I have recently been informed that towards the end of 2017 the DWP computer lost my records. I experienced problems with payments in Jan 2018 but did not think any more about it as they sorted my ESA payments out. However, last month I was informed that by mortgage company that they had not received any payments under old scheme prior to changes made in April 2018. I was contacted by Serco and completed the SMI loan agreement that was posted back early June 2018. I have been informed that these completed documents were received by DWP early August 2018 who subsequently sent them Clydebank DWP centre. I contacted the 0800 number ESA department who informed me that the paperwork was sent to Clydebank early August 2018. I queried why I had not received an correspondence reference the SMI loan. The adviser put through an emergency call back from Clydebank. This is when I learnt the delay was because my computer records were lost sometime in Nov 2017. Hence the delay as Clydebank did not have access to information they needed for my SMI loan application as not on the DWP computer system for some reason. The adviser took the relevant information from me and was very supportive though bemused by my situation. She is contacting me back reference SMI loan. However, my concern is as the claimant of ESA and IIDB why was I not informed of the loss of my data by DWP computer? Please, advise me on what I should do? If it was the other way round and it was an overpayment scenario; DWP would be straight on to me.

Hi all I'm looking for some advice regarding a recent online purchase. I bought a computer monitor online last week which I had delivered on Friday. Unfortunately there are several issues with it that I cannot live with. One of them I’m fairly sure is a manufacturing defect. The monitor was fairly expensive (£450) so I contacted the retailer on Monday and asked to return it for a refund stating what faults it had. I told them I didn’t want a replacement as there seems to be QC issues with these monitors after doing some research and I'd rather buy something else. They replied instantly and asked for photos of the fault which I sent hoping they’d deal with the RMA swiftly. I hear nothing from them for 2 days so I contacted then again today and they’ve asked for photos again despite me already sending them. I’m sensing they are dragging their feet. I paid using PayPal. What are my options here? If they don’t issue RMA should I post the monitor back at my expense then raise a dispute with PayPal? The retailer has a page on their site that states, If a return is found not to be faulty they will return to buyer at the buyers expense.I was under the impression I could return an item that I bought online if its faulty. Do I need to prove its faulty? Did I even have to send photos? Does the monitor even need to be fault for me to return despite being used? Despite having a 5 star TrustPilot rating I have uncovered some horrible returns stories with this company so not sure what to do next. I was tempted just to open a dispute on PayPal but PayPal says if the dispute is not settled they will then decide whether I get a refund or not. This will teach me for not paying the extra and buying it from Amazon who have a great returns policy. Thanks for your time. Peter

Hello A friend of mine let a DCBL bailiff into her home ( it was 6am, they looked like cops and they pushed into the doorway when the door was opened) They waived a Writ of Control to justify entry and refusal to leave. They now have a list of goods under control - one of these is a computer. While I understand they can take the computer, what is the status of the data stored on the machine? In the meantime, I've applied for a N244 to create a payment schedule as she is vulnerable on health grounds (also the reason for not being able to pay the original CCJ that started all this) Thank you

I signed a franchise aggreement (unfortunately) and I would like to know if the : personal guarantee`s that was included is legal, if it was not witnessed, at the time of signing, and their is no provision for a witnesses signature, is there a set format for this, and could it be deemed invalid and/or, not binding? when is a deed not a deed? Your advice would be welcome. Thanks!

