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  1. Hi all, I'm new to this and really need advice. Ill try to keep this short as its a very long story, so I'm just going to put the end part of it. Last Wednesday two men turned up to repossess my dads car (ill put pointers at the end of how it got to this stage) We had no warning of them coming and my dad told them to go away as the car is parked on private property (he knows his rights) they said they had every right to take the car as the left hand rear tyre was an 1in on the pavement (he parks it behind mine on the long driveway). my dad calls the police and so do the collection men. 4 of them turns up at our house, they then inform my dad that they can take the vehicle because of the tyre touching the pavement, to which my dad tells them that as long as 3 tyres are on the driveway (plus 17in of an 18in tyre) they need a court order. However the men start spouting a load of BS saying "Yeah we can, we know the law, we have a warrant" and all that however when asked to show a court warrant they turn around and say we only have this from the company. (Which you can probably guess not a court order) now the police turn around and say "Well this is a civil matter, we cannot get involved, we are just here to stop a breach of the peace. my dad is left in a no win situation, these men then call a tow truck to drag the car off the driveway to which the police won't stop as they say they cannot get involved. my dad has to stand there and watch he car get dragged away. As you can imagine my dad is very upset and very angry. He has been told by debtline, the financial ombudsman and his solicitor that what they did was illegal and not only did they not send a repossession order, they haven't sent a termination notice nor did they have the court order to take it off the driveway and that the car must be touching the road not the pavement. They have also told him to put in a formal complaint to the police as they let them take the car. Now this is where I need advice as my dad really does not want to put in complaint as he has high regard for the police, but doesn't he have to cover his own back?? And can the police actually get involved with it being a civil matter?? And if they can't they do they call it an illegal repossession?? This all start when my dad got two payments behind after losing his job, he had been in contact with the company the whole time offering them a payment plan to which they refused, on the advice of debtline and the ombudsman (he has been in contact with them since this started) he started paying the arrears off online. He has paid them £1354 and as of last Monday two days before this happened he was fully up to date. Also what do you think will happen now? His legal team are saying they must return the vehicle but the finance company are just saying they are putting the account on hold?? If they send the car back should he accept it? I mean why on earth would you want to stay with a company this does something this disgusting, I'm in disbelief at all this. Thanks again for reading any advice would be great.
  2. Have you ever made a copy of a CD as a backup or to play the music on an MP3 player or smartphone? Then you would have been committing a crime until this month. An update to British copyright law, first announced back in March but only coming into effect this month, means that it's now legal to make copies of CDs, DVDs, e-books, MP3s and Blu-rays - provided they are for personal use. It is still illegal to make copies of movies or music to give to friends and family. If you do want to give an album to a loved one, you’ll need to delete any personal copies you have to stay within the law. So if you buy a CD or DVD and then rip it, you aren't allowed to then sell on the hard copy. Nor are you allowed to rip a rented Blu-ray, e-book or other media file. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/its-no-longer-illegal-rip-4365409
  3. I had a two year contract with a car leasing company. The contract term was ended and a collection was confirmed. But the day before the collection, they informed me that, because of a missing payment, the collection was cancelled and the contract was put on an "informal extension". They also said I would be liable for the rental charges of the "extended" period. It is true that the last month's payment didn't go through, but I was not aware of it and they didn't mention it at all even when I confirmed the collection date with them. I feel angry with their behaviour, in particular on the cancellation of the collection and the so-called "informal extension", so I refused to pay. Then they continued to bill me for the "extended" months and recorded a "Default" in my credit files. I checked my contract with them, and there are no terms of the so-called "informal extension". I believe it is illegal to extend a contract without the agreement of the other party, so I plan to take them to the court. I wonder if anyone could advise which regulations and relevant terms are applicable to my case? Many thanks in anticipation!
  4. I gave a deposit of 50 for a modem when I signed up for an internet connection 6 years ago. I have given them 45 days notice that I want to cancel my account. They have told me they owe me a deposit of 46.95 (I don't know why they have deducted 3.05) and they have also informed me that they won't return my deposit in cash, but instead by bank transfer (and they are charging me a bank and administrative fee of 8 pounds for the privilege because"A standard bank & administration charge of 8.00 applies on all transfers.") Can they do this?
