I've been paying of the balance of my credit card with the Royal Bank of Scotland, paying an agreed amount every month by direct debit. I have kept up these payments without fail. I have now received a letter from them saying that they are increasing this payment to 2.5%. Previously I have filled out their forms detailing my income and expenses so they know I cannot afford the increase. Are they allowed to do this? Thanks for your help.

Hi, A friend has just called for some advice which unfortunately is well above my head. He has just accepted a new position in a company after stepping down from a Senior managerial role (for stress related and alleged bullying purposes) which is a downgrade but is the job he wants to do at this present time as he's not then directly working for the alleged bullying manager. He's looking for another job and has made no secret of this fact... His new line manager in the last few weeks has given him a new contract that states he now has to give 6 months notice if he wants to leave and for 12 months after that he cannot work for a list of companies deemed as competitors. As he works in a specialised industry, the company have specifically named any company where he could work and are in my opinion, restricting his trade if he was to leave.... Can they do this? He hasn't signed the new contract as he disagrees with it's contents.... Any help would be appreciated for him. Kind regards

£800 million agreed for defence READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/800-million-agreed-for-defence

New GP contract agreed for 2018 to 2019 READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-gp-contract-agreed-for-2018-to-2019

This is going to be a very long drawn out case, unless someone can offer some element of hope for us. We completed renovations to a derelict property about 2 ½ years ago. Our porch needed a new roof which was done with a trocol membrane. In a storm back in January 2016 we returned from a trip to find a metal pole on the flat roof which had a covering of gravel. My immediate suspicion was that it was the remnants of an old tv aerial, but as it was only the pole, I have since found it to be referred to as the mast, not the aerial itself. This is important as it was referred to as an aerial when I rang to make the claim. Because of the gravel I did not notice the membrane had been punctured, but removed the pole and lifted down a bracket/clamp that was on the main roof. In the August of 2016 we noticed a dry rot problem, which had previously been identified and treated during the renovations, had come back with vengeance. I notified the company that treated our house and they began stripping the property apart under warranty to determine the source. It was then that we found the porch roof was compromised which had allowed damp to enter the property. I notified MoreThan/RSA that the pole was suspected and they sent out Building Validation Solutions. Their "inspector" was quick to dismiss the case, suggesting we would get nothing from the insurance company as dry rot was not covered. It was explained that we were not claiming for the rot but for the porch roof, hall, stairs and landing decoration and vestibule door due to the leak, and that everything else was being covered by the rot company. BVS suggested to decline the claim due to rot, but yet some three weeks later, agreed inadequate costs and issued a scope of works for a patch job with inferior materials than what was listed on his first report to insurers. After rejecting this, RSA sent out their own senior loss adjuster, from a fraud unit??? who took a statement and agreed that BVS had not conducted themselves correctly, and asked for estimates for the repairs. These were for different aspects of work, building, plastering, decorating plaster moulding etc and as they were emailed to him, he agreed them individually by email. Over a couple of months, he was aware we had begun the works as it was nearing Christmas and we had a lot of work to do to rebuild our home. 5th December he sent an email giving his account of what he had agreed "as he saw it" and was going to transfer funds. This was an inaccurate figure as he had forgotten to include some aspects of work he had previously agreed to, but after a quick couple of emails he accepted. At this time I had asked him to consider the exterior rendering of the front of the house to match the new render of the porch at our builders request. This went over what he was authorised to pay and he referred it to in house specialists due to escalating costs. We have been fighting ever since. It is worth noting that this loss assessor was happy that we were being fair and reasonable with regards to the claim, considering we were only looking for the porch hall stairs and landing even though the rest of the house was in a mess. At this time, they decided to send out a forensic investigator and she would be accompanied by the same BVS inspector that had been proven to be incompetent in the first place and we have subsequently found out lied on his report, suggesting he used pole cameras outside to assess the origin of the metal pole we found, when he most certainly did not. During the forensic visit we provided some drone images which show that the old pole that was present when we bought the property had been since been removed during renovations unknown to me, and that it could not have originated from the chimney stack after all. My reasonable and logical suspicion of a pole that I was able to prove was on the property before works began from old footage was clearly incorrect. I found out a week or so later after a few anxious nights of no sleep worrying about the implications, that the pole was in fact something my son had used to extend his reach while cleaning gutters out with a trowel, which he had inadvertently left of the large chimney stack while he was cleaning up. This was explained to the insurers, so the forensics wanted to interview my son, which was facilitated and he explained what had happened. The forensic report has recently been forwarded by the ombudsman after I lodged a complaint due to the time that has been involved and their treatment of us throughout. I have found a significant amount of inconsistencies, and the report is heavily based on guess work, estimates and opinion rather than facts. With the porch being completely rebuilt and no pole available to inspect, it is hard to understand how the forensic investigation could have been anything other than an opportunity for the insurers to wash their hands of the case based on conjecture, yet the ombudsman has declined to side with us and given much weight to the forensic report considering it was independent, and have rejected the claim. The costs of these works has been in excess of £30K which was all agreed as the quotes went through, and emails can confirm this. What I would like to know is if the RSA loss adjuster by agreeing these costs and knowing we had begun works has accepted the claim on behalf of the insurers. They are claiming that because I didn't accept the original offer of just over £20K, on the 5th December, even though the loss adjuster accepted in reply emails he had calculated the figure incorrectly, and omitted some of the previously agreed costs, they are not obliged to pay anything. They were entitled to investigate further and a flimsy forensic report with steering by BVS to clear his name was the reason. The title of the report from forensics is "Damage caused by Rot" for instance, which stinks of BVS influence, considering that is not what we were claiming for, and she has not once referred to the RSA loss Adjuster nor has he been involved since the 5th December as he was "sick" and now no longer works for the company. Any guidance would be most appreciated. We are in financial difficulties after heavily loading credit cards, borrowing from family and from our business which is struggling to pay suppliers now, on the strength of this agreed fund coming to pay them all back, and the lack of sleep worrying and what feel like panic attacks, knots in the stomach and sweating are wearing me down. Perhaps RSA policy is to break my spirt but hope I can get a shred of help to fight this one last time. 11 months almost....and counting. Many thanks if you have got this far reading and in anticipation of you helping with advice.