On 05 November 2016, I phoned Vault Computers Limited of Bradford, Yorkshire and agreed a price for the computer I wanted them to assemble for me according to certain component options they offered. We agreed that I could pay by cheque, Vault undertaking to supply the computer “once the cheque had cleared”. On the same date, I sent them a letter referring to the phone call, repeating my assembly options and enclosing a cheque for the agreed amount, crossed and worded “Account Payee” made payable to Vault Computers. By 19 November 2016 I had heard nothing from Vault I phoned both numbers given on their website. Voice recordings said that the numbers were either not available or not accepting calls. By 05 December 2016, Vault had made absolutely no contact with me and the payment to them had not left my bank account. Therefore, on that date, I purchased a similarly priced computer from Amazon.co.uk using my credit card. I received the Amazon computer on 08 December 2016. On 10 December 2016, I found that the cheque to Vault had been paid on 07 December 2016. I immediately phoned Vault to ask them to stop my order, explaining that I had believed my letter to them had been lost and that I had bought a computer from a different supplier. They replied that they would attempt to stop dispatch of my order. They asked me to phone them in a few days for further information. On 19 December 2016, I phoned Vault again. They said that the computer they had assembled for me would be added to “stock” and they undertook to make a full refund of the purchase price by cheque. They said strikes at the Post Office would delay reimbursement until the New Year. By 01 February 2017, I had neither heard from Vault nor received reimbursement. On that day and the next, I made repeated attempts to speak to Vault on the phone but could not get through. One number returned the “Not Available” tone and the other, the same recorded message as on 19 November 2016. I sent letters dated 02 February 2017, 20 February 2017 and 18 March 2017 to Vault’s registered address, seeking a reply and reimbursement from them. However, Vault remained silent, even after receiving my letter-before-action, sent Recorded Delivery. On 12 April 2017, finding that Vault currently has a retail trading unit in Shipley, Yorkshire, I wrote to them additionally at that address. By 01 May 2017, there has still been no further contact with Vault since 19 December 2016 , no computer delivered from them and no return of my purchase money. There are no judgements recorded against Vault Computers Limited, no registered bankruptcies, and nothing to suggest they are in any trading difficulties. Vault’s silence is perplexing. If I format my small court claim according to certain presumptions about how they might defend against it, I might be furnishing them with a defence they had not considered. In particular, I find myself wondering if I should attempt to introduce statutory declarations laying out verbatim the conversations we had on the phone, which I had audio-recorded for the purposes of assisting my memory if I ever needed to to draft such statements. Those declarations , if the original audio recordings were present, might assist the court as evidence that, for example, Vault had agreed to accept payment by cheque, or had undertaken to reimburse me in full in the circumstances I had described to them. However, the same evidence might undermine my claim if those matters are not issue in Vault’s defence. Does anyone have experience of attempting to introduce audio-recordings to support small court claims? Does anyone have experience of swearing statutory declarations? There is a third way, which is to rely on the way things were left by Vault, expressly that they did not supply the goods within the prescribed period of 30 days, freeing me from the contract and entitling me to a full refund. However , not knowing Vault’s position, it might be counter-productive if , for the sake of simplicity , I omit the pertinent fact that I had asked them to stop my order. I may have had no right to cancel, if the goods were “made to the consumer’s specifications or are clearly personalised” per Reg.28 of The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Charges) Regulations. If there was no right to cancel, I am still not bound by the contract since Vault did not inform me of the absence of a right to cancel, as they were required to under Regulation 13 of the same body of regulations. Perhaps I am over-thinking this matter, but Vault’s silence is perplexing. Somebody say something...

