My Sister worked in Germany as a self-employed riding trainer, paying all her taxes etc here. To cut a long story short she purchased a half-share in a horse with a horse-trader with a view to earning a share in commission when it was sold. It was indeed sold and my sister received commission in German currency which she paid into her English bank. Due to issues, the horse was returned and my sister re-paid the commission she was given back into a German account. Because of exchange rate, the commission converted back to German currency was less. She agreed with the trainer that she would care for the horse that was returned back in the UK. Cut to the day she was returning, under extreme stress he placed a letter in German in front of her demanding she sign it before she leaves. As my sister was due to board a ferry with a truck containing a horse and was severely stressed - she signed it. It was the first time in the four years they worked together that he had ever given her anything in German. He is now harassing her via social media - and it would be useful to know what sort of advice or protection she can expect. She assumes the content of the letter was regarding paying the costs of the horse while it was in England. Does English or German Law apply here? Appreciate any advice you might be able to help us with. Thanks Samantha

Why take any dispute to the Ombudsman , is it worth the trouble? For the 3 time of trying to post this reply but worth reading:- Rights of Entry (Gas and Electricity Boards) Act 1954, The Gas Safety (Rights of Entry) Regulations 1996 In a genuine dispute there are no rights of entry(i.e magistrates warrant issued), however I would also caution health and safety matters if its a gas leak. if electricity meter dispute The Electricity Act 1989, The Utilities Act 2000 Note schedule 7 of 1989 act and schedule 5 of 2000 Act, an electric meter cannot be removed until a dispute is resolved. I did provide links to laws but the post is not going through. Hope this helps you and others. Mike

Hi there, first post here and I hope this is the right place. I have a debt in Germany that I got from a mistake I made and it has since been sold on to a debt collector in Germany who are chasing the debt (from Germany). I spoke to them about the debt and said I couldn't pay however they talked me into 3 monthly payments which I can't afford at this time due to being unemployed (recently lost my job, hopefully will be back in employment soon) but I want to work out exactly what they can and can't do. The debt it's self is 68,40€ however they've added collection fees, (future) administration charges (I think it's what zukünftige Bezugsgebühren aus Verzug gem. §§ 280, 286 I BGB means), business fees and expenses which total 285€. I'll admit that it's my fault and if I had been informed I owed the 68,40€ I would've paid it however now I'm not in the position to pay the debt plus these expenses they've added. I unfortunately have no information on the original subscription nor any cancellation as I didn't receive any mail from the paper in Germany, just the subscription itself nothing else. I know I don't have a leg to stand on and it was a mistake that I'd like to rectify but I can't pay at this time and they haven't understood that. My main question is on the fees, what is and isn't enforceable from the UK standpoint as if I can pay the original debt which I believe is only 68,40€ then what should I do in regards to the rest or can I refuse to pay the rest on the basis of being unemployed at the moment? Thank you for reading and I look forward to all responses.

