I am a 53 year old woman.live alone, working 20 hours a week on minimum wage. get a small amount of tax credits ..Pay full council tax and only get £19 of my rent........after i then pay all my other bills and monthly bus fares I know i was definatly better off on benefits... However i need to work for my sanity Back to the original question I suffer with Restless leg syndrome and take Topamax and Zopiclone... Do i qualify for a perscription excemption certificate and if so how do i apply.. At the end of the month i have barely enough to eat let alone get my percription,but without them i would be in trouble!! And i wear glasses and have a nhs dentist that i am happy with both of which i would be unable to affored were i not helped in some way... Thankyou for advise.

Hi I don't know if anyone is aware of the case law of Phoenix Recoveries (UK) Limited v Kotchea, Court of Appeal 26.1.11. A summary of this case is that a discrepancy as to interest rates was different. K had a strong prima facia case that the interest rate charged in 1998 which would have been specified in the document that he has signed were not those that appeared in the terms and conditions that were in evidence. The interest rate under a consumer credit agreement was a term of central importance. Section 78 required the creditor to supply a document which sets out the original terms as to interest rates. P had not shown that the obligation has been satisfied. It would therefore be appropriate to set aside the Judge's order in the original hearing. This case can be used if you need to defend yourself in proceedings. If the figures don't add up, no add up no pay. Also check who the Claimant truly is, prove of ownership is vital. This can be done by asking for a notice of assignment and deed of assignment as well as the credit agreement regulated by the Consumer Credit Act in the prescribed terms. The debt collection agencies and their solicitors seem a little shy when asked for this information and take to the hills. Hope this helps.

Did I read that sign right? “TOILET OUT OF ORDER. PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW.” In a Laundromat: AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT. In a London department store: BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS... In an office: WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN. In an office: AFTER TEA BREAK, STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD. Outside a second-hand shop: WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN? Notice in health food shop window: CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS... Spotted in a safari park: (I sure hope so.) ELEPHANTS, PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR. Seen during a conference: FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR. Notice in a farmer's field: THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES. Message on a leaflet: IF YOU CANNOT READ, THIS LEAFLET WILL TELL YOU HOW TO GET LESSONS. On a repair shop door: WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING. (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR - THE BELL DOESN'T WORK.) Proofreading is a dying art, wouldn't you say? The following was found in the SGV Tribune the other day and called the Editorial Room It took two or three readings before the editor realized that what he was reading was impossible!!! They put in a correction the next day. Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter ********************************************* Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says Really? Ya' think? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers Now that's taking things a bit far! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over What a guy! --------------------------------------------------------------------- Miners Refuse to Work after Death No-good-for-nothing' lazy so-and-so's! --------------------------------------------------------------------- Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant See if that works better than a fair trial! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- War Dims Hope for Peace I can see where it might have that effect! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile Ya' think?! ------------------------------------------------------------- Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures Who would have thought! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Enfield ( London ) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide They may be on to something! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges You mean there's something stronger than duct tape? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge He probably IS the battery charge! ------------------------------------------------------------------ New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group Weren't they fat enough?! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft That's what he gets for eating those beans! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kids Make Nutritious Snacks Do they taste like chicken? ************************************************ Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half Chainsaw Massacre all over again! ************************************************ Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors Boy, are they tall! ************************************************* And the winner is... Typhoon Rips through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead Did I read that right?

I am currently trying to get £1,670 repaid from Lloydstsb I have sent the first letter off to them and they have replied stating that it was in my terms and conditions about the charges and that I should consult the OFT if I feel that I have been wrongly done to. I am prepared to go to court if I have a small chance of winning, however I have heard that Lloydstsb are one of the only banks that do not repay charges that they have made. Lloydstsb have currently got me overdrawn by £670 and I am in dire mess through them I have missed a mortgage payment and a secured loan payment I have had my phone and internet turned off and my car insurance cancelled it is a living nightmare, I have been to discuss this with my bank and all they said was to pay the charges and to cancel all the direct debits. But I need things such as my car,internet and phone for my work if I don't have them then I don't have any work and if I don't have any work then I don't have any money I am just going around in circles. Can someone please help......