Hi guys, Just trying to get a quick heads up as to where I stand legally on this situation with online retailer Very. at the beginning of June I purchased a HP Omen desktop pc for £1200 along with a 32 inch HP Omen monitor. The computer was a reasonable specification, not the top end, but the advert implied that the computer could be easily upgrade, the exact wording was as follows; 'This gaming PC can evolve with you too – with tool-less access to the hardware, you can crank up your gaming power by customising the specification when the time comes.' I understood this to mean that upgrading the computer later on would be easy decided to purchase. Unfortunately when the computer arrived I saw that this wasn't the case. The layout was unlike any other pc I have owned with a cage/chassis mounted onto the graphics card and the other components, optical drives, hard drive connectors etc all connected to this mount. The memory banks were directly under the mount too so even something as simple as adding more memory would require the complete disassembly and removal of the mount, the unattaching of all fans, drives, processor etc that were connected to the mount and the removal of the graphics card afterwards, then reassembly of all components, connectors, mounts etc afterwards. This is far beyond what I would consider an easily upgradeable system. I contacted Very and asked to exchange it on the grounds that it wasn't as advertised. The person I spoke to was very helpful and apologetic, telling me to return the computer via the free Collect+ service then he sold me a much more expensive model, with a bigger, plug and play style casing that is indeed easily upgradeable. I received this computer 3 weeks ago and am very happy with it. It cost £1600 and I've already paid £400 off of it. three weeks later I have had the original machine returned to me (at my expense) on the grounds that it's not actually returnable unless faulty. I now have TWO computers. I have called them multiple times each time they are very helpful and tell me they will sort it. Then they ring their returns department who tell them, no I cannot return it, even though one of their member of staff authorised me to do so AND sold me another computer. I am wanting to know what my legal rights are in this situation? They have are telling me I now have to have BOTH computers because their employee was at fault in authorising a return. Surely this is their problem not mine? And if she shouldn't have authorised the return, then surely selling me a replacement under those conditions is wrong as well so that would void their returns policy in selling me a replacement. I've been trying to resolve this for the past week and have reached an impasse. I would think in this circumstance I can legally demand they return one of the computers as the error was theirs not mine, and they certainly shouldnt be able to enforce the purchase of both systems, totalling £2700??

I'll try to cut a long story short. Yesterday a good friend with own business wanted cash to buy car today. No time to go to bank due to work pressure, so online transferred £7000 to me. I rang Lloyds to make sure ok to withdraw £7000 and they said yes with my id. I went to branch with my driving licence to withdraw cash. Computer said "no". Branch official needed paper statement from my friend. Friend and I met at branch around 4.15pm. Friend had brought statement showing online transfer but bank wanted actual bank statement. Friend and I walk to his Barclays bank to get statement but he'd left his bank card at home (10 miles away). They couldn't help him get a statement without bank card!!! Back to Lloyds. Offered to show clerk phone statement but not good enough as she wanted paper receipt. Couldn't offer us internet access to print it out. Branch closed at 5pm. Back to my house to online transfer £7000 back to friend. Computer said "no" again I rang enquiry line. Several questions later (which I correctly answered) I was told go back to branch with photo id in order to allow transaction to go through!!! Tried logging onto internet banking to check my statement and it's been frozen. Rang enquiry line and was told go to branch with photo id!!! Branch closed today (Good Friday). So car sale fallen through for friend. The two of us will turn up tomorrow at my branch so wish me luck