A tenant is taking me to court for non protection of deposit. I was never given a deposit so I am not too worried about it, although I stupidly filed it late thinking I had. Anyway its Part 8 claim. She has left with over £5,000 of damage can I counterclaim on via this acknowledgement, it doesnt make it clear I can?

I have an old tenant who has taken me to court for not protecting a deposit. I didnt get a deposit but it was so long ago I put my foot in it by protecting a non-existent deposit, thats another story. Short story is that we agreed on an amount to settle this before tenant left, all in writing on email. I sent over part payment and then part of the agreement was to send over the rest of the payment on satisfactory return of property. In this time I then went back to UK and found old contract showing nil deposit and old bank statements with no deposit received. At this point I was at the stage of well I had already agreed on this amount, saying yes I would give deposit back, so I had shot myself in the foot. the property was left in an awful state, £5k later to sort it out, I sent letter, on 7th May saying what you gonna do and no reply, I didnt give the rest of settlement as I was waiting for her to get back to me. No call and then I get court papers, They started on 10th May, she moved out at end of April. I received all these court papers for a claim of 3 times deposit. I asked them why didnt they call or speak to me before doing all this and they insisted that I hadnt made any effort to settle???? I send a without prejudice offer of twice deposit, they have now sent a part 36 offer of the same amount and have asked that I pay all costs, £1700 costs??? and then 2 timed deposit...... Other issues, I want to throw case out, I havent got a deposit, I want to counterclaim but where do I stand with this offer, surely they should have at least tried to contact me, the costs are alomst twice my offer???? What can I do about the costs?? I am out of UK and would rather settle as this is a headache I dont need. I cant even go on about my other personal issues they are a nightmare, just bad timing....