I applied for a post as a cook in a nursery 0nly 10 hours a week. Its not in my home town and I gave my boyfriends address as it is literally round the corner. I spend most of my time at his house anyway but pay my council tax and bills at my flat where my grown up son lives. Well now I have to have an enhanced CRB check and they want proof of address.I have nothing in my name at my boyfriends place ,everything is at my flat address. I have a passport (although its in my former name, I have an adoption certificate and loads of utility bills etc for my main residence but nothing with the address that I applied for the job with.. The job offer was on the proviso that I could provide all the necessary documents. What am ii to do, any advise would be greatly appreciated

Hello, I was hoping someone could provide some advice. I took out a storecard with River Island/GE Money when I was 18 which was around 9.5 years ago. I also took out an overdraft/credit card and stupidly defaulted on all of them. I started paying them off and was convinced that I had paid in full the storecard years ago. I paid off the rest in full last year. However around 1 year ago I was contacted by a debt collection agency out of the blue in relation to a £270 storecard which hadn't been paid off. I've since changed banks and didn't keep statements etc from around the time as it had been so long (I also often used my mums/grans card to make payments on it) so I don't have full records of payments towards the storecard. I've called the storecard providers several times over the past year requesting payment breakdowns for all payments made to the account however as GE Money no longer exists and is part of Santander they told me they do not have this and I need to speak to DCA dealing with it. What I find is strange is that the storecard had a £250 limit and they are chasing me for £270. I definitely made payments to this storecard so I don't understand the amount etc. If I've made a mistake and there has been an outstanding balance then I'm more than happy to pay but I'm almost 100% it was paid off. I've asked the DCA for statments/payment breakdowns and they all say they will put a hold on acc for a few months till they get them from the creditor however they never materialize and then DCA changes. All I want is a breakdown of payments made/dates so I can see proof that I owe this but noone seems to be able to provide this information. Can anyone help? Also I'm in Scotland and current DCA is Rockwell. Thanks in advance Lori

On the 30th of November 2005 my S500L was recovered to Mercedes-Benz Chelsea's workshop for warranty work. I was subsequently asked for £6,640 as the damage to the car was "caused by you or somebody known to you". This was not true as proved in the trial at the County Court. Now, in 2014, I have reached the end of a long and expensive legal action and it is time to tell my story. I am looking for a person(s) to help me turn this long and complicated story into a concise easy to follow story. I have tried several times , but, its the old story, that, as I have lived with this for so long one forgets the reader has no idea of all the "in's and outs", especially as there were so many Court appearances over four years of litigation. If you feel you could help, please reply, and if you have been in a similar situation even better! Robert

Hi all, In July 2012 I settled an outstanding payday loan (for roughly £350) with 247MoneyBox, after it had been passed on to the debt collection company Equidebt. I agreed the settlement figure with Equidebt and paid it into their account, with the company assuring me they would now inform 247MoneyBox that the debt had been settled. I requested written confirmation of this (which I have since passed on to my employer as part of a security check). Over a year later and I have started receiving letters from a company called Rossendales Collect, informing me that I still have an outstanding loan with 247Moneybox. I rang them and explained that I had already settled the account with Equidebt, and they informed me that I would need to send them proof of this so that they could close the account. I can only presume that Equidebt failed to inform 247MoneyBox that I had settled the debt way back in July 2012. Now I need to prove this to both the new debt collection company and 247MoneyBox, but Equidebt have gone out of business. Can anyone help?! Its been over a year since I had any dealings with any of these payday loan/ debt collection companies and I really thought I'd seen the back of them! Thanks, Segway

If you have recently moved to UK and are living with relatives. Are there any tips on how to provide proof of address to open a bank account?

My ex-employer never used to provide me payslips printed in official stationary. They used to provide them electronically to my company's email account, to which I don't have access anymore. These electronic payslips are not accepted as proof of income by banks and govt. agencies. I contacted them to provide me the payslips in company headed paper or stamp and sign them. So I can use them as proof of income. However, they are not replying to my email and their HR seems unreachable over the phone. I really need these to prove my income of the period I worked for them and cannot do without them. I only worked their for 6 months during 2011-2012, so they only need to print 6 payslips. I also informed them in my email that, if there's a reasonable amount service charge to produce these payslips in company headed paper, I will pay that. I would really appreciate your advice.

