, age or ability. From castles to city halls, tunnels to tower tops, police cells to private homes, workshops to woodland walks, the variety of places and ways to discover them are endless. - https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/visiting

i hope i have posted this in the right section. Paypal in January limited my account (for god knows what reason), and have been holding onto £900 ever since. They said it would be released after 180 days, however it still has not been released, are they legally allowed to do this? I have been conversing with them on facebook but they take forever to respond to messages, there seems to be no other way of getting hold of them! i have tried calling a couple of time to no avail. i just want to know what to do in the instance they tell me they will not release the funds. because its very strange that after this long period of time has passed they are STILL on hold.

Hi, Another car drama, me and cars just don't get on... Bought a 2005 Land Rover from a small dealer 250 miles away all of 9 days ago on finance, which decided to break down yesterday, dead alternator... I contacted the dealer this morning to say i wasn't happy and that it would need to be repaired, and offered them a quote from my local independent Land Rover specialist of £712.49... They went on to state that the warranty provided with the car would only cover repairs up to £300, well having been through this drama before (pre 2015 and with SoG) i know that the dealer is liable for the repairs to my 9 day old car but have been nice enough to offer to phone some other repair garages to get further quotes, none of which have yet got back to me. I feel i should immediately get the ball rolling with regards to taking action, i have no interest in waiting too long or playing games, i work for the emergency services and having a working vehicle is essential for me... I have drafted letters for both the dealer and finance company (attached) however i wondered where i would stand with regards to getting reimbursement for hiring a car? Thanks in advance Paul

Hello, need some help on this one. I just got a PCN in the post. I stopped in a yellow box, they have evidence and I was in the wrong - That's all fact and that's fine. The problem is, the issue date of the letter was 27/5/2016. Today's date is 15/6/2016. That's a 19 day difference and means I have not had a chance to pay the 50% reduced fine. What do I do? The envelope has no date on. It's from hammersmith & fulham council. :-x

I've recently received a standard Parking Charge Notice from parking eye for a car park visit 31 days after the visit which I paid for. The notice shows my entry and exit into the car park and the duration of just over 2 hours of parking. The circumstances are I paid for 3 hours of parking, I inputed my number plate into the machine, I assume in the correct format and dispayed my ticket in full view on the dash. After 25 days I disposed of the ticket as I assumed the need to retain had passed. I have registered an appeal and admited I was driving and disclosed all facts. I also found their number and rang them. I was told a search of the machine would show if I had paid. The charge is for £100, £60 discounted and was issued 27 days after the visit. I have heard nothing from them in nearly a week. I fulfilled my contract with parking eye and consider their pursuit for payment unlawful and DVLA's compliance unlawful too. Can I expect parking eye to take this all the way to court? If so will they be bound to provide a record of registration inputs for that day as requested and I would also like to see evidence that my car was parked without a ticket displayed ( this won't exist as it was displayed). This would be the basis of my case, does anyone have any advice or comment to help me? Thanks.

Hello all, Just started my new job two weeks ago in security dept on four days off and four off rota that includes nights as well 7pm-7am and 7am-7pm shifts. Basically i left my previous job and had to take a salary haircut for this new role but i was not happy in my previous job so i left. At interview stages It was said to me on email i am on 28 days paid holidays. However, in the last week i found out that from other colleagues in my dept that its actually 20 days holiday. Now i feel a little down because even though i was not happy with my previous job i was paid more at least a £1000 more a year and i was on 28 days holiday (bit more as working on bank holiday will got me 2 lieu days) but i can't go back to it as it is now taken. I don't know if i want to as well but i took my current role on premise as i was told on email by HR director i will be on 28 days holidays. So not only wages (however i knew about that and not so perturbed about it) but also taken a holiday cut, you can imagine 8 days less holidays makes a difference. I read my contract of employment after confirmation of email from HR stating my salary and 28 days holiday like a small print rapidly. It says 20 days including public holidays. My query is i accepted the job offer from email send to me from HR stating 28 days holidays and now feeling let down with 20 only. I have not raised with HR yet but may do in coming days. I also spoke to ACAS and they pointed out to me that because of hours i am doing i have statutory right to 28 days holidays. they encouraged me to raise with HR. Question is how can i get them to re-write the contract of employment while others in dept are on 20 days holidays. How to deal with this as i am only 2 weeks into job, in probation period for 3 months meaning that i ma afraid they can just say well if you not happy with it you can leave. Anyone has experience of it or can advice me. How can i successfully turn it around. Thanks in advance.