Aviva posted me some very insulting to me marketing material in february so I contacted them to complain. They claimed that I had opted to receive marketing some years before, when i lived at a previous address. After further correspondence where they failed to produce any evidence of htis supposed agreemnt or ticked box (never used web or paper forms to agree to anything) they admitted they did not ahve such an agreement, had mixed my personal data up with another person of a similar name as well and offered me £75 when I had requested £250 as that was a sum courts had agreed was a minimum under persuasive case precedent. The main problem is the peopel who deal with a complaint are limited in what they can offer and do not know much about the DPA or even what other departments have been up to. in my case it was Aviva Insurance UK Ltd that had passed on erroneous personal data to Aviva Equity release Ltd, a separate company, without any authorisation and they finally accepted that this was a breach of the DPA, apologised and have agreed to pay me the £250 demanded to avoid legal action. Next year the law changes on what is deemed consent when ticking (or not) boxes and who they can pass your details to without express consent so hopefully this will become a rarer instance but in the meanwhile if you have a complaint, be persistent, stick to your guns if you are right and dont accept a stock response that they dont have to think about. My complaint got to director level because they didnt initially think they could be wrong, ignored the Vidal Hall v Google decision and blamed me for their errors. You dont have to put up with rubbish from big companies.

Can anyone help me on how to proceed with the following Recieved county court claim today from mortimer clark solicitors acting on behalf of claiment cabot particulars of claim by an agreement between goldfish bank ltd and the defendant on or around 25/11/2002(the agreement) goldfish bank ltd agreed to issue the defendant with a credit card.the defendant failed to make the minimium payments due and the agreement was terminated.the agreement was assigned to the claiment. The claiment therefore claims £XXXX I have a letter dated april 2008 stating cabot have bought the debt and that the agreed monthly repayment plan with goldfish bank now needs to be maintained with cabot. I have kept up the plan and have never missed a payment. I dont understand why they are now taking me to court can some one please advise how to proceed Thanks

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?

Hi all, I bought a property with an ex partner many years ago. I managed the property for the first few years before handing it over to a managing agent. The property was in my name as he was out of the country as the time of signing the mortgage. No declaration of trust was put in place but it was always agreed to split it 50/50 and there is an email showing this (and that intent). The property was sold 2.5 years ago and following a previous legal matter, where the ex wanted access to the property's accounts, my solicitor at the time, who sold the property, agreed to hold the proceeds of the sale on account until we agreed the split. Where I'm at is that I am still agreeing to 50/50 whereas my ex partner wants more (he thinks I benefitted from re-mortgaging the property which I didn't and various other things which are not correct). My solicitor who dealt with the sale has now handed this matter to a Civil Litigation / Family lawyer in his firm who now wants £500 on account to get going and then £250 an hour + VAT. I simply can't afford this. I see this matter with my ex dragging on and on (as have previous matters to cause extra pain and maximum cost) and I do not wish to rack up huge costs which will only benefit the solicitors in the end. Their quote of what it could cost up to would eat up the entire 50% share I am owed. My questions are : - can I handle this matter on my own for now? - If I need a solicitor in the future can a junior, less costly person handle this? Anyone know how much or where to go? - If I went to another solicitor what happens to the money held on account? - What law prevents me from taking my half as it was in my name anyway? - Can I be taken to court if we can't reach agreement? - Is there any other information that could be useful for me? Thanks so much - I really appreciate any feedback or input you have

Hi all, Heres the context; So after days of trolling through various website and spending loads of hours on the phone. I finally found my insurance broker. I had previously gone to them for a quotation and an estimate came back at 4200 GBP however when I rang them to finalise the quote the representative on the phone informed me the price was 3700.00 GBP. She also read out and went through all of the information to double check all was correct, this included all of the previous claims fault or non-fault, all was fine. I ended up putting a substantial deposit down and my vehicle was insured after I put down the phone. My question is, does the insurance company have the right to increase the price of the premium after we had agreed the amount and sale completed? I look forward to everyone's advice. regards, J