  5. Hi I'm not sure if this forum can help or where I would post about this topic...Could someone please point me in the right direction Thank you very much
  6. Hello. I am a call center representative and been working for about 4 years in the industry. I am on a sales account respectively. On Oct. 28, 2013 I received a call from a customer asking for help to access his online account, therefore, I walked him through the process by using his email address so that I can generate a new password (Usual process to provide the customer a password is by getting the email address). In that case, customer receives the password through an email confirmation, however the password he receive did not work, so I asked for another email if he has and he gave a new email address and generate another password for him to use, in that instance, customer was not receiving the email confirmation for the password, I asked him to check the spam folder but there's nothing,in other words,the email was taking for a while. Then,momentarily he said the page he is up to is asking for his contact no,the license number of the software (we sell software product for business), and the last 4-digit of his credit card number, so I told him to enter all the information including the last 4-digit,then he did it but it failed again. Looking at the length of time I'm with the customer on the phone, it's already around 40 min., that time I'd been cramming around so I informed the customer that I will transfer him to another department who could help him with his issue, I put him on hold and contacted a dept. and when I spoke to the agent he said that the issue of the customer is out of his scope, thus, he asked me to return to the customer and ask about the main reason of his accessing the account. So I got back to the customer and he proactively said that he is just trying to register/activate:| his software and said why he have to do all of those if he is only registering the software, though I'm cramming on the call, I wasn't able to answer the customer's question and just informed him that I will transfer him to the previous department I had contacted (the previous dept can handle "registration" which is actually also part of my scope), so I put the customer on hold and cold transfer him the the department. (Cold transfer is a transfer where customer is not introduced to the next level/department). I'm not intentionally letting go of the customer, it's just that I was worrying about my handling time which was getting worst. Onset of that incident, the monitoring specialist approached me and said that I released the call, and I told him that I transferred the call despite of releasing it. I was asked by my supervisor to stop from taking in calls and log-out from the phone,and at that moment,my supervisor told me that we will have a hearing with the HR rep,so I've waited and waited until on November 15, 2013 I was asked by my supervisor to put a written explanation about what happened on the call to defend myself prior to a hearing,and only after a few days where my supervisor given me the chance to listen to the call recording which was handed to my supervisor by the monitoring specialist (I was delayed by writing first what happened on the call before listening to the recording). On Dec 11, 2013, a hearing was conducted and I was given a memo about the decision they had came up convicting me as stated herein-- "Call Chat or email avoidance or dropping of call/transaction : Disconnection of Call." That day I was eventually dismissed from my job. Any advise would be of great appreciation. Thank you. Johnny
  7. My wife has received a PCN for a Code 34: Being in a Bus Lane, which cannot be denied as she did indeed drive in the said Bus Lane. However, I believe that the Road Signs for this Bus Lane as seen from the road that she entered the Bus Lane are incorrect and therefore illegal. My wife was photographed turning left from a side road onto the Bus Lane which is on a 2 vehicle width road, the lane next to the Bus Lane is for travelling in the opposite direction to which the Bus Lane goes, which in effect means that anyone turning left from this side road MUST go in the Bus Lane. Could someone on here please confirm or refute my belief, Thank you. [ATTACH=CONFIG]47957[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]47956[/ATTACH]
  8. Halifax Loan Complaint On the 20th April 2011 I took out a loan with the Halifax bank, on this date a 1hr to 1 and a half hr appointment had been booked to go through all the information about the loan, as set out in the terms and conditions (at this point the bank was aware I had never taken out a loan before.) Unfortunately on this date when I attended the appointment I was told that we could not proceed with the appointment as the Halifax were being taken over by Lloyds all the computers were down. I asked if that meant I could not have the loan today as agreed? The lady dealing with it, if I remember correctly rang someone, then came back to me and said yes we can release the funds into your account today, you will just need to sign this form where the crosses are (this was the personal loan application form, I have photocopied and included with this letter, you will note on the first page there are no signatures in the boxes, protecting your payments, this was because this had never been discussed, as had not any of the loan information in fact I was not even advised to read through the loan agreement , just asked to sign where the crosses were) I am sorry I cannot go through all the information with you today, but we do need to go through this information to discuss the implications of the loan, she did stress that it was important, so we agreed to reschedule the appointment to 7th May at 10,30 with Karen the financial advisor to discuss the implications of the loan and responsible lending. , when the lady said that everything should be back to normal. Later that week , the lady rang me to cancel the appointment, and I cannot remember if we made another, or if she asked me to call and make an appointment, when I knew when I could come in.? Unfortunately this appointment never took place. On May 30th 2012 I was made redundant and could no longer afford the