Thank you guys for sound advice!

Sorry, it was not a 3 Shop, but O2 shop. But it does not make any difference.

So, why do we have ID cards (ID is short for identity document!!) if this is still happening in the EU? Why is the ID accepted to enter the country, to open a UK bank account, to vote in local UK and European elections... I think this is ridiculous and I wonder whether there is any EU/national legislation which could be used in this case..

Well, how he can change the provider without passport then? Don't such shop's policies contradict the law? Is such a contradiction not a violation to the UK and European law?

My friend, a European national, came to a 3 Shop to ask them to change his tariff to a cheaper one. They told him it is there policy that he must provide them with his passport and not ID card. The thing is that he waits for his passport to be send by HO back in around several weeks time, thus now he can use only his ID card for such purposes. As far as I know ID cards are accepted literally everywhere throughout Europe and UK. I believe it is against the law to refuse to accept it. Today I'm going to go with my friend to that 3 Shop and ask them the reason why they refuse to accept his ID card to change the tariff. Can anyone give an advise?

Emmzzi, becky2585, You are right. I thought over your words and just let that one go.

I already lost time and money because of them. Now Justice is all I want. I don't need employment from them any more. I even stopped picking up the phone when they call me. I've already had two missed calls from them, but I'm not going to bother to call them back.

I can name the agency here if you want

No, I wouldn't. But I would definitely not come on site today's morning if they told me in due time that I'm not working there any more. Thus I would definitely not spend any money on that kind of travel.

I've been working for one employment agency on one of the construction sites at central London for several weeks. Today's morning me and another guy from the same agency came on site, changed our clothes and were ready to start working. The director of the construction company was very surprised to see us there today and he told us that we were not supposed to come today... he said that he had called our agency last week(!!) and told them that Friday would be our last day... The director didn't even know that we had been on site yesterday (on Monday), and he said that the company will not pay us for Monday. I called the agent straight away and asked him what was going on. He said it was his mistake(he said he phoned and texted us, but we have neither missed calles from him nor any text messages) and the agency will pay us for Monday. While composing this message I received a phone call from the agent. He told me that the payment for this Monday will be made this Friday together with the last week's wages. I didn't object to that, but I asked him if the agency was going to compensate me my today's travel expenses(£10), and he said NO... I believe that it is the agency who MUST compensate at least today's travel expenses to say nothing but the lost time since last Friday which I could spend searching for another job. I'm going to wait until my wages are into my bank account this Friday and then I'm planning to demand them to pay my travel expenses, but I need to know the correct way to do so. Could anyone please tell me what is the best way to claim that money from the agency? Thank you.

Thanx. Can he do this in written form himself, I mean without any lawyers? What should he do first? I don't want to contact the Council myself as I don't know if the LL has already started smth against me or not. I don't want to attract their attention to my person. As to the evidence, I've got detailed video of the flat showing the locks on both of the doors. Written statement from one of the tenants stating that we are unrelated, have separate oral agreements with the LL and share common kitchen and toilet/bathroom. Some of the tenants whom I'm able to track will confirm the same things when necessary. And I have my visas(I was an overseas student) clearly proving my fulltime student status for several years' period.

Do you know how my friend can appeal against the Magistrate Court's decision ? You know, I am the person who lived after my friend in that property for several years. I was one of the persons who lived there. Gas and electricity bills were paid in my name. But it was actually a HMO, and some persons who lived there can confirm that we lived in different rooms with locks on the doors, we were unrelated to each other and shared common kitchen, bathroom and toilet. I had no written agreement with the LL as well as the rest of the guys who lived there. Everyone paid their part of the rent into his account. I am pretty sure that the LL will try to make the Council chase me in order to make me pay the CT for several years period, around 5 years time. I moved out of his property in 2012 march. What do you think his chances are to make me liable? It was a HMO(though he will tell them that I was a sole tenant of the whole flat) and by the way most of the time I was a full time student(up to august 2011).

