Hi all, I wonder if there is anyone that could advise me in a pressing matter. Below are the details: Myself and two others held a lease for a commercial property between June 2012 to June 2017. In 2015 upon the breakdown of the business we had agreed with the landlord to surrender the lease and hand back the keys. The keys were handed back amicably however we were foolish in not signing any documents and neither was any provided or suggested. Until this time all business rates had been paid and settled. In the last two weeks a letter was received at my parental home (where i resided at the time but have not been for the last few years) about a liability order that had been at the Mags Court. This letter was handed to me via a family member and this is the first instance were i learnt about any of this issue. I immediately called the local council and told them the facts who had informed me that the landlord had informed them that we were liable for the business rate payments for the period of August 2015 until June 2017 (beginning the the circa when the keys were handed back and end of the original lease) I advised the council that the lease was surrendered upon agreement with the landlord and there was no paperwork besdies WhatsApp messages providing undoubtable proof that there was an agreement and the keys were given back to such extent the landlord requested the keys so that he could put it back on the market. I sent the council copies of the WhatsApp messages to review and explained the circumstances. They did not respond to this. Earlier this week, a family member called me to inform me that an Enforcement Agent had visited my parental address looking for me. The Enforcement Agent was informed that i do not live at the address - he spoke to a 15 year old 'minor' and left some correspondence. I was supplied with this Enforcement Notice and proceeded to call the Agent informing him that i did not reside at that address and asked him why he had spoken to a child to which he replied he was not aware and then claimed that this is the address that they have. I complained and asked him why a sensitive piece of correspondence was left in the knowledge that i did not reside there and i currently have no fixed abode. I also questioned him on their registration with the Information Commissioner (i am a Data Protection expert) and noticed that the company Onesource was not registered and in a number of places are non-compliant with Data Protection regs - he immediately hung up. I proceeded to contact the business rate team and asked them if they had reviewed the WhatsApp messages to which they replied they had not but would not review them as they do not think it is sufficient but asked me to speak to the landlord and get some documentation. Having spoken to the landlord he refused to acknowledge that we had agreed to terminate the lease and would not speak further. However, upon reading 'implied surrender' there is no doubt that the nature of the messages provide outline that 'the agreement is inconsistent with the continuation of the lease' as such there is an 'implied surrender'. I again messaged the council and asked them review the messages as there is no prescribed method for an 'implied surrender' if they are not able to do so then they should escalate. This is all in addition to a notice to the Information Commisioner with regards to the data processing activities which are non-compliant and subject to substantial fines. My family members at my parental home (whom i have little contact besides a younger family member) are as far as i am aware working on a Statutory Declartion to advise the council and enforcment agent of my non-residence. I did not receive any correspondence from the council or courts as i do not live at the address and any that was sent there was likely returned or destroyed - i do not know. I have tenancy agreements for residences that i resided over the last few years but do not want to provide them. As mentioned at this time, i am living with some friends and couch surfing whilst i find a place to rent. I have not assets or cars or anything of substantial value - not even a TV in my name. Additionally, I am no longer in touch with my business partners and do not know exactly where they live. They only have my address. The business was run under a Ltd company (now dissolved) but the lease and business rate were in individual names. Is there a way to appeal to the courts? or the council? What are my options? I would appreciate any advise you can give me.

Survivors of domestic abuse now able to vote anonymously READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/survivors-of-domestic-abuse-now-able-to-vote-anonymously

hello i have a cover for my kitchen electric goods my dryer stopped working on 2/10/17 i rang to report this and book a repair this was then booked for the 10/10 repairman said he would have to order the part, came on the 12/10 and fetched wrong part and would contact me when part becomes available, i did not hear from them again so i rang D n G back up on 25/10 said they would replace product and be in touch within 24 hours ive not heard from them, ive tried to ring them but left for over half hour on phone. a month without a dryer, can i cancel my cover. its a rolling cover and only just started 02/10 when i added a new appliance same day i reported the dryer

Armed forces domestic abuse: where to get help READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/armed-forces-domestic-abuse-where-to-get-help The above link leads you to this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/armed-forces-domestic-abuse-where-to-get-help/armed-forces-domestic-abuse-where-to-get-help

