I have just re-read my initial post and realised it wasnt very wll put (i guess that comes from writing it after spending 45mins trying to get through to southern electric). What I want to know is this - As our gas meter is availible for inspection 24/7 should i be querying why we have been getting estimated bills and do the energy companies have a duty to ensure bills are as accurate as possible - i.e reading a meter if its availible? Can I insist they itemise the bill as they have given one charge for the past 3 months of gas usage AND the gas we apprently owe them for due to their under estimating. Over £900 for 3 months of gas in a small 2 bed flat and nothing to show how its been worked out or how much is for the last quarter and how much for the previous usage or which period the previous usage covers, presumably the last 12 months since we moved in. Can they actually bill us for previous usage as we have paid all previous bills in full and in good faith that the amount was correct. As we cannot access the meter ourselves I dont see how we could check the estimated readings and I also cant believe that the amount is correct as I have family living locally in a 3 bedroom house paying around £70 less per quarter. Finally if we do have to pay the full amount and as the bill is so high can southern refuse if we offer a token payment, say our usual quarterly payment, plus a monthly payment of say £40-50 which is likely all we will be able to afford. Many thanks

My flatmate and I received our gas bill from southern electric today. Our normal bill per quarter is around £230 - £260, personally i think this is high as we live in a very small 2 bed flat with only a gas hob, central heating and hot water used briefly in the morning and for a few hours at night, though we were expecting it to be a little higher as the cold weather meant the central heating has been on more than usual for the last 3 months. The bill we received today was a staggering £990 for 3 months gas usage and an accompanying letter stating "your previous bills were based on an estimated reading. The actual reading used on this bill shows past estimates were too low. This means the bill includes charges for gas that has been used but not billed". Now as far as we were aware the gas bills we have received to date were what we owed and have been duly paid. The meter itself is in a cupboard outside the property with a triangular shaped lock, presumably so only gas personnel can get access and no-one else, including us though I will be borrowing a pair of pliers from work tomorrow to check the bill and meter tally up. As the meter can be accessed by the gas company at any time, and they control the access to it, should they have been providing actual and not estimated bills from the start? On top of this can they actually charge for backdated bills and if this is their first "actual" meter reading how do they know what has been used previously? Finally both of us have recently entered into separate debt management plans which leaves us with a very small margin at the end of each month. The letter mentions alternative payment options if we have difficulty paying but realistically I cant see us having more than £40 per month to offer them without leaving ourselves short for other bills or food etc... and even that effectively uses up our "having some sort of life" money. Has anyone had any dealings with southern electric in regards to making an offer to repay in small monthly repayments as our biggest concerns are having the supply cut off or them issuing a ccj. Many thanks in advance, Disgruntled biker

Thats great, many thanks for the reply. Can I just check where we would stand legally if we do not sign an inventory, especially as we were not offered one at the start of the tenancy, and the landlord or agents attempt to deduct from the deposit? Again, as I understand it from other threads, the inventory signed by all parties proves the condition of the property at the beginning of the tenancy - does the absence of one mean the condition cant be proved and they are unable to deduct from the rent? Many thanks