Hi everyone. This is the letter I have sent to one of my suppliers. What do to when a supplier from abroad refuses to refund for a manufacturing issues on the item bought. 05 October 2015 Dear Mr. X, Request full refund Order N 6513 dated May 2015 23rd + invoice 29617 + 30 EUR for storing. I am writing to you to make official request of full refund for the purchase of the Scooter model H300 I have bought for my customer Mr. X X. As you were previously made aware of, the scooter was received by the customer with manufacturing issues such brakes not perfectly working, speedometer not set for showing the speed as described in the scooter specifications and the main issue, the handlebar broken in two pieces. After making request for repairing the scooter, I was charged for the repairs despite the scooter had arrived already broken to the UK. I was also charged for the delivery from London to the warehouse in Germany and from the warehouse to London. As a third charge, it was added an extra 10 EUR for each week the scooter was kept in the warehouse after repairs were done. In regards to this last charge, I have never received the invoice, which complicates the situation as no payments can be requested without the invoice being issued. Please, find below the steps which have brought me here: • May 23rd: - I bought the SXT H300 from the website sxt scooters. Within the first 14 days you were made aware of the issues shown on the new scooter once the parcel was opened. • June 29th - The scooter was collected by Parcel Force from the X Ltd office in London for being delivered to your warehouse in Germany. • July 6th - The scooter was received by you and the paperwork signed by X. • August 13th - 39 days after you have received the scooter in your warehouse, I was informed by email that your mechanic had finished the check of the scooter stating that they had not found the issues described be me (I have all the pictures about the broken handlebar. After checking the scooter, you have stated that the parameters of the speedometer were wrong, that the brakes needed some fixes and that the wheels needed to be inflated. All this means that the scooter was not checked before the delivery and it was received by the customer in not acceptable conditions) • August 13th - This same day you have invoiced me for repairing all these issues were shown once the scooter was received by the customer. • August 19th - You have informed me that I will be charged extra 10 EUR for each week the scooter is kept by you in your warehouse. • September 7th - The invoices 29617 (delivery plus repairing) and the non-invoice never issued (storage for the scooter) were paid to your bank account as requested in order you to re-deliver the scooter back to London. • September 16th - 73 days after delivering it to you for the scooter being repaired, the scooter was received in London and the delivery was signed by Mrs X X which has opened the parcel in front of me and noticed that the handlebar is mounted upside-down and that the speedometer is broken. (I have sent you the pictures of it) • September 17th - I personally sent you an email making you aware of the receipt of the scooter with the handlebar mounted upside-down and the speedometer broken (the picture were attached to this email). No answer was received by you. • September 20th - I sent you the second email advising you again of the fact the scooter was received with some broken parts (speedometer) but unfortunately no answer was received by you. • September 30th - I sent the third email to the same email address we have had in the last 2 years our correspondence and for the third time I have not got any reply. I have asked your assistance for a scooter that was received for the second time with manufacturing issues. After 125 days still the scooter is there on a side in the office and it is not possible using it. During this time more than one consumer and businesses defense center and departments - German Patent and Trade Mark Office, HM Revenue & Customs and UK Trade & Investment, UK European Consumer Centre, The German-British Chamber of Industry & Commerce, Verbraucherzentrale, German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection - were informed of your behaviour, about your conduct, about your threats for having published a correct review of the issues happened with the scooter sold by you. No international laws prevent a consumer or a business by publishing on internet the behavior of another business which they have a cooperation with as long as all the statements correspond to real facts. This will be considered as a threat and valuated as such. With this letter, I would like to ask you to issue a refund for the money spend for buying the scooter which, after 4 months and 4 days after its purchase, is still not possible riding on the road (private) because of the issues mentioned above. The total amount to be refunded is: 1151,43 EUR • 873,84 EUR for the purchase of the scooter. • 157,59 EUR for the delivery UK-Germany and Germany-UK and repairing of the scooter under warranty. • 30,00 EUR extra charge for storing the scooter within your premises (invoice illegally not issued) • 90,00 EUR as anticipation for delivering back a scooter that since the beginning was not possible to ride because of its issues. As a matter of the facts, the departments mentioned above will be receiving copy of this correspondence with you in order to be updated with the development of the facts. They will be also authorized of proceeding with further investigations about this report in order to make more clear the reasons which have brought you to behave against the rules. Nonetheless they will be requested to make public this report as we strongly believe that users and potential buyers must be made aware of your conduct as a Company. I have never got an answer. I have the item broken in my house and cannot use it. What to do? Does anyone have a clue? Regards.

My Lenovo tablet developed a problem I was not sure if it was software or a hardware problem as at times my Tablet would not do the things I was telling it to do and at times the screen did some very strange things. Still under warranty I rang Lenovo who suggested a factory reset, which I did but the problem remained. They then said that it needed to go to the nearest repair centre which is in Germany. it was picked up and sent via courier. It took three days to get to the centre where it was assessed for one day and is now being processed which as been going on for about 10 days. I keep checking on their website as to the status of my tablet but as of now still no change. I was talking to my friend about my problems and he told me he had a problem with his Dell laptop and that was in Germany for the second time with problems! I cannot work out the economics of sending items to be repaired in Germany! It surely must be a very expensive way of doing the work. Anyone have any idea why they are doing this?

German cars are amongst the least reliable, and Japanese cars amongst the most dependable, according to an industry survey. German manufacturers took four of the bottom six places in a reliability table based on the experiences of 50,000 UK car owners. By contrast, Japanese manufacturers took four of the top six places. The findings fly in the face of Germany's traditional reputation for engineering excellence. That reputation was used by Audi in its advertising catch-line "Vorsprung durch Technik" - or "progress by technology". Luxury car-maker Bentley, owned by Volkswagen, was judged the least reliable of 37 brands, in the research by What Car? and Warranty Direct. Mercedes, Audi and Porsche were also in the bottom six. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32332210 I've been saying this for years. All buyers of German cars are being conned, they are crap.

