For a couple of months my wife and i had to move into my father in laws council house to help care for him as he was in need of care. His wife had died and he lived with his son. The son took on the house tenancy jointly with his father along with my wife. Anyway shortly afterwards more suitable house was found for them as accommodation was not suitable for his needs. The house was examined room by room and passed by a inspector from the council.Who said only thing that needs to be done is all carpets to be moved out of premises. This was back in early July..And was carried out as said. A new tenant had moved in a month later. Moved out a couple of weeks later to new house and continued caring for a couple of months then he passed away. The council were informed of this. Now early in November a bill came for replacing kitchen sink unit and worktop costing 400 pounds.At the old property. Which after 14 weeks after vacating a passed property came as a shock. Also addressed to Passed away father in law and his son. Then we got in touch with the council who said they will look into it , took our phone number and they would get back in touch. Seemed quite concerned about this matter. However this last week a letter came saying despite previous reminders the amount is still outstanding. And must be made within 7 days otherwise your case will be referred to a DCA and also consider taking legal action which will incur substantial costs. So once again phoned the council who this time said there was no one to deal with this and to email a complaint.Which i am going to do shortly.On their behalf. But the seven days are up now and i suppose the debt will now be on its way to the DCA. Personally i would rather go to court and tell the judge what i feel about this and fight it.But feel i am not being given much choice. Feeling harassed and threatened really with a bad credit file. Now personally i would pay if this was justified.But in my mind is clearly not. I enjoy standing my ground when needed.And want to help. What would you do.

We bought a used car, part exchange on 1st November. We bought a 2006, VW golf, priced at £2695 for £2200 and the rest px for our MG ZR. We were told that there was a one month warranty with it, but were given no paperwork to this effect. Within half an hour of leaving the garage, the emissions light had come on so we immediately took it back. We were informed it was likely to be a filter problem, he made a phone call to a local auto shop so we could collect something to put in the fuel tank and we were advised that driving it in in a high gear between 2 & 3,000 revs for about 8 miles, this would clear it. Having done this, the light didn't go off and they told us to go back to the dealer, which we did on the Monday. We turned up there to be told that it would need to be left for an hour, someone would need to fit a Lambda sensor and to bring it back the following Thursday, which again we did. This time my partner was told that it would have to be left until the Saturday, it would take longer than an hour as the electrics would have to be reset as well. My partner explained this wasn't convenient, he needed the car for work and it was agreed that he would drop it in the following morning (Friday), on the proviso that it would be ready for collection at the end of the day. This meant he could see about getting a work colleague to go with him when he dropped it off, and then take him to collect it at the end of the day. After sitting in morning rush hour traffic for over half an hour to get to the garage (5 miles from his work) they had to turn back as they had to be at work. He informed the dealer, and asked if the mobile engineer/electrician could attend his workplace instead to do the repairs. Later he rang to say the mobile engineer only covered Halifax, and wouldn't come out to my partner's place of work in Brighouse, 5 miles away! Instead it was arranged that he would collect the car from my partner's place of work on the Monday, and return it to him the same day. My partner texted to find out what time he'd be collecting the car, and got a response saying 10-11. He also let the dealer know that the airbag light had also come on reporting an airbag fault on the dashboard. My partner received a phone call asking if he could instead bring the VW back and he would give him a refund. My partner asked why, and was told that the coolant light on the MG had come on, it took a while to start, and when it did, blue smoke was coming out of the back. It was agreed that he would return the MG to my partner at work on the Tuesday morning and bring cash to refund us the car (he obviously couldn't bring his card machine!). We thought that the problem with the MG was likely to be due to him having had it sat on the forecourt since we left it and it being a very cold morning. Monday night my partner enquired to find out what time the MG would be returned and confirm he would pay us in cash. On Tuesday morning my partner received a text reneging on this agreement (contract break?) saying that he wasn't going to drive the MG as it had problems and he didn't want to break down, and that he would transfer the money by card when the VW was returned. However our car is up for sale on their website, and today was reduced in price, with comments saying it is a good drive etc etc. We felt that he was not playing fair, kept changing the goal posts and now implied that there were major faults with our car and so sought to find out what the problem was with the VW to consider our situation for getting the VW fixed, as per the original agreement. My partner took the VW to a VW dealer to get an exact breakdown on the faults. What he was saying was the fault was incorrect; there is no problem with the filter or the sensor. They diagnosed problems with EGR Valve and Hose, Glow Lamps and airbag the tracking needs sorting and two of the tyres are borderline illegal, the other two at 3%. We had looked on the MOT at time of purchase it having only been done in September and nothing was stated about the wheels needing changing. So assume he has changed in the meantime and we won't really have a claim there, we should have noticed it before purchase. We have been told that we're looking at over £1k to get it fixed with them (without the price of the tyres), so have booked it into an independent garage, where the hourly rate isn't the £100ph as per the VW garage, but until they have checked out the full extent, cannot advise on the labour cost. They have confirmed the parts will be the same price as will be VW parts. We informed the dealer of this, explaining it had to be booked in urgently for safety and the cost of doing so, and invited him to come to an agreement for paying the repairs or part of. He has straight out refused this, saying that it's a good car and doesn't need that much work doing on it(!!). Yet we have a report saying that it does. He simply keeps saying about a refund, no further mention of our MG. He has previously been given the chance to repair it, but didn't sort it. We explained that the parts are on now order and, again asked how much he was prepared to pay, as our car was still under warranty but he hadn't fixed it as previously arranged. How do we stand at getting him to pay at least some of the bill through small claims, if he won't settle when the work is done? Further, their advert explicitly stated that it had a full service history, which he also told us, but going through the log book when we got home it only has one until 2012. I understand a lot of people are probably thinking we should get our money back and walk away, but how do we know that they have not been the cause of the problems with our car, as it had been fine up until we sold it, and had had a 21 point service a few weeks prior. Also, it's about the principle that he'll put it back on the forecourt for someone else to go through the same thing with, as is likely to happen with the MG if he's saying it's broken, but is still advertising it for sale. Looking on a reviews page, seems that we've not been the only ones to be given a shoddy response when it comes to fixing faults and someone else is also reporting him to Trading Standards. Help!!!

