Hello All New user here so bear with me. My parents travelled on a National Express coach to London Gatwick for a holiday in October, and gave the driver a bag (Hand luggage containing medication and a laptop), which when they arrived at London Gatwick, was found to be missing. This was reported to the driver and also to the National Express office at London Gatwick, and they continued to check in for the flight. On return to the National Express office, the agents recognised my parents and said straight away that the driver had found the luggage but as had moved on, my parents could not be reunited with the luggage before the flight. After many phone calls, it turned out that the bag which had been identified as being found and belonging to my parents, actually belonged to another passenger who had been allowed to take my parents luggage. I tmade the point that as my parents handed the luggage to National Express, it should be expected that National Express be responsible for handing the luggage back, but they have taken a very hands off approach as below. Each item of luggage is loaded into a separate compartments depending where the customers are travelling from, in your parents case they boarded the coach at xxx which is the same location as Mr xxxx The driver has no way of knowing which luggage belongs to individual customers, the driver offloads the luggage and expect each customer to identify and claim their own property. We cannot be held responsible for another customer actions. As they now knew who the customer was who took the luggage, National Express asked for permissiton to hand my contact details over to the customer who wrongly took the luggage, so we could basically work this out ourselves. After not hearing anything, I am losing faith in national Express and to see the luggage returned. I asked National Express on the 30th October to chase up urgently, and if they could provide the details of the customer who took that luggage. Today, I received a very unexpected text message from National Express, containing the customer's mobile number who took the luggage in errors. Also suggesting that if I don't hear anything back, I contact the police. I will be honest, I was not expecting them to hand out personal information. Rather than act in haste and repent at leisure by phoning the number immediately, I have sat back for 5 minutes and asked a couple friends for advice, and remembered the stories on here I had read about people in similarlaat situations. So I have the person's number who has my luggage. National Express have washed their hands of this. The simple answer is phone the person who has my luggage who has been ignoring any attempt by National Express to contact me, so I have to be wary of who I am dealing with and how this could escalate. Not looking for excuses, but I am recovering form serious illness, been off work for 8 months and am just about to start reduced hours work, so this is going to add uneeeded pressurs on me at at very important time of my life. Basically, I want National Express to pursue on my behalf as they allowed the luggage to be taken, including contacting the police if it is found the luggae has been stolen. I am going to contact National Express to disclose what personal information they sent to the customer who took the luggae, but looking for advice in my next steps, bearing in mind I think National Express shopuld be progressing this case to closure as the luggae was handed to them and they then allowed someone else to take the luggage. It looks to me like a process problem by National Express which sounds really easy to fix, but I can't acceopt that they can't take any responsibilty in this situation. Thanks for any replies and hope to hear from someone soon. Any questions please ask.

Hi there, Bit of Background Both parents have died in the 15 months, and the Estate is effectively the house they lived in, to be split between myself and my 2 brothers. Both of my brothers live in said house ( one is mentally handicapped and the other is his carer ). My father left debts of around 66k ( one a equity release mortgage of 56k,which we have cleared. ) So we are left with the remainder of debt that has come from (so far) 3 accounts that Philips and Cohen are handling . I am the Administrator of the estate, and ideally do not want to sell the house as it would leave a vulnerable adult and carer homeless. Now these debt are likely to be in my fathers name only ( I've only just got the letters so not gone any further than here ), if that might make any difference. So my first thought would be to check the legitimacy of each account/ statute barred status. What's the current way of asking for the CCA/ proof of debt with these folks. Many thanks I'

UK first: Parents who lose a child entitled to bereavement leave READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-first-parents-who-lose-a-child-entitled-to-bereavement-leave

