Good evening all, I've just renewed my insurance policy and moved from Churchill (Who wanted £1400 to renew me) to Hastings Premier, who wanted £400 to renew. I've informed Churchill that I'll be leaving them and my policy lapsed on 14/11/15. At this same date, my policy with Hastings has come into force. I had a bit of a grumble on the phone to Churchill, as I don't like change, and said that I think it's disgraceful that my insurance has gone up by £1000, especially seeing as I'm now 25 and have five years NCD behind me. None the less, I've left them. But do you think I can get them to send me my NCD proof? I've had at least four phone calls now with promises relating to my NCD letter, but nothing. Then, today, 18/11 I get a letter saying "Your motor insurance policy is due to expire soon and we recently wrote to you with details of your renewal. Please therefore take a few minutes of your time to discuss your cover for the next year"... etc. If they can fire me a letter out dated 13/11, then why the hell can't they get my NCD out to me when I called them and told them I wouldn't be renewing about 3 weeks ago! I don't know what to do, as Hastings Direct aren't exactly the most sympathetic of companies, I don't want to annoy them by chasing my NCD around and around, and risk having my policy cancelled! What's the crack? Where do I stand? Cheers, Caeleb.

So, Seeing as a lot of people on here have a gripe to air to the world, I thought it'd be nice to post a bit of praise. I've banked with Metro Bank since the spring time and I've had nothing but good experiences with them. Since opening their branch in Cambridge, many Main Stream customers of Barclays/Natwest/Lloyds and TSB have been switching over due to the 12hours opening times, Sunday and Bank holiday opening and the general level of service offered by the staff. I work as a Bus Driver, so the amount of time I spend in the city centre is high. Being a Metro Bank customer gives me a good chance of being given change in whatever denomination that I wish for, so most Bus Drivers now have a Metro Bank account (They'll also make coffee for you if you so wish, which is nice on a cold morning!). The call centre is good and open 24 hours, unlike Barclays which seem to close at 23:00 unless you pay for your bank account. I've had to recall a few transactions under the debit card guarantee which has been easy to do and when they were late paying it back to my account, got given £10 for the inconvenience. I was also given £20 for my ISA account being inaccessible for 48 hours which I thought was pleasant, seeing as I didn't need the money at the time. The online system is pretty easy to use and the mobile app is getting there, and I just find most of the facilities on all channels easy to use. So far me and my partner have accounts, and we're known on first name terms in branch by all members of staff. The only downside is that there's no branch at home when I visit my family, but that's soon changing. All in all, I hope to see many more metro bank stores opening as they're a genuinely reasonable business to deal with from Joe Average's point of view.

Hi Stu, She is the home owner, the house was bought in 1967 by my Grandmother and late Grandfather. The Grant was a non-repayable loan from the council, issued by the District Council. It is given to people who own their own home, but do not have the money to upkeep it (In receipt of certain benefits). I do not know the exact name of it. There were no conditions apart from that the work was for essential repairs to the home to bring it up to modern standards. The man from the District Council employed the building company in question. Concerns have been raised to the man at the council many times and been ignored. I haven't complained to the CEO of the council. Hope this helps.

To be fair, you've dodged a bullet. The 2.0 engine is far superior in reliability and durability than the 1.6 PSA unit. I understand your concern, but trust me, no warranty in the world will cover the amount of damage that a 1.6 TD Ford unit can do to itself. Also, you're not pressured into not taking your old car back - You just don't want to cos' you bent it up and feel that you're better off rid of it. Feel glad you've got a good engine, in a good car, which won't grenade itself when the injector seals go and you've even got £500 to put in the tank and enjoy too. Job done.