repayments, I did not know if I had cover on the loan, so went to the bank and asked, they told me to ring the loan no. which I did but was told I did not have any cover. I was advised to go to a debit charity company (stepChange) by the citizen advise bureau and explain my situation, this I did and they helped me to set up an agreement with the bank to pay £1 per month until I could afford to pay more. In November 2012 I contacted the bank and told them I had found employment and arranged to set up my payments again, I was then told that as my account was now in arrears I had to arrange to pay this off, so we agreed to pay £25per month in addition to the regular payments of £223.28 per month and that they would contact me in 6mths time to review this to see if I could make any additional payments. Since then I have had nothing but trouble from the bank , ie, numerous letters stating that I have missed payments. (which my bank statements will confirm, I never missed a single payment). In Dec 2012 Halifax debited £1200 from my account, without permission, when I complained, I was told it was because I had missed a payment, again not true, I was then given an apology and reimbursed, but continued to get the missed payment letters, at one point I noticed on the letters received that the account no was different. I informed the bank, they acknowledged the mistake and apologised, but the letters still kept coming, I was sick of having to write letters of complaint or ringing the bank. Then on the 4th June 2013 £3,983.74 was debited from my account, i went into the bank in a panic thinking my account had been hacked, to be told it was the Halifax that had taken the money, as I had not meet my repayments. You cannot begin to imagine the stress, frustration and anxiety this was causing me. After complaining yet again I was told it was a company called Blair Oliver and Scott a debt collectors (whom I had never heard of) that had taken the money from my account, after many telephone calls and investigation, the money was reimbursed and another apology given, but I was then told I had to set up a repayment plan with this company to clear my arrears, which I could not believe as I was still making the regular payments, when i go into the bank yet again I discover the payments I have been making were to a company called Albion but had the exact same account no and sort code as the company Blair Oliver and Scott, but it was not called Blair Oliver and Scott was not recognised as me making payments, so the cashier at the bank and myself decided on the 29th June 2013 just to change the name from Albion to Blair Oliver and Scott, but still kept the exact same account no and sort code. As this problem had gone on for so long and every time I had tried to sort out the problem, The Halifax made yet another error, I decided to contact the Financial ombudsman, I was at the end of my tether after 7 months of hell. I explained what had happened to the Financial ombudsman, and have let them try to deal with it, but was advised to write to the bank to ask them to continue taking the monthly payments of £223.28 From my account until the matter was sorted out, as I was afraid of getting into more debt. I did write this letter and explained that I wanted the bank to continue taking payments and that I was not in any way refusing to pay. This letter was ignored and the Bank did NOT continue to take the payments, hence I am now in an even worse financial situation.I have received the reply from the Financial ombudsman with their recommendation. To which I do not agree, as firstly it does not include my complaint about receiving the relevant information prior or even after the loan agreement, ( it may be that I did not stress this point accurately enough at the onset of the complaint?) the letter recommends that the Halifax Bank will remove the default from my credit file on the condition that my arrears is paid in full, (which is now £2,422.36 thanks to the Halifax) first of all the default should never have been put on my account, firstly because I have not missed a single payment, also because as stated in the ombudsman letter “The Halifax did not allow me to continue with my agreement, as it cut it short and transferred you to a collections .It is my understanding that you always intended to repay the arrears in full and took action to do so, so a default does not adequately reflect your management of the account”. As for the £100 compensation offered for the stress and inconvenience caused for almost 12 months now, I find insulting Also most importantly since receiving the ombudsman letter I have looked up the consumer credit Act 1974 and revised act 2010, which clearly state that credit information should be disclosed to the borrower BEFORE they enter into a credit agreement, this was not done either before or after. Therefore the Halifax bank have acted illegally, the credit act also goes on to stipulate many requirements, and if these requirements are not followed the agreement will be unenforceable without a court order. I should also have received a copy of the loan agreement, which I do not have. (I have had to apply to the bank to be given the copy enclosed) As this is currently being dealt with by the Financial ombudsman I am happy to continue, however if I do not receive what I believe to be a fair and satisfactory resolve, I will be taking legal action. As I do believe the Halifax Bank have not only acted illegally, but have made an unacceptable amount of errors and mistakes, and caused me to be in a lot worse financial situation, not to mention the stress, anxiety and countless hours spent trying to sort out the banks numerous errors. If I had been given all the information and implications necessary prior to taking out this loan, I may have chosen not to take out the loan at all, or at least to have taken out protection insurance cover.(I have copies of most of the letters sent and received from the bank, debt collecting agencies and ombudsman. Also diary entries of appointments. if there are any you would like to see) Hi My wife has ahd 12 months of hell from Haliax as detailed below.... Can any of you advise of the enforceability or offer other advice on this loan. regards.