I have discovered your site investigating what to do in this case and would sincerely appreciate your help. I will offer feedback and donate for your time and energy. I really need your help. I used my mums oyster after losing my wallet and needed to get to a wedding over a weekend. When returning into London, the high value pass obviously flagged things to the inspectors who were waiting at the station. I had all my details taken. The inspector understood I'd lost my wallet and I didn't answer any further questions. I was sent a letter with a fine and a conviction if i plead guilty. The problem with these cases, is that whether or not I did it unwittingly (as in, didn't realise I was using a high value pass) it doesn't matter. It was a misuse and the conviction stands. I can't have a conviction hanging over my head and the thought of it fills me with absolute dread. I have just recently gained a permanent residency in Canada and intend eventually to work in the States and a conviction would be so detrimental to have on my record and affect my work situation. I am so deeply regretful for something so stupid and avoidable. I have received a letter stating the fine i have to pay and the fact that it will go on my record and like the other cases stated here on the forum, can either plead guility and pay the fine or plead not guilty and prove my innocence, which isn't possible. What are the options available to me? Can I call them and ask to appeal? Should I hire a solicitor before it's too late? (I have roughly 10 days before the deadline now). Is settling on the day the last option available and should I get a solicitor before that time to make sure that I don't risk it not going in my favour on the final day? How often are people able to settle on the day in your opinion? What does a settlement amount normally come to? I really appreciate your help on this. I've just returned to London to the letter and have limited time to respond and would like to know the best way to reach out to TFL. Will a letter take too long. I think so. Should I simply call them or go via a solicitor? It seems that no matter what people do with their letters, it always comes back with a conviction and fine. I was going to call citizens advice first thing tomorrow, but if you can recommend a solicitor please do. i live in London. Many thanks

Was stopped by an inspector for using parents freedom pass a year ago. Provided ID and name etc. Driving license I showed had a previous address so all correspondence was sent to this wrong address. At the time when the inspector requested ID I did not provide updated address as this was not on the license. I now regret not giving current address but at the time I simply provided my ID and did not think of this. Name and DOB given were correct. I have now recently received a 'Further steps notice' letter with court fine of almost £500 and discovered that this case had gone to Magistrates court in my absence. Should I make statutory declaration as I was unaware or will I be questioned for not updating the DVLA of my address?

Hi, I'm disabled and live with my parents. I claim IR-ESA and PIP, my mum gets Carer's allowance for looking after me my dad is approaching retirement age - he's on contributions based ESA, and receives a private pension from the job he was medically retired from. My question is - when I eventually get moved over to Universal Credit, will my ESA amount be affected by my dad's income? I don't think it should be, as it currently isn't I'm under the impression your parents' income has no effect on your entitlement. Hope someone with better knowledge can help me out!

Hi I am hoping for some advice on how best to help my elderly parents (late 70's). I have just recently discovered that they (mainly in my fathers name) have around £25k in credit card debt. They have been managing to make the payments (mostly minimum ones) using their savings! These savings are coming to an end and they will be unable to make the minimum payments on all of them soon. My Father is a proud man and it has taken a lot for him to confide in me as he is devastated and embarrassed that he has allowed things to become so bad. Financially neither my sisters and I can help but would like to help try take away his burden. All his debt are with the original providers, are all credit cards and he has never missed a payment ever. What would be our best way forward? We were thinking of writing to each credit card company and explaining the situation and setting up a standing order of a nominal amount that they can afford? Thanks in advance

