Thank you for that, I will attempt a chargeback ASAP. Called the company again this morning and was told that they would look into changing my cabin after three hours there was no call back. Called them again only to be told that no deposit would be returned and that the room outside the lift lobby was really quiet anyway. I re-explained how that wasn't the sort of room we wanted and that it shouldn't have been sold to us on the basis that it was quiet. Then asked to speak to a manager but was given the usual fob off that he's on holiday for two weeks. I could speak to someone else later this afternoon (no idea who he is) but they wouldn't be able to do anything as the booking is less than 24 hours old. Utterly frustrating in trying to deal with this lot.

A mere two hours ago I booked a cruise via a IGLU cruise It's the first time either of us have been on a ship and we wanted this one to be special as we haven't had a holiday in over ten years. The customer service rep was really nice, she booked us into cabin ..... which had a clear view from the balcony (no lifeboats) and was located in a very quiet part of the ship. We paid our £500 deposit over the telephone via debit card, weren't told about any terms or conditions but since everything sounded so nice, we didn't worry. About fifteen minuets after the call the customer service rep calls back to tell us that cabin ..... (the one that sounded perfect) was unavailable but that ....... was free. She added that ...... was just as good (still located in a quiet part of the ship) so we agreed to that one and the invoice was sent through via email. Then, stupidly, I checked cabin ..... and found it right next to the elevators! Worse was that more than a few reviews online said it was noisy with people stood outside and the ding of the lift. Considering the total amount this holiday is costing I was extremely annoyed that it had been sold to us as a quiet cabin. On calling the same customer rep again I asked if we could move somewhere else (not likely) or at least have our deposit back to use against another trip with them. The response was that the terms and conditions state that the deposits are non-refundable and that there is not much else the booking agents can do. right now it seems like we either stick it out in a loud room for two weeks, or loose our £500 deposit. Ideally we would like a refund then use that money to book the same trip at a later date (to secure a nicer cabin) but how should I proceed?

Thank you all for your advice and tweets. I’ve removed the faceplate on the main socket and tried it with two separate phones and still no dial tone so I’m guessing it is a BT fault despite their claims. Just one more question if I may, is there any way to prove it is their fault? As for all I know their engineer could just blame me when he comes around.

I'm sorry to sound dense but is there a particular address or e-mail for that? It's taking so long to load websites that I'm not getting far on the BT homepage.

Sadly I'm starting to agree. Any particular names or numbers to ask for? Every time I ask for a manager I get another clerk who just wants to read from their scripts!

When we moved into our new home earlier this year we decided to use BT as our internet service provider, picking the Unlimited Broadband package at just £16 per month. After many cancelled appointments (by BT) an engineer finally came around to get us online on 9th May. He fitted a new telephone line due to the previous one being “too old for internet” and we ran an extension phone line from the main socket downstairs to my office upstairs so the hub could be connected to the PC via an Ethernet lead. For two weeks everything was fantastic, download speeds were terrific and we were really happy with the service. Then one day I came home to find no signal from the phone and extremely slow internet speeds. Called BT (via mobile) who said the line was working fine, called them again two minutes later and they said the problem was outside our house and that an engineer would be around today (31st) at no charge. Still no dial tone and slow broadband as of this afternoon I called BT who said the engineer found no fault and that I would need to pay £99 for them to come out again. He must have been invisible as we live right next to the junction box and no one went near it today. explained that I felt a bit cheated as we’ve had their service for less than a month, have not touched anything save to try a phone in the main socket (still no dial tone so not the extension at fault) and now we have to pay more just to get a normal service! The man advised us that we had exceeded our (truly) unlimited download limits at 150GB and this was causing the phone to go dead and the broadband to drop. He said to fix it we would have to upgrade to the BT Infinity package at £23 a month (plus £40 installation fee) but it sounds too fishy to me. So then: 1) Since we don’t use the phone save once in a blue moon, why would the tone go dead because of our broadband use? 2) Is the Infinity option the only solution to this problem? 3) Are we still liable for cancellation fees (the man said we are) if we quit with BT now? 4) Also does anyone know if the £99 call out charge will cover any repairs they need to make if the fault is somehow ours? Sorry for a lengthy mail and lots of questions but I’m getting nowhere with BT customer support.

Hi I’m not too sure what the redress scheme is but for what I know, this is a regular letting agent that has been handling the property for years. On checking my mails I first enquired about the deposit on 11th May but didn’t get a response, then chased them up about it on the 18th May before finally getting an answer from them on the 24th. Hope that helps as I’m at a loss on how to proceed, thank you for your time.

Hi Folks I’m in need of some advice in regard to the return of my deposit from a previous rented property. The landlord has used a local estate agent to manage the property so all my communication goes through them. I’ll try to keep things brief with this: Started tenancy in November 2007, agreement states that deposit of £495 is held in a Tenancy Deposit Scheme though we were not given any reference or scheme number; Inventory states that carpets were soiled and tiles cracked prior to us moving in. Previous tenant had been there for six years so no idea how long floor was in that condition; Gave six weeks’ notice and moved out of the property on 20th April 2013. Hired a cleaner for carpets and wiped down all the tiles as best as we could; Estate agent/landlord inspection was done after we handed in our key, no response so assumed all was ok and landlord moved new tenants in a few days later. I later found out that the new tenants wanted new doors and stair banisters which the landlord had to pay for; Enquired about the return of my deposit on 24th May and the estate agent told me the landlord isn’t happy with the conditions of the floor (no specifics) and is thinking about what to do. Right now I suspect the landlord is using my deposit to cover the cost of the new doors and stair banisters. I’m quite annoyed because we (wife and I, no kids or pets) kept the place in immaculate condition and have never been behind with our rent or caused trouble. We thought he was a nice landlord until this nonsense! Could anyone suggest where we go from here please?