  9. There has been a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority which has been upheld. the website also does not comply with UK regulations in that it does not give any company details ie company number, company address, phone number. When challenged by the ASA, they completely ignored them and did not respond. It also does not abide by the Distance Selling Regulations in that it will not refund the postage charge. If there is a problem with the product, you have to ship it back to China yourself at a cost of £40 to you. This is a Chinese company so don't be fooled by the .co.uk in there website address. There are also a lot of complaints on the internet about various companies selling using this address who also appear to be Chinese and do not respond to any form of communication once they have your funds. The ASA ruling can be read below: I find it incredible that all they have said is that it must not appear again and have taken no further action. ASA Adjudication on wigshow.co.uk wigshow.co.uk Unit 10 Explorer Voyager Park Portfield Road Portsmouth PO3 5FL Background Summary of Council decision: Two issues were investigated, both of which were Upheld. Ad A wig website, http://www.wigshow.co.uk, offered a "Human Hair Capless Short Curly Wig". Next to this product description was an image of the wig being worn by a model. Issue The complainant objected that: 1. the wig they received did not match the description in the ad; and 2. when they attempted to return the product they were informed that the product had to be shipped to China at a cost of £40 to the complainant. Investigated under CAP Code rules 3.1, (Misleading advertising), 3.7 (Substantiation) and 9.5.2 (Distance Selling). CAP Code (Edition 12) 1.73.13.4.19.5.2 Response Wigshow.co.uk did not respond to the ASA's enquiries. Assessment The ASA was concerned by wigshow.co.uk's lack of response and apparent disregard for the Code, which was a breach of CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 1.7 (Unreasonable delay). 1. Upheld We considered that wigshow.co.uk had not provided evidence to show that the wig they sent to the complainant matched the description of the product in the ad. We therefore concluded that the ad was misleading and could not be substantiated. On this point the ad breached CAP Code rules 3.1 (Misleading advertising) and 3.7 (Substantiation). 2. Upheld We noted that the Code stated that a marketer must bear the cost of a product being returned, if the product did not match its description within an ad. Wigshow.co.uk did not comment or refute the complainant's claim that they were to be charged £40 to return their product to them, because they believed it did not fit its description within the ad. We therefore concluded that wighow.co.uk had breached the Code. On this point the ad breached CAP Code rule 9.5.2 (Distance selling). Action The ad must not appear again in its current form. We asked wigshow.co.uk to ensure that their products match the descriptions of them on their website. We also asked them to ensure that customers are not charged to return items to them. We referred the matter to CAP’s compliance team.
  10. Hi I am hoping someone can give me some advice and steer me in the right direction. I took a payday loan out with CFO due to repay at the end of March. During the month I lost my debit card and the bank issued me a new one, I forgot however to update CFO. i then found at the repayment date I was unable to pay them back, they notified me that the payment had failed because they had my old card details. During this time I have been trying to sort my finances out but had to try and get some emergency funds about two weeks ago to repair my car. I applied on line and was referred to CFO again, not realising I had supplied all my details (including my new card number) they refused the loan as I had an outstanding debt with them. Didnt think anything more about it until today when my salary has gone into my account. There are 7 transactions on my account starting at 03.00hrs this mornin from them taking the total of my arrears on my original loan. I have phoned them and said that they did not have persmission or authority to process the payment on my new card, that the application on the second loan did not make it clear that my details would be used and updated and I demanded a refund. They have refused and stated it is is in the t&c's of the first loan - I cannot see anywhere in the paperwork it makes reference to them being allowed to do this. Surely they cannot simply retain my details, process them to update my account details and help themself to my money? I have wrote to them and advised that they did not have my authority to retain my card details, use it to pay the arrears when they choose and I have said I will raise issue with my bank. I am not hopeful that they will respond however. Can anyone provide me with any points of legal reference or guidance on what I should do? They have taken over £350 which has left me in financial hardship again this month.