The facts are as follows: 1) I owe MBNA some £10k that has not been paid since November 2016 (so recent) and I imagine is about to default. Its a combination of balance transfers from cards that were used to fund my foreign studies. 2) Until now my parents have been transferring money to my bank account which I then forward to them as minimum payment. This is not sustainable for any of us and I am just barely paying the 28% interest. 3) I have lived abroad for a long time, but kept my UK accounts as they were useful but the situation has become critical. I did not inform any institution that I was abroad, and in any case, students are a special category in terms of continuing NHS care when studying abroad. I am currently in Eastern Europe but about to move to Hong Kong for work. 4) I have no assets of any kind, not even a TV in my parents bedroom, some old toys, about it. 5) I don't intend to return to the UK for a long time but I may live in the EU with my Italian girlfriend. I want to know what steps MBNA will take to recover this debt. The most important for me is that my parents are not harassed for my own decisions because I do not live at home or in the UK. I intend to deregister myself from the electoral roll/council tax list, I just have not had a chance to do so but I'll head home before departing to HK to take care of such procedural matters. I would be happy to close any other accounts and in any case they are not in use and will not be in use. I intend to inform them of my HK forwarding address, I believe that would be my legal obligation in any case, I presume this might also limit the visits that could potentially disturb my parents. Regardless of the moral implications of giving up on paying this debt and starting a new life, I am only interested in the legal ones, and especially to mitigate any stress that my parents could be subject to in terms of home visits from a bailiff if/were a CCJ issued. I am not even sure if they can get one and how it could be enforced in another country. According to my research, it would be statute barred from the last payment or the date of a CCJ. During those six (or more) years I want to ensure my parents are not subject to home visits, phone calls etc. Presently they are being called twice a day, but they won't speak to my parents, asking for me. To be clear, I won't be hiding in the backroom, or down the road or in another UK town. What steps should I take to ringfence any potential earnings in HK? There is a PhD on the cards which would probably take place in Italy, and again the question would be the feasibility of pursuing this debt etc (ignoring the post-Brexit scenario).

I couldn't believe I was reading this ? Surely there is a mismanaged budget if things have got to this point. The Head Mistress has also asked for stationery supplies to be sent in. Toward the end of the article it mentions that the school had recently been raising funds for 3rd world schools. Whilst this is admirable, should charity not begin at home ? As for this statement Staff should provide their own tea and coffee, shouldn't they ?

Edit, sorry, I was changing the title and hit enter by accident, the title should read. No contact ffom loan company about deceased parents secured load. --------- Hi, I'm hoping someone can offer some for of advice. My mother passed away in 2012, she had a secured loan on the house, not huge, it ws 7k and at the time she passed there was 3.6k remaining. Being disabled she didn't have a massive income and her insurance policy covered her funeral and that was it, she has £70 in her bank account and no other money or assets besides the house. The loan company (Santander) were great, said we needed to take the details of probate in and everything would be on hold until then. Her will was written when I was a child so I was the benificiary but not the executor. Everything had to be done through her sister. It took a while to get probate sorted as the solicitors who had the 'official' copy of her will had closed and neglected to send their documents to wherever they're supposed to have sent them when they closed (Sorry, can't remember exact terms), we had to try and track down her will and when we couldn't we had to apply for a signed letter from some place (again, sorry I cant remember exact terms) that allowed us to go and sort probate, that took a while and it was fnally sorted around a year ago. myself and my aunty took all the needed documents to santander who took copies of everything and said they'd be in touch shortly, I distinctly remember the woman saying it is usually a quick process. They kept calling the secured loan a mortgage, are these two the same thing? It's now been a year and I've heard absolutely nothing from them. Neither has my aunty (We aren't sure if they'll contact me now probate has gone through because I'm the benificiary or contact her because she is the executor). Nothing besides the monthly ststements which has in big bold writing at the top 'This is for information only'. I know it sounds stupid and anyone reading will think why have you not called them, a few reasons really, I'm terrified for one, I've lived in this house my entire life, I have nowhere else to go, the house is in a terrible area and needs a lot of work, it's not worth enough for me to sell and buy elsewhere. And secondly my own health hasn't been great, mental health that is, I've suffered from severe depression and extreme anxiety includig time spent in hospital due to attempted suicide. I'm currently unemployed and am terrified if I call they'll say they want all the money or they want massive monthly payments that I can't afford and i'll basically end up losing the house. I've no idea what to do, do I call and see whats taking so long and why? Or just leave it and wait for them to contact me however long that takes?

