I believe the other advantage of putting a bank account in joint names is that it doesn't need to be part of the probate process. Can anyone confirm this as I too am at the stage of organising things with an elderly parent.

They could have stopped you taking a pic as you were on their property. They didn't and you've got it now - well done you. Whatever the rights and wrongs of it I think it was a brilliant idea. Did the member of staff know you had done it?

It's anything but helpful for them to have failed to take payment at the time I admit. What's in my mind is that they still retain ownership of the goods because they weren't paid for. I know it's a bit of a simplistic view but it's not yours because you haven't paid for it. They were stupid in not making sure payment went through and they have given you 6 months use of something which won't delight them I'm sure. You contracted to pay for the goods and you didn't complete the transaction - no fault of yours I know.

You ordered something, they sent it and you haven't paid for it. I don't think there is a time limit on them requesting payment. If you now can't afford it I would guess you had better offer it back and hope they're prepared to take it rather than come after you for the money.

I'm confused now. I thought it was down to the banking licence which means RBS and Nat West are two different entities for protection of savings, is that wrong?

Did he buy the whole business as a going concern or just the premises to set up his own business?

Logic and the court system can be a long way apart. However, I wouldn't exactly be panic struck if this was happening to me. They both agreed to ebay/paypal t&cs, the dispute procedure was followed to the letter and the buyer can prove a reasonable attempt to return the goods. It will be interesting to see if the seller is asking the court to make a decision on whether the goods are 'as described' or what exactly their case is.

"It is also calling for a national address register, which would make it a criminal offence for a debtor to move address without informing their creditors." What about those who are targeted because of mistake. Am I a debtor because British Gas have a wrong address on their system and think I owe them money for a service I've never had from them?

Both you and the seller agreed to ebay's terms when you signed up. They include agreeing to ebay's/paypal's dispute resolution procedures. You have abided by those terms and the seller chose not to. You have attempted to return the goods and have proof. Make sure you take screenshots and have copies of all of this. Probably a good idea to take the goods to court with you to hand over - if it gets that far.

It has to be untrue to be defamatory, your opinion cannot be untrue because it's just your opinion. If you tell a blatant lie they have a case if it could damage their reputation eg I have a lousy meal at a restaurant do I a. tell everyone it was awful and I wouldn't go near the place again b. tell everyone they use rancid meat and mouldy bread The first is my opinion and is quite valid, the second could land me in court - of course if I could prove it was a true statement I'd still be OK.

So how can they have ruled in favour of Esporta on every previous occasion then as Esporta claim? Somebody's telling porkies. Although it isn't anything to do with your contract it might be worth pointing out the difference in their version and the FOS. They didn't exactly threaten you but they did lie in order to get you to cave in.

You need someone with more knowledge to answer that question. I automatically rang BG and was given a series of explanations as to why I 'must' owe this money along with being told I being abusive because I wouldn't admit that it was my debt. Eventually my 'abusive' behaviour led to them giving me the phone number I gave you. This dept. does at least appear to be staffed by professionals who understand how the DCAs behave and why I wanted it put right. I might have mentioned something about their requirement to keep accurate information under the Data Protection Act

If British Gas were not your supplier for electricity then you can't owe them any money for supply. You are not alone in this, a DCA was harrassing me for an electricty bill and BG seemed convinced that my house is a block of flats. It isn't and I've never been a BG customer for electricity. Better still, they sent someone round to my neighbour's house last week to cut off the gas (at least that was the threat). He got really upset when he couldn't - because the house doesn't even have gas! Their 'collections dept' can be contacted on 0800 072 5310. I am having some success dealing with a woman called Lesley Hogan who tells me her manager's name is Rob Thompson. Do not use any normal customer service numbers to ring them - they are staffed by people who cannot or will not believe BG might have made a mistake.

I've gone back and looked at it properly. It definitely says enquiry and it is Capita Life and Pensions Services. To call them a finance company may have been a bit misleading, suppose insurance would be more specific maybe. I've just Googled them and they seem to be some sort of administrative company for pensions. There is no reason why they should go near my credit file and it was certainly not with my consent which is why I first thought it was a data gathering exercise for marketing. Can I get it removed if I complain to Experian?

I have an 'enquiry' on my experian credit file from a finance company. I can guarantee I've not applied for any form of credit in the 12 months leading up to this so why is it there? Can any company cause these footprints by making speculative enquiries for marketing purposes?

Their ball, their game, their rules. They have decided that 2 accounts at the same address are linked. To be fair to ebay they don't know who the accounts belong to, one person can open multiple accounts. They don't care who pays just as long as they get their money. If it's not paid you can expect them to pass it on to a DCA without much delay.

This is a clear cut case with Paypal as they will simply check the tracking number and refund because it shows as not delivered. The seller should have refunded you anyway and is probably well aware that any claim with RM would fail. If you bought mail order from any other source than an ebay trader you wouldn't expect to claim from Royal Mail yourself.

Ticketmaster etc. send tickets by special delivery because they are not otherwise insured. I would urge the OP to open a dispute and escalate it to a claim if eligible without delay. There is a limited time to do this (60 days I think). Ticket sellers on ebay do not in general have the best reputation. It was never up to the buyer to chase RM for compensation but it is a well known ploy for unscrupulous sellers to play this game in the hope of stringing the buyer along until they have run out of time to claim their money back.

Their argument is that the tickets themselves are worth nothing as they are just bits of paper. Did you pay the ebay seller by Paypal? If you did you can claim your money back through a Paypal dispute as you never received the goods.

I don't know if it actually works but you could try refunding your buyers 1p. The ebay forums have threads claiming sellers have found a glitch which means your funds are released if you do this. Paypal introduced these so called security measures and are now applying them randomly, presumably lining their own pockets holding onto money which belongs to other people.

Thanks for that. TBH every year I challenge them on price and they come down to meet the lowest quote I can find so I don't necessarily want to change. Bit by bit I'm getting rid of DDs and going back to the old system where I am the only person with access to my bank account and I decide what's paid out of it and when. Things that were paid by credit card are, it seems, a bit more of a problem.

I paid the full 12 month premium for my car insurance by credit card. Does this give the insurance company the right to renew automatically and charge my card unless I opt out come renewal time? If the answer is yes, if I pay them by cheque this year does that stop them having any right to charge my card in subsequent years?

What was that song they kept playing - something about things can only get better.

I don't think it's as simple as theft. DHL have contracted with the supplier to deliver it to your address. As I see it they should still do this. Have you contacted them to ask for redelivery without the charges?

I may not have been clear in my original answer. IF the item is liable for VAT then VAT is calculated on the whole price including P&P. However, it is the price of the contents excluding P&P that decides whether VAT is payable or not. DHL based their decision on the wrong figure. I'd bet they do this quite often and make a tidy profit as they will only pay HMRC the correct amount.