How to clean your computer I have a dirty secret. I've never cleaned my computer. Sure, I've dusted my monitor, but I haven't taken off the cover or tried to reach the crumbs lurking inside my keyboard. And I honestly don't know the difference between pressurized air dusters and compressed air cleaners. "Your computer could fry if you don't keep it clean," says Jonathon Millman, chief technology officer for Hooplah Interactive. Whether it's a desktop or laptop/notebook computer, dust and lint can clog the cooling vents. This can cause your computer's brain—the central processing unit (CPU)—to heat up. And heat is the biggest cause of component failure in computers. Regular cleaning could save you costly maintenance fees down the road. Follow the five simple steps in the cleanup and maintenance routine below to keep your computer and accessories looking shiny and new. It's an easy, do-it-yourself solution to help them run smoothly and last longer. Preparation You'll need: Standard (flat-tip) and/or Phillips screwdriver Can of compressed air (available from computer dealers or office-supply stores) Cotton swabs (do not use a cotton ball) Rubbing alcohol Soft, lint-free cloths, paper towels, or anti-static cloths Water Safety glasses (optional) Important: Always turn your computer off and disconnect it from the power source before you begin any of these steps. Step 1: Inside the case If you see dust or other debris accumulating around the vents of your desktop or laptop, you can bet there's more inside—and it's only going to cause trouble. To remove it, you'll need to open the case. That may sound more intimidating than it really is. Before you begin, of course, make sure the computer is turned off and disconnected from the power source. One more consideration: Manufacturers' policies vary, but, in some cases, opening your computer case may void your warranty. You may even encounter a warning sticker on the case. Review your warranty terms before continuing. For desktop computers. Desktop computer manufacturers employ a variety of fastening mechanisms to secure the case. Face the back panel: Modern cases typically use two or more small knobs that you can turn by hand, or buttons that you press in, to release a side panel or the entire shell of the case. Others may require you to remove two or more slotted or Phillips screws. If in doubt, consult your owner's manual for specific instructions. For laptop and notebook computers. Set the computer upside down on a table or other stable surface. (You may want to place a towel or paper under the computer to prevent scratches and scuffs.) Remove the battery. On most laptops, the vents on the underside will be grouped on a removable panel, secured to the case with several screws. Typically, these are very small Phillips-type screws, which may be of different lengths. Remove them, and be sure to keep track of which goes where. After you're inside either your desktop or laptop, touch as little as possible inside the computer—keep your fingers away from cards and cords. Look for any dust bunnies or other bits of fluff in the nooks and crannies. Pick these out carefully with tweezers or a cotton swab. Blow compressed air around all of the components and along the bottom of the case, keeping the nozzle at least four inches away from the machine. Blow air into the power supply box and into the fan. Try to aim the stream of pressurized air in such a way that it blows debris out of and away from crevices and recesses, rather than driving it deeper in. Safety glasses are a good idea, too, to keep the flying dust out of your eyes. Take particular care when blowing the delicate fans. Overspinning them with excessive pressure can crack a blade or damage the bearings. Position the compressed air can well away, and use short bursts of air rather than a steady blast. As a precaution, you might also carefully immobilize the fan blades with your fingertip or a cotton swab while using the air can. Lastly, blow air into the floppy disk, CD or DVD drives, and I/O ports—but again, not too aggressively. Wipe the inside of the cover with a lightly moistened cloth, and dry it before replacing it. Millman recommends doing this every three months if your case sits on the floor, if you have pets that shed, or if you smoke. Otherwise, every six to eight months is fine. Step 2: Outside the case Run a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol around all of the openings on the outside of your case. Give them one swipe with the damp end of the swab and one swipe with the dry end. Do this as often as you clean the inside of your computer. Step 3: Keyboard Turn the keyboard upside down and gently shake it. Most of the crumbs and dust will fall out. Take a can of compressed air and blow into and around the keys. Next, take a cotton swab and dip it in rubbing alcohol. It should be damp, but not dripping wet. Run the cotton swab around the outside of each key. Rub the tops of the keys. Don't be stingy with the swabs. Discard them when they start to get dirty, and switch to a fresh one. If you have a laptop, follow the same procedure but take extra care with your machine—treat it as gently as you would a carton of fresh eggs. If your laptop has a touchpad, use the damp swap to wipe it clean, as well. Do this keyboard cleanup monthly. It's tempting to use a vacuum cleaner to suck the debris out of the keyboard and other parts of the computer, but technicians warn that it can create a static electrical charge that can actually damage the computer's sensitive electronics. Worried about spills? If a spill happens, immediately turn off your computer, disconnect the keyboard, and flip it over. While the keyboard is upside down, blot the keys with a paper towel, blow compressed air between the keys, and leave it to air dry overnight. Check to ensure that all traces of moisture have evaporated before using the keyboard again. Laptop spills need more attention because liquid can easily penetrate the keyboard and damage internal parts. For laptop spills, immediately turn off the computer and remove any external power source and other items plugged into it. Turn the laptop over, remove the battery, and then bring it to your nearest repair center to check for internal damage. Simply blowing compressed air into the keyboard and letting your computer air dry upside down overnight aren't enough, because liquids can sit inside a laptop for days. For all spills, be aware that anything other than plain water may cause severe damage, and never attempt to dry a keyboard or laptop in a microwave or conventional oven. Step 4: Mouse Disconnect the mouse from your computer. Rub the top and bottom of your mouse with a paper towel dipped in rubbing alcohol. Scrape hard-to-remove grime with your fingernail. If you have an optical mouse, ensure that no lint or other debris obscures the light-emitting lens on the underside of the mouse. If you use a mechanical mouse, open the underside of the mouse and remove the ball. (In most cases, you simply need to rotate the plastic ring encircling the ball one-quarter turn counterclockwise.) Wash the ball with water, and let it air dry. To clean inside a mechanical mouse, dip a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and rub all of the interior components, paying particular attention to the little rollers, where gunk tends to collect. Finally, blow compressed air into the opening and ensure that the interior is dry. Replace the ball and the cover. Clean your mouse monthly. Step 5: Monitor For liquid-crystal display (LCD) laptop and flat-panel monitor screens, slightly moisten a soft, lint-free cloth with plain water. Microfiber cloths are excellent for this purpose. Avoid using paper towels, which can scratch monitor surfaces. Don't spray liquid directly onto the screen—spray the cloth instead. Wipe the screen gently to remove dust and fingerprints. You can also buy monitor cleaning products at computer-supply stores. For glass CRT (television-style) monitors, use an ordinary household glass cleaning solution. Unless your manufacturer recommends differently, don't use alcohol or ammonia-based cleaners on your monitor, as these can damage anti-glare coatings. And never try to open the housing of a CRT monitor. Capacitors within can hold a dangerous electrical charge—even after the monitor has been unplugged. Clean the monitor weekly. Finally, make sure that everything is dry before you plug your computer back in. Article adapted from an original article written by Alyson Munroe.

