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  1. Hi all I'm wondering if anyone can help regarding a Single Justice Procedure Notice regarding driving without insurance. I was stopped by the police for having no insurance which they had checked on their database. I have not had insurance for a while as I cannot afford it. I have done my best to drive my car very sparingly, infact have only driven a couple of times. To summarise, my vehicle was impounded and has been scrapped. I received the SJN and have plead guilty within the deadline of 21 days. I did not write anything in terms of mitigation as I feared it might be used against me. I filed my statement of means, which are very small as I work only part time (I am a student). I have a previous MS90 which I got by accident as I never received the SPN for very mild speeding but this charge is now spent. Will this affect the outcome? I am wondering what the likely size of the fine will be? And wether there will be any other consequences such as a driving ban? Thank you in advance for your help.
  2. Hi, On the 18th of January I was pulled over. When the police officer asked what I was doing on my mobile phone (which was attached to the magnet holder). I immediately replied I was 'changing the music'. It was about half past midnight with no other cars on the road and I stopped my vehicle just before I entered a small roundabout as there was a car approaching from the right (which I now believe is the police car). I took the opportunity to pick a song to accompany me the rest of the way home. As I saw the police car approaching I pulled off and was pulled over. The police have ticketed me. I am a new driver so the punishment of 6 points and £200 fine would mean my licence will be revoked. I am thinking of letting the issue be decided by the courts as I feel that the punishment is harsh considering the circumstances. I am thinking of representing myself as cannot afford the legal fees. I am aware of the technicality of the law surrounding this issue in order to be guilty of this offence - Firstly said mobile/hand held device must be handheld at some point during alleged offence, secondly phone has to be used for interactive communication and thirdly engine has to be on. Clearly my car engine was on, I would definitely argue that my phone was not held in my hand however the interactive communication part is a gray area as I stream music from Apple music but I also have music stored on my device, the question is whether I was streaming music at around said time of offence. I have requested a solicitor write to my phone company to release such information to me. Other points to note there were 2 police officers in the vehicle. The officer that ticketed me clearly believed that I was changing the music because she made comments at the end of our encounter saying that I can use Siri to change the music. I have never been to court before and any advice is greatly appreciated. My questions are: Is it worth taking to court? Will there be a opportunity to raise the points of law and how my incident does not meet the criteria for said offence and also can I request to see police statements of said incident? Any other opinions and advice is greatly appreciated. I need as much help as i can get. ...
  3. Hello, peeps. Long story short - 3 years ago I got banned in Latvia from driving (4 years total). I was wondering - am I allowed to drive in the UK if Latvia's ban is still in force? I tried to find some info on this subject but found nothing. Cheers. P.S. I know, I know, I'm an idiot for losing my licence in the first place
  4. A teacher who drove into an airport worker following a row over a new £3 drop-off charge has been spared jail after a judge said he agreed the levy was an "absolute disgrace". Graham Benbow, 55, flew into a rage at Manchester Airport when he was told he would have to pay a fee for dropping off a passenger at a departure terminal. An airport official tried to stop Benbow from driving his Mazda through an open barrier but ended up on the car's bonnet before he was carried along a road for several hundred yards, Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court heard. Benbow, a psychology teacher at Altrincham Grammar School, went over a roundabout before he stopped for police. The unnamed worker was uninjured in the incident but said he "genuinely believed he could die from falling off the bonnet." https://uk.news.yahoo.com/judge-calls-airport-apos-drop-172437507.html
  5. im near the back end of my ban and have started driving to work, not ideal but found work and the only way to get there was by car, I thought for the last 5 month of my ban it would go by quick with no problems, however I have had an accident, my fault. so ive had an accident while banned from driving. whats likely to happen ?
