Two weeks ago I boarded a bus at around 8:00am in London. I got off the bus a few stops later to head into a local Tesco store to buy my lunch for the day. I then walked back to the bus stop that I got off at and waited for the next bus to take me to work. The next bus arrived at 8:30am. It was one of those buses where passengers can board the bus on either the front, middle or back door. I boarded the bus from the back door. I sat downstairs and minded my own business, staring through the window and browsing on my phone. A few minutes later, I heard a bus ticket inspector saying "tickets please" and that was when I was made aware that a ticket inspector was on board the bus. I got out my oyster card ready for him to scan it with the card reader. When he placed his card reader against my card, he asked me to take out my oyster card from the cardholder. I thought the reason why he wanted me to take out my card from the cardholder was because the cardholder was preventing his card reader from checking whether I had tapped in. However, when he then said "it appears you haven't tapped in for this journey", I realised to my horror that I had in fact forgotten to tap in when I boarded this bus, so I told him that I forgot to. then got out a small note pad and asked me to write down my name, address and date of birth, to which he used it to confirm that the card really does belong to me and he asked me to show him an ID that has my name on it and where did I board this bus and which stop I was planning to get off at. He then told me that he was going to issue me a penalty fare of £40 for not tapping in. I said to him that if you look at my journey history you will be able to see that I had previously boarded a bus at 8:00am and that if you look at the time now you can see that it's 8:35am, which means that under the Hopper Fare scheme, I would not have been charged for this journey anyway because I boarded this bus within the hour and hence I was not intentionally fare dodging. However, he said "you still need to tap in anyway" and proceeded to issue me with a penalty fare. He then handed me the bus penalty fare notice and asked me how I would like to settle it. I asked him “what options do I have?” He said that I need to pay £40 for the penalty. Because I needed to get off the next stop and I was late for work, I asked if I can pay later. He then said that if I don't pay now, it would be £80. However, having had a careful read through the notice, I realised that he omitted saying that if you don't pay within 21 days, then the penalty would go up to £80, it will be £40 if you pay within 21 days, so I thought there was some deliberate scaremongering on his part. When I got back home from work that day, I had a careful read through the penalty notice slip and read that I have a right to appeal against it. I decided to appeal on the grounds that I boarded a previous bus at 8:00am and how under the Hopper Fare scheme, I wouldn't have been charged anything for this second bus that I got on at 8:30am because I boarded it within the hour. i logged onto my oyster card account to get a screenshot of my journey history for that day to go with the appeal claim so that they can see that I did get on a bus at 8:00am in the hopes that they would be lenient about it and therefore waive the fee. However, I was very shocked to see that there was no record of me getting on the first bus at 8:00am! All the other trains and buses that I got on for that day were there apart from this 8:00am record of me getting on a bus. I definitely remember tapping in for this journey and hearing a beep and seeing the green light because I got on it from the front door and there was a bit of a hold up because there was a passenger in front of me in the queue who asked the driver whether this was the bus that goes to so and so. This had me suspecting whether the bus ticket inspector may have deleted this particular bus journey history from my account so that I don't stand a chance from getting a successful appeal. T he more I think back to it, the more I suspect that he had something to do with it. He kept hold of my oyster card throughout the journey and didn't give it back to me until I told him that I was getting off at the next stop. And during that time, I was not sitting facing him, he was standing behind me, so I suspect that he might have had a check through my journey history and used his card reader to delete this 8:00am bus journey history or colluded with the person on the phone who was checking to confirm my details to have it deleted off the system. Maybe it's just simply a case of coincidence - that it turns out there was a technical fault with the yellow oyster card reader on the first bus which meant that it didn't make a record of me tapping in. Otherwise, it sure is very sinister and sly of them to do this - they can make money out of innocent people. it makes me wonder if these inspectors have a quota to fill or an incentive or a commission awarded for catching fare dodgers? I'm wondering if there's anyone here who has been through a similar situation as me – I would like to hear your experience, and does anyone here know whether it's possible that your journey history can be deleted by an oyster card reader used by a ticket inspector?