Hi, My fatmate and I are currently 1 year into an 18 month lease and have a few questions someone can hopefully answer. We moved in on the 29th Feb 2008 after paying a deposit of £1523 and the first rent installment of £1100. As per the lease we are due to move out on the 28th Aug 2009 however the rent is taken by standing order on the 26th of each month to ensure it reaches the agents by the 29th as per the lease. Can anyone confirm that as we paid one months rent in advance that we will not be required to pay in Aug 2009 as this would already have been covered in July 2009. Also when we moved in we did not recieve an inventory which the landlord now wishes us to check and have us sign. Although we have no problem with this my understanding is that the landlord must base any inventory on the condition of the property at the time of the inventory and not retrospectively. I mention this as there were a number of minor items, damaged window latches etc..., that I would have raised at the time of moving in if the inventory had been carried out at the start of the tenancy. Also although, according to the agents, an inventory was carried out at the start of the tenancy am I correct in thinking it is not valid unless checked and signed by all parties? Part of the lease agreement was for the landlord to pay the council tax for the property as the rent was above our budget and his mortgage company would not allow him to accept less that £1100 pcm. He is now claiming this agreement was only for the 1st year and we are obliged to pay the council tax for the remaining 6 months. The lease states under landlord obligations "to pay the council tax or any tax which may be substituted thereafter due in respect of individuals at the property direct to the relevant local rating authority" It goes on to state serveral clauses later "to pay for any council tax or substituted property tax paid to the local authority for the period of the tenancy" This seems very clear to me but would appreciate anyones opinion. Finally we have heard through the grapevine that the landlord may be intending to sell the property. He has asked for a meeting with us both tonight though as he was "in meetings all day" was not availible to tell us why. It could be to discuss any of the above but should it be to inform us of his intention to sell can anyone confim where we stand in terms of minimum notice periods etc... I have trawled throught the lease but can only find referances to the tenant ending the lease early. Sorry for the lengthy post and thanks in advance for any replies.

Hi Suzie, thanks for the quick reply and simple answers - been a great help. Does anybody else have any thoughts on this, especially about the effects the DMP will have on my credit rating and if it will make renting difficuklt as I dont want to be left unable to find somewhere to live. Also in regards to a cash gift by family, bonus from work etc... where do I stand on this? do i need to delcare it and pay to creditors or can I keep it and allow it to build up for a final payemt etc...? Lastly anyones experiences of creditors getting nasty or refusing a DMP and how this could affect me. A little clarification (and i know this is a little naive) on what a CCJ means in the long one would be great. MAny thanks. Colin

Hi, I am currently considering a DMP with Payplan and have a some questions and concerns im hoping someone will be able to help with. I am currently £29,000 in debt with 3 creditors covering 2 loans, 2 CC's, 2 O/D's and 3 finance agreements. After talking to payplan and drawing up a slightly more realistic monthly expenditure than the one I had done by myself I pay £740 to my creditors but only have £340 free each month after "essentials". I have made it clear to payplan that I am currently up to date with all payments but it is getting closer and closer every month and I am constantly living on credit. What I would like to know is if it is worthwhile entering into a DMP if I can currently make the relevant payments and if the creditors will be less likely to agree as they are currently recieving the payments they want. What effect does a DMP have on my credit rating as payplans answer to this was a little confusing. What effect will this have on trying to get a rent agreement as I currently only have 8 months left on my lease and am likely to move several times during the course of a DMP What hapens if my creditors refuse to accept the DMP and what can they do during the DMP if they change their minds i.e court proceedings etc... as I know it is not as binding as an IVA Although I will be opening a new account with a bank not affiliated to my creditors what happens if I am able to cut back one month (i.e 2 weeks holiday so £120 saved on travel fares) or am given cash by a family member etc? Does this need to go to the creditors or am I able to save this and possibly build up a large sum to pay something off in full. What happens if my circumstances change for better or worse, i.e pay rise or increased monthly bills. Do I need to inform payplan and will I be able to re-negotiate in this situation? Sorry for the long winded post, I will be bringing these issues up with payplan but I have noticed on other threads that a lot of these companies seem to know alot about setting up DMP's and IVA's but not much about associated issues. Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated as im still trying to decide if the DMP is the right way to go. Many thanks, Colin

Sorry another question - if, as it seems, I will be unable to contest the decision should I be asking for the return of the documents (V5 ect..) and my vehicle keys that I was instructed to send as part of the claim as if the insurance company will not pay out this is still my property??? I dont see what difference it make me having it now it has been stolen but it was mentioned by a friend and I thought I had better ask. My only real worry is the V5 as now the vehicle is not in my possession im not sure if I need to declare it SORN or anything along those lines should it be used in a criminal act or caught speeding (unlikely I know as I suspect its either in bits or out of the country) or if my reporting it to the police covers all these bases. Many thanks, Colin