Whirlpool oven repairs. Whirlpool oven repairs. Ongoing saga hopefully resolved tomorrow 24.6.17 Or a reading as war and peace will follow. This oven has been constantly repaired over the years, was supposed to have been replaced years ago but D+G lost my policy contract!! They had to start a new one ,so repairs carried on. After having the wrong oven delivered on 23/6/17 i rang D +G on 24/6/17 to be told that they would arrange Hotpoint / whirlpool to call me and collect it. .Nothing yet 27/6/17.-- D+G have the correct oven number listed on their system as i have now as that`s what they have insured it for years. Why would they decide to send me a oven that will not fit ,has no timer, no fan built in. I was led to believe the policy read , if the appliance is beyond economical repair ,which it is because parts cannot be obtained then it has to be replaced as new for old. We have been without a oven now for 5 weeks , i thought the idea of taking out a extended warranty policy to cover these electrical items was to get the problems sorted out. So why have i got to keep calling ,and calling , no one returns calls saying what is happening. So here i am another day later , no call from suppliers to collect incorrect oven , am now starting to get peeved after living off salads and beans for a month. The oven i need replaced in my kitchen is fully available on all Google available sites for immediate delivery , so no excuses D+G of not available please. I will now have to now see if Office Of Fair Trading can help , if not i will contact a popular TV documentary show and see what they say. My oven is AKZM 755/IX 2.6 kw UPDATE--- 29/6/17 After speaking to D+G for hours and eventually they organised with Hotpoint to collect the incorrect oven and deliver the correct oven. The driver arrived today with no oven and only to collect the wrong one. After a confused call to his head office he then left leaving the wrong oven still with us. So, another week will go by D+G with nothing happening , do you treat all your customers like this?

I have a longstanding policy with D & G for repairs to my Hotpoint washing machine. The engineer came yesterday on an appointment with the company for a repair - it was purely a matter of the filter clogging and he repaired this satisfactorily. After he left I put my washing in the machine. Part way through the cycle the machine stopped and when I pressed the button to resume there was a very loud grating noise which sounded mechanical. I stopped the machine and rang Dom and Gen to complain and asked for the engineer to return - I pointed out that it was obviously a result of his work. My machine is old (9years) but up to this point has functioned without problem apart from one previous blockage. They attempted to contact him but could only leave a message. After several mixups they then booked me another appointment in 12 days time! There would seem to be no system for an urgent return! They did say that should there be a cancellation I'd be notified. I have spoken to three different people with no luck and feel absolutely frustrated. My washing will have to remain in the middle of a cycle for all this time and I can't do any washing (having already waited 2 weeks for the previous appointment). I imagine that 2 weeks soaking in water will damage the clothes. Is there anyone out there who can advise me on how to complain about this and possibly gain access to somebody who can arrange for an early re-visit?

READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-within-the-royal-air-force-community-for-those-affected-by-domestic-abuse

ive taken on this for my mother. Long and short of the query is she took out cover for a dishwasher to be fixed with D and G. - D and G agreed to take over the appliance which is over 12 years old if they could fix. - came out twice last year, first visit asked for some plumbing to be done, second visit a fix was done but to unsatisfactory standards. - the appliance still leaks and the door was fitted back on incorrectly. - i stopped the direct debit due to the poor work and asked for it to be written off due to poor service - since then we are getting alot of chasing letters asking to reset up ddi as the plan needs to be honoured as a repair was done. failure to do so, the debt will be passed onto their 3rd party engineers. do i have a leg to stand to in regards to this or is it wise to pay the balance. i feel we have been cheated with the service.

Armed forces domestic abuse: worldwide support Information for armed forces personnel and their families who are stationed overseas. READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/armed-forces-domestic-abuse-worldwide-support