Hi. In recent years I have been using my dad's address for mail as a "care of" address. Mainly because I've moved around a few times and didn't have a fixed address for long. I fell out with my landlady, long story. But she has got a CCJ for rent arrears in my absence, and they have traced my to my dad's address. I do not, and never have lived there. The letter is from the Sheriff's office, and is a high court writ. I am taking steps to sort this matter out, and applying for a DRO. But in the meantime, they have said they'll be around and given next week as a date on the notice of enforcement. I've told my dad not to let them in under any circumstances, and to let them know that I don't live there. But it has me worried, as I don't want them hassling him, and worry that they may try to take his possessions. I know they're not allowed to, but the onus is on the debtor to prove who owns what. And even if he doesn't let them into the flat, he has a garage outside that he keeps his tools in. He is a mechanic by trade, and his garage is full of tools he uses for his job. If the garage is open, which it often is when he's working outside it, they can gain peaceful entry? And then can they take his tools? The garage isn't linked to the flat by a door, but it's part of the same block of flats. What is the best course of action to take here? Should I call the bailiffs myself? I don't want to give them my new address until the DRO is in force, as they could come around here and try to take a vehicle that I use for work. But I really don't want them hassling my father, what can I do?

Hi all, We have someone living with us who is estranged from his parents and is 17 years old. He was born in South Africa but his dad is a UK citizen and mum South African. He has dual nationality and HAD a UK Child passport. He now needs to apply for an Adult passport and has no current ID. How do we proceed from here? The birth certificate will be in South Africa, His parents wont speak to him although they both live here and he can't get in his house to get his child passport or the South African passport This cannot be the only time that this has happened? What is the best thing to do to help him get an adult passport thanks

Hi all. My friend's parents would like to start proceedings to take out some kind of restraining order on their son to stop him ever visiting their premises or sending them letters. He has not threatened them although he does have a history of violent outbursts and seven months ago was issues a restraining order by the local court to stay away from their other son. Please can I ask if there is any advice anyone can offer them before they go to a solicitor tomorrow? Thank you in advance. B

I am a Plusnet customer myself and recommended the company to my parents when they wanted to change Internet provider away from the Postoffice. However they have had one delay after another. I am trying to get them some help by chasing up their connection date but because I am not the account holder I cannot do anything. I think they are being fobbed off continually and they have been waiting over two months for connection. They have already paid 2 monthly payments but are not connected. I have tried looking into the problem but Plusnet will not deal with me and will not look into this on my say so. I work away from home and cannot get in the same room as my parents for us to be on the phone with Plusnet together. My parents are in their 80's and rely on the Internet to keep in touch with family. Unfortunately they are not pushy enough and are being taken advantage of. When I rang the helpline as an existing customer I would have had to wait 15 minutes to get through, but going down the new customer route the phone was answered immediately. What does this tell us about the company? How can I get help on my parents behalf, does anyone know?

Hi, Just found out that my parents are in a lot of credit card debt - more than I thought. High tens of thousands. It's at the point where my Dad is drawing cash from the cards to pay the mortgage and the cards, whilst his income goes on food and bills. I want to help them onto a DMP in the first instance via StepChange and then look at CCA'ing the accounts afterwards. I have some questions that I can't find the answers to conclusively: 1. DMP followed by CCA requests - is that the best order? I think so. All accounts were opened late 90's/early 00's. 2. Some of their cards are jointly owned, some are not. Would StepChange need a call from each, resulting in two payments and two DMP's, or do they bundle them into a single DMP with a single payment? Thanks

I have been getting lots of calls ( recorded message ) to my cell phone , lots of emails & a text message to my phone informing me of a substantial discount offer from MMF over the course of about 4 months now , none to which I have replied as far as I am concerned I have no debt , checked my credit report & there is nothing on there either , but today they called my parents home phone ( how they got that I don't know ) again a recorded message along the lines of press 1 for a home visit etc , etc , now my parents are in there late 70's & in a fragile way & anyone calling on them will get them in a right state , my question I have is are MMF in there right to call at my parents home even though I don't live there ? I live & work away outside the UK . They are starting to freak me out how they got my parents number , it's an ex directory by the way & now I am panicking in case they call at the address