Hi Not been back on this website for a good couple of years (which is obviously a good thing) but recently encountered an issue which has\will threaten to undo all the good work of getting all blemishes issue's of my Credit history... I have a perfect credit score for the past 4-5 years till today. I had a lease car for 3 years (Banque PSA Finance), no payments missed including the last payment, when the car was returned that there was excess mileage and damage to an alloy....for which they then forwarded me an invoiced ..which I assumed could not be added onto the end Agreement and treated like it was an additional Payment. I sent two letters asking to set up an Payment plan (one on the 22/02/16 and one 18/04/16) to which I have had no response After finding that my next account has been suspended due to a change in Credit Circumstances, I logged on to find that on March this year they have registered the account as being defaulted (see image) My issue with this is that my contract was for 35 months from 28/08/12 which means the last payment is on the 27 July 2015 which was paid and from my point of the contract was completed and the Invoice for Damage\mileage they have added onto the account and then saying I have defaulted which I believe should be separate ? therefore negating the Default on my Account ? I know previously with help from this forum I have involved the ICO aa few times that have found in my favor and was wondering if it would be worth contacting them again docs1.pdf

Hope the title makes sense but that's the situation. In detail, the debtor and his partner owe just under £5000 to a private creditor, who obtained a CCJ which took the total to just over £5000 including costs. The people are one self employed, with a partner employed in a minimum wage job. The debt remained unpaid and 3 months later the creditor applied for an Attachment of Earnings order (AEO), against the partner obviously as of course he can't obtain one against someone who is self employed. At a court hearing the judge took into consideration the couple's "tentative" financial situation and awarded the creditor £20 a month via an AEO. The creditor wasn't particularly happy with the low amount but the judge said "tough luck". Since then no paperwork has been received by the couple from the court, nor has the partner's employer received anything to enforce the AEO, and no deductions have been made from her monthly pay in the 2 pay packets she has received since the court hearing around 6 weeks ago. a couple of days ago a Notice of Enforcement was received by the couple from a private London Enforcement Officer. The form is genuine. The details include: "Judgement was entered against you by the claimant (etc)..in XX October 2015. The judgement was subsequently transferred to the High Court for enforcement purposes and a writ of control has been obtained. IMPORTANT: The questions here are: 1. Is there an Attachment of Earnings order in force, since neither debtors nor the partner's employer have received any paperwork from the court? I guess I'm asking is, given that the judge awarded the AEO to the creditor at the court hearing 6-7 weeks ago, can he then reject it without it ever being enforced and pursue enforcement via the bailiffs instead? 2. Can the creditor enforce the debt by asking bailiffs to attend AS WELL AS having an AEO in place? I ask this because it was always my understanding that the existence of the AEO prevented the creditor from pursuing any other action at the same time. - or - Can the creditor still do this against the self employed debtor even though the partner has an AEO filed against them? 3. Are the debtors not entitled to be informed that the case has been moved to the High Court and the AEO amended (if any changes have taken place) prior to the Notice of Enforcement being issued? There may be a couple more points I need clarifying later but at this stage I need to establish the legality of the Notice of Enforcement here before making any moves. Thanks in advance. Sorry for the long post, I've tried to keep it as short as while including the relevant details.

Rather than face the humiliation of the DWP contacting my employer with a Direct Earnings Attachment, they accepted my proposal of £100 per month direct debit repayment plan. I have been paying this for 12 months and have never missed a payment. I have just received a letter asking me to call them as they want to consider an increase in my current payment plan. Can they pressure me with the threat of a DEA through my employer again if I refuse to agree to an increase? This debt is from 1997 and I know lots of people say it, but I know I was repaying this back then, I was called in to the social security office and new claim forms showing the deduction were completed. I was still on benefits when the overpayment came to light, and remained so until 2000. I have never been out of work since. Then 2014 and the Welfare Reform bill rolled out the DWP bully methods of collecting old debts. Guilty, with no access to records to prove your Innocence. Even letters from my local MP produced no way forward to dispute the alleged debt. There is nowhere to turn for help. Can anyone here help in answer my query: Can the DW force a Direct Earnings Attachment if I refuse to increase the direct debit of £100 per month that they already extract from me?