Hi, I'm hoping someone can offer some help! (and sorry it is so long - I don't want to dripfeed) In January, I moved into a new build property. I contacted my previous suppliers (SSE) and asked them to move my account over to my new property - a simple process, I hoped. I was wrong! In March they came back to me to say that they couldn't take over my account, as British Gas had me classified as a business address. I then spoke to British Gas Business - advised them that the house is indeed residential, that I wanted it corrected to show this and a bill so I can pay my balance with them before moving back to SSE. They also updated my address, which they had completely wrong. They advised it would take 6-8 weeks in order to change the profile of my address, and for a specialist team to recalculate my bill. Also, that they would freeze my account, and to ignore anything that came through the post from British Gas Business, as the residential team would be taking over. During this time, the letters starting rolling in - a bill of £1500 for 4 months electricity, and letters advising that debt collectors would be coming to the property; that they were disconnecting me in 7 days, that they were adding £100's of charges on my account in late payment fees. During this period, I called BGB, who advised that it was still in process, and that there was a backlog. When I got the letter advising of disconnection, my partner got quite worried, so I called BGB. This time their adviser said that they tried to call me twice on my mobile to advise that I needed to sign a contract before I could be moved over to a domestic profile. As I hadn't answered their calls, they had cancelled my switch. (No letters, emails or voicemails left to advise of this) - the reason I didn't answer is because I work! During this call, I was told I now needed to pay £1750, or they would be continuing with their threats of disconnection and bailiffs etc - despite the fact they were still billing me for business tariffs. When I mentioned that residential prices would leave my bill to be less than half of this, I was told that "You can make an estimate of your bill and pay us that" - surely it's their job to bill me correctly, but never mind! Finally, after asking for escalation to a manager to lodge a complaint, I was told that they would again freeze my account, and pass this to a complaints team to handle - this is when I requested that everything was to be conducted through email only. Over the last couple of days, I have had an email from their complaints team regarding this. They have now moved my profile over to domestic; however will not recalculate my bill unless I sign up to a contract for Electricity with them. Also, they admitted to me that they were informed in February that the property was domestic, but just continued to bill me as a business. What else can I do to get this resolved, other than signing a contract with them? I feel it is grossly unfair to be expected to pay double the amount for my electricity supply, because their systems incorrectly had me assigned as a business. Equally, I don't want to be tied into a contract with a company who have treated me so appallingly.

I signed up for a year of cover on a washer dryer and have just found out that they have been taking the payments since 2011 without me realising or indeed authorising it. I spoke to them and they were incredibly unhelpful - a rude and arrogant woman on the phone who said that they were not regulated by anyone and fundamentally they could do what they liked. They claim to have been sending me renewal notices each year which I have not received - I moved property so cannot verify this. Their main line of defence is that when they sent the first renewal letter it said that unless you cancel then it will automatically renew. I cannot believe that this is allowed?!? Can anyone please help me claim my hundreds of pounds back? I could have purchased about 3 new machines now for the amount they have charged!!! Any help greatly appreciated.

The following guidance is featured today on SCOOP. http://www.scoop.it/t/lacef-news http://businessadvice.co.uk/tax-admin/efficiency/a-guide-to-bailiff-enforcement-procedures-for-non-payment-of-business-rates/

I saw this a little while ago and thought it may be interesting to many on here. http://www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk/leaving-the-eu-impact-on-case-law-and-legislation/ ‘the Treaties shall cease to apply [to the UK] from the date of entry of the withdrawal agreement or, failing that, two years after the notification…unless the European Council, in agreement with the [uK], unanimously decides to extend this period’ (art 50(3)) "Insofar as any such amendment or repeal seeks to deny EU law direct effect in UK law prior to the date on which, as a matter of EU law, the Treaties cease to apply to the UK, this would put the UK in breach of its obligations under EU and/or public international law—though it is unclear what legal (as distinct from political) consequences this would have. Depending on the form and content of the future relationship between there UK and the EU, it will also, almost inevitably, be necessary to enact legislation to provide a basis for giving effect to that new relationship."

Hi, I'm hoping that someone can help me here. I have just been sorting through my Direct Debits and have realised that I have been paying a DD monthly to Dom and Gen for 4 years and I actually have no idea what for. I realise that I must have agreed to some kind of warranty cover with them initially, but I also know that I have no warranties on any of my appliances that are currently active so I have no need for this cover. I am utterly confused and crestfallen because I am absolutely meticulous about keeping records of all correspondence on these things, and have folders full of this type of info but I have no letter at all from Dom and Gen that suggest that the cover is ongoing or that an automatic renewal of the cover will be happening. In addition to this, the cover started at £6.34 per month in March 2009 and has increased in amount every year since then, they are now taking £9.30 from me! I have now cancelled the DD with my bank, but I really can't understand how it is OK for this to have happened. I am usually so careful with these things, but I tend to rely on correspondence that I get about these things to trigger my action, and I haven't received any. I read elsewhere on this site that companies MUST inform you of any change in the amount that your direct debit is, and this has definitely NOT happened, as it would have alerted me to the fact that the DD was active for no reason that I was aware of. I am really upset and feel badly taken advantage of. I know I should have noticed the DD was there, but I have a large number of DDs set up for various reasons and I must have just stopped questioning it because it's a relatively small amount and has been taken for so long. I'm really kicking myself, but surely there should have been some contact or correspondence from them? I'm going to write a letter to my bank and to D&G now, but any advice or support would be appreciated greatly. Thanks!