In simple terms when my housemate moved out the water bill wasnt paid for maybe 6 months then when it was not enough to clear the arrears. Not through avoidance more confusion and as soon as I realised I upped the weekly amount to cover the arrears asap. To my horror then a month ago I get an equifax alert showing red 4s and delinquent date for that last few months. I figured no point dwelling on it and knew it was about a week from being caught up but was still annoyed as ive spent a few years tidying my history up a bit. To be clear they were not even on my credit record before this. yesterday another alert to say it had been removed. Does this make sense?, I was under the impression it would now be on there for 6 years. I guess i'm just wondering if this is a mistake and its likely to reappear or if this is how utility companies do it ie only add while in arrears?. I'm sure there are others that have been in a similar situation so would be useful to know.

I recently purchased a Ford Mondeo Titanium x from a dealer near Bristol. The car was advertised as having a full service history. When I got home and checked all the booklets there was not a service history booklet. the following day I phoned the dealer who stated that they would find it. Two weeks later and numerous phone calls, lots of apologies and promises still no service book. Under the trade description act would I be entitled for some compensation due to the fact I bought it because of the reassurance of having FSH. I am happy with the car but not the miss selling.

Hi there. I'm having some issues trying to find the information I need. Here's my situation: I'm finally in a position where I would like to learn how to drive. Unfortunately, my provisional driver's licence is no longer valid since June of 2017. I'm applying for a new licence on the DVLA website but I am running into trouble. I am being asked to provide a passport (which I don't have and have never had). I need to provide 3 years of address history, but until about a year ago, I was homeless, and there's no option for this on the sign up page I was sofa surfing for a long time with no fixed abode, then became homeless after a relationship breakdown for a few months. Before that (I don't even remember the dates or have any documentation), I was living and working in a different city in the UK. I have my mother's address on the provisional card, but I've not lived there for a very long time. I was wondering if anybody knew anything about this? Many thanks for your time, L.

Hi all, Some years ago I had Halifax bank account wih big overdraft limit. Due to financial difficulties I had to use it all and couldn`t pay it back. Now I`m back on track and willing to clear that debt. Lowell has been sending me letters to pay it off, even when I moved - they tracked me down via credit referencing agency. I phoned Halifax, but they said I need to contact Lowell as debt has been sold. But I don`t want to pay any money to parasites like Lowell, I`d rather pay back the bank I took money from. 1. Can Lowell run searches on my credit file without my consent? 2. Can bank refuse to accept my money? 3. Can Lowell report to my credit file every month this debt as per screenshots below? If they carry on, 6 years never going to past and it won`t dissapear of my file. Any advice? Thank you. I have got all three credit files - Callcredit, Equifax and Experian. These are screenshots regarding Halifax and Lowell.

Hi all! Until recently I was running my own business. Times have changed and I find myself in need of paid employment. A lot of companies ask for FULL EMPLOYMENT HISTORY since leaving school. I'm quickly approaching 60 years old, I've had numerous jobs since leaving school and don't even remember the salaries of most of them. I feel that if I were to submit an application WITHOUT a full employment history since leaving school, my application may only get as far as the waste paper bin. Any of you knowledgeable people out there know if a Subject Access Request to the DWP would give me the required info for these demanding employers? Kind regards

Hi All I recently purchased a used car from a Main dealer for £14750 (5 year old) under the approved used scheme, after a week i noticed a minor fault with car and booked it in for the work to be carried out (they could not get the car in for 1 month) taking me outside the 30 day return period. When the car was in being fixed, i rang one on the previous service stamps (also from the same main dealer group) to find some information if the gearbox oil had been changed, they had only seen the car for the first 2 services at 4k, and 16k yet the book was stamped with the same main dealer for 28k, 39K, 48K, 59k. the dealer confirmed that the services had not taken place. and so did Audi UK head office who also confirmed the services had not taken place. So the car does not have full service history and 80% of the services are false, this invalidates the Audi approved warranty on the car. In the month i have owned the car i made a couple of changes £900 on sports suspension & £1000 on some new wheels. i think the dealer has broken the law by selling a car with falsified history and wondering what steps i should take.. the dealer has the car at present still and is saying to me the services he thinks were carried out by an Audi tech but not on the books..ie Saturday job.. and this is acceptable if Audi parts were used! this i feel in unacceptable as i paid a premium buying through a main dealer.. any thoughts or opinions on the above