  11. I wonder if anyone can assist me with a debt collection issue? A number of years ago i was taken ill and had to resign from my job. As a result i had to restructure my credit payments to new manageable amounts with the aid of CAB. For the most part this has been an easy option even though i am legally defaulting on these payments i have paid the newly arranged amounts on the specified dates and at the specified amount. However, one of my creditors was awkward to say the least and it transpired upon investigation that they could not actually expect payment because of a false signature against one of the items purchased. This matter was further raised with the financial ombudsman and the creditor was instructed to freeze the account while full investigations took place. What the creditor actually did was sell the account to another debt collection agency. I contacted the new agency highlighting the issue and from that time (around 4 years) to this i have received no correspondence from any company with regard to this account, until today. Today i received a threatening letter stating that the company (another new debt collection agency) had found my address (i have lived at my house for 12 years) through my credit report and were now asking that i repay the debt or else. What i really want to know is if they can actually still claim the payment as there is a huge question mark over the validity of the debt, and the time frame between each letter. if someone has any idea with regard to this matter i would greatly appreciate some assistance.
  12. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22993060 Disgraceful behaviour by Newham council. They've been caught out using illegal cameras but are refusing to refund drivers who have paid their tickets already. Is it possible to take a council to Small Claims court I wonder? (Haven't been caught out like this myself, just voicing the question)
  13. Motorists have won a landmark judgement after the High Court ruled it illegal for a cash-strapped council to hike parking charges as a revenue-raising stealth ‘tax’ to subsidise its other services. Motoring groups said the ruling was ‘fantastic news’ which had major implications for millions of drivers because it would stop local authorities across the country ‘picking on drivers’ to fill their empty coffers by imposing similar illegal parking ‘taxes’. A High Court judge ruled Barnet council in north London acted unlawfully when it increased the cost of residents' parking permits and visitor vouchers in controlled parking zones (CPZs) to raise revenue. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2373711/Barnet-Council-parking-permits-price-hike-ruled-illegal-stealth-tax.html#ixzz2ZsCwDC8g
  14. Parking fines could double because they are not enough to stop people parking their cars illegally, it has emerged. Norman Baker, a transport minister, is looking at raising the amount councils can charge for parking illegally - currently capped at £70 outside London. The Liberal Democrat is concerned that the penalty is failing to keep pace with fines in the capital, where the maximum is £130. Councils make £400 million a year in profit on parking fines which they are legally bound to spend on transport projects. More ... Lets put this in the correct wording shall we. First the subject heading - ... to increase profit, Second, a Liberal Democrat, some nobody from a nobody party who should never have been where they are and never will be again. We all know this has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with illegal parking but all about turning big bucks into even bigger bucks. Seeing as the private con brigade base their invoices on council fines, they will no doubt jump at the chance to double theirs as well. [PS. £400 million would easily take care of all the UK potholes, so what are they spending it on?]