  6. Earlier in January a work colleague of mine who took my vehicle out for a lunch break got me into a bit of a trouble as I found out he had gone to park illegally in a private residence in the city of Edinburgh. The letter from the parking Company, a parking charge notice stated emphatically 'to keeper', they wanted to know the driver and I guess at this point I should have hesitated a bit, I wrote to the parking Company giving them the name of my colleague and asked them to address him with any further issues, I did sign the letter to that effect. I was even more shocked that DVLA could easily give out my private information with such wanton disregard to privacy. Problem is, this guy has moved to Canada and married there and rarely stays in touch, his sister called me up couple of days ago saying there have now been two threatening letters sent to their address but in MY name asking whoever was driving to cough up firstly a 100 GBP parking fine, and suddenly a massive jump to 160 in the second letter,with no breakdown of charges or how they even got to that exhortbitant amount in the first place. Now, was I wrong to name the driver from the beginning, if he refused to play the game by paying, does this then come back to me by default. Where do I stand here if things escalated. I would upload a scanned copy of what the young woman sent me when I get home from work.
  7. On Friday 3rd November, while travelling up to Blackpool, around 8pm i was pulled over by Cheshire police, when they did a licence check, they told me that i have been disqualified from driving since June. Something i was completely unaware of. I was subsequently arrested and charged with driving while disqualified and driving without insurance. I was released that evening and had to get a train to Blackpool. Next morning i contacted the DVLA for more information, they told me i had been disqualified through Oxford magistrates court. Being the weekend i had to wait until Monday morning before i could contact Oxford magistrates where they gave me details of the case. A speeding offence took place in December on a vehicle which doesn't even belong to me but belongs to a company i used to work for. They had recieved a speeding ticket, and nominated me as driver using an old address so i did not recieve or know about it. Without my knowedge i was charged with speeding and failure to provide information, i was given a fine and 6 point, which under the totting up procedure i was given an automatic ban as that took me up to 12 points, therefore a ban. I made an application for a statutory decleration and on the 20th November i had to travel up to Stockport magistrates to face charges of driving while disqualified. Due to the circumstances i was allowed to make my stat dec at Stockport magistrates, and the case was adjourned until the 20th Feb and i had the 6 points removed from my license and the driving ban was lifted. I have since resolved the speeding ticket issue, i have recieved 3 points and a fine. Meaning i now have 9 points on my license, but no ban. My question is, should i still be facing the driving while disqualified charges? Because technically, the ban was lifted and removed from my license. I cannot afford a solicitor and i don't qualify for legal aid and i can't use the duty solicitor on the day. Please advise where i stand on this and what are my options. Thank you
  8. I work for a welfare to work charity and have done for 6 years. The project I work for is coming to an end and I expect to be made redundant on or before 6 months time. Lots of staff have left and I am being expected to travel to outreach offices and this is now over 500 miles a week (in 4 days), they do pay travel. I have always driven for work but I am nearly 60 years old and am finding it tiring and stressful, the company's answer is that there isn't anyone else or enough work in my area. My question is, please, is this unreasonable? I feel I can't keep this up for 6 months but obviously I would like to collect my redundancy money. Are there any steps I can take? My contract obviously has the usual 'extra duties as necessary' clauses. Many thanks for any advice.
  9. I had a seizure a couple of weeks ago, first one ever, and the hospital told me to speak to the DVLA, who told me I had to complete a declaration (FEP1 form) so they could assess my fitness to drive. According to the guidelines it could be a 6 month ban. However the form says "you must not drive if your doctor says you cannot drive". Neither my doctor or the consultant at the hospital will give me a decision - they say that's for the DVLA to decide. So, while the form is being processed etc - am I OK to drive, since no one has said I can't?