My mum has severe mental health difficulties, which have a big effect on her financially. She's incapable of working but also of not spending money, so she had trashed her own credit rating long before she had kids. When I turned 18, I got my credit file for the first time and realised that she'd taken out a lot of debt in my name. I managed to get most of this written off, as I wasn't 16 at the time. I don't know how she managed it. She was even using a main bank account in my name, with an overdraft. My uni financial advisor recommended using an account like Littlewoods to build up credit. I applied online, and was accepted with a £500 limit. I got into the habit of buying things and paying them back, to build up my rating. Long story short, I got hospitalised with illness and my mother started using the account. I've no idea how she got the details. Littlewoods increased my credit limit to £10,000, and my mother spent £7,000. She's sectioned now, and the owing amount is a little less than £5,000. I've paid the rest off. I can't afford to keep this up. t's £500 a month minimum, or a settlement figure that I just don't have. I explained the situation to Littlewoods on the phone a few months back, and that I'm not working at present and therefore cannot pay. It seems that they've lost patience today, and have marked several missed payments on my credit file. They are now writing to me demanding payment. The police have been useless, because my mum is sectioned. There is no realistic chance of conviction. She's done this to neighbours and friends, too, so it's not new to them. I was looking at getting a mortgage this year but I'm guessing that won't be possible with such a trashed rating. Is there anything I can do?

Ok I'm going to try to make this as short as possible. I'm 18 and in full time education. I don't live with my parents due to domestic violence (mostly by my father). I live in accommodation provided by a homelessness charity and claim housing benefit and income support while I am in education. So my problem is the following: My 6 month review was today. She asked me if I'm still estranged from my parents. I said yes but I now talk to my mum on the phone sometimes. She made a HUGE deal out of this saying that it's not allowed and that 'estranged means estranged, not talking on the phone sometimes' etc. She also said I would have to write a statement about it. This seems like a bit of an over reaction but hey, they even seem to think they can control who I can and can't talk to now! Anyway, I hadn't managed to get a learner's agreement from college so she stopped the interview and re-booked it for next week. They requested the past 3 months bank statements and this is my problem. The most recent month's statement looks really bad. I sold my TV and deposited £135 cash into my account. This alone worries me, but I also went on holiday to Dublin on the 20th May (with Ryanair and stayed in a hostel so no funny comments about this please) and my mum decided to give me some early birthday money (my birthday is next month) towards Dublin. She NEVER gives me money but decided to deposit money into my account without telling me. A nice gesture if it had been in different circumstances. The worst part is that she put the reference as 'pocket money'. While I was in Dublin, a few days after the first deposit she put a further £25 into my account with the same 'pocket money' reference. Now, if they made such a big deal out of me TALKING to her how will they react when they find out she's given me 'pocket' money?! I've been losing sleep over this and I'm really worried they will stop my benefits. I could never go back home as not only would neither of my parents allow it, but I'm not safe there. I don't even visit my parents and they never give me money- as my two other statements will prove- but I'm so scared the job centre are going to make a huge deal out of these two incidents. Can they really stop my benefits over this? Even though it was a one off thing and she did it without my knowledge? It's not like it's regular income or I asked her for money. I'm really scared

Hi, I'm hoping somebody can help. A bailiff company has tried to contact my brother who lives with our parents in their home with regards to money owing to the Tax Office for unpaid income tax we think. Quite frankly, I'm really angry with him for bringing this to their home as he has had the means in the past to deal with this but hey we all make mistakes right? he is now a single parent to a disabled son and they both live with my mum and dad with no possesions of his own. Everything is owned by my mum and dad apart from the clothes he wears. My mum is beside herself as she had dealings once in the past with the same firm and they made her life utter misery. That was 30 years ago and I can vouch for the fact they have not changed. I think that the bailiffs have more rights for this sort of debt and we're worried that she might return home one day soon to find that they've broken in and taken everything although this would still not cover the debt and there is som tuff that she is still paying off to Argos etc. What can she do? I know my brother should be sorting this out, but he seems to be able to bury his head in the sand that far he'll pop up somewhere in Australia!