Hi there, Looking for advice on how to handle & respond to the following: Received NIP today 10th March 2016, the NIP was dated 9th March 2016 with the alleged offence occurring on 13th December 2015. Offence was 41 in a 30 zone. The wife was driving at the time. The wife has been the registered owner/keeper for about 4 yrs. The vehicle and plate have been registered at the current address for over 12 months. I've seen comments and advice about NIPs needing to be served within 14 days of the offence, which this is clearly outside, but what I wanted to know is what is my/wife's positon here, who should we write to and what should we say Many thanks in advance for any help Mr P

Hello Everyone, I recommended a friend to buy a SIM only contract from the same mobile company I am using to have more data on less price. She called the mobile company and took a SIM only contract. Unfortunately the service of this particular network is very bad in her home area and she only gets 1 point on Signals bar, which make it very difficult to make and receive calls or use the 4G service for internet. Following is the contract details. Order: 11/04/2016 Post Date: 12/04/2016 SIM Arrived: 13/04/2016 Contract Start: 13/04/2016 She called the network provider on 23/04/2016 to cancel the contract but she was told that there is some service improvement going on in her area, So she must wait until 25/04/2016 evening. If the service level is still low then she can call back on 26/04/2016 to cancel her contract. She called the network yesterday, the Customer service guy told her that she is within 14 days of her contract and he is going to transfer to cancellation team to cancel the contract. Unfortunately the cancellation team member think otherwise, Cancellation team member asked my friend to check the delivery date on the letter received with SIM and tell what date is it? It was 12/04/2016. So based on delivery (Postage Date) which is written 12/04/2016, they can not cancel the contract. After a long conversation the cancellation team agree to open a case for the management to listen to the conversation of Saturday 23/04/2016 and decide weather to cancel the contract or not. So my friend is still waiting for the call from Network Provider. Today she received a welcome letter and first bill, on this letter Contract start date is 13/04/2016. So based on above information, Can network provider be that stupid and lie to customers? She has submit a formal complaint to Network provider about the incident and she is going to complain to OFCOM aswell. But is it fair for Call centre staff to lie to keep the customers for 12 months?

I have been issued a CCJ for £240 - this was because I contested what I owed a creditor (partial admission), and although I won - I still had a CCJ issued for the remaining £240. Unfortunately I don't know when the court hearing took place or when the decision was made to enter judgement. This was due to a house move and poor admin on my part (the claim was so old, I forgot about it basically). I didn't know anything about a judgement until I randomly logged into my MCOL portal on 26/02/16 to have a look and I saw that Judgement had been issued against me on 10/02/16. I immediately phoned the creditor and made the £240 payment on the same day. My problem is that I have read in so many places that the 28 day judgement removal period applies from the day of the HEARING - not the date of "issue". Please see screenshot... did I make the payment in time for automatic removal of the CCJ? or did have I misunderstood the usage of terminoligy here?

Hi all, I think I know the answer to this but I just wanted some advice/confirmation if possible. I had a M&S card many years ago that I was paying off but defaulted on LESS than 6 years ago - probably around 4 years ago. The debt has now been pursued by Shoosmiths who put a CCJ application in before Christmas. I contacted Shoosmiths, who told me they would not apply for judgement to be entered whilst they put my offer of lump sum to Arrow. The total debt was around £700 and I offered £250. They took ages and ages to respond - way past the point of being able to enter a defence to the claim, and then wrote to me declining my offer and asking for my proposals. I responded with a CCA request and heard nothing else until the CCJ arrived in the post. I have been bombarded with letters from Shoosmiths offering me a 'substantial' discount to settle in full, but if I ring they will only offer a 10 % reduction which I can't afford. I have had a terrible credit file for years but it is finally clean and I really do not want a CCJ on there now. The 30 days from judgment falls on Tuesday - is there anything I can do to stop this, given Shoosmiths never responded to the CCA request - which they are now denying even receiving I have scraped together £500 now but they are saying that Arrow have 2 weeks to respond to my offer and so the CCJ will be registered even if they did accept that. Is there anything I can do to prevent this or do I just need to take it on the chin. I've had some serious private problems that meant I didn't see my post as quickly as I should - hence the delay my end. Sorry for the rambling post, but I would appreciate some advice even if it is 'you are stuck with this' Thanks