Hello I've been a long running subscriber to Find My Past (UK site) which provides access to genealogical records to enable you to research family history. On 20.3.14 my subscription was due for renewal so I paid for another year (£116.55), and had no issues. However on 1st April 2014 FMP unveiled a replacement site which is completely different to that I signed up for. Many thousands of records are missing or impossible to find (things that were there before are no longer found). I have asked for a refund and they have refused as their terms and conditions only permit a refund in the first 7 days of a contract (the cooling off period). However I want a refund because their service is no longer fit for purpose. I'm not the only one - there are thousands of complaints on the internet now about this issue, from other country sites as well as the UK. FMP have given me a 2 month extension which I told them I didn't want (I specifically rejected their offer) as I don't think they are anywhere near getting this new site to anywhere near the standard it should be at. They had a thread on their own feedback forum which had 2335 comments complaining about the issues, and they deleted the whole thread last week, but some enterprising customers kept copies of the whole thread so it is still available. They have refunded some people, but not everyone. What should my next step be? thanks for any help!

Also was the liability order in 2004 for a previous address? It could be that the council sent the summons to an incorrect address.

Did you get full benefit, or only a partial award? is the £170 all court costs?

Hi Candygirl On a general basis, most local councils now have an official or corporate complaint scheme. If you feel you have been unfairly treated you make an official complaint, and it's investigated by a completely separate department. There should be something on your local council website about it, or just ring them and they can give you the info. Next step after an official complaint is the Local Government Ombudsman (The Local Government Ombudsman) good luck Beccysmum

Hi Cheddar Apologies if that sounded a bit short - I was just about to go to bed and thought I'd do a quick reply! Yes, you're quite right that a good local authority will provide proper notices, which detail everything on them in plain English, but an awful lot don't. I've just finished working at one council that's gone onto a new housing benefits system, and they binned the first month's letters instead of sending them out as they didn't have time to check them! In a years time, if the claim is subject to intervention, who will remember/admit that the customer probably didn't get an award notice? Also councils have lost appeals on the basis that a notification/award letter is not clear enough for a layperson to understand. Where you mention that something needs to be changed about LA's who don't have breakdown - you're dead right, but the legislation already exists. They ignore it until a claimant challenges them, and as we know the majority of claimants don't have the knowledge to decide whether a notice is correct or not.

Witholding council tax can potentially land you with a prison sentence - it's a definite no. The Revenues Department will definitely proceed with issuing a summons and then obtaining a liability order. If you refuse to pay you will be found guilty of wilful refusal, and it will cost you more in the long run. Look at the pensioners who are refusing to pay! (Not that I disagree with them, but this legislation is well tested).

I agree with Patdavies - I've just had a letter from them, and the same same circumstances relate. I spoke to Verity from Customer Services and told her that I knew this was a civil debt, and they should pursue me through the courts if they really want their money, they caved in and wrote the ticket off.

I've just had a similar experience in Tesco. One of my children parked on double yellows at our local Tesco, on the one day in the year when they had parking controllers in. A parking charge notice was left, but the child in question didn't own up. Last week I received a letter from Euro Car Parks, stating that I had to pay up as I am the registered owner. I rang them the same day and couldn't get through on the number given - was left on hold for 15 minutes. I got a number from the website and spoke to someone who gave me another number to ring. I rang that number and spoke to someone who said Merlin would ring me back (if he ever got time!). in frustration, I got the names and addresses of the directors from companies house (cost 1.00), then sent an email to Customer Services stating that if they didn't ring me back by 5 pm I was writing to every director on the list. Verity rang me back, and tried to tell me that as the owner I was liable. I asked her for the legislation or case law to back it up, and she couldn't provide it, so I pointed out that this is obviously a civil matter. She then appealed to my better nature, stating that my kids should be taught a lesson. I said that I didn't think me paying up for their misdemeanors would teach them anything except their mother is a soft touch. I also said I didn't know which child was driving, so could not provide her with their details. Told her to take me to court asap. She tried to scare me with the vision of debt collectors banging on my door, until I told her I work with these people day after day, and that they and the courts do not frighten me. 0I pointed out that debt collectors can not call at your property with a signwritten van saying 'DEBT COLLECTOR', so only I would know what they were after. Once I had stated this is a civil debt, she caved in and wrote the debt off. I haven't even written a letter - don't be scared of these people, and if you don't want to confront them over the phone then send the letters - they really do not have a leg to stand on. My favourite part was when Verity said they were taking a loss on this ticket - it made my Christmas. Best of luck, and remember - they can't hit you and they can't send you to prison. Go for it - you'll win!

Also bear in mind that some notification letters (also known as award notices!) may just state if you wish a full breakdown please ask for further details. If the notice states this it is dubious to say the least. You should initially ask for copies of all notification letters, as these will be provided free of charge - you may have to pay if you make your request under the Data Protection Act. Also, although an award notice may mention a disabled child premium it does not follow that your mother would understand this. People who work in Housing Benefits have difficulty following notification award letters, so Joe Public does not have much chance at all.

Also from what you have posted here it sounds as though it has been verbal contact, rather than in writing. With the Council you need to put everything in writing. I would also take everything to their counter, ask for a receipt plus a date stamped copy of any letters you hand in. If you do this they can't claim that they didn't receive items, as you will have copies with their official datestamp on them.

If you've officially complained in writing you can make your complaint to the Ombudsman. Basically you need to write a letter and set out exactly what has happened in date order. Include copies of letters you have written, and copies of letters received in return. The Ombudsman may make a visit to the Council, and inspect their records and speak to staff members. They will also speak to you to get your side of the story, so really you need to ensure that you have all records to hand. Anything said verbally between you and estate staff will not really count (your word against their, and vice versa), but that counts both ways. The best bet is to set it out in diary format - 1.1.06 - wrote to Mr X, estate manager, re: etc. 15.1.06 - received reply, which answered query a but did not answer query B, etc. You can do the initial application online at The Local Government Ombudsman. Let me know if you need any more assistance. Good luck!

Miss Mermaid if you're making an official complaint to the council you will not be speaking to any estate managers - it is usually the Chief Executives department that deals with an official complaint. The whole point is that your issues are looked at by a completely different department, who are not at all involved. It appears that you have maybe been given the impression that you're making an official complaint when you're not really. If it was an official complaint you should have a letter from a different department, stating their findings. If you only have letters from the Housing Department it has not been dealt with as an official complaint. Have you tried the Local Government Ombudsman already?

Sorry - I should have made clear in my last post that the ombudsman will expect you to make an official complaint to the council before they take up your case. And they really are independent of the local council, so they will look at your case on its merits.

Hi I would make an official complaint to the Council - this should be looked at by a different department, so it's independent of the original people making decisions about your tenancy. Your local council should have an official complaints procedure to follow, you should be able to find details on their website, or ring them and state that you want to make an Official Complaint. I would not try the Housing Department again, as they have obviously made their minds up and are unlikely to change it. If they then don't find in your favour (or don't complete their investigation within an acceptable timeframe) make a complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman. The Local Government Ombudsman. Hope this helps cheers Beccysmum

Hi Damo thanks for that - I must say that this site is a bit unputdownable once you start looking! cheers Beccysmum:)