Didn't they send out a surveyor? If they'd done this, then in theory you shouldn't have had all the problems you've experienced. I've just a a full new kitchen fitted (it was finished 3 days ago) with another company and we had a sales rep to measure up and then a surveyor visit (which took a good 2 hours) before the fitting. We have not had any issues and any potential problems we might have faced were dealt with by the surveyor.

Hi I'm unsure if anyone can help me or has any experience of this, but I thought I'd give it a try. I currently am one of the 'lucky' people who still has an NHS dentist (after being on the waiting list for nearly a year.......). Anyway my NHS dentist sees a lot of private patients also and I always get the feeling everytime I go that I'm being sold expensive treatments which are only available for private patients etc... I do decline politely as it's usually cosmetic treatment and not necessary. The dentist is very pompous (IMHO) and can be downright rude and my appointments last for a 3 minutes (if I'm lucky) and that's for a check up. I pay my band A charge (£18ish now) and then if I need another appointment such as a filling etc, he makes me make another appointment and I'm charged again - usually Band B. I understand that time constraints are there and 'work' such as fillings etc need to be factored in. However, because I refuse his cosmetic private treatment and I'm an NHS patient, he's very rude, rushed and in my opinion does not really care. I feel really uncomfortable around him. So my question is, can I change my NHS dentist and be put back on the waiting list even though I have access to current NHS dentist. I know that some people really struggle to find one. Thanks

You may well be able to prove 'beneficial interest' in this case, however you will need to go to court to prove this. Beneficial interest gives you the right to occupy the property, make the mortgage payments and also obtaining a share of any equity if the property is sold. It can be quite difficult to prove beneficial interest and aside from this, you could possibly try and establish rights to estoppel. This basically means that the courts may give you a tenanc or a share of the property as you have relied on a verbal promise.

OK an update...... Things have now moved on and stepped up a notch. M&D and my grandmother have had a hell of a few months. The neighbours have been blasting recordings through to M&D's bedroom nearly every night (starting at 2am then on the hour for about 3 hours) and it's recordings the tenants have made by listening in to everyday noises such as the washing machine and the telephone ringing and the cat meowing in my parents house. It's just ridiculous, it's like something you'd watch in a psychological horror film and not on a quiet cul-de-sac in suburbia! Where do these people get off!!!! Anyway as a result of all of this my mum has become paranoid and scared (understandably). They've written back to the estate agents and their head office on numerous occasions but to no avail. They've been back in touch with environmental health who have now sent M&D some recording equipment of their own to record the noises the neighbours have recorded. Mum is doing that this week..... However, we got some good news last night, my partner who is an estate agent knows the estate agent who is dealing with this and they've told him that a section 21 notice to quit has been served on the tenants and they've got to be out by 6th Jan 2014. We are relieved but still got over a month to go with this. Just hope that mum doesn't crack up (even more so) and my grandmother can cope for another month.

Bankruptcy is probably your best option as you've got no assets. It'll also wipe the slate clean. It's a no brainer if you ask me.

If your IP is considering making you bankrupt, then there must've been a clause and/or modification in your IVA proposal stating 'funds need to be retained for bankruptcy costs in the event of the arrangement failing'. Basically, what this is means is that if your IVA has failed, there'll be enough 'money in the pot' for your IP to petition. If this is the case, then it's likely that you will be bankrupted. Can you check your proposal and modifications to see whether there is this clause there?