Help please, anyone... I have an insurance policy on my boiler. it pays for repairs / call outs up to 1500 per year. Made no claims over last three years or so. Have a leak at the moment, called them out, this was last weekend. heard nothing today, until out of the blue I received a phone call asking me if my boiler was working and that he could replace it for free but I had to pay the install charges of £1000!!!!! I asked my he was calling when I was waiting to hear from D&G about a part. He apologised and said that he probably shoulnt have called me and that I would probably hear from D&G in the next few days! I was disgruntled at this point. I left it a couple of hours and finally rang D&G, only to be told that the boiler had been written off days ago! no-one had bothered to call me to tell me. the policy states that in the event of a breakdown and not cost effective etc that a contribution could be offered from D&G of up to 1500.. ....oh no, not the case, they offered me £127.03..... in the space of an afternoon I have been told that a boiler that needed a part is now written off as the part is not available. my annoyance is that I am being penalised because the parts aren't available and £120 is not going to buy me a new boiler. I am a working mom with two small children, and after spending nearly two hours on the phone to D&G I don't know where to go next, so any help, or advice or anything would be appreciated.

I have a Hotpoint Fridge Frrezer out of warranty which is supposedly covered by a Domestic & General service plan. When I originally took out this plan I searched for info on typical repair response times. The Domestic & General website quotes two days for their engineers and similar levels of service when the repair is referred to the manufacturer. I had to place a call for service on July 27 and in accordance with the contract I placed the call with Indesit who handle the repairs on behalf of Domestic & General. The earliest the engineer could arrive was Friday August 1st. On arriving the engineer took a cursory look , ordered a part and after I complained about it not being able to be fitted until August 11 it is now scheduled for August 8. I raised this with D&G ref the two days quoted on the website. Their response is to tell me that there is no contracted service level and repair or replacement could take upto 28 days. This against statements by them and Indesit that repairs are normally completed on the first call. Domestic & General service agreements are a complete sham as there is no real intent to provide any sort of timely service to the customer! It's all about internal deals with their subcontractors to minimise repair cost. Before anyone disputes this statement there are more than enough examples on this site of the difficulties people have had trying to get a timely adequate repair. Given the information on the D&G website about response and their subsequent complete contradicition and statements of acceptable time not visible to the consumer I consider these contracts are essentially being miss sold. Bottom line unless can get a contract clearly stating response / fix times don't bother with Domestic & General as they don't even know how to spell service let alone customer satisfaction.

Hi, am very interested as to how the (4A)the Domestic Violence Crimes & Victims Act was amended to allow access to bailiffs, when the whole ethos of the act was to protect the vulnerable from distress, fear and abuse. Particularly when, most the bailiffs I've come across tend to be proficient at intimidation at best or total thugs at the worst. Am trying to ascertain who sponsored and seconded the amendment and their logic. be grateful if anyone could point me in the right direction. thanks ken h.