  15. Hello Sir/Madam, need your advice! I am attaching the police constable statement who caught me for u-turning from that road where it is prohibited. I checked again on that road I seen 3 u-turn not allowed sign on that road, one at the start of the road second few yards ahead opposite bus stop then last almost at the end of the road and there are few u-turn not allowed signs too for opposite site traffic so it means no one can u-turn from both sides. From where I started the u-turn that is a Newcastle city council taxi rank and where I finished the u-turn that is also a Newcastle city council taxi rank. I just moved from one taxi rank to other taxi rank but I cross the road that became u-turn. Actually I was working on that taxi rank first time and I seen many taxi drivers u-turning from there even in front of police plus from where I started the u-turn, there is a u-turn not allowed sign but that sign is not facing towards me which police constable mention in his statement that sign is for opposite traffic so I thought u-turn might be allowed for taxi drivers cause they moved from one taxi rank to other taxi rank so I did the same and police caught me. Now my question is:- 1. Cause it's a taxi rank so all taxi drivers u-turn from there day and night even in front of police. if I provide the proof in court that everyone u-turn from there even in front of police will it be helpful in my case? that it's a mistake 2. The police constable indicate that there was a u-turn not allowed sign from where I started the u-turn. I confirm that sign face is not towards me that sign is for opposite traffic. for example if u see no entry sign in front of you it means u cannot enter in that road but opposite side traffic can come out from that road I hope you understand my point. will it be helpful in my case ? hope you will help me out from it. Thanks Kind Regards, Faisal
  16. I posted this same thread on the Parking section this morning. Below I have provided a brief outline of the BBC news article ( you will need to open the link to read the full article). As you will see, Newham Council are admitting that for the past 2 years they have been using cameras to enforce parking contravention without the correct certification. Not surprisingly they have agreed to “write off” all tickets that are at present unpaid but they are refusing to repay anyone who has previously paid. As anyone reading this forum will know ,when a bailiff is instructed the cost of an unpaid parking ticket can escalate to around £500-£750 and many times; cars have been removed to the pound and even sold by bailiff companies. There can be no doubt than anyone subject to bailiff enforcement over the past 2 years by a company enforcing a Newham Council parking ticket ought to be refunded. I am sure that there will be more to report on this in the next few weeks. . http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22993060 Parking tickets were illegally issued by a dozen cameras over at least two years, a London council has admitted - but it refuses to refund fined drivers. Local authorities are only allowed to use cameras authorised by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA). But a Newham Council internal report, obtained by the BBC, shows between 2011 and 2013 it issued 6,840 tickets from unauthorised cameras - making £350,000. The council says previous cases show it does not need to repay drivers. By law, only camera models that have been specifically authorised by the VCA can be used by councils. Otherwise authorities might use cameras that are not of a high enough calibre to be relied upon for evidence. But Newham Council was using cameras that did not have approval. When the problem came to light in February 2013, it commissioned accountancy firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers to carry out an audit of how many unlawful tickets it had issued
  17. Hi, My car has been parked outside my house for days. I saw it being ticketed and ran downstairs to be told that this single sign had been up for 3 weeks. I had seriously never seen it, but how do I prove that it wasn't there? Is it even legal? Is is so small and only says no loading. Not no parkling. This is the third time I have had a parking ticket from the same warden. The last two times were slightly different, I appealed and won each time, but with NO explanation as to why the mistakes were being made. It is so maddening. Also during those days, nothing happened at all! I was working from home and there was NO use of the bays.
  18. Hi! I've recently had a letter from Capital Credit Management chasing up debts totalling just over £1000 that I know nothing about. The tone of the letters were quite nasty, threatening court action if I did not pay up ASAP. Straight away I sent them a letter using the national debt line website template stating that I had no prior knowledge of the debt and asking for written proof. It would appear that they have totally ignored this and have sent another letter even more threatening than the first. I know they received my letter as I sent it next day signed delivery. I'm pretty sure all of what they've done so far is illegal. Should I phone them stating that I need proof of debt? What do you guys recommend I do next? Thanks!