Hi I'm currently in a back and forth with AppleCare regarding my Macbook Pro, which I purchased in from Apple's online store in 2012. I also purchased AppleCare for £279, which is due to expire in November. At that point, I'll have had the machine for three years. I've had three repairs on the machine so far. I've had the screen replaced twice, within a couple of weeks of one another, and then the bottom case replaced (a screw hadn't been tightened properly and came loose, scratching the bottom case in transit). I've been offered a fourth repair, after which Apple said they would seek to replace my laptop if the problem persisted. Given that I keep having issues with the screen, I requested a replacement rather than a fourth repair. My argument is that in the three years I've had the laptop, it has rarely worked the way I would've expected. After doing some reading on Apple's own website about consumer law/SOGA, I decided to pursue that route instead, and request a replacement. Apple obliged, and have arranged an independent, Apple certified technician to have a look at the machine and decide whether the fault was caused by misuse. From Apple.com Since I've had three repairs, does this not mean that I have the right to withdraw from the contract? I don't want a full refund, though. I just want a replacement laptop. I now want to know whether it will be feasible, if the results come back in my favour, for Apple to replace my MacBook rather than repair it again. I've had to go back and forth to the Apple store multiple times with this laptop, and as a result have spent almost a month without a machine, so I don't think it's unfair for me to say enough is enough. Where do I stand legally in this matter? Any input or advice is appreciated. Kind regards