If it does go to court, will the fact that they've not responded within the protocol period go in my favour? I'm 'fighting' a very large well known company here and have a fear that they can do as they please because they are so well known. Thanks for your help

Hi, just an update and another query. I've just heard from my solicitor and the 'protocol period' expires tomorrow. My solictor has advised that she will issue a 'procedural application to the courts' if she does not hear anything from the security firm. Whsat does this actually mean? Thanks

Well I still have this claim ongoing through a solicitor. I've had 10 sessions of physiotheraphy and it's still ongoing and have now developed further complications to my arm and elbow as a result of this. My solicitors has advised me that they have until 24th October to issue a response, they've acknowledged the claim. I've not received a counterclaim or anything like that. If the security firm (one of the largest in the UK apparently) do issue a counter claim, what point in the proceedings does it happen? Also, there's now a possibility that the security staff I was manhandled by were not properly trained and did not have the relevant security certificates (SCI, I think it is) at the time of the incident. Also, the staff may have been 'seasonal staff', again does this have any relevance at all? Any help would be much appreciated.

Good news, I've just phoned them back and 'kicked off'! They've now decided to match the online quote. No clubcard points though. All's well that ends well! Still moving to Sainsbury's though!

If I lapse the current policy (which ends midnight on Sept 30th), I'm going to be without insurance though? I need to get a new policy in place by 12.01 on 1st October.

That's rubbish! They're going to lose a lot of loyal customers. On top of everything they've also stopped giving you clubcard point for car insurance also. Not a major factor, but as Tesco say 'Every Little Helps'! It's a shame as they offered the cheapest quote. Bye Bye Tesco, I'm also moving my weekly shop too! It's so annoying!

Hi I've just received my car insurance renewal from tesco (I've been with them for over 5 years). I've never claimed and have 8 years protected NCD. Anyway, the annual renewal price has shot up to £401, normally I just renew it automatically but this was a massive increase from last year when I just paid £250 (ish). I did change my car in March and it only cost me an extra £19 for the year to do that which was fine. I started to get some online insurance quotes through go compare and was offered a price of £220 from Tesco! Hmmmmm. Anyway I decided to proceed as this was one of the cheaper quotes and included the cover I wanted. When I started to put all my details in etc, I was advised to call the helpline. Anyway, after speaking to them, they've told me that I can't have the cheaper price as it's for new customers!!! Can they really do this???

It's sorted. 6 beeps relate to it now being an 'all american' dash. It's only taken since march, but now resolved......

Ok. VW don't know what these 6 beeps are - could be something to do with the change to an american dash. Anyway, they're going to investigate and get back to me on 15th August when I'm back from my holidays. Here's hoping

We know the name of the owner, he used to live there about 10 years ago and it's been tenanted since them. I think we should contact him direct. The owner is aware that there are 'noise issues' however the estate agent actually told us that they haven't told him about the noisy sex for fear of embarrassment! I actually spat my coffee out when they told us this! There appears to be bigger drug issues now. M&D had to actually close their windows over the weekend due to the stench permeating from the neighbours. I'm not a drug expert but it did not smell like cannabis and I'm now concerned that it's something cruder and more dangerous. I've told M&D that if they smell it again to just call the police. Would the police come out for something like that? If they did and were caught taking drugs, I'm sure that the only thing the police could/would do is give them a fixed penalty notice. Does anyone know if this is correct? My parents are making a full log of everything and noting down every incident. The neighbours are trying to coax my mums 20 year old cat into their garden now and there's a big fear that they may do something to it. The neighbours have made it quite clear that they hate cats and that's another big concern now. Why are some people just so horrid and get off on making people's lives a misery. My grandmother is now in tears all of the time, she's not in good health and I fear that this could be the tipping point. It's so frustrating that the police cannot get involved.

Ok, so they've managed to fix it. I now have an american fix in a german car built in Mexico! They've assured me that it won't affect the warranty, however I think that they've just put a sticking platser on the problem. I do not have the option to change to a 24 hour clock anymore and when I turn the engine on, I now get 6 beeps, not sure what that's all about....... Do you think I should just accept what they've done? VW Leeds are calling me today to see how I've got on. Thanks

We've spoken to the estate agent who has confirmed that they've now had 3 verbal complaints and one written complaint. They've written to the tenant advising that complaints have been made. The estate agents have told us that there's nothing much they can do until her tenancy expires in December 2013 and M&D just have to 'try and ignore it and get on with their lives'. What a joke! The property is privately owned and managed through an estate agency, surely they have more power than that? They did say that the owner of the property is aware of 'noise issues', but that's that. I presume the only thing we can do is to keep a log of every incident (along with the neighbours) and present it to environmental health. This will probably take us up to December anyway. It's so unfair, unjust and not right that innocent people have to put up with animals who make people's lives a misery. It makes me so angry!