No, he wasn't. But now (he lives at different address for several years) he's been getting housing benefits (for about couple of years)

Because he never agreed with the LL that he would pay Council Tax. The Land Lord provided the Council with a piece of paper signed by my friend. My friend says that he did sign the paper, but the amount £600 per month was written in by the LL after my friend had signed the paper. The LL asked him to sign it quickly as he was in a hurry at that moment. He says they actually agreed he would rent a room for £300, and there were some other people living in another room. The LL didn't give him a copy of this paper, and my friend was really surprised to know that the Council has the paper with such a rent amount.

Thanks Andy, As far as I got he needs to phone them on Monday and state his reasons why he is not liable, am I right. By the way, he's going to go abroad for several weeks on holidays(on the 20th of July) , can he be sure that when he returns from holidays all his belongings, furniture and the rest of his stuff will remain safe on its place and no bailiffs did brake into his house while he is not in and took his things away to recover the debt?

Good morning everyone, on Saturday my friend received this letter: This letter was sent to him by the Council of the area where he lived more than 5 years ago. He is sure that he doesn't have to pay that tax and he's got his reasons. On Monday he's going to phone the Council and tell them that he disagrees with what's happening Can anyone please advice which steps should he tell to challenge the decision of the court/Council? Thank you

Gbarbm and caro, The money had been paid into my account on 11.05.2012(I should have checked my account before creating the thread:)). I think that my last letter to them contributed to the success. Thank you very much for your help guys.

Hi Gbarbm, No, that was not just one employment in 2010/11. In his last letter to me he says: "I am only able to identify that you had tax of £216.00 deducted from you by *** Decorating Contractors Ltd(I worked for that company for just around couple of weeks). I have not been able to establish any other tax paid during 2010-11 tax year". No, I was not in receipt of any benefits. No, I didn't receive any other income. Yes. Here is the scan of the only form my employer(I worked for his company for about half a year) provided me with:

Thank you Caro.

Ladies and gentlemen, My current employment issue is as follows: I still can't get my taxes back for the tax year 2010-11. The caseworker from HMRC says that he has not been able to establish the tax paid during 2010-11 tax year. Well, that was exactly what he said after I provided him with the copy of the statement from my employer which clearly states that the tax was paid to HMRC. I wrote him a letter asking him if the statement is fake/not valid/forged or whatever. Also I asked him if he is aware that my employer provided me with a false statement, and he(the caseworker) all the same doesn't want to investigate it and wants me to do all that kind of job. But it's been a month's time since I sent a letter to him, but I still haven't got any reply. What should I do if the caseworker doesn't want to investigate what's happening to my taxes? Where should I complain, or may be should I try to write him one more time? Thank you.

Well, National Grid engineer came today morning, checked both flats and told me that they will fix the gas supply on friday. He gave us an electric cooker to boil the water and cook food. So, it turns out that we gonna stay at least 4 days without hot water and shower for 4 days (tuesday,wednesday, thursday and friday). Do you think it would be reasonable to make some deductions from the landlord? The landlord of the neighbours upstairs let them to deduct 30 pounds from the rent as a compensation for excessive electricity usage.

Sounds reasonable. I agree. In fact the neighbours left the key from their flat to me.

One of them came back and gave us a fan heater and promised that someone would come tomorrow morning and fix everything. I said I'll stay home for the whole day. Who gonna compensate me lost day of work??

It looks like both flats will spend the night without hot water and hot radiators. I can't understand what kind of emergency it could be to leave us with no gas?? It looks like the job was perfectly planned. They shovelled all the ground in front of the house and fitted new gas meter boxes outside. Why should they need to do so so urgently living us without heat for the night? What kind of necessity was that - a leak?? Ridiculous. Where should we complain??

U know what's happened? I called to the landlord and told him that we have no gas at all, not even kitchen cooker is working, there's no gas at our neighbour's flat upstairs as well. he told me to call to the gas emergensy number. I did so, so did my neighbours. Two gas men arrived shortly. When we went outside we noticed that two meter boxes where fitted to the wall. The gas men asked us if anyone let us know beforehand that this would be done, and we said no. The guys told us it was an emergency that's why the company did so. Now they are sitting in their cars and phoning somewhere to find out what had happened.