Hi guys, This isn't my usual post, so please excuse me if I miss out any information. Sometime around 3/4 years ago, my Grandmother had work done which was funded by a council grant to renew her Electrics, Central Heating, Windows, Bathroom, Kitchen, roof and facia boards. Soon after, the work was found to be unsatisfactory. The man at the council who issued the grant to the builders in question stopped responding to our calls and it was just accepted that we'd have to deal with these issues. Time has passed, and we've just not stopped finding faults. About 18 months ago, I wrote to the man from the council, who brushed off my complaint as "Not his problem". Previous to this, his comments were "If you think it's bad now, you obviously didn't see the state of it before", although, I kinda think this is why the council issued the grant to her? So, recently, the hot water tank has ruptured, causing the ceiling in the landing to come down, making the stairs wet and upsetting her Stannah Stair Lift. What do I do? The home insurance won't cover the hot water tank, although they have said that they will stem the leak and deal with the damage resultant from the rupture. How do I go forward with this? The local councillor isn't concerned, the local MP has ignored us and the man at the council is just using our slow actions to his advantage. I am tempted to go into the council offices and create havoc, but I don't want to get into trouble myself. This is having a massively negative effect on my grandmothers quality of life, added to the lightswitches that were left in place but not connected, the double glazed windows that don't open, the leak in the ceiling resulting from the bad roofing job and the new radiators which were charged to the council, but in fact, are the old radiators... What can I do? Any advice accepted gratefully.

Good evening guys, I was wondering if I could seek some help. My partner has been off work on SSP for 7 months now and I am the sole breadwinner in the house. Our income and expenditure looks relatively OK but Barclays have been making things much worse for us. Both of us have had suspect transactions to EE/T-Mobile on our statements, even though I am with Three and other half is with o2. They've refunded these amounts to us as and when we've noticed them, but it's got to the point where I've had to go into the bank to sign the forms as they're just taking too long to send them out and in some cases, not send them at all. The form in question asks pointless questions such as "Is your Debit Card in your posession at all times" etc, which I have to answer "No" due to the fact that when I'm at work, it is in my wallet, not at my workstation. They've now sent about 40 copies of the same form and no sheet at the back to tell me which form is for which and it's all really confusing, worse than that, they've been charging me for DD being bounced because the money has been taken from my account without my authorisation. They refund me the amount, but then take it back after a few days because I don't return them in time, even though I haven't received them. It's driving me crazy, I've probably amassed and paid enough charges to do my monthly shop since my partner has been off sick and I just can't manage it. I don't earn much money but I do like to have enough to eat, fuel the car and pay my bills. They're taking so much that my car insurance is defaulting and then I'm being charged a £30 late payment fee on that, which I have to pay or I'll lose my car and both of us will be stuffed. Can anyone help me with where to start, please? Thanks Yukiko

Same thing with me, exactly the same. KF in Cambridge told me my discs and pads were dangerous and that my discs were below spec. When asked what "Spec" was, he responded 300mm... When I told him 300mm was precisely One Foot, and that I was driving a Nissan Primera, not a Boeing 767, he got shirty and told me it would be my fault if I had an accident, yadda yadda... Took it for an MOT at my local garage, no discs or pads required, passed MOT. Wheels off, mechanic told me that the brakes were absolutely fine. Moral of the story, support your local garage rather than Kwik Sh*t. Two tyres at a local garage, £99 (Budget), KF couldn't beat it, despite their promises. Absolute Shower...

Hi guys, My other half, as detailed in another thread, is off work on SSP and is having direct debits bounce because I'm just not home enough to go and stick money into the account. This is incurring loads of bounced DD charges and interest on his overdraft. Is there a letter I can send detailing this to Barclays and possibly some legislation relating to this so I can stave them off for a little while? Until the legal side of things is dealt with, we've got no way of paying the overdraft or these charges as I'm the only one winning bread right now. TIA, Yukiko

Right - Progress... Sorry for the lack of updates! The Police/CPS have decided not to pursue prosecution against the farmer due to lack of evidence and I've enlisted the services of a solicitor to commence proceedings against the offender. The solicitor has given us a conditional arrangement (Basically no win, no fee) with a fair Win/Fee ratio. The farmers insurer has bought an Occupational Theropist in to assess his condition and further X-Rays/MRI scans have revealed 5 broken vertibre. The OT has bought the O/H a stool for washing up/cooking as he can't stand for a length of time and also some tools for effective personal hygeine (Long armed back scrubber etc)... OT has also said that there's a good chance of getting driving lessons as O/H wouldn't be able to ride a motorcycle again and hasn't got a car license (This isn't guaranteed, although it's been put to the farmers insurer). So, that's how far it's gone so far, I'm in the process of writing a letter to the CPS to ask them to review their position on the matter, given the fact that there's 10 pictures of the scene and the highways agency had to close the road to make it safe, although farmers and police seem to be in it together nowadays... I didn't believe in two tier justice until recently!