Thank you both for your comments. Mum and her neighbours are keeping diaries to enable them to build evidence. What mum is finding really frightening is the fact that they've recorded noises from my mums house, like phone calls and the cat meowing and even my dad's snoring (why anyone would want to listen to that is beyond me!). They seem to take great pleasure in blasting these recordings out of the window at ridiculous times of the night. I can't believe that this is not some sort of 'invasion of privacy', however the police say not.; What about DPA, does it come under that all? Thanks for your help.

SKF have finally been in touch and my car is going to them tomorrow. Apparently they can sort this whilst I wait........ They are changing the dash pod to the American version and that's going to fix the problem of the disappearing clock, allegedly. They've found another car with the same problem (slighly different version) but did this fix on that and it worked. They still cannot establish whether it's a feature or a fault. We will see............ I wait with baited breath.

Hope that someone can help, this is a bit of a long shot and bizarre story but here goes..... My parents live in their owned (no mortgage) private property which is a semi detached. They're in their early 70's and my grandmother who requires full time care (early 90's) also lives there. My father still works full time. The adjoining property is let out to tenants through a private (multi national) estate agency. Mum and dad have never had any hassles at all with previous tenants and they live in a quiet cul-de-sac on a family estate. Anyway, a new tenant moved in around Christmas on a 6 month contract. There have been no problems up until the last few months. We know for a fact that the tenancy is just in her name and the estate agents have confirmed that there should only be her living there. Over the past few months, things have been gradually getting worse and worse. The tenants boyfriend is a firefighter in Glasgow (my parents live in Greater Manchester) and he works 4 days on and 4 days off. During his 4 days off, he stays in the property with his girlfriend (the tenant). They've had parties, BBQ's and gatherings and there has been evidence after these gatherings of drug taking etc (wraps and foil etc left on the driveway and in the garden). When the boyfriend stays, they have very loud, extremely noisy sex with the windows open and this goes on for 2 or 3 hours during the middle of the night. Having read up about it, I'm informed that cocaine and the like enhances sexual drive which is why they are at it for so long! A neighbour from over the road has verbally told them to be quiet (she has 2 young children) on several occasions but to no avail. The boyfriend will just shout obsenities and go back into the house. The neighbour then verbally complained to the estate agent about the noise. This is when the big problems started. The tenant incorrectly presumed that it was my parents (specifically my mother) who has complained and they've made my parents life hell since this. They have recorded my mother talking to my grandmother, they have recorded my father snoring and they have also recorded my mothers cat meowing and play this back very loudly at ridiculous times such as 2 and 3am in the morning. They are also concerned that they have had their telephone (land line) tapped. The reason behind this is because my mother was on the phone to the doctor about my grandmother the other day and the tenant then played a partial recording of the phone conversation to the gardener! My mother heard this going on as she was in her garden hanging out the washing. The gardener then said to the tenant 'you shouldn't be doing this' and apparently she just laughed. They also had a party at the weekend and played recordings of my mothers cat meowing over and over again to their 'friends' of which they all though it was extremely funny. This has been going on for sometime, my mother is not sleeping and it's now making her ill. She is extremely frightened of any repercussions as the boyfriend is very verbally abusive. I took my mother to her GP who has prescribed beta blockers to help calm her nerves. We also went to the police, however according to them, no offence has been committed so they can't do anything. They advised us to contact the council to see if we could get an ASBO against them, unfortunately we can't. Mum has just been told to keep a diary and report it to envirnomental health and they will then look into this. As mum is so frightened of this scottish boyfriend, she did not report it to the estate agency for fear of giving her name. Anyway, she has now reported it in writing anonymously and not given a name and address. I've tried to convince her to give her details but she's living in fear. Can anyone help or give me any ideas on what to do next. Police can't help, council can't help, environmental health may get involved eventually and mum is too scared to give her name to the estate agents (although they do have a complaint in writing now). Mum's spoken to other neighbours and they all agree that this tenant is a nightmare and they want her off the street. The tenant has some sort of recording equipment in her back bedroom because if you go into mums garden you can see extra wires and hear a buzz of some sort of recording equipment. The estate agents did do an inspection earlier on in the week and have confirmed that there is only her living there. They also said that if someone else was living there, it would be a breach of contract. We know for a fact that the boyfriend stays there 4 times a week. My partner has managed to find this out anonymously as he also works for another estate agency and has been advised of this by an employee. I wuld be grateful for any advice. This is making my mum ill and my parents life a misery. Mum is my grandmothers main carer and cannot leave her and should not have to live like this.

