I made a call from my virgin mobile to Traveline 08712002233 to find out if a certain bus route was operating as normal tomorrow, as the young person I look after was panicking about getting to her boyfriend's for Christmas. I was on the phone for 2 minutes 45 seconds. A bit later I had a text from virgin saying I had nearly reached my credit limit. I was confused as my bill is only normally about £25. I went online to check my bill and I have been charged £67.94 for this one under 3 minute call! Does anyone know if this is correct? And is there anything I can do about it I'm a full time foster carer and can't afford to pay this. Any advice would be appreciated.

had a strange call this morning, from 01454 772155 female caller asked 'is that Richard' ? when I asked who they were they hung up does anyone recognise this number , looks like Chipping Sodbury ? (do agencies use caller ID spoofing ?)

I have finally convinced these guys that I am who I say I am and have access to my file. This has been a long uphill struggle as I have moved house a lot since I held a lot of my credit accounts. Anyway, I have a couple of questions. 1) Barclaycard and Lowells are reporting the same debt twice, is this allowed? They appear to be different debts as they are slightly different dates but the amounts all tie in with the amounts that Lowell and Barclaycard confirmed were owing at the time when it was transferred to Lowells. I have reclaimed my charges on this account and both are marked as satisfied however it looks like I have defaulted twice, when I haven't. 2) Quickquid (I know!) have entered 7 entries on my file despite me only having one loan from them, and extending it by one month. Again is this allowed? Surely they can't just fabricate these things? Thanks.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/call-ban-claims-management-calls-002757648.html#CSN8cqQ

I was employed by a company as an on call driver. My shifts were 3 x 24 hrs on call, 3 x 24 hrs on standby and then 3x 24 hrs on rest. I was paid by the hour but only if I was called out. I was also paid £20 for on call and £10 for standby per 24hr shift. I was required to take a company vehicle home, have a company phone and had to respond to any calls . So for my usual 6 shifts on duty I would receive £ 90.00 plus the amount of hours I had actually been away on a job. Should I have been paid for every hour I was on call/standby. My monthly wage varied between £500 and £1800 depending on the amount of jobs I was called out for. I can probably get my old contract and all wage slips etc. but wanted to see others views before I take this any further. Thank you for any feedback on this.

took a policy out with this company paid deposit set up direct debit etc.. they asked for a copy of my proof of no claims and my drivers license which i emailed over to them i had an email back saying it was the incorrect email address so i called them and spoke to a man on the phone who gave me a different email address to send it to, sent it while i was on the phone to him to make sure that there were no issues with that email address and everything was sent successfully.. money was still being taken from my bank account each month then i was stopped by the police on wednesday as they said that my car didnt have a valid insurance policy on it even though i had sent everything that they asked and had no information telling me otherwise, the police seized the car and i had to pay £150 to recover it and £12 extra per day when i got home on wednesday and contacted onecall to find out why i didnt have any insurance they told me that they hadnt received any documents from me and that they had cancelled my policy, even though i hadnt received any letters that they had apparantly sent to me. i told them that i still had the email that i had sent to their company and i screen shotted it and sent it to the man on the phone and he told me that i hadnt sent it to a valid email address, to which i told him that it was one of his colleagues that told me this email address, i then asked him if all calls were recorded to which he replied yes so i asked him to go back and listen to the call and he would see that i had indeed sent it to the email address that i was advised to, he spoke to his manager and told me that his manager has refused to listen to the call because even if they did listen to it there would be nothing that they can do to help me as the insurance has now been cancelled?? im struggling to understand this and to understand why a manager would refuse to listen to a call? can anyone give me some advice please as to where i stand.. i am going to be writing them an email but i have been reading reviews and they are all not very good at getting back to emails etc, to be honest im beginning to wish id read the reviews before i'd taken the policy out but theres nothing i can do about that now so just after some advice please as to what i can do next many thanks in advance sarah

Hello everybody, This evening I received a call from MacKenzie Hall asking if I was who they expected it to be which is my son. I explained that no, that is my son who is at work, can I help. They said no its a personal matter and would try another number tomorrow. I contacted my son and asked him if he had heard from them or if he was in any debt. He said no to both and I do believe him (well, I definitely hope he's not deceiving me). Should I have concerns over this? I told him not to accept any call from the number I was called on until he receives something in writing. Thanks for any answers that I hope will alleviate my concerns.