Hi, I had a default on my credit file. i ignored it at time then got taken to court, i never bothered to attend and they were awarded a ccj, due to problems at time it was least of my concern. But now i challenged it and i asked for a copy of proof of debt and default notice sent to me. They replied back saying they need more time. How much time do i need to give them as its now passed a month and they stopped all contact. I never recall getting a default letter its why i asked, and also i wanted a statement of account and proof that i owed the original debt. But can they keep asking for more time as they said they are not the original creditor so i must give them time. Anyone give me advice or point me to a template letter? Thank you Hannah

Hi All, hopefully this will be a quick question to resolve, but haven't had much luck myself: my partner is Slovakian and as such needs to prove tax paid in the UK at the end of every working year in Slovakia to stop her needing to pay tax there. Normally this has been done through a P60, but as she wasn't working on the cut off date at the end of the last tax year she hasn't received one. We wrote to HMRC requesting proof of tax paid, but received just a really basic letter that just covered the time she did work; the problem being it does not look at all like a summary for the year, just for the period she was employed, and she's concerned that if she takes this to the tax office in Slovakia they'll either not accept it (it's not well formatted as a tax/income summary) or will not be happy as it doesn't cover the whole tax year. Is there any way to get something more like a regular P60 that states tax paid/income for the whole year, even if she was not employed for the entire duration? Thanks for any help you can give!

I have recently had my son 12 move to me full time rather than 60% of the time with me and my daughter 14 who has been full time since wife left, now divorced no orders made. I notified council but 1 they insist they need proof that I get the child benefit for him, this will take time through Benefits Agency as I am just applying and suspect ex will drag feet replying she wants to have it then give it to me I said no. I thought they needed this only if there was a dispute as to where he lives. 2 must produce his birth certificate . I have his passport, euro medical card, he now gets free school meals from same council refering to my address and school know where he lives. Council know he exists as they have been and probably still are paying ex. I dont see why a birth certificate is ok but a passport is not "an official proof" Am I being unreasonable or just dealing with a Richards Cranium? Its important I get this sorted as I have been paying effectively for a 2 child family and only getting one child support and I really dont see why I should be clobbered by the bedroom tax etc when he is living with me.

Hi, My husband was sacked for theft on the 1st October 2012 without any proof or police involvement, he was not even questioned by the police. He filled in an ET1 form and was given a hearing date for today 31st May 2013. His ex employers solicitor ordered a pre hearing review saying his claim was 34 days out of time. My husband tried to argue that he had appealed internally and did not receive his appeal letter until the 3rd of November which would have made his claim in time but the judge refused to hear his case anyway. Please tell us what if anything he can do now? We don't even believe any money went missing at all, it took 2 weeks for them to mention anything about the missing money (£119.52), and used the fact that he got his dates and times mixed up as cause for reasonable doubt. Like i said before there has been no police involvement at all. Despite this my husband has been branded a thief and their staff have been stopping my neighbors in the street to discuss my case. I had a legal aid solicitor who was not very good but I did not get a solicitor until after I had been given a hearing date. I filled in all the forms my self and was not fully aware of the procedure, I believed contacting ACAS was the start of the tribunal process. I feel like I am having to suffer all this as I do not have the money to pay for a decent solicitor. Please help...

Hi, I have had Lowell sending me letters about a debt that I know I never took out. It was a with a loan company and I have never had a loan in my life. I asked them for a signed credit agreement as proof and they sent me a reconstituted copy of a credit agreement. On it my address was handwritten as was my name. There was no signature or date on the agreement by either myself or a representative of the company. I told them this is not proof, anyone can mock up what they sent me but they tell me they are not obliged to send me an exact copy of the signed credit agreement as I would have signed it anyway apparently. Any ideas on what I can do? Thanks all.

I've been working nearly solidly for the last 18 months and I have joined a new recruitment agency. I had 12 months continuous work and another 5 months continuous work. The recruitment consultant said because I have not been working for 2 years I have to provide proof I was claiming benefits before I started work 18 months ago. Well I threw all of my job center paperwork out when I began work. I just do not understand why they would want this...you would think they would want to zap you into a job asap...but instead I've been made to jump through hoops! I don't know how I'm going to provide this since I dumped all paperwork out....

Hi Can anyone help, a friend of mine has a parking fine which has gone to bailiff, he has sent in his I&E and they are now asking for proof. They want to see "documents to support this" "We require documents to confirm you income and expenditure such as wage slips, bank statements, benefit letter and also any further documents that confirm you are in financial difficulty" I thought that really only a court can ask for this information, but bearing in mind they are collecting on a fine, does this give them the authority to ask for this information and does he have to provide it?