Not fair at all Kiki1. We have little choice on what roads to use around here. We have even less choice on what we use on the road in these times (A Scooter is as good as a Mercedes if it gets you to work and back). The police have given us the land owners details and therefore a prosecution is being sought. The solicitors have also visited today and have signed the papers etc to bring a civil case against this landowner. All is looking well so far, I will post pictures up to show the extent of the problem. All is looking well at the moment however.

Hi guys, The O/H was riding to work on his moped this evening down Twenty Pence Road in Cambridgeshire when he's slid and come off of the bike at around 20mph (NSL zone). The local farmer has been ridiculous with the amount of mud he's left on the road, with road markings and "cats eyes" being completely obscured in places. The police are in regular attendance as more and more people have accidents and so on, and have tonight enlisted the help of the Highways Agency to make the road safe again, until tomorrow . My partner has come off of his bike twice in three days now, the first time being taken to A&E at Addenbrookes Hospital for possible head injuries and broken knee (Was just badly bruised - Was told best to check as M/C accidents can often be harmful). The bike is now in an unrideable condition along with his helmet and gear being damaged too. He doesn't wish to enlist the assistance of his TPFT insurance as he's 3 weeks from No Claims Discount, so we're both wondering what the best course of action is? I've telephoned the Police regarding this issue and reported it, and Scott has reported his accidents and the reasons to the police. They are having words with the farmer who is presently saying "It's not my fault, I've cleaned it once*). *Cleaned being taken a trailor full of water and dumped it on the road without any attempt to clear the road surface. The HA have been doing the job for him when people have been having accidents with a Telehandler with brushes on the end. Can anyone please help? Regards, Yukiko

I only received their "Pay up, or pay a debt collector" letter last week. Is it still process to send a denial of liabilty to Smart and their client?

Sorry, I should have emitted the "Missing Aerial" from the list, as I know it was missing (I have an invoice from Nissan for a new one only a fortnight ago!) But minus the aerial, the three points that have been quoted, are completely fabricated.