In brief - We went to a local independent flooring company, wishing to purchase a wood floor. The owner talked us through the various products, came to our house to look at the area it was for, measured up, checked the subfloor etc. He then recommended a product for us, ordered it and arranged for "his team" to come out and fit. He arranged the day and time they were to come out and told us that we should pay them cash on the day. In the meantime, he took moisture readings, spoke to the manufacturer and also the manufacturer of the underfloor heating we'd had put down, to check what underlay might be needed. The floor was fitted by "his team" - his brother and another man. It subsequently failed 4 times in the course of a year. The first 2 attempts to remedy the problems were made by the fitters. After it went wrong the 3rd time, it came to light that the fitters and the company owner had parted company, so the company owner/supplier came out and attempted to repair it. The same thing happened again, and he came out again. At this point, the supplier offered us a replacement stair carpet for our trouble. We said that this was not necessary, but if the floor failed again, we would be seeking a refund. When it failed again, we requested our money back. The supplier agreed, minus fitting costs. When we argued, he withdrew his offer and offered us a replacement floor instead. We expressed our concern that we had no confidence he had the neccesary skills and knowledge to fit a floor, given our experience thus far. We then took advice from the CAB and wrote a letter before action, inviting the supplier to comment on what he believed to be the issue with the floor, and offering to go to mediation. He responded, trying to lay the blame on us with various spurious claims, including that the contracting of the fitters had nothing to do with him - since the receipt he issued clearly stated "supply only." We then wrote again, offering to have an expert inspection and report done on the floor, and asking that both parties share the cost in order to confirm what had caused the problems with the floor. He refused, saying the cost was too great in relation to the value of the floor. We once again gave him the opportunity to refund us, while warning him that he may be asked to pay the cost of the report, should we take our case to the small claims court and win. In order to ascertain whether we had a case, we had the expert inspection done. It found that the fitting was to blame for the issues, including inadequate moisture and humidity readings taken by the supplier. The expert contacted the supplier to find out exactly what prep he had carried out and the supplier told him. The report also queried the suitability of the product for the conditions of our property. Once again, we wrote to the supplier with details of the report's findings and requested a refund of both the flooring, fitting and cost of the report or we would have no choice but to take our case to the small claims. The supplier has not responded. We feel we have a strong case. However, our concern is that it may be thrown out on the basis that the receipt we were issued was for supply only. In the letters from the supplier, he does state that he tried to repair the floor on 2 occasions, hut says it was purely a good will gesture. However, he also states that he did the pre-fitting site visits and prep. So, what is our legal position regarding his responsibility for the fitting of the floor?

Hi All, First time poster! I've been battling with Barclays over a default they placed on my credit file purporting to a current account with Barclays which I didn't recognise. Six months ago my partner and I were house hunting, at this stage we were really just getting a feel for the market. A house came up that was perfect and we set the wheels in motion hoping to get a mortgage offer sorted within the week and put an offer in. After visiting a mortgage advisor, he asked for copies of our credit files, which we duly acquired from the two credit reference companies and sent them to the advisor. Whom then told me I'd no way qualify for a Help to buy mortgage due to a recent default on my Credit File. I was utterly shocked, especially when I found it was linked to a Barclays Current Account. I have never been a customer of Barclays, ever...at least to my knowledge. I contacted Barclays and went through the SAR motions. It would appear that my very old Mortgage account with the Woolwich (circa 10 years ago the mortgage was paid off and account closed), had been migrated to Barclays and somehow they had issued a charge on the account which changed its balance from NIL to a negative amount...this Current Account now in unplanned overdraft accumulated fees for approx 9 years. In January this year I had received a letter from Barclays saying my unplanned overdraft is being terminated and I must pay them back £267 immediately or face legal action. I contacted them and was advised to pay it to prevent legal action and chase the cause afterwards. So I duly paid the outstanding amount, paranoid that I'd get a blotch on my otherwise pristine credit record. At this point I was writing to Barclays enquiring where the account came from. Now fast forward to April and my house hunting exploits with my wife I mentioned above. After much messing around and letters going back and forth between myself and Barclays Customer Services, They admitted fault and removed the Default from my record, refunded me the £267 they had originally demanded and offered me £50 by way of compensation. I'm literally about to write a response to Barclays about the £50 compensation. Basically, I would have purchased my own house months ago, if it were not for Barclays and the erroneous default, it has stopped us moving on with our lives, prevented my children from being able to settle into their new home (currently 2 girls and a boy sharing a room), its caused endless amounts of stress to myself and my wife and caused months of worry and unhappiness whilst we believed that nothing could be done. I don't think £50 really cuts it after I've had to pay months worth of rent, I wouldn't have had to pay, the emotional turmoil and stress they put us through (I lost 4st due to stress, though that's probably a good thing), my wife has been put on anti-depressants due to the stress and worry. I don't want to be THAT hard done by guy whom is out to line his pockets with someone else gold, but I feel we were forced to hold the ****ty end of the stick through no fault of our own and we had 6 months of misery because of it. I'm not sure what my point is, or even why I'm writing this post, I guess i just needed a rant. On the plus side, it is such a relief that the default is going and we got our money back, but I'm not happy with the compensation they have offered, in fact I find it a bit of an insult. Appointment book for the Mortgage advisor for tomorrow and hopefully we will find another perfect property soon.