I have a Hoover Washer Dryer that's around 5 years old and have extended warranty with Domestic and General. I have nothing but problems with the appliance and it breaks down regularly. I have known it to break down within a few days, a few weeks and a few months so its fairly inconsistent but very annoying and time consuming. It always seems to be the drier that breaks down, its had new wiring, thermostats, and god knows how many fan motors yet when they are replaced something else will go wrong not long down the line. Although Domestic and General agree to repair every time this happens, I'm now at the end of my tether having to be available and having to take time off work to be in for Hoover Candy to come and repair it. I have complained on numerous occasions that I feel the machine is not fit for purpose and the parts aren't keeping the machine in good working order. I get nowhere when I complain. I'm told the machine can only be replaced if the machine is unrepairable ( it is repairable, but it's only a temporary fix) and they will look into it if it breaks down again! next break down happens then I'm told they wont replace it till and Engineer has been out, so the Engineer comes, fixes it, I call to complain and then I'm told they wont consider it getting replaced until it breaks down!! Surely, it gets to a stage by which they say, hang on, this has had roughly 20 repairs in a 2 year period! it must be causing lots of inconvenience to the customer and its costing us more to send someone out now than it is to replace it. They dont see my point. It's not normal for an appliance to break down that many times surely. Can anyone advise as to what I can do to make them agree to a replacement? Its driving me mad and I'm not taking another day off for it. It will break down again. Thanks in advance

Dear all, I am looking for some advice in regards to British Gas. When I moved into my current property, the previous account holders put my husbands name on the account, rather than starting a new account. This meant that we ended up being on a business tariff rather than domestic, and there was an outstanding amount to be paid from the previous bill. To say I am cross is an understatement! we went through the whole rigmarole of changing the account to British Gas Domestic (as we were told they couldn't re-assess our bill to domestic rates unless we joined them on the domestic side first?!? We wanted to change to a different company, but felt they gave us no choice!) Only after numerous phone calls to both business and domestic companies (I lost the will to live that day, 7 1/2 hours in total!) and was finally told we had to fill in a VAT declaration to state that the property is used for domestic purposes only. They told me to scan and email this form back to them (even though I told them I wasn't due to be connected to the internet for another week!) It took over three weeks for them to acknowledge receiving the email and we were told that we would have the matter resolved by the 4th August. We have had numerous amounts of letters threatening legal action for non-payment of this bill. Last time I called I was told they are computer generated and to ignore it as it was being dealt with. I came home Sunday, after a few days away, to find a letter from them threatening to disconnect our supply! (We have three children aged 4, 9 and 14!) We still haven't had the correct bill and I refuse to pay the bill until it is correct. Can anyone tell me where I should go next, as I really feel a complaint is in order and I need the bill corrected so I can pay what I do owe! On the other hand, I don't want them to cut our supply off!! At my wits end!! Thank you in advance Martini

Hi, I was living with my parents from January this year, I had to go back as I had nowhere else to go. One of my parents has always been abusive to the other parent in a verbal and emotional way, however within a few months of moving in the parent ruined and humiliated the other parents birthday and was acting horribly towards the parent so I just kept myself to myself, stayed at my girlfriends house 3 nights a week and wasn't there much and didn't talk to the abusive parent. The abusive parent then proceeded to cut off my internet access, then kept threatening to cut my electric off in my bedroom, stole things from my room which they admitted to the other parent and because I wasn't talking to the abusive parent they threatened persistently to kick me out. Anyway, on Monday this week me and my partner were there and the abusive parent came home from work and we thought we would sit down and talk about the situation calmly and in a civil way, however the abusive parent immediately got aggressive and was shouting in my girlfriends face and almost went for her and wouldn't listen to what we had to say and he forced me out of the house and said I had to leave. Therefore, I am temporarily staying with my partner, although she lives in an extremely small private rented room and it's for single occupancy only and there isn't even washing/cooking facilities in there apart from a microwave and a tiny portable fridge and I can only stay there a few days or a week or so at the very most. I do not want to contact the local council where the abusive parent lives, my partner lives in a town around 16 miles away and that's where I am currently staying. My partner is a witness that I was forced to leave and a witness to the aggressive nature that the abusive abuser showed on Monday, also the other parent has told my partner of several events where they and myself have been threatened, blackmailed and verbally abused, my partner is willing to make a statement also. From advice I have been given that due to the fact I have suffered from domestic abuse I can approach any council I wish, is this true? I have also been advised to contact the police, I am reluctant due to the fact my other parent has been verbally and emotionally abused for years yet they accept it and won't do anything about it and I'm worried they will suffer more if i report it but I think it has to be done. I also have a lot of health issues so I'm very vulnerable if I am homeless. One council contacted me today and asked for the abusive parents phone number so they could phone them to confirm I had been asked to leave but surely this is wrong? A controlling domestic abuser will just say they haven't kicked me out because they won't want to let anyone know they have done wrong and my abusive parent always puts on a show and denies anything when confronted so what can I do? Thanks for your time.