"Sitzpinkler" is a derogatory term used in Germany to describe men who sit to urinate The finding was made when a landlord claimed his tenant had ruined a marble floor by sprinkling it with urine. The disgruntled landlord tried to retain a €3,000 (£2,300) deposit for the damage allegedly caused by his guest's acidic spillage. Despite growing domestication of men in this matter, urinating while standing up is still widespread But Judge Stefan Hank today ruled that men who stand up to relieve themselves cannot be held to account for any collateral damage. The Judge conceded that men who chose not to sit "must expect occasional rows with housemates, especially women". However in Germany, the debate over whether men should stand in the toilet continues to rage. Some toilets in the country bear red traffic-style warnings signs – expressly forbidding the standing position. "Sitzpinkler" – is a derogatory term used for men who decide to rest their legs and urinate. The insult implies that sitting is not masculine behaviour. "Despite growing domestication of men in this matter, urinating while standing up is still widespread," said Judge Hank in Court in the city of Duesseldorf today. That's a shame, it would stop the moans if we all sat down, we could never get told off for leaving the seat up

My partner and I lived in Germany for a couple of years before moving back to the UK. We followed all of the rental obligations carefully, and were shocked when the rental agency hit us with ridiculous and exorbitant fees for cleaning costs, etc. even though the flat had been meticulously cleaned before we left. Unfortunately I was overseas for awhile, so my partner dealt with all of the fallout. He felt hopeless to dispute it, so he paid what they asked (I wouldn't have, without a fight!!) and then they also took the whole rental deposit, meaning that we've paid over €2000 despite all of our careful efforts to follow the rules and contractual obligations. We're worried that they might send another bill later this year, for last year's utilities, and we just can't afford it. Yes, in some way it does feel irresponsible not to pay a legitimate bill, but we're so angry and frustrated about the other unjustified expenses that we want to avoid losing any more money. So my question is, if the rental agency sends us another bill of less than 500 euros, and we don't pay it, will there be any serious consequences to us in the UK? Surely they will forward the bill to a collection agency, but as long as there wouldn't be any impact on his/our credit rating, or UK court involvement, then I suppose it doesn't matter too much. I should also mention that we're not going to be moving back to Germany in future.

There are already a few posts on UK-based debts of people staying in Germany, but none specifically about phone calls, namely how to get a debt collector's data in order to send them a "cease-and-desist" letter, because they are calling not only me at work, but also our HR people while trying to contact me. I have started getting phone calls at work from someone who is very much not German (rather extremely English), although her number is hidden. The first time, I was honestly confused and didn't know what it was about; told her she had the wrong number. The number on the caller ID was very strange: it was neither a valid UK nor German number, although it started with 044. Then finally she (or another girl-- not sure) contacted me another day. The most info I could get from her was her first name... so obviously a debt collector. I told her I don't understand why she's calling and told her not to call me at this number because I'm not allowed to take private calls at work. I didn't give my name or anything, but I'm sure she's suspicious now because I also refused to give her any information she wanted... which may ironically have caused the opposite reaction I wanted... I simply cannot have these people calling me at work, and ESPECIALLY not other people at work. However, I doubt I'll be able to get any useful information from her, and I couldn't Google anything useful from the partial number I got on the caller ID the first time she called. I need to know how (or if it is even possible) to find the company details myself or to get her to tell me them, so that I can send a letter telling them to stop... and then whether I should quote UK law, German law or both when writing. I'd be very thankful for ANY tips about the situation.

Hi folks, In need of some advice here. I studied in Germany for a year until August 2011. While there I had a contract with Kabel Deutschland for my internet. When I left (I live in Ireland) I posted off my modem as instructed. Out of the blue, in May, I received a letter from a collections company claiming I owed them and KD €500. All the letters I receive are in German btw and my German isn't what it was. What I think happened is that my contract (which was about €20 p/m) ran until August and I closed my bank account before paying the final instalment. Anyway, my first response was "No ****ing way I'm paying", because I couldn't afford it and also the principle of it, so I ignored their letters (which weren't sent registered). But now the monthly letters are taking their toll and I'm beginning to wilt as the thought of this hanging over my head isn't a nice one. Plus I would like to live in Germany again. The last letter I received in August was notification of legal action, from what I gathered. For the record, two other people I know had this happen to them, both paid. Any advice is welcome. Thanks.

Hi all, I think I know the answer to this, but wanted to get some advice if possible. In February I 'bought' a domain name on Sedo, a domain transfer site. My account was hacked, I told Sedo and they asked for proof - all of the account details had been changed to some Algerian guy's details. I told Sedo again and again, and eventually just asked them to close my account as they took weeks to reply, and weren't interested. I said I wouldn't be paying for the domain this person bought under my account, and thought that was the end of it. Anyway today I get a letter from a German Debt Collection company saying I owe them the Sedo commission fees of €100 and costs. I am a UK citizen, Sedo are a German company as the claim is from Sedo GmbH. Shall I ignore it, or engage them and tell them I'm not paying for XYZ reasons? Thanks.