Me and my partner bought a Vauxhall Astra 1.9 Sri cdti 150bph on the 22nd September 2015 for £3500 from a second hand dealership. The car went off for a MOT before we got it and it came back with advisories which the dealership dealt with. We waited 2 weeks after payment before we actually got to drive it home. A Week later thick black smoke was coming out the exhaust, we immediately took it back to the dealership and they said they would sort it as it was still under warranty. (Swirl flaps needed replacing) they had our car for over a week and when it came back they hadn't done the job properly, they had botched it up. Instead of replacing the swirl flaps they put blanking plates either side of the egr valve and capped the swirl flaps (temporary fix) A day later the car lost power and was in limp mode, when I had a look at the engine the main air intake pipe wasn't even bolted on properly one bolt was missing and the other was extremely loose. The sensor for the swirl flap wasn't connected and was left hanging, the inlet manifold had been taken apart and new bolts put in (not nessesary comes sealed from factory) there is silicone all over the bottom of the manifold where the swirl flap is, the fuel lines were hanging loose, there is a bracket now missing from the back of my engine and nothing was attached. When I rang the dealership they just fobbed me off saying that they had done the job properly and what was I complaining about, when I asked if they would reimburse me to get the car fixed properly they said no as they had done it properly. (I've taken it to a garage for a second opinion and they are agreeing with me, poor workmanship and it needs to be fixed to repair the damage the dealership has done to it looking at £500) I just don't know where I stand. Help me please Thank you in advance

My Lenovo tablet developed a problem I was not sure if it was software or a hardware problem as at times my Tablet would not do the things I was telling it to do and at times the screen did some very strange things. Still under warranty I rang Lenovo who suggested a factory reset, which I did but the problem remained. They then said that it needed to go to the nearest repair centre which is in Germany. it was picked up and sent via courier. It took three days to get to the centre where it was assessed for one day and is now being processed which as been going on for about 10 days. I keep checking on their website as to the status of my tablet but as of now still no change. I was talking to my friend about my problems and he told me he had a problem with his Dell laptop and that was in Germany for the second time with problems! I cannot work out the economics of sending items to be repaired in Germany! It surely must be a very expensive way of doing the work. Anyone have any idea why they are doing this?

Hi. I received a NO ASN required dated 7th of July 2015 to attend court on 10th August for keeping a motor vehicle on the road whilst a Statutory Off Road notification declaration was in force. My car had been towed away on 8th June 2015 after I had it recovered to a garage for repair work. At the time the vehicle was untaxed and was on SORN. The vehicle got towed whilst being in possession of the garage and going through repairs, assuming it was taken on the road for a test drive. Since the towing I paid the fine and taxed the vehicle immediately. Can you kindly advise if I can appeal this is in anyway or come to an out of court settlement?

Hi there, A while back in June i had a major water leak, basically 50 galls came through the ceiling at a great rate of knots causing significant damage to lounge and bedroom ceiling, subsequently I've had two new ceilings as the old was asbestos (apparently) ..a new boiler and other ongoing internal works.. as we speak. If It were not for that fact i was here at the time of the leak it would have been catastrophic not to mention the flat below, the firemen who attended were none to pleased and reported their findings to the HA as failure to reasonably repair previous damage and works to this property. .. yes the ceiling had been down two years previously.. I've been put out massively, moved my contents in and out of rooms/bedrooms, waiting in needlessly for workmen that don't turn up and been without ceiling x2, no hot water and cold water at various times. My actual expenditure has been 1 meal out due to the flat being uninhabitable literally, and paid for a few boxes i got to store all the clutter that comes with a lifetime, the HA has an online form that i need to fill out, any idea's please, I've lost three days unpaid hols, i definitely think these should be reimbursed. My question is how much compensation should i claim, if any? Thanks

Hello all, A good friend of mine has been given notice of eviction by his landlady after he complained about her workmen damaging some of his possessions and holding her liable for the cost. He is now unsure of how to go about following up if she refuses to compensate him. Does anyone have any advice? Thanks in advance!