Hello all, I just joined this forum and I'm looking for advice on an issue where I really feel hard done by. Let me explain. Back in September 2014 my ex wanted a phone. We were out and at Carphone Warehouse she said she wanted a phone. However, at the time she didn't have her bank card with her, because the old one had expired and she was waiting for a replacement to come. Me being the gent I am decided to take out a contract in my name and gave my direct debit details. It wasa Vodafone contract. The man at the shop said that after 3 months, we can call Vodaphone and do a 1) transfer of direct debit and 2) transfer of account ownership. I said okay. Sadly the relationship ended pretty soon after that but for the first three month the direct debit was coming out of my account and she was putting money in my account. After three months there was a forced meeting where we called Vodafone at the same time and requested a complete transfer. Both direct debit and account were transferred from mine into her name (or so I thought). Fast forward to September 2016 and I got rejected for a mortage by a lender. I was a little baffled as to why so I logged onto creditscore and to my shock, it shows the Vodafone account from 2014 more than £800 in arrears. I called up Vodafone. I was angry. The account should never have been in my name. They told me that at time of transfer of account ownership they did a credit check on my ex and she failed it. So, the account bouced back to me. I was shocked. I was never told about this at all. As it turns out, my ex then cancelled the direct debit and didn't make any more payments. Problem is that account was in my name and I didn't even know. I wasn't called, e-mailed, written to. I thought after three months that account was no longer in my name. I wasn't using the phone, my ex was. The problem now is that my credit history shows major telecom arrears which I feel is really unfair. I disputed it and Vodafone told equifax that the account remained in my names so the credit history is correct. I'm livid because I feel this is not an accurate reflection of my payment history. I am struggling to buy a house now. Can you help?

Your good advice please. I received a letter from a DCA titled a’ pre-legal assessment’ on an old credit card debt that the DCA have recently acquired. I suspected this could be nearing SB I checked my credit file and discovered that there is no information about this account on my file prior to May this year! As they are are using the usual vague language i,e, ‘may’, 'being considered’, should I bother to respond to this or should I CCA them or other? Who’s responsibility is it to insure the information on a credit file is accurate and up to date? Would the OC remove this info or what could have happened? It’s all a bit odd and I’m not sure how to respond if at all to the DCA. Regards

Hi all, This is a speculative question because I'm not on the dole yet, but who knows! Either in the process of claiming benefits or during a compliance check, one may be asked to produce evidence of capital, e. g. bank statements. Is there a rule that determines a minimum or maximum period for which this evidence must be reported? I've searched extensively on Google and I've also read the DM guide about capital but I haven't found anything. Some people have been asked 3 months worth of statements; others 6 months; some other one year. Any clue? Thanks.

Hi all, Back in Nov 2015 i bought an Audi A5 Sports Convertible, 2012 reg, for £16,600 from a massive London based car dealer. In June this year I've decided to sell it as they worry of it devaluing in time was too much for me so i wasn't really able to enjoy the car anymore. I've tried taking it back to the same dealer but they were only able to offer me £13,000 after a quick check (this amount being subject to a thorough investigation). The guy told me the car is in a really good condition and i should have no problem selling it privately for about £14,500. So after advertising it for over a month i was lucky enough to get an offer of £15,000 but, just before paying the deposit, the potential buyer called the garage to verify the service history and was informed it's fake. As i still had a copy of the original advertisement from when i bought the car together with the six invoices, all from the same garage where presumably the services have been carried out (no service book, just invoices), I've contacted consumer rights and they advised me to get in touch with the company that financed the vehicle for me. In the meantime i got confirmation in writing from the garage that they've never serviced my vehicle so i've sent everything to the finance company who opened a dispute with the car dealer and said they will contact me in 5 working days. I am now waiting for them to get back to me but in the meantime i keep wondering what will i be entitled to?! i really don't want the car (I would have never bought it if i knew it has no service history) but i have used it in the past 7 months and added 4000 miles to its usage. i am worried they will only offer me what they did before (£13,000) but if it was as advertised by them (with 6 genuine services) I could have sold it for £15,000 privately, without a service history it's near enough impossible to sell a car of this value. Consumer rights wanted to report it to trading standards as it's a criminal offence but I've asked them to hold back for now as i feel it's my bargaining tool, I've mentioned this to the finance company and said i would like to try and resolve this matter peacefully first before getting the media and trading standards involved... Any ideas as to where i stand in terms of compensation? Many thanks, Anca