Hi, I finally got through and apparently the "merchandise interest" is the standard interest my account acrues based on a daily account balance when it is not paid offf in full at the end of the month. It was not noted on my account prior to April 2008 as I was still in my 6 months interest free on purchases period. This does sound a reasonable explanation but, as I mentioned, I have seen posts elsewhere claiming it was a glitch, a systems failure, that nationwide messed up an upgrade to a credit card system in march 08 and I just want to make sure im not being fobbed off with a reasonable sounding excuse. Thanks, Colin

Council ticket, will try to get hold of both and post asap. Thought possibly the incorrect make of the vehicle might also come into it. Another thought just surfaced, council said they were not required to illuminate signage however if the sign cannot be seen in the dark surely they cannot ticket in those conditions as they are not providing "adequate! signage?

Hi, Im trying to get some advice for my mum who is attempting to fight a council parking ticket. She parked in a side road a side road after dark with no streetlights and found the ticket when she returned. After contacting the provided number to contest the ticket she was told she had not complied with the parking notices (parked during no parking hours) and that the ticket would stand. She explained she had not seen any notices and that it had been totally dark when she arrived and therefore didnt even know there were any there. This again was refused as an excuse, and I can understand why, however she took photos of the alleged sign the folling night at the same time she had recieved the ticket (closer than the distance the car was from it) and it clearly, excuse the pun, cannot be seen. she then did the same thing with the flash to prove the point. Again this was refused and she requested copies of the photos taken by the warden and was told, accoriding to his report, it was too dark to take photos. On top of this the details of the ticket are incorrect. Although the licence number is indeed her vehicle it is listed as a brown honda as opposed to the red hyundi that it actually is. Any thoughts or help with this would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks, Colin

Hi, I sent off my acount charges claim, together with my 6 years worth of statements ect..., around a year or so ago. At the time i received a letter back from lloyds stating they had recieved the claim but due to the test case it would be filed and looked back into once a decision had been reached. Since then I have moved house and cannot find the original letter I was sent with contact info etc... on it and was wondering if I should be doing any more at this point? If im honest after receiving the letter i let everything take a back seat whilst I changed my job and now realise I should have followed things up much sooner and paid more attention to what was going on with these claims. Although the other threads here have been very helpful a brief bullet point list of what, if anything, I should do now would be very much appreciated. Many thanks, Colin

Hi, Firstly sorry if this has already been discussed elsewhere, I had a look through 30 odd pages of threads but couldnt find anything relevant. I have just been looking at my online CC statement and noticed a charge for "Merchandise Interest" to the value of £51.66 which, after searching the nationwide website, I cant find out exactly what it is for. I realise this may be a bit naive and assume it is down to purchases of goods with my CC but a further check of my statements show it has been charged every month from April 08, with varying amounts, but not before. A quick google search showed up some similar concerns but no answers and many conflicting views. Atempting to contact nationwide but so far no answer and stuck on hold. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Colin

Not sure if this is relevant but I had a similar problem when my motorcycle was written off after being hit by an uninsured driver. My insurance company had the vehicle assessed, decided it was a write off and told me it was worth £600 though I had paid £1500 for 10 months previously. As I had a restricted licence at the time I had spent a great deal of time trying to find a "full size" motorcycle, in this case a 400cc, rather than a little 125cc. I turned out there are very few of these on the market as to be in accordance with the licence requirements the vehicle must produce a factory power output of under 33BHP. This in turn keeps the prices up and, as suggested above, I sent in dozens of examples from both dealers and private sellers showing motorcycles identical to mine, and in several cases almost identical mileage, age and condition selling for between £1200-1700 with £1200 being the cheapest I could find at the time. Finally after 6 months arguing I managed to increase the original estimate to £950 but was still left out of pocket. Colin