Sent my Samsung off for repair. Pretty standard repair job with that type of phone. Was told that it would be back within 10 days. Been longer than that now so thought I would chase it up. Tried the website but didnt have the job number so tried the store. Recorded message saying that they are closed for refurb and that any repairs would be sent to another store even further away. Tried the new store. They didnt have it. I asked for my job number so I could trackit myself. They said cant do it. No reason. I asked if the repair copany could send it to a more local store to me. They said cant change it now. No reason. Really was as simple as that. They managedto change the store address when it suited them but wont do it for me and will have to drive further now. Just seemed like the person just couldn't be bothered as I am sure they could get a job number for me and contact the repair company to get it sent to a different store as its been done once already. Anyway. Know much cant be done and just blowing off some steam as Vodafone have been generally good. Just wondering how long other Vodafone customers have had to wait for repairs

I had a problem with my clutch about nine months ago where it would sporadically jam and refuse to go into gear. It did it a few times but seemed to resolve itself, until it happened on my way home from work and would not go into gear. I had to leave my car by the road and arrange to be picked up. When I returned to get my car the clutch was again working fine without a problem, but I took it into a Vauxhall garage anyway to be checked. I was told the problem was that the clutch had a low biting point and needed to be replaced, I paid approximately £500 for this. Now, about nine months later, I have had a recurrence of the exact same problem and took it to a Vauxhall garage again. I am told that the clutch had a high biting point, but on stripping the car to check the gear box and clutch they could not see a problem with the previous repairs. They put the car back together, retested it, and say that my pedal box is broken and needs to be replaced. For all of this they would like £875. I am really unhappy that I am having to pay so much money to have the same problem fixed within twelve months. Need I add that of course I was told the apparent two different causes of this are unrelated? I feel that Vauxhall have been unsympathetic to this, and will not allow me to pay this in instalments although it is a large amount that I will struggle to afford. Is it true that what I have described above could be caused by two unrelated problems that would not necessarily have been picked up the first time I took it in for repair? The car is a Vauxhall Corsa from 2008, 1.2 engine, about 50k miles on the clock. I have had it for about four years and had no problems with it until the above, and no other major repairs aside from servicing.

I've recently bought a car, and after speaking to some friends a question has arisen about the receipt. When the car dealer wrote the receipt they put "spares or repairs" on the receipt, this seemed strange, as the advert said that the car was in excellent condition. When I asked the dealer why he had put this he said it was just a way of writing sold as seen. My friends seem to think that both of these are shady practices, that a dealer selling to the public cannot mark a receipt with sold as seen, and that advertising a car in excellent condition, and then writing spares or repairs on the receipt may be the dealers way of trying to absolve themselves of responsibility in the event that a problem arises with the car. Can you please advise if I should be worried about this? and what if anything I can do about it - I bought the car from a dealer rather than a cheaper private sale because I wanted some reassurance that I would be able to seek recourse in the event of an issue, and my friend seems to think that this may complicate that? I emailed the garage the following: Hiya, myself and my dad bought a car from you the other day. So far it is fine but I have spoken to people and I am not happy with the receipt that you gave me. I bought a car that was described as 'excellent' condition, the car is in excellent condition but you wrote a receipt saying spares or repairs. This is not the terms the car was sold under, I would like a new receipt to reflect this. Would you be able to post a receipt or should I come and collect one? And this was the reply: Hi Becki, We sell all our cars as spare/repairs unless you buy warranty from us, that's the reason our cars are better priced than others. If you are not happy with the vehicle or the receipt,please bring the car back within 48 hours so that we may re-advertise it. This is just out of curtsey as you were not fully aware of what spares/repairs mean. After 48 hours of this email your receipt will stand and the offer of refund will expire. Just to put it in perspective the retail value of your vehicle is £4200 according to Parkers but we sold it to you for £3400. Kind Regards Professional Cars LTD 01753 780182 07788 929755 This seems fairly dodgy to me. I've emailed trading standards but I don't think I'll get a quick response. Please can someone give me their opinion? I'm really worried and stressed as only just dealt with one dodgy car and now landed this. My husband thinks the clutch seems high also, so if it goes I need to know what rights I have. Sorry for the long rambling post, I look forward to replys, thanks for your time! Becki:help:

Apologies if this is in the wrong section as i couldn't find one more suitable. If this is the case could you please point me in the right direction. Ive been recently talking to a friend who has a shared ownership flat wherby they pay mortgage and rent. We discussed a number of repairs that she had paid out for herself which i thought maybe the landlord (radian housing) could possibly have been responsible for and had maybe misinformed her. If this is the relevant forum section then id like to ask for advice and or experience on the matter from those more in the know. Many thanks.

