I have been a customer of Vodafone for many many years now, last year I decided to move my Vodafone contract number from contract when it came to the end of the contract to Vodafone PAYG, a simple task I thought, oh no, people could phone me and txt me but I couldn't reply, all I could do was use the data allowance, many times I contacted Vodafone and each time I was assured it would be fixed within 24 hours, it never was, so I decided to stop going around in circles and take out a new monthly contract as I had better luck with that. So here I am now with a PAYG that receives but cannot send and a new contract SIM with of course new number which I don't want, so I complete the online form to port the PAYG over to the new contract SIM, again I think this will be simple, many people each day do this, no it fails, the number leaves PAYG and enters some sort of black hole, never reaching the contract, a days go by and still no action, I am still on the new unwanted number, during this time it is my birthday, nobody can call me to wish me happy birthday , I contact customer services via the 'chat' I give up after ages being passed from one call centre person to the next, I get dizzy. A further 2 weeks go by, and still I don't have my old number back, I complete the online form again, this time I get an email saying the old number is no longer active Again I contact Vodafone via 'chat', again I passed around 4 times, before they give up this time and tell me to dial 191 as they have more access to the system than they do, so I do this, 36 minutes I am on the phone, I get passed around a bit, I lost count how many people I spoke to but it was a lot, I am told the 'back office' team messed up with the port and it will have to go back to them to sort out, it coule take 48 hours. I dont hold out much hope. Anybody else had nightmare times porting numbers over with Vodafone

Hello This week I switched my home insurance to Home Protect, arranging to pay it monthly. Today, I heard from a company called Premium Credit, telling me that Home Protect had set up the credit arrangement for the insurance through them. I was then asked to register on their website and also to electronically sign a copy of the CCA1974 agreement. It also stated that if I hadn't signed by 27th April, then they would add £10 to my account! So my question is, can they actually legally do this? I thought the terms of the CCA1974 states you should sign ONLY if you wished to be bound by it. Effectively, they are fining me if I don't. Clearly, they just want to be able to guarantee any potential court action they might take would be successful by having a "signed" CCA1974 form but this just sound wrong to me. Any advice would be much appreciated. I see this particular company has been posted about before for exorbitant charges for failed direct debits which doesn't surprise me!

Hello All I just got my husbands yearly statement for his life insurance UNBELIEVABLE !!! Its an adaptable term plan and most its ever gone up is a couple of pound every year WE have had this policy for 20 years This year they have uped payment from £36 pcm to £166 how does that work? Surely they cannot increase premium this much £214,000 cover (which I think is less than last years cover have to check) for £166 pcm Gob Smacked ! and to make matters worse their letter dated 1st March was received today which now gives me 10 days to deal with this. HELP HELP HELP

This was an especially acute problem over Christmas with a lot of complaints on the Amazon website about my Hermes (different from the Hermes network) but this applies to most online sales companies. The issue is this: as a customer you have to pay postage (quite rightly) but get no choice of who is used and usually no visibility of which company before you’ve paid. So, most Amazon purchases are delivered by the cheapest, most unreliable form whose online tracking system is sheer fantasy and is acknowledged as such by many frustrated customers. A company that many would not choose to use is getting their money, paid under compulsion. I’ve asked the question (but received no reply, which makes me think that the answer is yes) as to whether 3rd party sellers on Amazon are obliged to use my Hermes to deliver. Customers on the Amazon website who appear to know the background say that my Hermes had to buy a tracking system if they wanted to get the Amazon contract but bought the cheapest, most unreliable one that had been rejected as totally unfit for purpose by other delivery companies. It feels like a possible abuse of dominant market position, though of course that may be an unfortunate appearance not borne out by the facts. I think if CAG were to investigate they'd get to the bottom of it in a way that individuals can’t. I’d be prepared to put time into this. A good result would be to have a transparent choice between at least 2 named companies (at different prices if necessary) on checkout when shopping online.

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.

Hi. I just have a question regarding ESA. My husband had spinal surgery in October and has been on ESA since the end of September. He has received a letter saying he has to attend a medical on the 13th February but thats the day he is due back to work and all being well he will go back that day. Do I ring and tell them that he is back to work that day and they should cancel the appointment for the medical? Many Thanks