Hi, I recently had my motorcycle stolen from my front driveway. As a fair weather rider I normally keep my motorcycle at a family members garage about 3 miles away, which is only a short busride, and had my TPFT policy with Highway Insurance set up so this was my overnight address. They knew it was not my residential address and the policy did state the motorcycle must be secured in a properly consturcted garage between the hours of 22:00 - 06:00. 3 days before it was stolen I had been out for a ride and stopped off at my residence for some lunch, no problems as it was outside of the timeframe for being in a garage and it was the same situation as if I had taken it to the shops etc.. during the day. At around 13:00 that day I decided to carry on my ride and found the bike would not start. After trying all the basics (and im certainly no mechanic) I decided to call my local garage to see if they could come out and fix the problem or take it back to their workshop. As it was a Sunday afternoon it was "no can do" and after trying a few others from the yellow pages with the same results I called my regular garage back and booked it in for the following saturday which was the earliest they could arrange. 3 days later the bike was stolen sometime between 21:00-08:00. The alarm and immoboliser were both set as were the steering lock and disc lock. I reported the incident to the police as soon as I realised it had been stolen, I then contacted the insurance company. After sedning all my details, keys, paperwork I waited 3 weeks before getting fed up and calling them only to be told the claim had been closed and they would not be paying out and that they had sent out a letter the day before confirming this fact. I asked for details of who I needed to contact to appeal the decision and made them aware I would contest the decision and was told it would all be in there letter, goodbye and thank you very much! Now I appreciate the policy had a specific clause stating the motorcycle must be in a properly constructed garage between 22:00-06:00 and I realise it was not, with the possibility of an hour between 21:00-22:00, when it was stolen. What I would like to know is if I have any chance at all of contesting the decision and recieiving a payout? My current thoughts are that although the insurers are correct I was not in a position to move the motorcycle to the garage myself and I was not able to arrange with a garage/recovery form to move it for me. I have spoken with the garage I had made the arrangements with who will provide a statement if necessary to that effect. This will be the second time in two years I have been forced to pay out for a replacement motorcycle, the first due to a non fault accident with an uninsured driver, and I really dont think I can afford another one. Kind regards, Colin

Hi, I was involved in a motorcycle accident in December 2006 with an uninsured driver who has since been prosecuted (July 2007) for driving without insurance and driving with undue care. I was off work for a month due to injuries sustained in the accident and the motorcycle was written off after the insurance assesment. My insurer at the time, Equity Red Star, passed this on to their solicitors, Silverbeck Rymer, who have been dealing with the case ever since. The solicitors have been taking their time about every aspect of the case with constant chasing from my part (though seeing some of the other threads this seems common place) the excuse they use is the lack of contact they recieve from the MIB, who will ultimately issue the compensation, as they must approve the expenditure for any testing/examination. I was given an initial figure for this compensation as £6200 (inlcuding VAT and disbursements) which was changed £15,075 (inlcuding VAT and disbursements) for no apparent reason when a new "litigation executive" took over the case. The injuries from the accident, although healed, leave a question mark over my fertility as my groin connected heavily with the petrol tank before I was thrown from the bike which resulted in the severe damage and almost complete loss of one of my testicals (due to the tissue being damaged and re-absorbed by my body leaving, for lack of a better term an empty sack). Tests have finally been completed by the solicitors chosen specialists to determine to what extent, if any, this will effect reproduction though I have been waiting over 3 weeks for a report that was due to be issued in no longer than 2 weeks. The solicitor originally insisted I have my GP carry out testing ect... but I was told by the practice that as it was to do with an insurance case and potentially had a monetary gain for me they would not carry out the required tests. I was also advised by one of the specialists that the loss of the testical (although not severed by or removed as a result of the accident) could be considered a disability. My questions are - Can anybody offer any advice on if this claim is being handled correctly, is there anything further I can or should be doing to speed things up and generally any thoughts on the case as a whole. Kindest reagrds, Colin