Please can anyone offer any advice about resolving a dispute that began in May. I bought a laminate floor from Quickstep from their own online website in April, thinking they were a reputable company with quality products. However, not long after it was laid (a friend laid it) it became apparent one of its joints was faulty. I got their own dealer's fitter to see it and he agreed the joint was weak and that he would be nervous to lay it himself and he put this in writing, although his finding wasn't 100% conclusive in laying blame! To cut a long story short Quickstep wouldn't accept his report and now after ALOT of persistance from me and after 4 months I've finally got them to arrange an independent inspection (that they will pay for as product is under 6 months old and onus is on them to proove there isn't a fault!). However, I have just looked up the man they are sending out, and found his wesiteb and can see hes a salesman for quickstep cleaning products so not independent at all if he's even an inspector:!:! I've already booked his visit next week as I was so relieved they were finally sending someone. What are my rights? Are they entitled to send whoever they like? Should I cancel him? Please help I don't know how to move this forward!

Hi I have followed reallymadwomans advice and got my partner to write letter of complaint does my letter of authorisation just have to say I give him permission to act on my behalf?

Thanks thats really helpful, I was wondering how to get her name, as neither myself or my partner caught it, if she gave it. I would be interested if anyone knows where I stand legally on using the recording. I thought if I taped it even if I can't submit it as evidence. At least I'd have a verbatim record of the conversation and could quote from it.

No I haven't had the outcome to this 'medical' yet. Really annoys me they even refer to it as a medical. I went expecting a medical, but would have been better prepared if they'd told me it was a DWP interview. It was only a few days ago she couldn't tell me when I'd be likely to get the decision. Do you think I should complain to Atos (I'm worried I'll make it worse) or see if my MP will take it up on my behalf? It's already affecting my health. Ironically the more you fight back the more they probably think it proves you can work (really feels like a no win situation).

Hello, this is the first time I've posted on this site. Sorry this is going to be a long post. Just to give a bit of background I have been on IB for 10 years, originally due to clinical depression and anxiety. Over that time I have had a few medicals, but the last assessment in 2008, I passed on the form alone & was told I would not be reviewed for 3 years. Two years ago I became extremely ill & was also diagnosed with lupus sle, I couldn't walk anywhere, eat properly or even sit in a chair - certainly housebound and almost bedbound naturally my depression worsened. Like rheumatoid arthritus, lupus is a disease of the immune system there is no cure, my immune system confuses my own body (this can include organs such as the heart, kidneys,lungs too) as an infection & attacks it. Recently the DWA got round to changing my IB to ESA. I found the new IB50 form very difficult complete & get across the varying nature of my 2 conditions, but I gave them everything I could & a letter from my GP clearly explaining how both these things affected me. As expected I was asked to attend a capability for work assessment. I read the helpful advice on this site & horror stories on the web. I took my partner who works in HR (so he's experienced in these kind of meetings) with me and asked him to covertly tape it, in the unlikely event of something bad happening in it. I was in quite a state over it, in the week leading up to it. I was 'interviewed' by a nurse, who seemed to read my GPs letter, but not my form. She was abrasive, intimidating and unpleasant from the moment I walked in. I did my best to answer her questions accurately, but explained that lupus is a condition that varies over weeks and months not over the course of a week. I also did my best to explain how depression affects me. She didn't let me speak properly, she pushed me to give answers to her own statements. I felt very intimidated & bullied. In my application I had focused on the areas where I met the descriptors, I said I could use stairs for example, but she focused her questions on alot of the physical areas where I hadn't even claimed. Did my house have stairs how many times did I use them? Was my bathroom upstairs? Then she asked if I had a shower? How long did I take in the shower? I had no idea & turned to my partner & asked him. He laughed and said 'you probably take about a minute!' (it was a running joke that I'm far quicker than him in the shower). I said yes I probably do take about a minute. Then out of the blue she just turned to us and said 'Right I'm finding the level of sarcasm is too uncomfortable for this interview to continue and I'm quite happy to end it here!' She also made some comment about my partner taking notes & some sort of legal implications. I was gobsmacked. I had had no sense of any sarcasm, I was taking it very seriuosly, I was also very anxious, finding it very difficult & had been stressed about it & not slept properly the whole week before. She seemed to have no understanding at all of mental illness & seemed incredulous when I explained I often didn't see people or didn't get out of bed. I felt extremely judged. The thought of having virtually got to the end of the interview & then having to go through it again (who knows what effect this would have on my claim) was devastating. My partner apologised explained there was no sarcasm intended & this was simply a running joke between the two of us, suggested her approach to someone who suffered with anxiety was maybe not the best and said that he personally was feeling very threatened by her behaviour. She finally agreed to continue & carried out a fairly laughable physical examination, at one point saying 'can you not lift you legs any higher than that?!' I was left feeling very traumatised by it, so was my partner (& he's not ill!). I would really appreciate any advice anyone can give me about what to do about it. I don't know at this stage if I passed (I doubt it) but regardless of this I feel that her behaviour was totally unacceptable, unprofessional & actually think she was unfit to do the job! I have no confidence in Atos's complaints procedure, I understand they consider taping it as an invasion of privacy so I can't show them how she behaved. It'll be my word against hers & she obviously thought we were being difficult, I also don't want the extra stress & I'm worried it would be detrimental to my claim. I'm thinking of taking it to my MP does anyone know how I do this? Do I give them the evidence before I see them or just explain what happened? Possibly contacting a journalist? Or can I complain to the DWP? I want to make people aware of what happens in these 'interrogations' where the people interviewed may be vunerable due to mental illness. It seems that unlike any other private company, because this is paid for by the taxpayer ATOS aren't really answerable to anyone.