Millions will see prices rise by up to 92% as company announces plan to start charging by the minute, rather than by the second Millions of Vodafone pay as you go customers will see the cost of their calls rise by as much as 90% after the company said it was "simplifying" prices. Vodafone is switching from charging per second to charging per minute. That means, for example, that a call lasting 62 seconds that currently costs 26p will, from 1 August, cost 50p – an increase of 92%. The move has incensed some customers, with many critical of the way the price rise was communicated. Pay as you go customers received a text message telling them to go online at vodaphone.co.uk/amends to find details of the change. Headlined: "Pay as you go pricing just got simpler," the message said: "Pay by the minute – and always know how much credit you have left. Calls on Pay as you go are getting simpler from 1 August 2013. No more complicated pricing by the second – just clear, straightforward per minute charges." It said that if a call is one minute and 37 seconds long, it will be charged as two minutes. "That way, you'll always know exactly how many minutes you have left." The change affects calls to UK and international landlines and mobiles. A spokeswoman for Vodafone – which in May announced an operating profit of £12bn – confirmed that all these calls "will be rounded up to the minute", and that the company would not be rounding down the cost of calls, for example, if a call lasted one minute and two seconds, or one minute and 10 seconds. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/jul/08/vodafone-customers-angered-call-charges

The latest call for evidence is here:- https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/209665/wca-cfe-4th-review.pdf Please respond with your own or someone you know's experience of the WCA, particularly the effect on your/their health of the stress involved. Closing date is 27th August

Hi. I have a debt with o2 which has been passed to scot call. I will make an offer of payment to o2 but scot call are saying they will make a personal visit. I have sent them the template letter to stop them but they have responded with this... ''I write in response to your recent correspondence. The case you have referred to is not applicable to your circumstances. As part of the credit agreement that you signed and entered into, you agreed to repay the full outstanding balance and that where necessary, the creditor could recover the debt by outsourcing the debt to a third party, which included by way of doorstep collection. Therefore the license you state that has been revoked is irrelevant, which for the avoidance of doubt we do not agree to, is not binding on us as it does not fulfill the relevant principles of contract law. We are entitled by law and under contract to recover monies outstanding and we are allowed to take reasonable steps in accordance with regulatory guidance to recover such. Please advise if you will be making payments on this account. Regards S White '' Any advice as to what I should respond with would be much appreciated. Thanks Paul.

Hi All - this is my first post as such on this site so please forgive me if I ramble! I recieved a call yesterday (11/06) at 16:50 from a man (Mark xxx) claiming to be from the DWP. He asked if I had recieved the forms sent 6-8 weeks ago and was I going to reply to them. He at no point asked me any security questions (such as NI number etc) and I asked what the forms were relating to, apparently these were relating to to a possible refund of benefit of some sort. He had details of my mobile no. my present address and DOB. He asked for my employer details - which I foolishly gave him- and he explained tha new forms would be sent in the post. He rang again 15 minutes later and asked me to confirm my employers name - I became suspicious at this point and asked to which address he had sent the original forms. He said to put my mind at rest and that these had been sent to an address which I had lived at 14 years ago..... I did not have time to ask for his direct number to verify his ID etc and am now worried that it was some sort of false call from debt collection agencies. I have contacted the DWP - various departments (including debt management / social fund / job centre plus - which were very helpful) but they had no record of calls made to my number or of any such person called Mark xxx. The only clue I have is that the debt management team said I have an account to do with a social fund loan and they could not give any details (the last time I had ay social fund loans would be from over 15 years ago?) - yet the social fund staff say that they have no record of such? I do have a recent ongoing issue with a motor dealer that are pursuing a debt from over 13 years ago (which is a long story) and time statute barred. I have also informed my employer that should anyone attempt to contact them by telephone or letter in any matter not work related that they are not to issue any details and to put the call through to me. My worries are that a debt collector has posed as a DWP staff member to glean information about my employer - which according to DWP is a criminal offence? What can such agencies do with the information (my employers name only - but they have previous address and mobile number / DOB) ? If my employer is suddenly contacted after this bogus call can I then take action against them as they would be the only agency to have called in the first place and therefor must be the person posing as DWP staff member? Has anyone else had the same experience? Any advice gratefully recieved - thanks