This is a strange one, hope someone can help. I took advantage of an offer to switch current accounts for circa £100 in May 2009. I filled in the forms, my salary and debits moved across. The problem was that Santander did not agree to match my existing overdraft (£500) and didnt communicate that the overdraft had not been granted but moved my finances over anyway. So I quickly moved back to my previous account and requested that Santander close the new current account. I recall speaking to a manager on the phone, who agreed to close the account with no charges and in exchange they would not pay me the £100 switching fee. They admitted that they should have communicated better and did not make me aware that any adverse credit history would be reported. However, I have downloaded an equifax report to discover that it is still showing as late payments from May 2009 until it was settled in November 2010. Note, this doesn't show in my noodle report. I am thinking that as I have not used the account since May 2009 it would be SB and should be clear from my credit reports, is this correct?

Hi all, I'm lousy at writing descriptive titles, so apologies in advance I plan to remortgage my home in April of this year, and want to collate proof of income from both self employment and benefits/tax credits paid to me over the last 3 years. Is possible to write to the HMRC and DWP to get a list of all benefits paid into my bank account for the past 3 years? So I can use that as proof of a secondary income?

If you wanted to erase your medical history - or certain parts - is there any way to do it without moving from the UK altogether ?

Hi All, This is for a friend. My friend was running her own business. Her telecoms providers were chess telecom. At some point Chess rang the business and spoke to a member of staff and sold the member of staff a new contract for the telephone services including broadband. They then entered another 2 new contracts with same member of staff all the time extending the term of the contract. They never contacted the account holder at any point to advise or welcome to new contract etc. In Feb 2014 my friend sells the business and contacts all suppliers advising of notice and asking for final accounts etc. Chess do not respond. Needless to say Chess then stopped receiving payments. They then after a few month write to the member of staff who took out the contracts. I have heard the recordings of the contracts and the member of staff does say that he is the owner of the business. After letters back and fothr they sue the member of staff and take him to court. He convinces the court that he took out the new contracts for his employer. Despite the employer knowing nothing of it. The court dismiss the case and chess leave with nothing. Now chess start chasing my friend the employer. As far as she is concearned the only contract that existed was one she signed physically with a sales agent about 2 years prior. Chess are threatening to sue her for £2200 in termination fees. They are using the contracts agreed to by the employee ( in which he said he was the sole trader ) as reason to sue her for leaving a 2 year contract early. A contract of which she had no knowledge. Chess are refusing to send to an Alternative Dispute Service as the case has already been to court albeit in a different name. This is a really messy case. Chess have increased the monthly charge without notice which in my opinion under ofcoms rules forms a material detriment so even if she were liable she should have had an exit option on these contracts. She had 2 phone lines at £10.89PCM and broadband at £38.99 PCM they have billed her as termination fees £60 PCM for the broadband and £20 PCM for the phone lines. She has tried contacting company directors and they simply ignore her letters. Apologies for the long post any advise would be greatly appreciated