Further update..... Just had a call from Leeds and they've been advised by the factory in Germany to try and 'recode the long code on the dash insert and check function'. Whatever that means. They still cannot establish whether there's a fault and don't know whether this will work but they have to try it..... Now waiting for a call from the dealership to book the car in. Don't hold out much hope of them calling me, but we will see. They have until Thursday. I won't hold my breath.

A further update.... Smith Knight Fay IMHO offer the most lacklustre, useless after sales service I have ever experienced! Anyway, had a further call from Leeds who have informed me that the dash pod was never ordered by Smith Knight Fay as they were advised by the factory (In Germany) that it would not make any difference. Smith Knight Fay didn't tell me this and just left me dangling........ The technical team in Milton Keynes have advised Leeds that they are 99% sure that the clock should not do that and that a clock should be visible whether you are stationary or mobile, however are still unsure whether it's a fault or a feature. The technical team have also advised that they have further information on this issue, however cannot give this information out until Smith Knight Fay resubmit another technical query report in addition to the one they've already submitted. VW Leeds have told me that they've requested Smith Knight Fay do this within 24 hours. I've been advised that I will receive either a call from Smith Knight Fay or from VW Leeds by Tuesday of next week with an update. And so the saga continues.......... At this rate, the clocks will be going back by the time it get's sorted, but that's a totally new complaint.................. (I fear).

Ok... an update. Gemma from VW Leeds (or whoever they are called). They're now having the same trouble as me - basically the dealership do not know their backsides from their elbows and are not returning calls and giving conflicting information. She was advised by Smith Knight Fay that the alleged fault was a 'feature' of the car and that they were going to arrange with a company called 'bespoke' to see of they can put a fix into the cars dash to ensure that the clock stayed where it should. Smith Knight Fay told me that they had ordered a dash pod and it was on back order in Germany and this was well over 6 weeks ago. The dealership didn't tell VW Leeds this..... Anyway, she's had a look at the technical report and it does not say whether there is a fault or not as it cannot be established yet. Basically the dealership are trying to wriggle out of something they don't know how to fix or deal with (well they are in my eyes anyway). She's waiting for a call back from the dealership to establish why the techinical report has conflicting information on to what they told her, however they are very slow in getting back to her. She has said that if they don't call her back by 12pm tomorrow then senior management will be called in. She is also waiting for the factory in Germany to get back to her to see if she can get anymore information. She did state that all of the technicians she has spoken to have agreed that the error should not be there.... however we still don't know if there's a fault. So.... I'm back to where I started. Waiting. I should receive a call on Thursday with a further update. Out of interest, I picked up the car on 23rd March and reported the issue about 5 days later. Surely I am at the stage where I've waited a reasonable enough time for this to be sorted?

They're built in Mexico and then shipped to Germany for a safety check before coming to the UK. This is the reason why there's an 18 week delay from first order.