Not sure if this is in the right forum,I'm sure it will be moved if not Last year, some charming specimen of humanity hacked my computer and downloaded a virus which filled it with child porn and then remotely took pictures of it. They then demanded money or the pictures would be sent to the police. I reported everything to the police and he was tracked down, arrested and charged in July was sent on a nice 5 1/2 year holiday as a guest of Her Majesty. After the case, the computer (which had been seized as evidence) should have been returned to me -however the police have said they may not return it if they cannot guarantee it to be clean (it seems that part of the virus is that when it's shut down and restarts, it sends more images...). It seems rather unfair that I should be out the cost of the computer when I haven't done anything wrong -is there any way I can sue for the cost of replacement? I did mention compensation to the prosecuting team ,but it seemingly wasn't brought up at the trial. Any advice gladly welcome!

Apologies if this has been covered before, I had a look but could not see a similar thread. And the reason I wrote the above is because I am imagining this is a familiar complaint. It relates to a desktop computer I bought online from PC World and now wish to return. I am within the required 14 day time limit so I wrote to them asking for a refund. I pointed out that I had switched the machine on to test it and they then pointed me to their Ts and Cs which say that by doing that I could not now return the machine. I wasn't quite so certain they were correct about their right to refuse me a refund on that basis and I cited the fact that I was within my rights to test the computer at home in the same way as I would test one in a shop and that I would have tested a similar model on display before I bought it. No, they said (repeatedly) although they repeatedly failed to address my central point about doing the same as if I was in the store. I also pointed out that they had no right to absolutely refuse me a refund as they should, at the least, refund me my money less any drop in value by having tested it. Again they weren't having that. So we are at stalemate - but who is right? I'd be interested in any views as I intend to keep pushing this one with them!

Can somebody advise on the rules regarding use of a computer for reference purposes during a Tribunal Hearing Thanx in advance

There is much excitement over the coming Star Wars film and as expected there is a new game out Star Wars Battlefront. These are the prices: For STAR WARS™ Battlefront™ Standard is £24.99 For STAR WARS™ Battlefront™ Deluxe Edition is £54.99 And for STAR WARS™ Battlefront™ Ultimate Edition is £94.98 Are these prices fair? The game will be sold in many countries. I'm not convinced this is fair pricing and even £24 is too much. Is there any way to challenge this legitimately?