Hello guys, I hope you will be able to help/advice me on this one. I bought a a second hand car through the London used cars dealer at the end of July2015. After 31 days I noticed that there are some serious mileage discrepancies between MOT and service history booklet. I phoned all the garages from the stamped booklet and I found out that first six stamps, claiming to be a BMW garages, doesn't exist and that the numbers provided were answered by private people. I get back to the dealer asking for a full refund. It was rejected, given the reason of high mileage done on the car (as I drove on myholiday in that car) and that the car has lost its value etc. During and after that 31 days other things came to light. The car was not like in the dealers description (ie. I discovered that the second key was from completely different car, rain sensors missing, main BMW dealer garage discovered leaks, brake pads alterations and many other faults). But the main issue is that faked service booklet, the dealer doesn't want to take the responsibility for, claiming it was the previous owner's duty to check it(British Car Auctions) not his. As a result, it leaves me liable for it and if I would like to sell the car in the future, which was my plan, It would put me in serious disadvantage position and encounter a money loss if I were to tell the buyer the car has got fake service history. Since the end of August this year I had been trying to make them to accept my offer and get my money (13k) back-but no results so far. They have came back with the ridiculous offer of a refund 11k instead of 13k because of wear and tear of the I am liable for. Or if I drop the claim, an offer of repair of the leaks, replacing missing sensors and an offer of 500£ for missing service history (they do not admit its fake). They hold on to that 3 last worthless stamps are valid and that they are sufficient service history. Two of those stamps are from independent garages (that couldn't say if the car was even seen by them because or what was done, as they don't keep the records of what have been done to the particular car). Last stamp was from the dealers garage and so its worthless. At the time of sale I wasn't aware that the service booklet and its first 6 out of 9 stamps are counterfeits but I bet they knew it from the very beginning. As a result, I couldn't sell my other car, therefore have been incurring the cost of running two cars instead of one (fuel, garaging, taxes, insurance)-so another loses. Need to mention that the car was bought with Debit Card.The trading standard officehas been involved but not very helpful as at the begining they were absolutely sure I am on the winning possition till yesterday, when I was told that I need to be prepared that the judge might not decide in my favour! I am a the point where I've exhausted all the options for resolving that matter through the polite correspondence. I am just about to write the last letter before court action. The dealer rejected all my previous claims and in the last letter points, or even threatens me, that the judge will order a deduction, in their favour, from the original amount I paid because the car has been used. So I should accept their offer. What are the chances of winning in the high court with the given arguments?Should I take it to court?And If yes, would I be able to claim not only a full refund for a car but also additional loses, court and solicitor fees I have encountered due to the tardiness of the dealer etc.? Will I have any chance to win without solicitor? I would be be very,very grateful for all your help and suggestions as I am not English and it seems that it also puts me in disadvantaged position. Thank you in advance! Jan

Hello, is it true that the HMRC can give a statement of employment record if requested? I have found the address of the Record Retrieval Service, but it looks like this is only for compensation claims? Would they give me a record for any other purpose? And would that cover also periods on benefits? The reason I need this record for previous years is because I've lost some of my p45s and now I need to claim permanent residence status for EU citizens.

Basically I had a hsbc business account which I shut due to the fact I slowed trading for for a while. Started to use my personal account for a bit and then a lot of business subsequently got asked to leave for breaking t&c. Left me without an account, 7 defaults and 3 arrangements on my credit history in the last 6 years. Ive put in an application with Coop for a cash minder, they seem to of lost my application in branch which is a pain. Had a look at the bank groups and basically hsbc aside I had history with all except Santander, figured I had nothing to lose by putting in an application for a business account. Went basic no overdrafts, loans etc. Had an email off them yesterday with a questionnaire which I completed honestly, emailed it back then today received this. "Thank you for choosing Santander Business Banking. We’re pleased to let you know that your Business Current Account is now open and ready for you to use. What’s next? In the next 7 – 10 days we’ll send your card, card PIN, Online Banking passcode and registration number separately (for security purposes) to the home address you gave us." Is that it?, I've been accepted?, can I have a beer to celebrate? or is there something that can go wrong from here?. Other than my credit history I have no other skeletons in my closet or anything. I know all banks are as bad as the other but I did not expect to get a highstreet account in a million years with my account history. I was thinking best case I get a cash minder and a pre pay. I had a large loan and Credit card with Abbey national which were paid in about 2007 but did reclaim a lot of ppi.