Hi all, It has come as a major surprise to me that O2 are being incredibly unhelpful in applying either a credit limit to my phone (in case of unauthorized use if stolen), or applying an international call barr ( the most likely use if stolen). Am i being unnecessarily harsh/stupid in requesting same or are they simply looking to profiteer in the face of possible misfortune? Has any body managed to get this done with O2? And/or found an inventive work around? Thanks Jaba

Hi, I need to gather evidence for my defence against Safeloans Ltd. They claim I failed to make the repayment of my loan, but I attempted to do so several times, and ealirer than required. Their website said my card was declined. I recently spoke to NatWest. I got a very helpful advisor who sent me transaction logs to prove I had funds in my account. Unfortunately, he couldn't provide details on the Safeloans transactions from 21st December, as there's a 30 day limit. On 21st December, the day I attempted repayment to Safeloans, I called NatWest after Safeloans' site rejected my payments. They advised me that the transactions had been authorised, but the site did not take any money. I need a way of getting NatWest to provide a copy of transcript of this call, as it would prove beyond any doubt that I did make several attempts to pay Safeloans. Thanks

I reckon the companies will change their options around - Post Office Telecom had a message on their automated system which advised that the options had been changed ! So I think perhaps these companies wont like this guy's idea

Well, I am slightly concerned. I had a letter from the above informing me that a company called Arrow global had given them information about a debt in my name. The letter then rambles on about how stuff can affect your credit rating etc and things that you can do to help....for example look at Noddle. If they bothered to look, then they would realise that i have already done so. So...I call them and ask whats its all about. apparently the letter is not from them...I argue and ask who is using their address.. reg no and logo etc..Oh well yes it is from us. Why are you acting on behalf of Arrow global i ask....were not....you said you were...were not...you said you were...wear not...jesus. So...what is the point of the letter. Just to let you know about the debt........eeerrrr its well over 12 years old. you need to contact Arrow global....I did...they sadi the account is closed. What. I am so confused...they said it was passed to some other company. I forgot their name...i called them...its nothing to do with us. what the hell is this letter for...anyone know.

I rather foolishly took out car insurance in December with one call, I really should have done some research-the poor reviews would have warned me off but I was tempted by the cheap quotes, they have attempted twice to take the money from my account on the wrong day, I have incurred charges both from the bank and onecall, they insist that the due date was 24th of the month, why on earth would I agree to a direct debit the day before payday? I recived a letter today saying that they would be cancelling my insurance in 10 days if I don't pay the missing payments plus charges, I am tempted to try to insure eldewher but concerned that it would have an affect on no claims and other insurers would be put off by the fact that I had left in a dispute after payment problems, can anyone advise?

This letter was received today. Arrow made contact several months ago to the named person. The debt was registered at another address and wrote to someone with the same name at another address. Arrow were informed that they have never lived at the address and never heard anything since until today.

Just had a call claiming to be from tax credits reminding me to fill in renewals faster than last two years as I was just on the deadline, is this normal?? or was a debt collection trying to get info??? really worried now, call was at 745pm!! Help anyone!! Couldn't get through to tax credits to check sleepless night ahead me thinks!! jackie

Mike Dailly of the Govan Law Centre has written a guide on how to challenge a decision which can be downloaded from here: http://www.govanhilllc.com/brtax/ Although written with a Scottish audience in mind, all of the arguments apply equally in England, Wales and NI.

Hi there my husband has just received a letter today regarding the change from IB to ESA. The letter has stated that they will contact him within the next 2 weeks. The questionnaire they refer to is called Limited Capability for Work. As I work full time, I normally deal with all calls and forms etc ... What happens with this call? Do you have to answer? He is not in any state to talk to anyone, can I request that the necessary paperwork be sent for completion? Does the money stop until this has all been sorted? I am better to contact CAB/Disability Action with regards to completion of the form. As I have read this will also have a impact on me as because of my earnings as I work full time with 2 kids 16 and 11.