  10. I'm seeking some advice... Cutting long story short - a couple of years ago someone else (my partner) was driving my car (with my permission) with me as a passenger. Partner had a fully comp insurance and wrongly thought it contained a third party insurance on my car (i accept it was a very stupid mistake, and we have learnt a lesson to check all details on insurance big time!). Partner was not listed on my policy. My vehicle was involved in a minor collision with another vehicle while being driven by my partner. No visible damage to either of the cars and third party driver and passenger assured they were fine and had no injury. Police were not called. Afterward we called partner's insurers to inform them of this minor collision it transpired partner was not insured on third party vehicles, including my car. Eventually third party made a series of claims including whiplash and damage to vehicle. Admiral sent me form of indemnity which i did not sign. Partner never had any communication about this from any source. Now Admiral are pursuing me for just short of 10k for their "outlay" in this case. Third party was also insured with Admiral. I am concerned they have not investigated this matter at all and as far as i'm aware no medical or other evidence has been presented by third party and this claim has been just paid out by Admiral without any consideration to minimise the costs. My question is: does this mean all claims have now been paid out by Admiral to third party considering they seek "settlement proposal" for their "total outlay"? Also my understanding is Admiral would only be able to act as RTA insurer and pay out to third party IF they obtained either signed form of consent and indemnity or obtained court judgement against the driver (my partner) BEFORE paying out the claims to third party (considering i was not the driver, partner was not a named driver on my policy, and form of consent has not been signed). I have obtained legal advice from solicitor who advised not to sign the consent and indemnity form as it is effectively a blank cheque. He gave me advice as above i'm still confused as to why have Admiral paid out to third party as RTA insurer (which they say they did) without any signed consent form or court judgement? can Admiral now legally pursue me for their outlay? Can they now take legal action and obtain court judgement against my partner (we are still together) considering they have never even sent them any communication (although they were aware of driver's details)? The solicitor seems to suggest they Admiral effectively do not have a legal leg to stand on now as they have paid the claims out without taking the required steps as above, if anyone has any similar experience or knowledge i would be grateful for this. I just don't know where to go from here and how to finally resolve this.
  11. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/selfdriving-lorries-to-hit-uk-roads-from-next-year-despite-experts-safety-fears-a3619651.html Dont panic,
  12. Hi everyone!!! Hoping some of you might be able to help. Will try and keep this to the point as I know there are other posts that I have spent a long time reading but everyone's situation is different. I have been convicted of DD twice now and on the first time I served 14 months with doing the DD course. Second time was 2 years later and was given a ban of 4 years, 150 hours community service, thinking skills and another programme. I have now served half my ban and have hired a specialist motoring solicitor and a barrister (not cheap) to hopefully get my license back early. Due to go to court on the 8th September 2017. I know I am just taking a chance but have to try. As I will be classed as a HRO I will be required to do the medical and know as I have had an alcohol problem in the past things might not be quite as they should due to the amounts I used to consume. in theory if I am granted my license back by the time I do my medical I should be totally abstinent for about 9-10 weeks, does anyone know if this would be enough or if you have any thoughts or comments regarding the process? Just looking for help please, no hated comments, know I have done wrong (partly wasn't my fault) but yes I was driving. Been the worst time of my life and looking to get back on track to find employment and by knowing I will never go back to the way things were. Thank you all for reading my post! Best Regards,
  13. Would be grateful for any advice. I worked for a driving school whilst going from being a PDI to a fully qualified ADI. I started 1 May 2016 and the franchise fee was £210 per week which I paid regularly. The pupils pay the company and supposedly this should be passed to me. I have received approx. £3,000 but I work out I am owed another £8,000, the company have not paid me since 24 October 2016, I have been in regular contact with them and they keep asking for spreadsheets, etc, of how many pupils I have taught, in March this year they agreed to pay me £100 per day to clear the backlog which lasted 3 days. I stopped paying the franchise fee in March 2017 as I really could not afford it any longer. I now work for another company but when I spoke to the original company they said they owe me £500 but this was 'outset' by £5,000! I don't understand this and they are not providing any evidence. I have worked full time for £3,000 (less petrol and other overheads). Please can anyone tell me how to get help with this. Thank you.