Hello, trying to help a friend with his CV but he is unable to recall all his work history, is there a way to obtain his past work history and if so can you point me in the right direction. Regards to all

Hi all I have recently finished a DMP and I am finally starting toget my finances back on track and I am hoping for some advice on improving my credit rating. My situation is as follows: The defaults registered on my account are due to fall off in August of next yea rand I am starting to put together a deposit for a mortgage. With this in mind I am trying to do whatever I can to improve my credit rating. I have recently been successful (with the help of the FOS) in getting a default retrospectively added to an account that was previously marked with AR markers for the entire period of the DMP and this will now disappear along with the other defaults. After the defaulted accounts disappear, I only have one concern relating to a Lloyds Bank Credit Card. The account was never defaulted, as the payments under the DMP were close to the contractual payments Overtime the payments made through the DMP started to cover the minimum payments and Lloyds started recording the account as being up to date (although charges and interest were frozen after some time). The records on my Credit file read as follows: Realistically, it will be January 2017 before I would be looking to apply for a mortgage and by then the only negative records remaining would be the nine late payment markers in 2011. The current available balance shown for the card is £7850 (although this is not actually available, as the facility has been withdrawn), the outstanding balance is £1432 and I am paying £35 per month (which is in excess of the minimum payment) in order to keep building the positive payment history. My questions are: 1. Will the 9 late payments be enough to scupper a mortgage application, considering their age? 2. Would it be better to request a retrospective default and lose the payment history? 3. Should I reduce the credit limit? 4. Is there anything else I can do to improve my position? Once the other defaults disappear, the only other records remaining on my file will be as follows: - Phone bill split in to two sections - a loan for the purchase of the handset and then the monthly tariff payment – Both are fully up to date and show no negative marks. The monthly tariff payments go back 6 years and the loan for the phone 12months since I last upgraded my phone. - Bank overdraft of £900 – fully up to date and recorded as a zero balance every month with no negative marks going back 6years. Any advice would be most gratefully received!

just wondering if anyone else is having this problem of robinson way doing credit report address history checks everyday for the past month? i have already cca'd and heard nothing back except we cannot retrieve your consumer credit agreement. anyones views or advice would be really helpful.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/nov/12/banks-fined-200bn-six-years-history-banking-penalties-libor-forex

Hello, this is an 'academic' query I'd like to ask. I was doing some background reading recently around ET matters (I'm doing some voluntary work at a CAB at the mo) and I noticed that there was a time apparently when tribunals were limited to a costs award of £500 against a claimant (a golden age?). Could someone tell me when this all changed? I imagine it must have been years ago given the blank look I got when I asked at work. (I assume that when the limit was removed it may have had a similar effect on the number of ET claims submitted as had the 'recent' introduction of upfront fees?) PS - heartening to see so much helpful advice and support still be shared on this site.

I went to sign on today and was told that it is no longer sufficient to bring in a jobsearch sheet and print outs of my job applications. The clerk tried to bully me into giving them access to my Universal Jobmatch account but I explained that I would rather not (and the reasons why) so they said that I would have to print out screenshots of my jobsearch activity history instead. Apparently I have to access my Universal Jobmatch account three times a week and look for at least six jobs a week. Does this mean I only have to do three print outs a week and/or whenever I apply for a job? I was previously told that I didn't have to log in to use Universal Jobmatch, so I didn't log in when I used it (I just sent e-mails direct to employers, etc.) and now I haven't got a clue how to fill in the activity history. I have to upload my CV as well. The clerk wasn't very helpful when I asked for assistance so I was wondering if someone could post a typical activity history entry or offer any advice so I know how to proceed and that I am doing enough. I really appreciate any help that anyone can give.

I have three defaults that are coming up for 6 yrs old ( 2 this month, 1 on Oct) On my credit history from noddle they show as default every month from then till now, with the balance decreasing until 2011 when I saw the ligh t / snapped and refused to pay anymore. Do those defaults automatically disapear after 6 yrs, or do I have to request Noddle to remove them ? There has been a flurry of activity on one this week when after being stayed for almost 2 yrs I've recieved a letter from Apex notifying that the debt has been transfered to them. As the account is in dispute ( if got as far as Weighmans going to a County Court and then offerening no evidence) I presume that they shoudn't have been sold this "Debt"? Thanks in advance for any answers and thanks for the advice I have spent the last X yrs absorbing.