Hi all, Got a call from my mother today saying bailiffs left a letter through the door saying I owe them over £600 for two penalty charge notice(parking tickets from about a year ago). I live at my parents house and have been unemployed for the last 6 months and not claiming JSA. I have no money and no longer have the car. I phoned the bailiff to explain my situation and to see if he would send the debt back to the court but he wasn't having any of it. I know he can't take my parent's possessions but he said unless they can prove what they own he can take them. Please can you give my some advise. Thanks Liam

Hiya, My mum and dad have just called me stressed as a baliff has turned up for my brother ( he was not in at the time ) They know what the amount is for and who it is from but when my dad said he was not in the baliff did not leave any paperwork and just left. They have the court order so will the court know which baliff company is being used, both my brother and my mum suffer ( and have medical documentation ) of severe anxiety and depression and so my mum is already stressing massively about this My brother had already offered a monthly repayment but this has obviously been rejected. So my question is, will the courts know who the baliffs are and can they inform him? If they send medical notification + a repayment offer is this likely to stop the action? I am worried about there health with it all Many thanks

My parents used a local estate agent when we moved into our last property in 2007, deposit and rent was paid in cash which we still have the receipts to. In 2009 he was prosecuted on 5 counts of fraud his company went bust too and he was given a suspended sentence my parents received nothing at all I have since learned that this man is now working full time and living back in the area and is using social media showing pictures of him enjoying foreign holidays etc to be honest it makes me sick when my parents are both pensioners i am wondering if there is any way my parents can get their money back? any help will be gratefully received.

hi there I'm very relieved to find this website as now I don't feel alone My elderly parents have for the past 2 months been harassed by a company called LOWELLS phone calls - usually one at least per day, and letters - one per week they claim that my brother owes £12,000 in debt - but my brother does NOT, he doesn't have any loan etc and he left home over 7 years ago so why are they sending these letters and calling my parents? how do we get this to stop my poor father is dreadfully upset and he wants to know why this debt is at his address, etc he tells them time and time again my brother does not live there but they ignore him the letters are getting more threatening and I'm very worried my brother is abroad so I'm trying to help any advice please

Around 165,000 middle class parents miss child benefit deadline Child Benefit Penalties Faced By Thousands

Can this be moved to relevant forum please. A builder has spoofed my parent of their savings by building an un-certifiable new build house and doing a bunk with the money. I live about 300 miles away so was unaware of the problem but now find they have no money left and the house is not really fit to live in. On top of this the builder has had goods delivered to my parents address using their name and not paid for them. The company that supplied the goods has it on record that the builder ordered these goods (drain pipes soffits etc.) for their house but they have not been fitted and are the wrong colour and fitting for the building. I'm unsure what to do, legally it's nothing to do with me but my parents are old and now are very, very ill because of this business. What can I do legally and what do I need to do to get things rolling. I am completely new to dealing with this sort of behaviour. 1 Detailed bills from suppliers show goods not used at this house build ordered and invoiced to this job. 2. Number of defect around build resulting in no completion certificate not address. 3. General poor/shoddy workmanship around building not repaired. 4. Ground workers labourers and other contractors showing up with bills despite main builder being paid for this work. I/my parent have meticulous records of all bank/card payment for goods from suppliers so proving wrong doing hopefully wont be to difficult. BIG QUSTION IS WHERE DO I START (HAVE MY OWN IDEA BUT THAT MAT NOT BE LEGAL). Any info or advise would be very welcome.