  14. Please help! I have no idea where else to turn. On 29th February 2016 I bought a Toyota Verso Excel D4D from Motorline Toyota. Since taking ownership of the car on the 10th March 2016 I have had a problem with a recurrent smell inside the car. Initially I believed this to be as a result of me following other vehicles that were emitting an acrid smell. It happened regularly enough that it became a talking point in the car with my two older children who were then aged three and four. The smell often occurred on the school run which is approximately 4 miles from home. Initially I noticed the smell occurred approximately once a month then on the 5th August 2016 whilst filling up my car with diesel at a petrol station, smoke appeared inside the car via the vent in the centre console. At the time my two sons and my baby daughter aged four months were inside the vehicle. Having paid for my diesel and returned to my car my eldest children asked me why smoke was coming inside the car. I immediately telephoned Motorline and told them about the problem and received a curt response which was that I had AA cover and I should call them. I was informed that they would decide if the car needed to be returned to them. I contacted the AA who came and inspected the car and diagnosed that the oil filler cap could not be tightened sufficiently enough without it popping off. He advised me to contact Motorline and inform them. This I did and I was again surprised by their initial response. I was informed that they were unable to supply me with a new oil filler cap as they were having a problem with their suppliers. I replied that that was unacceptable as I could not be in a situation whereby my three children were in a car with smoke entering the inside. I was then advised that if I were to bring the car into the garage they would attempt to locate an oil filler cap that would fit from another car. This I did, a forty mile round trip. However they did manage to source an oil cap that fitted. I decided that the smell that I had noticed in the car must have been the result of the faulty oil cap and felt assured that now that the problem had been identified and rectified it would no longer be a problem. However it did reoccur and I called the AA again on the 2nd September. They reported that they could find no reason for the smell and reassured me that everything appeared to be fine. The smell continued to occur approximately every three weeks and after yet another occurrence I called the AA out again on the 23rd December. Once again no obvious fault was identified and I was advised to contact Motorline Ashford. In November I had received notification from Toyota that there was a safety recall on my car relating to the Throttle Body. I decided that I would contact Motorline in the New Year to arrange for the recall repairs to be carried out and to discuss the issues regarding the smell. In the meantime, on an occasion when the smell occurred, I drove straight to a local garage to ask their opinion. They advised me that in there opinion the smell was not right and they advised me to contact Motorline . I took the car to Motorline for the initial inspection on the 18th January 2017. I was advised that they would look into the car but they mentioned it may be due to the DPF. I had now noticed that the smell was occurring approximately every two weeks. When I returned to collect my car I was advised that they had been unable to replicate the smell and so there was nothing that they could do. I explained that that was not acceptable and became emotional. I asked for advice as to what they thought I should do as when I stopped the car the smell would go. As far as I could see the only way I could get them to smell the smell would be to drive the 30 minutes from home to Ashford with at least two of my three children, if not all of them, being subjected to the awful fumes which I was concerned were harmful. I asked what they would advise I do in the event of the smell occurring again given that I did not feel it was appropriate to subject my children to the fumes in order to drive the car to Ashford. I asked if there was a garage local to me that they would not be happy for me to go to for them to give an initial assessment. She just repeated that the problem would have to be replicated whilst with them. Following this event I decided to call Toyota Customer Relations. I rang them and relayed the problems I was having. I was informed that a case manager would be in contact with me within a few days. I never did receive a call from a case manager. I did however receive a call from the After Sales Manager. He agreed that they would use the car in a manner similar to myself in the hope that the smell would be generated. I agreed with this plan. My car was collected on the 3rd February by Mark. The After Sales Manager rang me later that day and asked me if I knew how many miles I had done since I last noticed the smell as he was able to tell when the car had last gone through a cycle and how many miles I had driven since. He believed the smell was to do with the regeneration system. Given when the smell had last occurred and how many miles I had done since I concurred with this. My car was returned to me on the 6th February. He told me that the smell was due to the regeneration system but assured me that the fumes were not coming into the car. I asked how I was smelling them if they were not entering the car. He said that the system was close to where I sit in the car and that was why I may be able to smell it. He explained that the regeneration system was designed to flood the engine with additional fuel and burn it off at a high temperature before dumping the fumes out of the car via the exhaust. He also explained that if the car had not completed a cycle it would emit a smell once stopped. He said that a regeneration cycle should occur on longer