Hi all. Recently my parents decided to move their Phone/Internet/TV over to Sky from Virgin Media, as there was an offer available from Sky for Free Family Package TV, £10 Unlimited Fibre Internet and £16.40 Line rental per month, so basically £26.40/month as opposed to the £56/month they were paying to Virgin for 100Mb Internet, basic TV and Phone calls/line rental. The day before Sky were due to install the TV, and a week before they were due to take over the phone line, my parents got a call from Virgin Media and handed it to me (as I tend to do all this kind of thing for them) and it was someone from a retentions team. I discussed the package we were going to get with him, and he offered to lower my parents monthly bills to £24.50/month for the same Internet and TV, but upgrading the phone package to the top XL package. We weren't too bothered about the phone upgrade, and my parents weren't bothered about the Sky Family package, they were fine with the basic Virgin TV package (basically Freeview with catchup), the whole point of the exercise was to save money. Plus the Virgin Media broadband was 100Mb rather than 40Mb from Sky, so we agreed to stay with Virgin Media and cancel the Sky installation. However, the following day my parents turned on the TV and found that all channels except 1-5 were now greyed out on the Virgin Media box. Upon logging onto the online account I found that the TV element of their package had been completely removed when the phone package was upgraded. I immediately called Virgin Media up, explaining the situation to them, however the person I spoke to said that the only ones who could do the package for the agreed price were the retentions team who spoke to me originally, however they could only call out and I couldn't be transferred through to them. He advised he could see the notes on the account fo what was discussed and there was no mention of TV, which there wouldn't be as we never discussed altering it at all. All he could do was send a form requesting they contact me within 48 hours. This was a bit of an issue as availability at home was going to be spotty over the weekend, then during the week everyone was going to be away from home. There was no call that day, so I called again the following (Saturday) morning, spoke to someone who said they'd mail the person I spoke to directly in order to advise them of our availability and again explain the situation. No call again late that afternoon, so I called once more. This time the person I spoke to discussed with me the possibility of re-adding the TV package as it was before, and downgrading the phone package back to what it had been previously, at a price of £26/month. I agreed to this, though asked for the contact request for the original person to be left open. The advisor assured me this was now all done and the TV package would be back in 24-48 hours. However, today, More than 48 hours later, no TV package showing on the account when I login online (and now nobody at home until Friday evening). I suspect the cause of the issue is simply some misunderstanding or mis-communication, but the main problem is the poor service I've received when attempting to resolve the issues. I know I know, should've recorded phone calls or got confirmations in writing and the like. Well that's exactly what I intend to do now. Does anyone have a good Virgin Media e-mail address to contact to explain the situation and attempt to get some resolution to this? E-mail contact is going to be the only viable option for the week anyway.

Well, a deal is there but the Israelis and senior members of a potential next US government say they will do all they can to cancel it.