The energy company who will pay YOU £20 when they don't call back Scottish & Southern Energy customers can now demand a £20 refund every time the firm fails to call back when it says it will. In a bid to improve its customer service, the energy giant has said each time it doesn’t meet its five principles it will deduct the money from your bill. The five principles are: calling you back when promised; never transferring you more than once unless you agree; giving you the opportunity to speak to a manager if you ask; offering support if you need help with your bills; and helping to save you money. There is no cap on the amount of refunds you can get, but you must claim within ten days of the alleged service failure. The money will be credited to your account balance, so you will see the discount when you next pay your bill — be it monthly or quarterly. Pre-payment customers will see the money added to their card the next time they top-up. Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-2274248/Scottish--Southern-Energy-pay-customers-20-dont-back.html#ixzz2K81cItY4

Hello all, I was wondering if anyone could help. I received a letter about a week ago from Debt Mangers LTD stating they had been looking for a person with my name and to contact them, the usual phishing trip, which I ignored. Today I have received a letter headed Doorstep Visit with a threat to have someone call at my address unless I call them immediately. They claim I owe £728 to Arrow/Orange. I did have an Orange phone account, but not since October of 2007, and I cannot recall owing them anything. My main concern is that I live on a property that shares grounds with my landlord, and do not want debt collectors turning up, especially since no details of any money owing have been given. Any advice on how to proceed? Many thanks

hi, my current employee asked me to be on-call to monitor computers / servers. its something i'm used to with various jobs but i'm in something of a dispute with them now about the definition of on-call. they basically want me to monitor an email box of incidents 24/7 one week in three. The problem is the sheer volume, yesterday there was 30 incidents that needed a response to - the day before over 100. A response could take a few minutes to a few hours depending upon the issue. This isn't on-call its constant service monitoring. they have said they expect me to have my phone wake me anytime of night as many times as needed so solve these problems whilst doing a normal 9-5 per day also. There is no extra pay for this they say its expected and part of salary which isn't great anyhow in fact my pay has shrunk back to what i was earning in 2004 thanks to a few redundancies yay. This company doesn't provide any critical services so its not like i'm on-call for a 999 service or anything. The only thing at risk is the managements wallet. i tried this for a while but when i started having to justify what i was doing after going home i got a bit annoyed, then one evening i was visiting my mother in hospital who had had a fall and the next day got an earfull of agro for missing a problem. they were asking why i didn't bring a laptop to the hospital. since then i have refused to do any on-call at all. there are two other people who do the same job as me and they have had to do my on-call since i refused, i originally tried desperately to get them to stand up to d'management so we could do shifts and reduce the amount of our free time taken but they are too scared of being sacked and will just go along with anything the company owner wants. my contract does not state on-call but just some vague catch all clause that sometimes out of hours work will be required within reason.. it specifically does not mention being on-call at all. to try and be reasonable i offered to work shifts without any extra pay so they would have people to monitor systems but they will not change anything stating the company is too small to support any shift patterns. although they do like to brag how many millions they make a year So now they want me to leave and have been interviewing for my replacement, i don't really care so much as iv'e never had any issues finding a job and have been in work for 24 years, i own my own house with no mortgage and very little debt. i told them then i wont quit but i will be reasonable if they give me time to attend interviews ie i wont hold anything against them. I'm hoping i get another job soon but if it does come down to being sacked would they be within their rights? everything i look at has contradictory advice like on-call isn't covered by normal employment hours regulation. ta

I have sent in my esa50 five weeks ago. Just got a call today from a witheld number.They were saying my name and asked if I was that person, But the line was very poor I asked who they were but had to give up in the end as, The line was very poor. Do ATOS ring you from a witheld number.Or am I stressing for nothing thanks for your help.

Yesterday, I received a letter from my employer calling me to a disciplinary hearing. The letter cites numerous conduct and performance-related issues and states that a possible conclusion of the hearing is dismissal. I have been with the company for six month, successfully going through my probation period, and have never be told verbally or in writing that my performance did not meet the requirements of the job until yesterday. Two and a half months ago, the company employed a part-time worker and I was told she was there to assist. She was made full-time last month with a salary £6k above mine and on a company pension (which I am not); further, she is less qualified than me. Yesterday, before I received notification of the disciplinary hearing, this colleague was asked by our boss whether I had "filled all knowledge gaps with her since the company could not afford to employ both staff". I have seen a change of attitude by my boss towards me since just before the new arrival, and his actions led me to believe the company wanted to get rid of me. Now this seems are very real likelihood. Furthermore, the company is small and my boss (also a director) is married to the other Director, and they will both be present at my hearing. I know I have been falsely accused, know also they have decided to terminate my contract regardless of the case I present, and also know that I cannot possibly get a fair hearing. Please, what should I do? PS Sorry for the length of this thread; stressed out and need to present a clear picture. Thanks