2 minutes ago, tobyjugg2 said:

The rationing is due to low availability in the UK

So why put restrictions in place if nobody is buying more than a reasonable amount.  It isn't as though you're restricted to one lettuce - it's two or three depending on the supermarket which means they must have experienced people buying more than that.

I don't have any great recipes, do just want to record my utter amazement at supermarkets putting restrictions in place.  If they need to limit the amount taken it means people have been buying large amounts of highly perishable goods.  Why?  You can hoard toilet rolls, I get that but salad veg doesn't keep.  What is wrong with people?

16 hours ago, dx100uk said:

Avarto are 1000% worse than any previous.

In which case I can understand why it's at last attracted attention.  About ten years ago my daughter ended up in a magistrates court on one of those days given over to these mass rubber stampings.  There were a rail company, tv licensing and British Gas.  BG was the longest list by far - I think it was three A4 sheets full of names.

2 hours ago, honeybee13 said:

Or the CEO wasn't told about the whole story...

It's his job to know what's going on for goodness sake.  Plausible deniability won't fly.

7 hours ago, Andyorch said:

Its boss expresses "horror" that agents entered customers' homes to fit prepayment meters.

Really?  Am I meant to believe that?  This isn't new, it's been going on for years, decades.  It's how energy companies operate and magistrates rubber stamp the warrants without question.  If a boss doesn't know that they're not much of a boss.

Are you on economy 7?  I'm stuck with it and being charged the same as you.  The night rate is considerably less but I have little chance to load shift so suffering.  I use much less electricity than the 'typical' household but still have higher bills.

According to the website they are licensed.  Could this be an avenue to obtain full, correct details?

• We are licensed with Cheshire East council - license number CE/PS44/310524

Probably not sadly.  They do sometimes get involved if there are cats or kittens changed hands and their rules broken but that's not the case here. There has only been a transfer of money.  I don't even know if the promised cat would be GCCF registered, there's nothing to say so.  The multiple 'memberships' they advertise mean they are not held to the rules of any particular registry.  They can move between them all as suits.

I have never known a breeder who traded as a limited company - NEVER.  I do have a vague memory of somebody doing so some years ago as it created quite a stir and much (less than positive) discussion in the breeding world. 

I do have quite a knowledge of breeding pedigree cats but in this case I'm not your expert.  You need to deal with this as you would any other business who has taken your money and not provided the goods.

I have looked at their website and would give the usual cautions - becoming a 'cattery of excellence' or gaining any similar accolade is usually just a matter of paying a fee or agreeing to certain minimum standards. Take heed of the advice from DX100UK and proceed without delay.

Don't know how old the mum is but adding a younger driver to an older driver's poicy can even reduce the premium.  This was the case when I was added to my father's car insurance.

I found that filling out their form invited attention.  Like all debt collectors they seem to regard any communication as an invitation to bully.  Once I ignored them they bothered me for a bit and then gave up. 

Have had one thought

- does your vet do their own out of hours cover or do they hand it over to a company such as Vets Now? 

Just because it all happens under one roof doesn't mean it happens under one business umbrella so if you aren't 100% sure you need to ask. 

If another company takes over the out of hours care then your cat could have been discharged and re-admitted each morning/evening making it separate events on the separate dates. 

This would then attract the two excess charges.

It was one course of treatment so I believe it should have been a single excess.  Have you queried it with Petplan?

Firstly, I've had to look up what a tegu is and beyond now knowing it's a lizard I'm not really much wiser as there seem to be a number of different types.

As I see it so far, this will come down to an argument over whether the lizard was in good health when purchased or they can try to blame the death on your care.

Are you experienced with such animals?  Would you have noticed the signs that indicated the lizard was not in good health.  Did it show any such signs and did you seek veterinary care or was the death so sudden that you didn't have chance?

On the face of it an animal should not just die ten days after purchase but I don't have the knowledge to say this can't have happened entirely under your ownership.  On the other hand I'm incredibly unimpressed with any retailer claiming 48 hours as a cut off for responsibility. 