Hi all, I will provide the edited version here - any advice wold be greatly appreciated. ATOS agreed to provide a taxi to take me from my house to their Medical assessment, and return me home again afterwards. This was as a result of medical evidence provided by my GP. On the day of the appointment I was to be ready 1 hour before my appointment, when the taxi would pick me up. It was a journey of around 25 miles. No taxi arrived. No phone call from ATOS. I called ATOS who told me that my file had been marked "Failed to attend" and sent back to the DWP. No explanation was forthcoming for them not providing the taxi they said they would. It's out of their hands now. I received a form today from the DWP asking for my reasons for not attending, and making it quite clear that my benefits are at risk if I don't have a reason that they define acceptable. I suspect that there are alarmingly few acceptable reasons, irrespective of what they are. I have written a 4 page letter detailing every aspect of my involvement with atos, including them not providing the transport, which is the main thing. The whole thing is ridiculous. How on earth can my benefits be at risk because ATOS didn't fill their part of the bargain? I'm quite concerned about this.

i split from my wife several years ago. I agreed to pay towards car payments and paid extra child maintenance (extra £70 month). After my ex stopped me seeing or speaking to my children because she wanted more money I calculated the correct child maintenance and reduced payments. After months of no contact with my children she eventually agreed to go to mediation to resolve the issues, I went to my session but she refused. After 3 months of difficulty seeing my children I received a small claim for payments both arrears and until the end of the agreement, totalling thousands. I offered to reinstate payments as long as she reinstated regular access but she refused offer and further mediation through court. Will I have to pay? It was a verbal agreement, but so was the agreement to see my children? Any advice, gladly received.

A new fee-free template for basic UK bank accounts has been revealed by the Treasury after a deal with major banks. Basic accounts do not offer overdrafts or cheque books, and may be given to those with a chequered credit history. Some holders of these accounts have been hit by initial fees of £30 or more after a direct debit or standing order payment has bounced. The cost can then escalate if the fees are unpaid. Under the new terms agreed, these one-off fees will be scrapped. Economic Secretary to the Treasury Andrea Leadsom said the new accounts would give basic bank account holders "certainty and clarity". "It will end people being effectively locked out of their basic bank accounts due to high fees and charges when their payments failed," she added. Account holders should also be offered a debit card, in order to withdraw cash from the UK's ATM network. Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, welcomed the move but said it came a year later than planned. Inside a debt charity: Matt Barlow, chief executive of Christians Against Poverty, says: We ask all our new debt clients to open a basic bank account with a bank that they don't owe money to. It is often not an easy business, especially for vulnerable people. In some cases, staff at the local branches are unaware of the basic bank account and we have found they inadvertently up-sell, offering the client a current account which results in rejection when they carry out a credit check. This is especially hard on someone who is trying really hard to get their finances back on track and take their first tentative steps to addressing problem debt. One of the other biggest stumbling blocks is that the banks want photo identification, which can be too expensive for someone without a passport or driving licence. There are only one or two companies which allow other forms of ID and we would love to see the Treasury tackle that issue. Another difficult element is the lack of a debit card with many of these accounts which really hit people in rural communities who end up travelling to a cash machine out of their immediate area and are unable to do shopping online. 'Fair fees' Some banks have, at times, withdrawn or reduced basic account holders' access to cash machines, prompting criticism from campaigners. There are an estimated nine million users of basic bank accounts in the UK. Nine High Street banks have signed up to the deal, accounting for 90% of the UK current account market. Access to basic bank accounts is extremely sporadic across the sector” says Mike O'Connor Chief executive, StepChange Banking industry body the British Bankers Association, which worked with the banks to develop the new template, said the revised account was aimed at people who might not be able to open a standard account and customers in financial difficulty. "These basic accounts will make it easier for more people to manage their money. They will have many features that will help people to budget, pay bills and save up," said BBA chief executive Anthony Browne. The EU authorities agreed a directive earlier this year that said all residents should be given the opportunity to open a basic bank account, with fees that were fair, and allowing people the opportunity to switch providers. Kevin Mountford, head of banking at price comparison website Moneysupermarket, said: "While the main banks have always borne a degree of responsibility to provide such facilities, these have often lacked clarity around fee structures and uncertainty as to who can and cannot apply, so this should now change. "It is essential that all banks fully enter into the spirit of this ruling and create basic banking products in order to help those customers who have been badly underserved in the past." Mike O'Connor, chief executive of StepChange debt charity, said: "The experience of our clients is that access to basic bank accounts is extremely sporadic across the sector, and things like high charges and limited access to cash machines can cause real problems on a day-to-day basis. "This move will give hope to the millions of people who currently feel locked out of the banking system, and help them to regain control of their finances. "However, signs of financial difficulty should not be ignored. We would urge banks and those across the credit sector to do more to recognise when people are falling behind on their essential bills and credit commitments, and signpost them to free independent debt advice as early as possible." More ...