journeys and he felt that the problem may be because I was doing shorter journeys as I had been on maternity leave and doing more local journeys. He felt that this may also be the reason why I was smelling it more often. I explained that that did not make sense as I had recently driven a 30 minute drive and that the smell had occurred when I parked up at my destination. It was explained to me that as well as a longer journey other things had to be happening in the engine such as it getting to a particular temperature etc. to ensure a successful regeneration. I asked that if I needed to do longer journeys for the regeneration system to work properly then I should have been informed of this when I bought the car as, knowing I was due to start Maternity Leave, I knew that I would not be doing long journeys. I suggested that the car may therefore have been mis-sold to me. He advised me that the regenerations system had now been reset to the factory settings (I believe he said that this was every 2000 litres of fuel). I asked what advice Toyota gave to their customers about the regeneration system and was informed me that none was available. He also told me that he had found out what he had by looking on google and reading chat forums. He asked me why I had chosen a diesel and I explained that it was what I was used to driving and that it was what I was advised to purchase when I was buying the car. He suggested that he could speak to Matt Brown about me changing my car and suggested either a petrol Verso or a Prius Plus. I said I would consider this. We met with the manager on the 11th March. He agreed to see what he could do. He listened to my concerns and appeared to understand my distress. I explained that I knew that I would lose the £3204 I had paid in repayments but that I did not expect to be out of pocket as I believed the car was faulty. He agreed that finance would be 'sorted'. Matt agreed to look for a suitable car. I was happy to consider an older Prius Plus as well as a petrol Verso. I received a telephone call from the dealership on the 20th March. I was given details of a Prius Plus. I was getting ready to leave the house and took quick details about the car including the repayment details. A day or so later I rang and spoke to Toyota and asked if I could have a more detailed breakdown of the finance for the car. I explained that whilst I accepted that I would lose the £3200 that I had spent paying for the car over the past year, I was not prepared to lose the £2200 part exchange value of my previous car as I was returning the car because I believed it to be faulty NOT because I had changed my mind. I was told that there was no way that I would get the £2200 back. I said that I believed that I had a case to take to Toyota Finance to say that I was in dispute over the car as I believed that the car was faulty. I believe the car to be faulty and that it was mis-sold to me. I want to return my car and have the finance cleared and I wish to be reimbursed the £2200 I put down as a deposit (part exchange value of my Toyota Yaris) I have written to Toyota Finance and have not yet had a response but I do not hold out much hope as I did write to the CEO and have had a response saying that 'the issues I have are a consequence of driving styles and usage.' they go on to say regarding my claim that the car was mis-sold that 'we have not been privy to those sales discussions and are unable to pass comment'. The car was bought on finance. The initial cost was £17495 and I had £2200 deducted from that for the part exchange of my old car. The car continues to smell inside the cabin on a regular basis and happened last week with all my three children in the car. It is a revolting, acrid smell that makes me feel sick. I am greatly concerned for my children's health being exposed to this smell. Thank you to anyone that takes the time to read this.
  15. https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/3143151/france-emissions-sticker-117-fine/ Hopefully the UK are going to reciprocate this in the UK for French vehicles ?
  16. Changes to the Driving Test will likely be introduced on 4th December 2017 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/driving-test-learner-sat-nav-three-point-turn-dvsa-driver-and-vehicle-standards-agency-uk-a7684801.html
  17. Hi Two weeks ago I applied for my driving licence as had a reminder it had run out, seems they do after ten years. It ran out at my old address and I never bothered to renew it as had no car and had other things to sort out, I went to the post office with my forms and told the lady I had a new address, she checked it over, took my picture and that was it, I am still waiting for it to come back, and as I forgot to make a note of my driver number am not sure if I can phone DVLA up and ask where it is Thanks in advance Sandy
  18. http://www.theexeterdaily.co.uk/news/business-daily-local-news/stiffer-penalties-using-mobile-devices-while-driving
  19. Using a mobile phone whilst driving just 2 more weeks or so left on the consultation on this matter. Has anyone been following this topic see here >> https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/hand-held-mobile-phones-changes-to-penalties-for-use-whilst-driving please see the other links within the link as well... 'The Department for Transport seeks feedback on proposed changes to penalties for the offence of using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving. This consultation seeks feedback on proposals for increasing the fixed penalty notice (FPN) level from £100 to £150 for all drivers. It also invites views on increasing the penalty points from: 3 to 4 points for non-HGV drivers 3 to 6 points for those that hold a large goods vehicle (HGV) licence and commit the offence whilst driving an HGV The proposals ultimately aim to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on the roads.'
