Absoloutely. I didn't really know if I was in the right today but I couldn't see that a shop has any right to restrict the times they will comply with SOGA. What next - notices in shops claiming they will only abide by the law on Wednesdays between 2 and 3pm?

Ooooh - I had this argument today in River island. They closed the fitting rooms so I said we'd take a pair of jeans we'd bought to the loos in the shopping centre and be straight back if they didn't fit only to be told they were 'not accepting returns for the first 3 days of the sale'. Guess what - they accepted it when I pointed out that they were not fit for purpose and they had denied us the chance to check before buying.

I guess the reason they're not looked upon too favourably is because smokers can use them to carry on the habit in pubs and clubs. People don't see them as a way of cutting down and eventually quitting. I love that I can truly choose whether or not to have a cigarette and most of the time I choose not to. As a nicotine addict of over 30 years I can wean myself off the dreaded weed without the panic that has always set in before. I'll give up the crutches one by one and a little at a time. I know there are experts that insist you set a date to give up and never smoke another cigarette but that's never worked for me and e-cigs are doing.

I'm down to 4/5 real cigs a day from 20+ using e-cigarettes. I've only had the thing a couple of weeks and I find it miraculous. I plan to gradually reduce the nicotine levels and honestly expect the habit of smoking to decline along with that. I really love smoking and this has been the only thing that has worked for me. E-cigarettes were in the news some time ago because they are not properly tested. Well they might cause me some harm but real cigarettes definitely do so I reckoned they were worth a go.

I was suing someone for nuisance and negligence. It wasn't small claims and I did have an advocate. I was a witness in my own case and all witnesses were sworn, examined and cross-examined. Doesn't the court decide what level it is for each case? I can promise you it IS possible to give evidence under oath in a civil court.

I held a bible and repeated the appropriate words. I think I was under oath.

I don't think perjury can happen in a civil court as no oath is sworn I'm pretty sure I've been under oath in a civil court - it's why you are asked if there is anything you want to change in your witness statement before starting to give evidence.

Mr lex you've just burst my bubble. I was really looking forward to the 'I told you so' thing with my kids

I am thinking of getting one to show my student offspring how quickly they can be over the limit. It's not just about driving, as much about showing them how little alcohol can affect their judgement. One of them doesn't even drive. I'm not sure how accurate they are if you are seriously going to use it as an indicator of fitness to drive. I think I'd believe it if the result was positive for being over the limit and be sceptical if it was negative.

In which case it wasn't about £12, it was about £1+. I think Royal Mail charge somewhere in the region of £8 extra so DHL are very reasonable in comparison.

Forest Chav, Play.com are a massive setup and as such will have an agreement with HMRC to pay the VAT direct to them in bulk. Their prices will reflect that you have paid the VAT on purchase and don't need to go through the customs process. The retailer has done it for you in advance. Smaller companies don't do this.

Oh boy would this have been interesting if it had been pushed to court. I thought you had to go to court with 'clean hands' and tell the truth. The package was declared as a gift and was not challenged by HMRC. One simple question and you'd have to lie or admit that it was incorrectly declared and that it should have attracted VAT. I don't suppose that would endear you to any judge. Preyin Graham got away with it this time. Why on earth would he want to draw attention to it in a court? DHL were wrong but their mistake was nothing to do with whether or not they contacted the recipient and gave them the choice of paying up or rejecting the parcel. They delivered without the prior contact because there was no need for it. At the point of delivery they did exactly what they should have done. Somewhere along the line someone in their organisation entered the details of this parcel in the wrong column - by mistake or malice take your pick it really doesn't matter. The parcel was delivered correctly but at some point their 'systems' picked it up as chargeable.

It's dead simple - anything from outside the EU attracts VAT if the value is over £18. If the item is over £18 then VAT becomes payable on the whole thing p&p included. If it's an ebay type purchase only a pound or two over this amount there is no harm in asking the seller to accept an offer, especially if it's on ebay as a 'Buy it Now'. There is the facility for sellers to accept a 'best offer' if they wish. Contact the seller first, before bidding. Another thing to be careful of is buying multiple items from one source. If each item is under £18 but the sender parcels them up together and records a total amount on the customs form then the whole package will attract VAT. I think HMRC rules allow for a certain number in one parcel BUT you are relying on companies like DHL getting it right and you now know how likely that is. I buy my printer ink from a company in the Channel Islands and they always send them out singly to avoid problems.

Agreed, however what constitutes a false value when the price is negotiable in the first place? I wouldn't think of mentioning it for fixed price goods.

In future - if you buy something for £23 ask the seller to re-invoice you for £17.50 and charge you a handling/packaging fee for the difference. The value of the goods will then be exempt VAT anyway. Once it goes over £18 you get charged VAT on the whole lot including all delivery charges.

In the dim and distant good old days if you were insured fully comp you were automatically insured third party on any other car you drove with the owners permission and that car was properly insured. Now you have to check to see if this applies, some insurers offer it as an extra. He should check his policy in case he happens to be covered. It's unlikely but worth checking.

OK call it thoughtless billing. I always prefer to believe in cock-up rather than conspiracy until shown otherwise. I too thought the fight would be harder which is why I'm so pleased they backed down so quickly.

I'm delighted for you. I'm guessing it was an admin error by DHL as they must have thousands of packages to process and someone listed yours in the wrong coloumn. They should really be congratulated for responding so quickly and without fuss. If only other large companies were as quick to admit mistakes!

Hopefully 'something' will be done but I don't know what. I honestly can't work out how to sort it out other than pay them money I don't owe (which I'm not doing). DCA's just threaten you with court but don't follow through so you end up with a default on your credit file for a paid up account and there is no way of shifting it. I have clear evidence of department X saying something to department Y and the idiot in department Y deciding to 'interpret' the message in a ludicrous way and mark my file accordingly. They say nothing to the customer because one half of the company knows you don't owe them anything so the supposed letters are not actually triggered.

This happened to me but with not with 3, it was with O2 from a contract properly ended 12 months previously. It was the reason I joined this forum, the first I knew was phone calls from Credit Solutions Ltd. This DCA are simply not interested in the records from O2 (obtained by S.A.R.) which show all payments were made. Something very weird is definitely going on.

That's a shame - I knew they did CFA and thought they were big enough to cope with a complex case.

I don't think I've got the answers you need. Are you after some kind of injunction? If so that's way beyond my knowledge. There is a law firm in London who do work in this field, think they are called something like Carter Ruck. I'm really sorry I can't be more help. I do understand that you would want to do something. Ironic though that you are standing for Council - it was my council that I took to the high court.

I know nothing about how you go about starting things off but I have been there (and won ). What is it you need to know? If there is anything I can help with I'll drag out all my files and see what there is in the solicitor's paperwork.

Firstly I'd not be too happy about a handyman 'friend' of your LL doing electrical repairs. I'd want a qualified electrician. Whenever you need to report a fault which necessitates an emergency repair (and electrical faults would count to me) say you want it fixed within a certain time and if it's not done then get someone qualified to do it and hand in the receipt along with the balance of the rent.

I'd suggest leaving out that DCL would have no knowledge of the seller invoicing you. Just say it was clearly marked as a gift with a value of less than £36.