I'm assuming this lizard was expensive enough that you would  be prepared to take it further.  If so we really do need more detailed information to offer sensible advice.

I've only ever known of the band being changed on the sale of an extended property.  If you are within three months of the decision you can go to a VOA tribunal.

4 hours ago, Homer67 said:

It's probably just an ego thing

It is with me now.  I count it as a victory that I make them give up on the call and hang up.  I wondered if they got in trouble for not pressing a potential victim hard enough if they give up.

31 minutes ago, Ethel Street said:

It's not at all clear that the scam actually exists or if it would even work in the way it's claimed.

I'd have been right there with you until today.  The increasing desperation with which she wanted me to agree with her and answer in the affirmative was honestly comical.  She really did get very demanding to the point of shouting 'I expect you to answer my questions do you understand'.  I never just answer yes to any unsolicited call, in response to 'hello is that Hightail' I only ever ask who's calling.  Didn't realise until today how much it annoys them.

It was a woman and she was absolutely furious with me towards the end, shouting at me to hang up if I didn't want to speak to her.  I know it's a thing that they don't want to end the call.  The other thing that was obvious was that she wanted me to say 'yes' and I wouldn't.  She was saying all sorts of things to try and get me to agree with her on something - anything.  I think that is so they have you recorded and can then claim you have agreed to anything.  She was truly fizzing on that,  yelling at me that she 'expected' me to answer her questions and stop behaving like a robot. 

Normally I wouldn't answer any call unless I recognised the number but at the moment I am expecting calls from strangers so have to.  I've just had a reasonably entertaining exchange where I just repeated 'I don't want phone calls from you'.  Must have been about twenty times with the scammer on the other end getting increasingly irate and eventually shouting at me to hang up.  I didn't.  I know they don't want to be the one to end the call but I don't know why.  Can anyone enlighten me?

That was quicker than I expected - should have more faith in myself.

I'll try and find it again.  It popped up on my newsfeed on two separate occasions, once as the 'mystery car' story and then with the mystery solved.  It was a house close to Birmingham airport, that I do remember

There is an identical story running in the press at present.  In that case the resident rents the property and got in touch with her landlord who, it turns out, registered the driveway on some parking app years ago.  Might be worth checking the previous owners had not done something similar.

10 hours ago, Bunty Rothsay said:

But yes i will check re ownership.

When I took a cat from the RSPCA some years ago I just signed the paperwork after a quick scan.  When I looked in more detail later I discovered I had not paid them for the animal.  I had made a donation and agreed to keep/care for it.  In most cases this would never be an issue and it wasn't for me. 

As it happens, I agree with your stance on the automatic neutering of male dogs.  I'm not against it but I wouldn't do it without need and if you are going to do it then timing is all important.  How old is the dog?  Too young - very bad (age is breed dependent), quite old and I think the moment has passed.  There's a risk/reward issue whenever a general anaesthetic is involved.

I do understand a rescue's stance  to an extent as it's easier to have a blanket rule.  To what extent do you think they'll continue to follow up?

Are you sure it's your dog?  Some rescues have an arrangement where you don't become the owner, just the keeper.  A bit like fostering I guess.  I'm not sure exactly how it works but I think you need to check your paperwork carefully.

54 minutes ago, Bunty Rothsay said:

I signed the papers - but it said before you take the dog. So, have they not breached their own agreement?

Are they offering to pay for the procedure?

Do you buy the hair directly from the company yourself or does the hairdresser supply it and you pay her?  If the latter, and your post does give that impression, then you have no contract with the supplier but you do with the hairdresser.

My father had it 'mentioned on the death certificate'.  He had advanced esophageal cancer.  Covid did not kill him, cancer did.  If it hastened his death it was by a couple of days at most.  The same would be true of anyone who caught it in hospital if they were admitted because of trauma with absolutely no other issue.