Well it’s Monday and as much as I struggled to get today off work the whole thing turned out to be a huge waste of time. I saw the builder out on the street early this morning who told me that he’s doing another job instead and that I should rebook with the council renovations department. This department had called me a load of times on Friday afternoon but didn’t leave a message or contact number. I went to their offices earlier and was told that perhaps they can rebook for next Monday (though the job will last until Thursday so no hot water or heating until it was done) but they weren’t sure. Spoke to a number of ‘supervisors’ neither who had a clue of what to do and was told they would call me back to confirm a date so that I could book time off work to let the builder in. Also added that if he can’t access my boiler then the landlord will have to pay for all the other renovation work and you can bet that cost will be passed on to me. Five hours later and still no call, blooming typical.

Thank you for the responses. I can understand how this would be a benefit to me in the long run (even though I’m moving out in two months) and in all fairness to the landlord he understands that I work long hours away from home so I’m not always able to drop everything at the snap of someone’s fingers. I think what concerned me the most is that the builder was very threatening about getting inside on Monday and that there was nothing I could do about it so I was worried that if push came to shove, he’d get access regardless of my wanting to be here at the time. I will definitely contact the council about it though, that is a great idea, and I’ll start clearing out the rooms they need to access (three so far) just to get it ready for when I am able to be off work again. Still can’t fathom it taking four days though, ok so I’m not a plumber or engineer but a group of four blokes taking that long to replace one boiler? Sounded odd to me.

I would have thought so too but he seemed a thuggish sort, pushed past when I told him I couldn’t guarantee the time off work and stormed out the front door mumbling to himself. He then told the builders working on the outside wall to turn up the loud music on their radio! Yeah like hell I want his rabble working inside my home when I’m not there.

Urgent advice required on this one please, as part of a local rejuvenation scheme run by the local council our landlord has signed up to have the boiler replaced at our property as well as having the outer walls insulated. I don’t know the exact details as everything is discussed between the landlord and council but for the past four months we’ve had scaffolding and builders outside the house working on the walls and it has all been so noisy and messy with drink cans and food wrappers in addition to the usual mess. Today (on the rare occasion I have time off work due to snow) one of the builders tells me that they’ll need to come inside the house to work on the boiler for at least four days from Monday. I told him that four days seemed a bit excessive and I can not guarantee that I’ll be able to get that much leave from work at such short notice but his attitude was tough luck and that they’ll come in whether I like it or not. So if neither my wife or I are able to get time off work, and I certainly don’t like the idea of just handing over the keys (landlord does not have any himself) to a group of builders, where do I stand? As the current boiler is working fine I don’t consider this to be essential but after all the time we’ve had off over Christmas and New Year I wish they could have done it then.

Well surprise, surprise! The car battery is as dead as a dodo! Just had to call the AA out so I could drive home from work, they also pointed out that one of the headlights doesn’t work so I will be calling the dealer again tomorrow. Surely he has to at least replace the battery?

Thanks for clearing that up both, I should have written before that we are renting the property through the Estate Agents on a six month contract and they usually come around to inspect it every 3 months even though we never have any problems in regard to damage or disrepair. I understand they are doing their job but it does get a tad annoying, especially when they want to inspect when we are away on holiday. Am I right to believe that this is too often or can the Landlord change how often the checks are made? I admit that they do use bully tactics sometimes, if I send them e-mail in regard to a fault (the last was when the wooden front door had swollen too much for me to close) they often ignore it, waiting until I visit them in person to acknowledge it before telling me they had received it a few weeks ago! I really dread speaking with them as they are always short tempered with an inexperienced person like me. It is such an effort to get things done.

Hi All I was wondering if someone could explain a few problems I am having with Estate Agent (the ones who manage the property) visits. I understand that they have to do this on behalf of the landlord and all I ask is to be present during such visits but they always seem to kick up a big fuss whenever I ask them to change dates. I don’t do this all the time but on two occasions (out of at least twelve) I have been unable to book the original dates off work though when I ask them to reschedule I get told the usual “we have the keys we can gain access any time” line. Is this reasonable? On the two occasions that they have supposedly visited without me being there they never leave any indication that they have visited the property so I do not know what is going on. On occasions when I am there, I sometimes ask them to use slippers (we bought new ones just for this) when entering the house as there is a muddy path outside our property but they never do and we often have spots of dirt on the carpets afterwards. On a side note, when the landlord visits he often brings with him a friend and two young kids who run all over the house. I am too old to chase them myself but have asked him many times to keep them in check though he never does. Am I being unreasonable? Have I just been unlucky with the agents and landlord?