I'm in need of some help here. I took my car to Autoglass at the end of August (26th, I believe it was), to have my windscreen replaced. My car was delivered to Cambridge on a trailer and I drove it the 400m to AG around 11am. I walked around the vehicle with a technician who noted various scratches and dents on the vehicle, noted that the aerial was missing and that there was a dent on the bonnet, etc etc. After I've signed the PDA that the report was being compiled on, he asked me if the windscreen wiper arms had been removed recently, as this particular model can be problematic if the arms seize onto the spindles; I told him that I'd taken them off recently to spray them black as they were faded grey, so shouldn't be a problem. All of that over, I walked back to work and awaited a call back. Around 1230, I got a phone call from AG saying that they wouldn't be completing work on the car unless I ran it to a dealership and had the wiper arms removed from the spindles. They told me that they'd seized on and that they ask all customers with problematic spindles to go back to a dealer and have the arms removed. I said that I wasn't prepared to do that, as my windscreen being 60% broken/shattered/opaque would almost certainly result in a tug by the police, that I wasn't prepared to drive the car without windscreen wipers and that it was Bank Holiday Monday and no Nissan dealers are open for Service calls! They then demanded that I removed my car from their premises, at which time, I called Sainsbury's (My insurer) customer services, who were very nice about everything and got onto a conference call with Autoglass, Sainsbury's and myself. AG kept interrupting and stating that it is my fault for bringing them a poorly maintained vehicle and that driving the car on the road was perfectly legal, at which point, I called my mechanic who is an MOT tester, on Facetime and showed him the car whilst on the works landline to the conference call. My mechanic told me that it was an MOT fail and that the vehicle would possibly be prohibited/seized if used on the road due to the danger it posed to other road users. At this point, AG were kicked off the call as all that kept happening was repetitive nonsense. I ended up getting a taxi home, which AG paid for (£124-00). The next day, AG called to say that the work on the car was complete and that one of the chaps had used WD40 to free the arms from the spindles. They advised me that my wiper mechanism was badly worn and in need of repair, but the car was serviceable and I could drive it home. Gleefully, I went to the workshop and collected my car. As I arrived, I went into the office and was told the car would be brought around in a moment and that I should sign "Here, here and here". After signing Thrice, I noticed some comments in the vehicle damage report: Wiper mechanism broken Scratches on Scuttle Panel Trim incomplete/doesn't fit Aerial Missing None of those were noted when I took the car in originally and I know that the damage to the vehicle is fresh. I also noted that I HADN'T ticked the "I accept the report to be correct" box on the paperwork. I quizzed the technician who drew my car out to me about the damage and he said "I dunno, I just got asked to bring it round mate, but the wiper arm on the passenger side is certainly not right". At this point, the woman who was on the conference call the day before, and who took my money (The site manager), ran over and quickly ushered the employee back inside, seemingly before he said something he shouldn't. I drove home, happy as larry, operated the screenwash and then I noticed the issue. The wipers squeak and drag across the screen horribly. The passenger side wiper gets dragged up the screen almost sideways and doesn't complete a single sweep without juddering. I called Sainsburys, who were great to me, they sent me a cheque for £100 and told me that they'd keep me up to date. A week later, they called me to say Autoglass were denying all knowledge of the original PDA report and to sit tight. They sent me £50 through the post to cover the phone calls and so on. Autoglass tell Sainsburys that I'm a liar, and that the vehicle was in terrible condition when it was taken to them. They also said that I dumped my car in protest and that I was responsible for the wiper arms being seized on due to over tightening. Autoglass send out a final response and invite me to complain to the FOS, after sending me the £124-00 cheque. Where do I go from here? They've clearly caused damage to my car, treated me poorly and refused to make any good of the damaged they've caused. The scuttle panel for my car is £74.00, bits in the wipers are around £80.00 + labour on both. The windscreen trim which was new at the time of fitting the windscreen, doesn't fit. Yet, Autoglass claim to use manufacturer specification parts. Where do I stand here? Someone please help; I have photos of the car, damage and scans of the receipt from AG showing that I didn't sign for the damages. Thanks in advance.

Hi guys. I'm a long time user (occasional poster) and have been daft and obtained a notice which was affixed to my car the other week. On the 18th August, I went to Lincoln and parked in a Smart car park (T/A T&C) and paid for 4 hours parking. Stupidly, I went over the 4 hours by a few minutes and as I returned to my car, saw a yellow striped plastic bag stuck to my windscreen, stating "PARKING CHARGE NOTICE.... Unauthorised Removal is an offence". I opened it and there was an invoice for £35 rising to £70 if I didn't pay within a week. Now, I know I'm at fault for going over, but surely £70 is a bit steep for 16 minutes??? I know the old advice was ignore/ignore or ignore, but have things changed? I don't want to end up being a living breathing puppet for these guys in a courtroom. Thanks in advance.

To be fair, you had money knocked off as the MOT and Service were due. Have you checked the Air Filter? HDi Engines (Which yours will be) are very fussy about a clean air filter... Injector cleaner may have been a bypass of them having to have to wait until the next delivery round for an air filter... Brake pads and disks, well... These can go at anytime. I dont recall the Picasso having a warning light for them (even though most brands of pads come with the wire, these just get ripped out as there's no connector for them!). I think your workshop have taken the mick here, not the dealer. Pads are £20, discs probably £25 each and then an hours labour to fit. On a different note, enjoy it. Make sure the timing belt is up to date too, these are fussy old things. But super when they run right. If it keeps losing coolant, check the thermostat housing. These are plastic and tend to split.

Thanks for the reply! 60 Days "Warranty"... But I'm sure SOGA states "Reasonable lifespan"... Which for a 6-9 month old laptop can't be 3 weeks... Haha. I'll give them a bell Monday and see what they say.

Thanks for the reply The light by the port doesn't come on so I suspect it is more than likely the transformer.