Hi, I have a 16 month iPhone 5s, on the three network, and until recently the battery on the phone was ok at best. However, more recently I have noticed that my iPhone will power itself off when the battery power is low. I have noticed the battery power at 38% and it has done this. It would also turn off if I had around 10% power and I attempted to use the camera. Anyway, the only thing I could think of that had changed was an update to the IOS that could potentially cause this. I tried to phone three uk today but their system was not available so I could not speak directly with someone. I managed to have a 4 hour conversation with three uk via a series of tweets and when I eventually explained to them that the phone battery was not working as I expected it to they asked me to contact apple directly. I replied back saying The Sale of Goods Act makes reference to 'the seller', this is the shop, the retailer, or the individual you bought it from, and this is who you made the contract with. They replied back and said that three's policy does not cover device faults and sent me a link, http://support.three.co.uk/srvs/cgi-bin/webisapi.dll?command=new,kb=mobile,ts=mobile,t=article,varset_cat=billing,varset_subcat=3772,case=EXT(EM36278) The fault has, as yet, not been identified, so the question I have is, am I being fobbed off and is there anything else I can "tweet" back to three uk to try and progress this? thanks in advance Miffed_With_Mobile

We have issues with our Freeholder: Waterglen Ltd and Managing Agents: Pier Management for a number of years. They have refused to carry out repairs to the building for over three years now, fobbing us off with section 20 notices which they have not followed through. The property is almost at the point of being uninhabitable and we see the only way forward is to issue Court Proceedings and would very much appreciate some advice. No work what soever had been effected o the exterior of the property in the 13 years or so since they bought the Ground Rents. The Freeholder and Managing Agents had never visited the Property. The main issue is the damage caused to the interior of the property. The ground floor flat has had water ingress over a sustained period of time though the exterior walls from broken and blocked guttering and a down soil stack that sprouts grossly when the toilet is flushed or the bath emptied etc. The plaster is blow and covered in mould to the kitchen and bedroom backing onto the stack. We have a Surveyors report confirming the source of damage as well as the opinion of The Leasehold Tribunal Surveyor. Matters have come to standoff since the LVT and FTT ruled that the service charge percentage for each of the two flats is 1/5th. Meaning that the Freeholders can only reclaim 40%. Ironically this was only highlighted, considered and ruled upon during the first LVT action we took to consider the extortionate Buildings Insurance charges. Their application at both Trials to vary the lease was declined: Cases CHI/29UC/LIS/2012/0076 and CHI/29UC/LSC/2013/015. The Freeholders representative did approach us to negotiate terms to vary the lease but has since ignored our emails asking for their proposals. No doubt they will make a claim to vary the lease and we have confirmed that we will make a claim for compensation of increased service charges. In the meantime they refuse to carry out any repairs and the damage to the interior is worsening and causing health problem to one of the Leaseholders. Could we ask for some advice on: Issuing a Count Court claim for Breach of the covenant on the part of the Freeholder to keep the property in good order, the wording of a notice of intent letter and any other letter and procedures. A counterclaim for Compensation in the no doubt forthcoming Lease Variation application. Thank you

My mum has been in her Private Rented house for 13 years. Her landlord is a local company who has several managers covering different areas. The house is in a dire state and needs lots of work. The toilet in the bathroom is leaking (been reported but nothing done), the leaking toilet has caused some of the ceiling to fall down in the kitchen and the rest is sagging, the bathroom floorboards are rotten, the downstairs toilet doesn't flush, the back door is difficult to open and close (made of wood), most of the window frames (wooden) are completely rotten and my mum can't open several of them, My mum never wants to make a fuss so I contacted the Landlord Manager by email. He told me to get my mum to contact him which she has now done (although she is not happy with me. Manager told her that she is responsible for the leaking toilet and the kitchen ceiling which I don't think is right. He also said that he has sent someone out several times to measure up for new windows but there is never anyone home (this cannot be true as my disabled father never leaves the house) and that the bathroom is getting replaced (but he told me this last year) and still has not been done. Can anyone give me any advice on what I can do?