  20. Hi My poor little car had a poorly radiator so I bought another car, transferred my insurance in Nov 2016 and set about repairing the first one. The first clue I had that something was a bit amiss came late November when i tried to buy some temporary cover for that car was rejection as they declined insurance saying the car was Cat A/B. I have had this car 5 years.It has never been dented let alone had a serious crash so I thought they just did not fancy insuring a 2.5 L car on a temporary basis. The second was a keen buyer who wanted to check a few things out and never got back to me. I had no problem getting monthly cover from my main insurer who have covered it since Mar 2013 but it was pricey at £60 odd a 28 day period. So, i tried to advertise the car on Gumtree and they rejected it on the basis of HPI saying the car had been scrapped. A quick call (O.K. no call to Swansea is quick,35 menu options later) to DVLA got me a man who said that there was a problem with my car and I needed to fill in a form to find out what was on the record for my vehicle,no. He could not tell me on the phone, yes he could see the car had a valid MOT but I had to fill in the form to find out what the problem was (reply to my submission could take 6 weeks ) Then I could present my side of the story. So I returned in frustration to HPI to try and speed up the process. HPI told me my car had had a Certificate of Destruction issued against it May 2015. Bit of a shock, so I phoned DVLA who could see this car that had,according to them been crushed in May 2015 had been MOTd Oct 2015 and Oct 2016 and been insured continuously. I eventually got an email from DVLA ordering my car off the road and basically asking me to prove I still had the car and that it was the genuine article. So I had to provide photos of the Car with its registration plate, Photos of the VIN number and a pencil rubbing of the VIN number.I had previously sent in my intact V5c form stating they had scrapped the wrong car off. 2 loads of insurance later I have a letter from DVLA without the slightest hint of an apology admitting that my car is not the one turned into a steel door stop and demanding that I pay an enormous sum of money for back road fund license. Car is now taxed from the beginning of this year. Back in March 2015 I set up a Direct Debit scheme for the Road Fund License, they stopped taking it when they decided my car was scrap (usual practice so they say),I did not notice,you tend to look for things you do not remember buying on a bank statement not payments you expect. Equally they did not send out a "Oy, your road tax is due,pay up you bug**R" note March 2016, No Tax Disc to remind you these days,I always bought a new disc when they sent the letter out. O.K. So I should pay up,money is due,despite the fact none of the above was caused by me. Road fund must be paid but what about my costs and effort, I am looking at another 28 days insurance. I should have have been able to declare this car sold late November so no liability for road tax from then but I have had to pay for January despite being ordered off the road for half that. 3 and a half months Road Tax is about £90, phone calls ,letters and time.They want the full amount.I have listed the car on ebay to just get rid but do not expect it to achieve the price I had negotiated before the sale fell through. Is there any scheme that compensates me for the considerable losses on my part,for my expenses keeping the car legal and making it sale-able.
  21. Guys. I would be VERY grateful if anyone can help me to get this ncompany to actual address my complaints. I am very unwell at the moment (putting it mildly) and this business is just making me scream with frustation. Here we go: In November 2015 I moved to my new home. On searching online, British gas offered the best dual fuel package at the time (Collective fix November 2016) which I signed up for with payment by direct debit. I supplied them with the meter readings that we took the moment we opened the door to the property and by pure luck, the meter reader from Eon knocked on the door literally moments after we got inside, so we had him check the meter readings too as it was at that point supplied by Eon. In December we had and paid the final bill to Eon. The meters are both smart meters which happen to have been supplied by British Gas and thus British Gas could get the readings at any time they wanted. We received a first bill in February that had the wrong readings. I rang them and they apologized, taking the same correct readings I had given them in November and said they would send another bill. They duly did and it was wrong again. Same process and they sent a third which was wrong yet again. They kept using the gas reading for the electricity and vice versa. They finally got it right on the forth bill in April and compensated me by £100. From April (when they finally got the readings correct) to October they took not a single payment at all. They did not send me any bill by post, email or on the online account which I checked regularly. In September I noted the readings and the accumilated costs online, at which point it said next bill due in October. I waited for October and on 6th I looked again to see the bill was due on January 4th 2017! This would have been a year after the last bill and 2 months after the contract expired. I am one of those people that WILL shop around for the