I was quite disturbed this morning when I wondered whether certain Insurance Companies are [problem]ming the public via computer systems which ask you to pay more money than you should be. I am a landlord and insured my first house in early July via Bedford Insurance and a company 'e-unlimited'. I paid £315.13 for the whole year. I was told that when occupied this would fall to £178.13. Due to extensive renovation, a tenant walked into my house on Wednesday ie. exactly 5 months from the date of insurance cover. I contacted 'Bedford Insurance' and after having done some basic sums beforehand was surprised to discover that the money due back to me was less than I expected. I spoke to two insurance brokers who immediately got defensive when I questioned this figure stating they were simply doing what the computer had told them. Given there was a discrepancy of £7.28 in my favour, I asked whether I could speak to a manager. Credit to the manager, he did phone me back this morning, much to my surprise, and he bothered to go through the sums in detail with me. He suggested that insurance quotes go up and down and therefore wondered whether the £178.13 quoted to me in early July was now higher. On checking, and much to his embarrassment, it was a little lower! He agreed with my sums and then, almost flippantly, said he would offer an additional £10 on to the quote the computer gave me the previous day. This leads to a disturbing question: How many people are paying more than they should be because the computer has got the sums wrong? Or more conspiratorially, are some companies purposefully manipulating the computer system to achieve financial figures very much more in their favour?

Hi there, I brought a PC about 6 months ago. It has never been stable so I finally got in touch with them and now we are currently in the middle of sorting the problems out with me fixing and testing what they can't do remotely. We have found out that its the Overclock they did to it in the factory that is the problem. I paid for that overclock as it was closer to the spec I wanted. The next step will be to turn the overclock down so its more stable but that's not what I paid for and it is not the spec I wanted. To be fair, we haven't done that yet so I can't say for certain what results we will get. If we can't get close to the spec I chose and paid for, am I within my rights to send it back to them? I'm not necessarily after a refund. What I'd like is for them to replace the appropriate parts. Thanks Ben

Hi, I'm sure I am going to be advised to "accept it and move on" but I checked my latest online bill yesterday and it was just under £100 instead of the normal £43 for 2 Galaxy S handsets on 600 minutes each. Anyway, I checked the bill and found one call had cost £44.66 plus VAT (£53.59). It was for a call lasting 2 hours 33 minutes to an 0843 number. I avoid calling 0843, 0844 or 0871 numbers from landlines let alone mobiles, but do get calls from them and I must have accidentally done something that activated a call to this number - but 153 minutes? So I dialed the number from my office phone to receive recorded advise on how to reclaim bank charges which gave me several options to choose on how to proceed. I stayed on the line for 2 minutes without pressing anything but complete silence. Surely a call would time out after a few minutes silence? If not why stop after 153 minutes - the call finished at 6pm and no calls were made or received until 9am the following morning? Do you think they would they consider cancelling or reducing the charge for this call? I know should block calls to premium numbers as I have done with International ones (stored that I text) and I do accept that I pushed the button, my handset confirms this, but I wanted to check how providers, in this case Vodafone normally deal with charges like this. I don't want to be fobbed off, if someone has had a positive experience in a similar situation. Thanks for any ideas.

Hi, I am not new to the CAG but new to this particular forum. As a living, I repair and maintain computers. Recently, a customer passed to me an Asus Transformer Pad tablet, which she'd purchased from Argos in December 2012. Since she bought it, she has already had it repaired twice and now it has failed a third time and won't power up. In the course of my work, I have to make judgements on whether hardware is worth repairing, given its history and the cost involved. In the case of this tablet, based on its age and the fact that it is now facing a third repair, I would classify it as defective, and then attempt to get some form of compensation for the owner from the retailer, in this case, Argos. I have spoken to Asus themselves who were less than helpful, telling me that my only real option is to have it repaired - again. But as far as I am concerned, a line has been crossed here and I don't see the point of throwing good money after bad. So, my question here really is: do I have any way here of using the Sale Of Goods Act, if I were to take this matter to Argos and demand they do something? I have documentation from the owner to substantiate the repairs, plus there is Asus's service record as well but as I see it, this is far from being clear-cut. If it were my tablet, I would try to get some form of compensation from the original retailer, but I was wondering if anyone here has had any similar experience with computers bought from Argos and how they got on. Thanks.

