Ahhh. The old I subterfuge trick eh. Works with BT as well. Phone their sales people. You'll very quickly get connected to a person in the UK.

Customer service does have the authorisation to override the price. I don't know why they didn't do it then.

Brake disks are classed as a consumable items as it is their nature to wear evenutally. If the pads were worn then you will have metal to metal contact and, as well as not allowing you to stop efficiently, will increase the rate at the disks wear.

When I buy brocolli, loose, I tend to snap of as much of the stalk as possible as I know it won't be eaten.

I'm sorry to say, that private vehicle sales are a law unto their own selves. Cars are usually sold as seen and you do not have much in the way of legal redress. You could try to sue the vendor for compensation, but this would be difficult to prove. It's quite possible that the vendor did not know about the other faults. Improbable, but possible.

Why not go there?

If you were still in the Bus lane and there is photographic evidence then you may be snookered.

Write a letter to the solicitor on behalf of your son giving them a form of payment plan to clear the debt. Ensure the letter is from him and get him to sign it. In the letter, put in a paragraph, in big letters, stating "I give my mother, , permission to discuss my account with you on my behalf". This will allow you to act on behalf of your son. If there is a fax number, fax the letter to the solicitors, and phone them to check that they have got it. Follow the fax up by posting it to them via recorded delivery. Most solicitors are reasonable and only get nasty if they don't get any form of communication.

Get your girlfriend to talk to the PALS team at the hospital. They may be able to help. Also, if your GF is on a low income, talk to the DWP or even, dare I mention it, Social Services. They're not all ogres! (but there are some )

Completely agreed with contacting PALS. Their job is to try and sort out issues before the complaints stage and in the majority of cases they do. They have access to a lot of information, and in certain cases can liaise directly with the consultants secretaries.

CSL don't do bank giro slips, they are post office ones meaning you have to pay £1.99 (IIRC) per transaction on top of the amount you are paying. You don't need a bank giro slip from CSL to pay them. Simply ask for the Sort Code and account number, plus the name of the bank. Go to a branch of the bank and use a counter deposit slip. Put the sort code and account number in the boxes and the amount to pay. Also put your reference number on the slip. When you get to the cashier, make sure you ask him/her to quote the reference number on the transaction. Cash payments go straight onto their system. Cheques take the usuall amount of time. This means no direct debit or standing order, which could fail and you receive a penalty charge. You just have to remember to do it.

In answer to the question, "Can they caution you?". the answer is Yes. Railway ticket inspectors have statutary powers under the Railways Act. The caution is similar to the police caution. It basically ensures that if you are taken to court, you cannot say that you were not cautioned. They can also detain you for short periods of time, usually until the police arrive.

Additionally, a lot of their powers come from the Railways Act.

Same here..