best deal each year. Noting what the accumilated balance was I paid there and then by card online and I rang BG to complain about the lack of billing. They then generated a bill on 7 October (the day after I paid and complained). I had by now started looking for my next supplier and as I had just paid and would be leaving BG by 30 November chose not to pay a one day bill but to allow that to accumilate to the final bill. I raised a written complaint with British Gas asking them why they had not builled me or taken any payments since February. In their first reply a week later I was told that they did bill me on 7 October. You get the picture and where this is heading. Long and short is that their complaint handler has so far taken an everage of 9 days to reply and when he does it is always a generic reply telling me he will contact me by (date) and then repeats that a week or so later again and again. Meantime I received an email form a company I had never heard of asking me to complete a survey about British Gas. I did not, but contacted British Gas to raise a further complaint about them passing my private details to a thrid party without my permission. In a nutshell, British Gas has failed to address ANY of my complaints and have today sent me a stroppy demand for their final bill in which they threaten to add £18 if they choose to pass the buill to debt collectors. I am FURIOUS. I feel that until they address my complaints I should not pay anything. The bill does not adjust for direct debit rates, so is incorect as was the amount I paid already in October. Can someone please help me with this. It is a matter of principal that they have not provided the service they were contracted to do when I signed up and have also breached the Data Protect Act as far as I am concerned.
  22. I moved away from the UK some years ago, I've obtained a new driving licence in my new country but it's not an EU one or one from a country that can be converted directly into a UK licence. The date on my UK driving licence ran out in 2014 - I made attempts to try to renew it so I could at least keep it up to date but it appears you must use a UK address to update it and it is an offence to have an address on your driving licence where you are not resident. I do plan on returning to the UK at some point and as my new driving licence is not from a reciprocal country that can convert directly into a new UK licence - it would be an awful pain to have to return and do a new theory and practical driving test to get a new UK licence. I heard from some places that if you leave it more than 2 years to renew your UK licence they can require you to take the test again, other places say no such thing and that the licence is valid until you're 70 it's just the photo that needs updating. Can anybody give me a solid answer? Assuming I haven't reached the age of 70 when I return to the UK, if say the last date on my UK licence was 10 years ago will I have no problems renewing it with an updated photo for the usual renewal fee, no re-test required?
  23. Hi, My first letter after 15 years of driving (request for a driver details). Alleged offences - 1. driving propelled vehicle without due care (which i fully admit) and 2. failing to stop / leaving accident place without providing details - which i dont accept. Accident - in the morning rush hour tried to squeeze my bike in-between cars and went to outside lane to go around stopped car and had a slight collision with cyclist. Nothin major - cyclist had a few light bruises. I stopped, helped cyclist, called ambulance to check his bruises, provided him with my name, surname and mobile number. Waited till ambulance arrived and helped him in after which i left and spoke to cyclist twice later that day to check on him. At the ambulance they took statement of the collision, etc. and now i received this letter. How do i proceed with the second point since i did stop and provide my details. Thank you
  24. Hi I was caught doing 80mph on a dual carriageway back in March and just had my court hearing on Tuesday July 26th. During which time my points have gone from 9 down to just 3. I was unable to make court as it was 150 miles away and only had a few days notice. My case was heard and I was disqualified from driving for 6 months from the 26th July. If they are to take the 6 months from the 26th then I only had 3 points at that time and should only get 3 points and £100 fine? Have I got a case here?? Would appreciate any help MK
  25. I like to find quirky rules and laws and I have a strange one to share. Story >> 'Having been a practising solicitor for over 16 years, I like to think that I have seen my fair share of quirky cases. But imagine my surprise when I was recently asked to represent a severely disabled man who was being charged with drink driving while on his mobility scooter. I joined the case late in the day. When I met the client he had already been charged with the offense and had attended court and ultimately pleaded guilty to a charge of driving a mechanically propelled vehicle whilst unfit through drink'. Although this story is now a few years old (2014) it still raises several issues in regards to the use and control of mobility scooters. Story can be read here >> http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/salome-verrell/mobility-scooters-raise-legal-loophole_b_5958516.html
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