Hi all, Whilst this matter is being sorted, I am concerned about the length of time, and the sequence of events by the retailer. About 18 months ago, I rebuilt my desktop computer. Most of the components came from SCAN International – obviously spending quite some cash. Not long after, the graphic card failed. I contacted SCAN who persuaded me to contact the manufacturer (nVidia/EVGA) [not even SCANs wholesaler/supplier]. Reluctantly I did this to save time, but it cost me money to return the item to Germany etc. 1/ About a fortnight ago, one of the 1Tb HDD’s (Seagate) failed, and I contacted SCAN again. They were insisting that I contact Seagate. It is still under warranty. This time I held fast and told them that as my contract is with them, it’s up to them to sort it out. After several emails, they eventually said that if I send it to them, they will return it to Seagate “on my behalf”. Obviously they expect me to wait for Seagate to comment/replace etc. Apparently; SCAN no longer sell Seagate gear. I think I’m right in saying that I have One contract – which is with SCAN. SCAN have TWO contracts. One with me and one with Seagate – and the two shouldn’t meet ? SCAN have received my original drive today, & found that it is indeed faulty. As my contract is with SCAN – shouldn’t they just replace the item,,,,, regardless of what they do with the returned one, and regardless of their contract with Seagate - & be pretty quick about it ? 2/ Separate issue: When a faulty item is returned under warranty, is it right that: i) any replacement is a refurbished item – not new, ii) any warranty on the replacement, is only as long as is left on the original ? thanks all. F

Right, a friend of mine purchased some computer software as a consumer not a business. The software is not faulty in any way just that it needs alot of setup and after research its going to cost about £1000 to get someone to setup for me. my friend had the free version of this software installed and looks really good so contacted a reseller to purchase a licence. basically, my friend cant afford to pay someone to set the software up so decided to see if he could cancel the order under the distance selling regulations. He has now been told he does not have a cooling off period under the act as its an excluded item. "Software" he contacted the company and they refused to offer a refund but offered to setup the software for him a a really cut down price. however my friend just wants to get a refund. the software licence has been activated using the supplied licence key. He paid using a Master Credit Card. can he get a refund from his card company

Hello! This is my first post, but I have lurked for some time in admiration at the spirit of compassionate mutuality which is the essence of 'consumer citizenship'. For too long has unscrupulousness been the operating principle of commerce in this country. Right! So, I had an inoperational Playstation 3 replaced under warranty by Sony Computer Entertainment UK on the 2nd/1st/2013. The fault with the inoperational console concerned a faulty disk drive, which meant I had a disk lodged inside (namely a copy of Fifa 13). I was assured I would get my disc back within six weeks. This did not happen. I have telephoned their premium rate 'consumer support' call centre several times and on each occasion they have told me they are 'escalating the investigations' into the whereabouts of my lost property. Now, it is clear to me from the 'progress' of these investigations (of which none is discernable) that SCEUK do not employ any sleuths. On the last occasion I spoke with them (sometime last week), their agent intimatated to me that 'according to the terms & conditions' my property may never be returned. This seemed remarkably complacent to me. No matter what their 'terms & conditions' state how can I be arbitrarily deprived of my property without recompense, especially when this situation has been created by their robust incompetence? What is the legal sitution here, considering that technically nothing was bought or sold?