Sorry if I've posted in the wrong forum, I'm a new poster and couldn't really see a forum title that matched my problem! CCJ because of domestic violence. Back in 2008 I fled my marital home after years of abuse. All of the bills were in my sole name except Southern Water and although I cancelled these bills, it was done in a hurry with a quick phone call. Unfortunately, I wasn't in a position to check that this was effective and Southern Water didn't cancel my name from the joint bill. I went into a “safe” house and my ex-husband went to jail on firearms charges. As part of my divorce, my name was changed. I have now rebuilt my life in a new town, but my ex, who still lives in our old home, hasn't been paying the Southern Water bills. About 4 years ago Southern Water obtained a CCJ and are now sending me bills at my new “safe” address and have passed this address to debt collectors. Luckily, the bills are in my old name and the account is still joint. I have two concerns, the first is that my ex may find my present address and the second being how do I get Southern Water to stop charging me for something I'm not using? Not too worried about the CCJ, I can't afford credit and I own nothing! But if I could get it to go away, that would be a nice bonus.I'm worried that by writing to Southern Water to explain the situation, I may just be confirming my address and then be “doorstepped” or even that my ex will find my new address. I'm also surprised that after changing my name via deed poll on police advice, debt collectors have still linked my old name with my new address, which is in my new name, perhaps the solicitor didn't perform the change correctly? Thanks for any help or advice you can offer.

I have an all over stainless steel Miele Fridge Freezer, 4 years old, insured for repair or replacement through D & G. It developed a fault. The engineer attended and wrote it off. Said we would get a replacement. Replacement arrived today, but only door is stainless steel, sides are epoxy coated in a satin grey. One side is completely visible as you walk into kitchen. Rest of kitchen has stainless appliances. Neither I or the wife are happy. Apparently they only do one all over stainless fridge now which they have offered to us for a £250 upgrade, although the shelf arrangement is not so suitable for my wife as she isn't very tall. What rights do we have? Could we ask for a different make which is stainless all over?

Hi there, would really appreciate some advice on this matter as I'm not sure if I have been treated fairly or not. I bought an Indesit condensor tumble dryer 5 and a half years ago and after the manufacturers warranty expired I took out a new warranty for the machine with Domestic and General. I pay just over £7 a month for this and over the years have had them out six or seven times. The last three home visits have been in the last five weeks. The first visit was due to no heat from the drier, the engineer fitted a new water pump and went on his way. However, this did not fix the problem -consequently he came back within the week and fitted a new element which did resolve the problem. Ten or so days ago the drier started tripping the electrics and I contacted D and G again. The engineer came out after about a week's wait and said the machine was cursed and didn't seem to be wired up correctly. I went to do some housework and came back down to smoke in the air -the machine had actually caught fire whilst the engineer was running it! He said it would be about a week before they could get new parts. After he went I became quite scared thinking about what had just happened and how much worse that could have been - I have a young child and a baby in the house. I rang the complaints line at D and G and wanted to know why the machine couldn't just be written off, that I was quite frightened by it etc. Today I received a phone call from the big cheese at D and G saying that she had read the engineer's report and that a new back panel was needed including a new circuit board and the machine would not be replaced when it was deemed repairable. I said I wasn't happy with this outcome and that I really wanted a new machine. She then proceeded to tell me that if the machine caught fire within 28 days of the repair, then THAT is when I would get a new machine. I was quite astounded that my family could be put at risk in this way, since I have totally lost faith in the machine. She said she was the highest person I could go to unless I wrote to the Director-General. What do you think? Is what she said reasonable? Or do I have a case to pursue this further? Any advice or opinions would be welcome.