]Hi guys, This is my first post on here so please be kind. I defaulted on a Mint card way back in June 2007 for £4,500. At that time I was in dispute and refused to pay monthly payments until this was sorted. I then heard NOTHING for five years and for the first 18 months of that the debt appeared on my Credit Expert file as an ongoing 3 ball. last year however, I received a letter from the dreaded Arrow Global who informed me they had 'bought' the debt from Mint. I asked a barrister who informed me that selling a debt is unlawful, but non the less they are still taking people to court and winning! I got onto Mint and asked for proof of being in 'default'. they sent me a letter telling me when I defaulted and the date they CLAIM to have sent the letter out. However, they also told me they could not send me a copy of the default letter as they are printed and sent out automatically. My questions are these: Can a non- regulated debt collection company like Arrow Global really take me to court and WIN? What can I do to verify whether Mint have ACTUALLY registered a default against me and if it is legally binding? Can they do this if there is no legitimate proof of my going onto default? Can Arrow Global still take me to small claims court without a proven default notice? What can I do to fight this and sponging ambulance chasers like Arrow global?

This is my first post so please excuse the length of the thread and the incorrect use of paragraphs, it was just to make the post clearer and easier to follow. I received a PCN from Islington council in December of last year. I was half parked on a double yellow line and half in an out of hours residents bay on a residential road. It was a Sunday evening in a commercial vehicle (under 3.5 tonnes) and I was unloading and making a delivery to a house. The unloading was constant and I did not leave the vehicle unattended for more than 5 minutes at a time and overall I was there for under 40 minutes. I returned to the vehicle to find a ticket issued at 20.29. I challenged the PCN within 2 weeks requesting photographic evidence as this was, and,still is unavailable on the website. Within 10 days I received the photos indeed showing that the rear wheels were on the yellow lines, but, the photos showed they were taken at 20.30 (first 3) and 20.31 (last 3). I immediately wrote back saying that the rules on the website clearly state that for a ticket to be issued, the vehicle must be observed unattended for a full 5 minutes. I then pointed out that the ticket was issued and then 6 photos were taken 1 and 2 minutes later respectively. Therefore the civil enforcement officer had only spent 3 minutes with the vehicle and had not observed the vehicle unattended for 5 minutes before issuing the ticket I received a reply to this within 10 days simply saying they were satisfied that the vehicle had been observed (from 20.23) for a full 5 minutes before the ticket was issued, and that the photos were taken at 20.30 and 20.31, therefore the officer had spent a total of 7 minutes with the vehicle. I politely pointed out that that 20.23 to 20.31 equates to 8 minutes and could they provide notes or photos or proof of this as I dispute this fact because I would have been there. To cut an already long story short, they have failed to produce any evidence that the vehicle was observed before the ticket was issued and have now said that the onus is on me to prove that the vehicle was not observed for 5 minutes! Is it just me or is that the most ridiculous demand ever?? The civil enforcement officers are equipped with PCN machines and cameras both of which record the date and time. I am equipped with neither nor am I required to be by law. Surely the onus is on them to prove a contravention has occured, otherwise they could just go around issuing tickets willy nilly without any chance of appeal. I read up on the case of Ronald Kendrick Douglas VS The London Borough Of Brent where it was judged by the adjudicator that the burden of proof was on the council. I assume this applies at this stage also? This has now been going on for 2 months and the council are just stonewalling my appeals and refusing to budge Some advice on my position and who bears the burden of proof would be much appreciated.

We bought a Toyota Celica T Sport that failed on the first day of ownership: big end bearing failure. We have an engineer's report and permission to use it. Knowing that the defendant has to prove that the engine was ok when the car was sold, can he use an MOT certificate to do this?

Hello everyone and keep up the good work. My story is the following. March 2013 will be exactly one year of being unemployed and taking Job Seekers allowance and Housing Benefit. Today I was told to go to the Job Centre with my passport , the booklet in which i write down the job applications I do and my last Bank Statement. The Rent Agreement is under my name and under my flatmates name since the beginning and that is what I have proved to the JSA and Housing Benefit when I have applied. Also I want to mention here that every months rent has been paid from my account with a standing order to the landlord. But i share my bedroom with my boyfriend who is not under the House Contract and from beginning he did put into my account the amount of 350 pounds every month because he wanted to contribute towards our expenses. Without me realising and without he doing something on purpose he used as a reference the word "Rent" when he transferred that money into my account. Today the adviser in the JSA saw the following in my Bank Statement. 1. An amount of my original flatmate who is in the contract 2. An amount of my boyfriend's transfer every month with the reference as "Rent' The adviser asked questions and wants me to bring her 6 months of previous Bank Statements in order to check the money going in and out of my account. Will I have a problem of the fact that my boyfriend has transferring me 350 pounds in my account with the reference as "Rent" because its not that i am using it for rent. I could be using this money to pay bills, or for food or for anything else. Also we are not married or anything if that is something i must mention. Please help me as I have to go back Thank you in advance.