I'd be asking for Toyota to do the work for you. These "Motorman" style places can whip an engine out of a 1974 Austin Allegro and tell you it's a 1999 Mini Cooper engine... If your Rav 4 has 11k miles on the clock, a brand new engine in my opinion, is not a betterment - as the car is barely run in. Also, make sure to check for any recalls, regular faults etc on engines made before and after your car. They could give you a 2010 engine, but a certain part may have been redesigned giving issue. I'd also be VERY wary as KF say that Motorman can't start the Rav-4 that's in his posession - Why? Cos' it rattles like a bag of spanners? Cos' it's had the wrong fuel used in it? Think KF need to remember, we're not talking about a 1992 Astra with 120k on the clock, it's a relatively new vehicle. They're trying it on - Simple. Tell them that if they're going to use a substandard engine in your pride and joy that is WELL below average mileage (And condition, I'm guessing?), then you'll replace the Hybrid batteries in their Auris with AA's from your remote control.

Unfortunately, Renault Diesels get a right battering on the internet as a whole, mainly because they're poor. Make sure they give you a half decent motor in return (A petrol one! - Not anything with "IDE" in the engine description). Toomey are known for being a bit iffy (At least the one in Laindon) although most of the shockers have been from Vauxhall... I hope this is sorted, it does make you think about their brand reputation though...

Hi guys, On the 8th of Feb I bought a Compaq Presario CQ61 laptop from Cash Converters in Colchester, Essex. As soon as I got it, I had trouble getting the charger to go "All the way home" and charge the thing, however, it worked when you gave it a wiggle - I've had this before and it didn't phase me a bit.... However, tonight, as usual, my laptop's battery went dead after about an hour and I plugged it in to chage and no matter what I did, it wouldn't go. I've tried two different "Kettle Leads" into the same transformer and guess that the wire somewhere between the Transformer and the laptop has gone (The Transformer still gets luke warm when plugged in). Where do I stand on this? CC offer a 60 day warranty, and I know the battery isn't covered, but I don't have the ability to charge it to remove my files and send it back - IF I did, I'd have to have it wiped as I work in conjunction with the MOD and there's some mildly sensitive e-mails etc on there. Are they obliged to fund a new charging cable under the SOGA? Or refund me the whole amount and take it back? Am I entitled to have proof that the thing has been wiped when I take it back, if it gets to that point? I'm a bit cross, but I need a working computer for work. All responses greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Pound shops in general have a deal with the manufacturers and distributers so very often what you buy in a Pound Shop is different in some way, form or manner to the seemingly identical item from Tesco. Look at the size of their Mars Bars (Weight wise) and so on, they're produced to be cheaper than standard but often over inflated packaging gives the impression that you're getting a great deal...

I live in Cambridge where there are loads of designated cycle routes which is wonderful... But... These routes are poorly lit resulting in attempted muggings, assaults etc so it's understandable that they don't seem to be used. On the roads, cyclists here seem to blow red lights, go opposite traffic or filter through like a motorcycle when there's a perfectly good bus/cycle lane to the nearside of the road etc... The worst is on some of the more rural 60mph stretches where there's no street lighting where they'll merrily ride along with no lights on in black coats and dark jeans. This infuriates me immensely as when I barely miss hitting them from behind, they seem to get very shirty. On the same side of the coin, where I used to live there was a case where an old girl of around 80 odd was knocked down by some chav on a BMX who didn't stop. She ended up in a home and he was never found. She was walking through a passageway along side Sainsburys. Pros and cons. I think there should be more on cycle safety. Us motorists have to watch gory videos when we're caught speeding... How about a few vids of cyclists going over peoples bonnets and a £100 fine for those that blow red lights and travel with incorrect lighting on?

I'd say you need to take action on it. Paint on the dashboard is not as you'd expect a new car to be. Send it back and request it be sorted before taking things further. Keep it friendly, they may do it all and keep you sweet as you've just paid them money.

Just as a point, Nearly every Vauxhall I've driven, apart from Automatic ones, have a crunch going into Reverse. No idea why, but "they all do it". Somewhere in the small print in the handbook, it says "Depress clutch and wait three seconds before attempting to engage Reverse". Worth trying this with your car.