Quick update - off to court on Monday and got fingers tightly crossed it goes our way.

and still this continues....... I do hope to have an outcome for you all soon but for now the conservsatory is going from bad to worse. Doors have to be padlocked, can see daylight above one of them, the cracks are now chasm's and the entire structure would probably fall over with a bit of force as it's so wobbly now.

Very brief update - I've not forgotten you all but these things can't be hurried and my solicitor has been beavering away in the background We now have the expert report and I'll just say I'm very pleased with it......:whoo: Now it all gets put into the hands of a barrister and counter claims proceed. I'm feeling very happy with the progress and am quietly hopeful that this is the last winter I'll have to put up with the monstrosity that is attached to my house. The biggest dilemma I now have is......quarry tiles or wooden floor......... radiator or underfloor heating........self cleaning glass or not - decisions, decisions:razz:

Thanks for all the replies. The DWP contacted me before I had chance to call them, they were looking at the wrong years and I do qualify thankfully

I got a letter saying my claim for JSA has been refused due to insufficient contributions in the tax years 2009 and 2010. I'm sure they have got it wrong as I was employed full time (40 hours a week) from 4th August 2008 and was paying NI contributions via my salary. I have checked with the contributions agency and they have the same figures as my P60's. So in the 08/09 tax year I earnt £17312 and in the 09/10 tax year I earnt £21997 - I was on PAYE both years and made full tax and NI contributions. Can anyone advise me what I can do please?

thanks for that explanation - this is good news as we can now bring in GE Money. My lawyer is lovely and has been so helpful. I'll be speaking with him soon to go through what happens next.

what is a part 20 claim when it's at home....will it pay for a holiday

It's been a while since I last posted....the legal wheels have been turning slowly and today I got what I hope is the great news. A survey was done and the conservatory base HAS sunk but in a twisted manner hence it pulling away from the wall more on one side than the other. It is leaking because it wasn't constructed right - apparently a support bar is missing so it's caused the whole thing to bow outwards which is pullling the whole thing apart. Other comments were made and I have to wait for the proper report, but it's good news....I think So looks like we'll be trotting off to court to get this sorted soon. One thing left to worry about.....what flooring shall I have with my properly built conservatory when it's resolved!!!!!

Hi In late May 2010 I bought an 02 Ford Focus from a dealer. 3 weeks after purchasing it the engine cut out as I was going round a roundabout and the glow plug warning light flashed. I managed to get to the kerb and restarted the engine without problem, I called the dealer and agreed we would moniter the situation as the car seemed to be running fine at that time. However in the past 6 weeks the car has cut out on me many times, sometimes in dangerous situations like the motorway. I now have stopped driving it. I emailed the dealer 7 days ago and told him the issue was still there and was worse than before and I no longer drove the car. I got no response after 4 days so called the dealer, he was very nice and told me he'd got my email and had passed it to the people who deal with his warantee work. 3 days later and still no contact from either the garage or the dealer so I called the dealer again to be told that he would chase up the garage again. I feel as if I am getting the runaround here. Can you offer any advice please? Thanks

Thanks OP - I did look at their website but it seemed more geared to big companies rather than individuals. I'll give them a call.

Can anyone help point me in the right direction. I am a sales manager in a call centre and having seen what my colleague is going through has made me feel rather vulnerable. I would like to look into joining a Union but don't know where to start. any advice would be very welcome - you guys have never let me down in the past

Thanks to you both for the advice. I've discussed this with my friend earlier and she says that she considers what she has done to be acceptable as a grievance as this is how she titled the email. Surprisingly she hasn't had a meeting with the company over this one. I don't understand what makes sense about what the company is saying. From what I've read, if both are doing the same job and have the same skills then they should be on the same salary and what the company have said isn't a defence. Certainly, I've been with the business for a number of years and this is the first I have heard of pay banding - we haven't even had a pay review since 2007!! I wonder if it might be advisable for her to check her house insurance for this one as she may have legal cover and I'm guessing it could get too much for us to handle without help. She's already under great stress with the grievance she is undergoing for a different matter.

Thank you. We have been sent a questionnaire to send to HR and then she has to wait 28 days for a reply apparently. Does that sound right?

I'm in the process of helping a friend with a grievance against the company we both work for. During collecting of evidence for this it has come to light that 2 male colleagues (possibly 3) are paid £3000 and £6000 a year more than her. One of the male colleagues has given a written statement as he no longer works for the business - he left 6 weeks ago. Both were managers of customer service agents and both did identical work. There was a redundancy process earlier in the year and both the male colleagues were selected based on performance appraisals. My friend was not selected as she is one of the strongest managers in the department, so understandably she is not happy at being paid less than her colleagues. The salaries within this department seem to range from £16000 to £24000 for the managers, all who perform identical duties within their role. ACAS advised an email was sent to the HR department explaining that she had found this out and naming the colleagues. She was also advised to ask the reasons behind the difference in salaries. The company have written back with the following statement The Equal Pay Act states that men and women doing equal work and work rated as of equal value are entitled to equal pay. The company does not base any remuneration decision on gender but operates within salary bands for General and Administrative employees. The positioning within this band is based on the relevant skills, knowledge and experience the candidate brings to the role and/or has previously demonstrated in the role. The salary levels within a role may vary from one person to another due to tenure, skills and performance within the position banding. You have identified two colleagues with whom you are comparing yourself i.e. xxxxx and xxxxx and I can confirm that both of these employees had been working in a Team Manager role since January 2007 and December 2007 respectively. My friend started the role in November 2008 and has never had a pay review, nor is she or her colleagues aware of any position banding. My friend has not got a contract, despite asking for one on many occasions and she only has a letter confirming her employment start date, job title and salary. Can I ask for opinions please as to what to do next? ACAS have advised to start tribunal proceedings under the Equal Pay Act 1970 - is there a way to try to settle this without resporting to tribunal? Thanks for any help

Another upate. on Friday I had a phone call from a lovely guy at the FOS who is now dealing with the complaint I put in way back. I gave him the link for this thread and also gave him the details of my solicitor. Whilst he didn't give me any indication as to what the outcome would be of the complaint, he didn't seem too impressed at that way this has all gone on and the lack of action. So perhaps they will get their comeupance from 2 sides - we can live in hope. The other good news is that I have got a different job. It is a promotion for me and means I had to face my fears and go back to working in an office. Hubby helped me prepare and we drove there beforehand. But I got through 2 interviews and on 5th July I start as a Call Centre manager. It wil be lovely going back to mainly 9-5 hours and it's doing me the world of good too.