I'm posting this on behalf of a friend and I hope someone can help. She has run the uk office of a small Canadian business for the past 8 years. A few months ago, her boss started to hint that he wanted to close the UK office and since then has become increasingly difficult to deal with. As a result she has been worried that she was about to be made redundant. A couple of weeks ago and completely out of the blue, she had a visit from someone sent from the head office who came in accompanied by a solicitor, handed her a letter telling her she was suspended on full pay from her job pending investigation into gross misconduct and escorted from the building. She is at a complete loss to understand what she is supposed to have done and the allegations in her letter are vague to say the least. Today she has been told that her office has been packed up and moved to a serviced office 150 miles away but as far as she is concerned she is still employed as she hasn't been told otherwise and to her knowledge, nothing has been found in her office to backup the allegations made against her. As she was the only person who ran the office in the UK, she worked extremely long hours and it was basically an extension of her home. As a result, she kept alot of her personal files and information at her office including details to do with her mortgage and other financial matters as she was rarely at home to deal with such things. She was able to get her paper files on the day she was suspended but has not been allowed back in the office since and now that the office has been moved so far away, she feels she has effectively been dismissed. What is upsetting her more is that all her personal files held on her work computer have been removed but she doesn't know where to. As a result, she feels completely exposed as she doesn't know who has access to the computer and where it is being held. Is her employer allowed to: a) move her office 150 miles away effectively ending her employment before any evidence of her alleged misconduct has been found and she has been formally dismissed. b) access her personal files even though they are held on her work pc She is adamant that she has done nothing wrong and all this is making her quite ill. She is seeking legal advice but in the meantime, any help to put her mind at rest would be much appreciated.

My daughter bought a custom built laptop from an on-line company in November last year and it hasn't ever connected to the internet. She thought she wasn't operating it correctly so didn't return it straight away. We've all had a go trying to get it to connect to no avail so after Christmas she got a friend who works in IT to have a look and he said there is no internet card. She sent an e-mail to the company asking to return it and they have refused. Their literature says that you do have to return in a month but she is at University and has a retail job which was manic over the festive season. She is angry as she spent £550 on this and now they won't look at it. Would anyone know what rights she has? Surely she can't be left high and dry like this as this hasn't ever worked. Be really grateful if anyone could advise us. Thanks

Read more : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/9700836/How-your-old-computer-may-be-on-its-way-to-Africas-online-fraud-capital.html

Hi all. We purchased a acer aspire one from comet last boxing day for a present .We have had a lot of problems with it. First the microphone didnt work, a key has popped off the keyboard, and the screen has now failed. comet fobbed us off from day one, and so recently we contacted acer who seemed very nice and said dhl woul collect the laptop and repair under warranty. Or so we thought!! We then got a bill stating that the screen was damaged by us so was not covered, but the keyboard would be replaced and the microphone fixed. I complained that we had not damaged the screen and it should be covered by warranty(!)10 months old) This complaint was escalated and i received a phone call from a lady stating that she was bearing bad news !Acer were not going to repair anything on the computer and she was overturning the decision to replace the keyboard and mic(which we have in writing). She stated that keys DO NOT drop off the keyboard, and must of been prized off. Today i have recieved the laptop back with NO REPAIRS at all. :mad2:Seething ! Help please

I noticed the benchmark for the N2800 Atom processor was more than that of my twin Xeon hyperthreading 2.4ghz server from the last decade. So the N2800 supports 4 gig (although windows starter only accesses 2 of that) and an SSD can be swapped in. The N2800 only uses 6.5W including graphics, although its 2W max fan runs most of the time at half speed~(1W?). Its smaller brother uses only 3.5W (often fan free machines) but only supports 2 gig with a third slower graphics (though both are full HD video compliant). So mine now has a 1.35V 4gig stick, and Ubuntu dual boot (which is buggy on Linux as I have done nothing to fix it yet). Eight hours running is not a problem with the six cell battery, often more. Next plans are a 480/512gig SSD which I suspect may go sub £200 at new year, 64bit windows, and 3G/GPS in the available slot. Its windows score presently is 3.4 with the main restriction being the games/business graphics. It seems accessing a faster drive can up the graphics to 3.5, but as its irrelevant to me it serves little purpose other than mentioning. Its an HP Mini (I normally stick with Asus, but they have upgrade issues), and it seems a 1366 x 768 screen was available to the american market- although I am quite happy with the 1024 x 600 as a travel PC. The higher res offers little more than curiosity presently. A lit keyboard would be nice, as the poundland USB light bar is too bright. £7 for a car charger also makes £20 for a small motorcycle battery power source an idea for over a week of use away from the mains (I do sleep). Its an HP Mini 4000 series. Any other suggestions are welcome.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-19432497