  19. Hi, I could do with a bit of advice about councils and liability orders. Basically my local council last September recalculated my council tax and it went from me owing £40 to owing nearly £1000, which being on a low income I had no chance of paying by april. I got the usual summons letter in November and attended the court, to find them not is session, in fact we had to go to the basement and talk to a council employee, for which we where charged £100 I had turned up with all the paperwork I felt I needed for my day in court, so asked the council lady when we would see the magistrate. She told me that I would only see the magistrate if I disputed the amount. I them made it very clear that I did dispute the amount and that I wanted to defend this in court. She then insisted we make a payment agreement, which we didn't want to do, but she said we couldn't progress unless we did. Before leaving I asked again when we would see the magistrate, and was told I would get a letter in a few days. A few days later we did get a letter with the words "As you are aware we have obtained a liability order". So they never gave me a chance to defend my corner. Since then December I became unemployed so the council tax was recalculated to £38.85, which we where very happy about, until 3 weeks ago we got a letter from a bailiff company chasing £319. I have emailed the council several times, but they keep avoiding answering my question as to why I didn't get a chance to defend myself in court and avoiding the fact that I keep asking for it to go back to court. Was this a infringement of my rights? Surely I should have been given the chance to defend myself? Thanks for reading
  20. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21339117
  21. Friends Firstly can I apologise for the 'multiple posts', but everyone on here especially the site team have given me the confidence to get myself back on track and sort things out, THANK YOU ALL. The next dilemma - in 1999, whilst living in Scotland, my wife and I took out a loan with Paragon for £15k, shortly afterwards my wife became pregnant and we had to move to the other end of the country as my employer moved me. With my wife losing her job and moving we found ourselves with less money than we had anticipated we tried to use our PPI but were told pregnancy wasn't covered and that as I was still working we couldn't claim. Within a year we were on reduced payments and despite requesting to have the intrest stopped Paragon refused. In 2001 we stopped paying the PPI as it was pointless having it. We carried on with reduced payments until 2006. We had all the usual DCAs chasing us and stupidly (?) ignored them. In 2009 we submitted a SAR to try and get all the information regarding the account which had been purchased by Arrow, the reason was that they were demanding over 36k. It turns out that we did actually repay approximately 9200 towards the original amount and it turns out £26,605.07 is made up of interest charges and 'sundry' charges which seems a bit extreme. At one point Arrow offered us 'a unique discount of 65% and demanded 11k payment! We calculate that we should owe around 6k, there have been plenty of threats of court action but no 'actual action' (if that makes sense). We actually sent SB letters to two sols and they dropped it, Arrow have never come back and said it isn't either! We believe that our last payment was in in Dec 2006, however Arrow have sent us a statement showing two payments in 2008, we can't recall those! My questions are: 1) As this was taken out in Scotland is it SB (5 year rule) 2) Are the charges/interest excessive 3) Waht do we do next? Thanks for listening guys and gals DT&FE
  22. Hello there, Would be really grateful if anyone could offer some advice please regarding Welcome Finance. I Voluntary Terminated and agreement for vehicle finance back in February 2009, all above board paid more than 50%, they collected the car etc etc. They claimed i still owed £465.83 and they had "reduced" the agreement down to reflect this value. Since then i have had various battles with them regarding the outstanding balance they claim i owe which is for the balance on the Gap insurance and amounts charged for damaged on the car which was already there when i bought the car. Having recently checked my credit report as i got rejected for a loan, Welcome Finance have very kindly been continually reporting since Feb 2009 as late payments on the credit agreement which has been voluntarily terminated. They have so far registered 32 number 6 payment records and continue to do so. This is the only poor credit reference i have and it does not truly reflect my credit status and is stopping me from getting credit i am entitled to. My question at the end of all this is, how or even can i get them to put my credit file correct as it was voluntary terminated above board and the remaining balance for damage and gap insurance has been under query ever since. Any help or advice whatsoever would be really really appreciated. Thanks in advance
  23. Hi everyone, I need some advice.... About a year ago I hired a gas safe registered plumber toinstall a new boiler, nothing in writing, all verbal agreement. I supplied the boiler and all of the materials. The job was actually carried out by theplumber’s junior, who as it turned out was not Gas Safe registered. I only realised this at the end of the job whenthe junior stated that his boss would return to commission the boiler and dothe paperwork. I complained in writing tothe plumber about the legality of the work and he lied to me stating that hisjunior had all relevant qualifications but he stopped short of actuallysupplying his junior’s registration number. I also complained that the flue was dripping lots of water to theoutside and that I suspected it was fitted at an incorrect angle. I reported the plumber and his junior to Gas Safe forillegal work and Gas Safe came out and did a safety inspection. The inspector condemned the installation asthere were dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide in the flue. He disconnected the gas supply as the boilerwas too dangerous to use in the state it had been left in by the plumber’sjunior. After over a week without heating and hot water I managed to findanother plumber who was prepared to take on the responsibility of sorting outmy dangerous and defective