Hello all, I'm enquiring for a family friend who is concerned about insurance. Whilst I cannot go into specific details of their situation as it is not my place, I am trying to find out the following: Is it possible for a van on a commercial insurance policy to be combined with a car on a standard domestic policy? It is my understanding that these should be separate but I'm having problems confirming this. I have serious concerns that the policy will be invalid but I need to confirm this. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou in advance. EE

About two weeks ago I received notice of from Domestic and General about need to renew an insurance policy on my Freezer (a proline UFZ180P6). I notice that the cost was £66/yr and that it would renew automatically if I did nothing. The freezer is now over 4 years old so I thought spending that much is not good value. I'd prefer to get a new one if it broke down, or get a refurbished one at near to same cost of £66 (yes British Heart Foundation are doing some good deals). But I notice that to cancel the insurance means I'd have to call an 08444 number which costs me 5p/min. I don't like that- even though I could afford to spend 100 times that in a day because I'm rich. It's just the principle that offends (can go into that another time). So I get onto their website where I spend 15 min cancelling (or so I thought) their insurance. But the email confirmations I get next day don't reflect cancellation. So two nights later I decide to try again and this time it seems to be cancelled. Yes - I have loads of time and my principles tell me that for the greater good of all I spend my time like this. So that's say 30 min total. Which is not great but I'd rather spend that time than give them 5p I thought, if it's worth cancelling. But no. Read on. This morning I receive two pieces of correspondence both undated - and it seems that this is now standard practice in this country of late. So you can't really work out when correspondence is generated - advantage to 'big business' methinks. [ATTACH=CONFIG]44694[/ATTACH]1st opened correspondence says "Ensure continued protection of your Freezer" - renewal date 27th June 2013. Annual fee "£66.00" - as it was on correspondence about two weeks ago. So methinks fine that's just them plugging that which I refused. [ATTACH=CONFIG]44693[/ATTACH]2nd correspondence opened tells me that "Your freezer is now Protected by Domestic and General". So I'm like wut! (and holding back from telling you the expletives that were running in my mind. Don't want to breach forum rules ). My time has clearly been wasted going online. I'm not happy. But I note that it's the same policy and same freezer but now the price I've been billed was £29.00!! The date of issue was 15th June 2013 (but that's not the date on the correspondence - which is as I said undated). I call D&G on their 08444 number spending my 5p/min now. They introduce the call as being recorded for quality and monitoring purposes, so I decide to record the call too - and I let them know this later on. The phone takes 5 min to answer. So you bet - I was firm but in no shape or form abusive. After giving all the relevant details they go "That's cancelled... on our system". And I go (WTTE) 'well you say that now, but I could have no knowledge of that and your conflicting correspondence'. I outline that I've wasted my time online and now the cost of my call and my personal time chasing an issue that is their fault. So I've spent in total about 40 mins and paid for the 'pleasure' - if you see what I mean. It's not fair!! At this point - and it's the usual - with most call centre people - I start getting cut up in mid-sentence. So I say "I notice at this point that your cutting up what I'm saying and that predicts that you're about to label me as a hostile customer and put down the phone, but as I am recording this call and your company is too, I must let you know that I have not been hostile to you and have used no abusive language. I expect you to listen to what my dissatisfaction is". So I explain that it is about the confusion and the waste of my time. I then say that I expect to be compensated £5 for the waste of my time and the cost of my call. The woman then goes (WTTE) 'I don't know what you mean'. I respond, 'you know exactly what I mean' and I repeat myself and state that I expect a check for £5 within 10 working days. I then put the phone down with 2 seconds notice. I'm not about to explain the meaning of words to a person on the other end who is fully fluent in English. I stated my case. Some who read this may think this is about £5. I'll let you know now it isn't. I don't care much about £5, it is the principle of how large companies waste our time. If I spend 30 min on line I expect to get it right. I don't expect to have to be followed up by conflicting correspondence, then have to make a phone call that costs me 50p. It's pure rubbish. Just to let all know I spent similar amount of time with Tesco for £1 mismatch on their price, and on that occasion they offered me £5 for my time - which I did not in the end accept (simply because it was sufficient that they offered as a recognition of getting it wrong). This is about how big companies play a numbers game. Game you wonder. Yes - did you notice that the price at D&G was £66/yr - and that following my attempts to cancel the evidence leads me to conclude they quickly renewed before 27th June at £29. My second online attempt to cancel must have gotten home and that's why at 24th June (today), it appears on the system as cancelled. This is a numbers game, cuz I reckon that of 1000 customers companies treated in this way, probably at least 10% get hooked. Something is wrong with business in this country - and something is also wrong about consumer vigilance. That's why businesses know that with a certain percentage they will 'get away with it'.