Restons solicitors acting for Marlin capital recently agreed monthly payments via ccj which have been kept up to date, but now I have just recieved a letter from Restons stating an interim charging order has been obtained and they have sent me a copy of the application. Surely they can`t do this unless payments are missed? I have rang Restons and they say the letter was sent out as matter of course, and agreed no payments have been missed. But now im worried whats going to happen next. Can anyone please advise me what if any action I can take. Thank you

Hi All, Recently I agreed with vodafone retentions team to upgrade my mobile contract for a further 24 months. The priceplan that I agreed was for £26.40 a month including an affiliate work scheme discount of 20%. At this point all seemed good. After taking my proof of employment to a vodafone shop my problems have started. Firstly, a few days after I got back from the shop i contact the online help to check my discount had been applied which they said it was and my monthly bill would be as agreed. Then I check my online account a few days later and it did not appear, so I ask again, and they said it was not on the account. After explaining the situation again to online chat help it was re-applied and confirmed that my tarrif is as agreed. Now some 3weeks later I check my first payment which seems excessive so I query my next bill to be told that my monthly payment is £35 a month which is not what I agreed? At this point I said that I have not agreed to this and if the original contract cannot be adhered to I wish to cancel my contract and return the phone. To this I was told a fee of over £800 would apply. Key to this is that after agreeing to a contract at no point have I received written confirmation (email or post) of the contract agreed sold to me by vodafone - as if I had then I would have immediately returned the phone within the first 7 days. I have written the above to vodafone and was contacted this afternoon but after being on hold for 15min while the person checked and promised to ring back in 15min(which he did not) I am at a loss. Any help would be appreciated as I do not think the salesperson I speak with understand my problem. Thanks

Hi folks, Quick explanation, I am new here any advice would be great! I had a loan with HFC as a young 20yr old and was taken for a mug massively. last year HFC repaid me over £3500 in interest and compensation for ppi I did'nt know was optional. I had a loan taken in 2006 for £5000 over 5 years. I was struggling in 2007/8 and made a few payments late and did miss some payments, hence I received a Default. The crux of this is, when HFC offered me compensation I stated in the offer letter I returned I would only accept this offer if the default was removed as they has admitted the loan and ppi was miss sold I wanted to be put back in the same position as I was before I took out this loan. I even said in the letter do not repay my loan and forward me the rest of my compensation if you do not remove this from my Credit Profiles! A number of weeks later I received a few thousand and my loan was repaid and to my excitement the whole HFC folder on my experian credit report had been removed restoring my credit back to over 900+ score ( it was the only negative item on my report). The problem came earlier this year when I was turned down for a mortgage and even a different bank account, I went to equifax and callcredit and realized they had'nt removed the defaults from these CRA's. I created a notice of correction with both expecting they would be updated to my surprise they were not. I wrote to HFC and they point blank refused to remove them on the other CRA's. Even though they agreed they had adjusted one CRA they basically said tough!! The question is what should I do now, I got a mortgage through a bank that used Experian and even managed to get a Mortgage advisers job in a bank because of how clean my Experian report is, I could probably get away with not having them corrected but I hate HFC for going back on our agreement and therefore want to chaise them up!! Advise would be greatly received!!!