Hi, I'm new here and hoping for some help. My fiance was with his ex for a number of years but split up 3 years ago and apart from sporadic visits she hasn't been in contact at all. July 2012 time he received a letter saying she was taking him to small claims court for £5000 and the return of a computer (he doesn't have it, never has) in the letter was a budget calculator and a form for him to fill in in regards to what he could afford to pay. Turns out he never sent it back but we haven't heard anything from her since then and we haven't heard anything from court/bailiff etc. She has since emailed his parents requesting all the money back or she will put a 'stop' on the house (owned outright no mortgage by my fiance, his brother and his father) Throughout all of this she hasn't sent anything through to prove he owes her £5000 or anything close to it. *Will it hold up in small claims court? *Can we ask for proof of the debt? If so what should we ask for? *Can she put a 'stop' on the house if my fiance doesn't own it solely? *If she refuses can we still make a payment plan with the courts? He is on benefits and has a criminal record so hasn't managed to find a job, we can realistically afford £50 per month but with a debt of £5000 it will take quite some time to pay it back. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi Everyone, I moved into my previous flat in May 2003 and I paid 4 weeks rent in advance and £500 deposit, both by cheque. The rent was increased once in 2012. I have never missed a payment during my tenancy there. I duly gave 4 weeks’ notice on 10/12/12 and moved out on 05/01/13. I didn’t pay any rent after giving the notice. Now the landlord is saying that their ledger is showing that I am in arrears and if I can’t prove otherwise I owe them 4 weeks rent. I don’t have the old bank statements or the cheque book anymore nor do I have an account with that bank. Can anyone please advise me how best to deal with this? Also throughout November/December due to a leak in the water pipe and boiler problem, for some time I had no hot water or running water at all and I had to go to a B n B and pay from my own pocket. Thank you all.

Hi, I've just received a letter from RBS regarding an SAR I have requested. The letter states that - 'as you no longer hold an account with us, to protect you from fraud, we need to verify your identity before the request can be completed. Please send three month' original bank statements or an original utility bill, dated within the last six months showing your current address. We are unable to accept credit card statements, copy documents or mobile telephone bills.' Although I understand I do have to provide the info I'm struggling to provide originals as I only receive a Credit Card statement on paper which I am unable to use. All other statements are online which means I have to copy them. The letter does say that - 'Copy Documents WILL be accepted if officially stamped and signed by a Solicitor or a Natwest or RBS branch'. Is this true? I'm not considering going to a Solicitor but I will copy some bank statements from my Lloyds Current Account and take them to a local branch so long as I don't turn up and get refused. The last possible sticking point is the claim that they cannot guarantee they will be able to trace my account as it may have been closed for a longer period than their records are retained. My account with Style/Envy ran from March 2003 to February 2006 so is just outside the obligatory 6 years. A couple of SAR's I have received have gone back further than 6 years but it may be RBS are letting me know that even if I do provide the necessary proof of I.D. I still may not get the statements. The reason I am requesting an SAR is RBS have 'made an offer, accepting no liability' but it is lower than I expected though I have no proof. Thought it best to find some proof before going back! If I can try refute any current and future problems RBS will provide it should make things easier when I go back to refuse their offer, any thoughts??? Tenmen10

Wonder if anyone could give me some advice? Our council stated that I owed council tax payment for this year - £245.00. When I emailed them all of the payment dates and amounts I had paid over - as I try and pay it off ASAP. Now they have sent me another letter stating the debt is off last year - and I need proof of payment. All of my bank statements are on line and I can only access from October 2011, the ones before that I have to request paper statements which my bank requires payment of £10.00 per statement - this would cost me approx £150 plus - could I ask the bank to send me confirmation of dates that this was paid or ask the council for reimburse me as it is for their benifit