installation, commission the boiler and sign it off. I was extremely disgusted, upset and angry. I told the original plumber in writing that Ididn’t want him to rectify the work, couldn’t trust him and that I wasn’t goingto pay his bill. I didn’t receive anapology or even any acknowledgement of the appalling service I had experienced. That was 8 months ago but last weekend out of the blue I receiveda letter from a company hundreds of miles away threatening legal action for anoutstanding debt to this plumber for over £800! Far higher than the original quote. I’ve replied to the company briefly outlining the details of the casestating that I do not consider I owe the plumber anything, illegal work, incompletework, dangerous installation etc. I alsosaid that I can prove everything I’ve stated to them. I’ve not heard back yet but I don’t think the plumber has aleg to stand on. What I want to know is,if the original plumber has ‘sold on’ the alleged debt and the company doestake me to court who will I be defending my position against, the company orthe plumber? I suspect the company is a debtcollector but their letter is worded such ‘our client is prepared to take legalaction’ which I don’t think a debt collector would say. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks. PD
  24. hi all i was just doing some research and came across ths spiel from a certain debt colection comany website: "Our collectors presence is required because debtors have usually begun to ignore letters and/or phone calls, made empty promises or issued invalid cheques. These are all clear warning signs that a personal visit is going to be the most effective way of getting through to them - its not easy to ignore our debt collectors on the doorstep. With offices in London, Cheshire and Glasgow we are able to offer a nationwide debt collection service. Our trained investigators / negotiators will initially contact debtors by telephone and professionally negotiate settlements or arrange a meeting to open the line of communication to recover your money. In lots of cases debtors are ignoring letters, faxes, emails and telephone calls. In these situations a visit from one of our collectors is the way forward for recovering your debt. Debt Collector If you have been unsuccessful in retrieving your money, it may be time to enlist the help of a professional debt collector. When letters are ignored and cheques bounce, it’s time for a face to face visit from a debt collector. Our agents are very persuasive and your debtors will soon discover that a debt collector is not as easy to ignore as a letter or phone call. Debt Collectors The debt collectors at Direct Collections have many years of experience. Over the years we have encountered every excuse and we know how to get round them. Our debt collectors know which techniques will work on each type of individual. By applying the right amount of pressure and refusing to take no for an answer, our debt collectors will succeed where others have failed. Debt Recovery Not all loans go smoothly, and when problems arise, professional debt recovery has proven to be an effective way of regaining lost money with minimal hassle. The presence of one of our debt recovery agents shows debtors that you mean business. This alone is often enough to get the desired result. When other methods of debt recovery have been unsuccessful, give us a call. We get results. Debt Collection Our debt collection procedure usually begins with a phone call. Once we make the debtor aware that we are taking over the debt and we explain the consequences of non-payment, they soon begin to take the matter more seriously. If telephone negotiation does not work, we arrange a personal visit. In extreme cases, where debtors disappear, we can use our state of the art tracing software to locate them anywhere in the country. Debt Collection Agencies Not all debt collection agencies are the same. With offices in England and Scotland, we are a truly nation-wide and highly qualified agency. Through our successful track record and ability to trace the location of individuals across the country, Direct Collections have developed a reputation as one of the leading debt collection agencies in the UK. Debt Collection Agency Direct Collections are a nation-wide debt collection agency. We have offices in London, Glasgow and Cheshire and will happily travel the length of the country to retrieve your debt. We are a well established debt collection agency and are licensed in accordance with the consumer credit act of 1974." they cant be serious can they? wonder what you all think? decided not to post the actual company name, they seem a bit [EDIT], so just to be on the safe side.
  25. Hi all, hope you can help, my girlfriend has just finished a job working in a cafe, after much pressure from me as the conditions there were ridiculous. She was made to work until 6.30pm-7pm even though she stopped getting paid at 5.30pm, being told that it was staff responsibility to clean up at the end of the day. She never was given any form of contract and despite me asking on many occasions never provided pay slips. When I confronted the owner regarding tax and N.I. payments he told me she was only contracted for 16 hours, I told him this was illegal and when asked what her holiday entitlement was he told her 10 days, even though she was working an average week over 40 hours, again I told him this was illegal. After confronting him he made my girlfriends time at work uncomfortable so I told her to quit. She finished without notice and I went down the following week to collect her week in hand pay and holiday pay, I received her week in hand but was told that the accountant had to calculate the payment. That was over 4 weeks ago and we have still received nothing, no holiday no P45. We have contacted HMRC regarding tax and N.I. contributions and they have received nothing for the year that she worked there. What should I do about getting holiday pay sorted and getting a P45etc, HMRC have said they are going to investigate the Tax issue. This establishment really needs to be sorted out their health and safety is appalling with no risk assessments for the staff, lone working regular out of hours etc, a real cowboy place and I'm glad she's out of there but would like for her to get all she deserves.
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