Is it 3 years from the date of repair that the warranty is undertaken?

http://www.moneymarketing.co.uk/news-and-analysis/regulation/fca-hits-insurance-broker-with-30m-fine-over-misselling/2006613.article

Hi everyone, I am currently renting a flat. A few weeks ago, I was mugged and the attackers stole the keys of the flat (among other things). I called the estate agent who manages the property to ask if I could change the locks. He sent someone to do it: the handyman changed both locks on the door and bought two new sets of keys (one for me, the other one for the estate agent). The estate agent then sent me an invoice simply stating "£90". I found it a bit expensive, especially because the handyman is a full-time employee of the landlord and carries out all the repairs for him in all his properties. I asked for an itemised invoice with the details of the prices of the new locks&keys and the labour costs. He told me that he couldn't give me an itemised invoice because the work was carried out by the landlord's handyman. My questions are: - should I be the one who pays for this? Isn't the landlord supposed to have a kind of insurance that can cover these costs? - if I am supposed to pay for the locks, can I still refuse to pay because I wasn't sent an itemised invoice? The only thing that appears on the one I received is: change of locks - £90. Period. I suspect that the estate agent charged me more than the real costs to make a profit out of it. Am I just being paranoid?! Thank you very much for your help, I wish you all a nice evening.

hello, We have been in a property for a year now, when we first moved in there was no TV (we provided one) although when we were shown around the land lord confirmed there was an aerial. The aerial is not listed in our itinerary. However after we moved in we realised that the aerial cable was damaged (water travels through the inside of the aerial cable from the exterior into our living room in wet weather) When we first asked the landlady if it was possible to repair this she said ok no problem, but now ( a year after we first asked) she is refusing to take responsibility. Although she has offered for someone to arrange to rip the cable out- if we would prefer. We were wondering, as the flat was rented to us supposedly with a TV aerial connection, if we were responsible for repairing the aerial. Our tenancy agreement does say that the landlord must: keep in reasonable repair the fixtures, furniture, equipment and effects . Does this include the tv aerial cable? It feels like the landlord is just being spiteful (we are two young girls who keep the property well, always pay rent and have had very little contact with the landlord to date), if she does rip out the aerial the property will have to be leased next time without a TV point. Which does seem like cutting off her nose to spite her face. Any help would be appreciated. thanks

Hi. I apologise in advance for the long post but I dont know what else to do. Myself and my husband moved into our current rented property in July 2011. The flat is a converted house (3 flats and 1 retail shop) and our flat was a main room and a conservatory (this was used as a bedroom) Everything was going well apart from our landlady always coming round and snooping round the outside of the building (looking through windows etc) which was a tad annoying. We were told that we could not adjust the heating temparature (had to leave it on 18 all of the time) We noticed more when the winter was approaching that the flat was getting very very cold. As the heating was only on for 1 hour am and 1 hour pm, we had to invest in some oil electric heaters. They took the edge off especially since I have to get up for work at 6am and the heating did not come on until 8am! We got a telephone call rom our landlady around Feb 2012 asking if we had changed our electric habits as she had a large bill in (rent includes electric) We stated to her that due to the winter we had to have these heaters. She was not happy about this but what could we do? Freeze in our own home? Even as I write this, I have a couple of layers on. We noticed that the conservatory window was coming away from the walls and noticed a few other defects (alot of damp and black mould creeping up the walls) this mould has also ruined alot of our belongings over the time no matter where we put things. The windows in the conservatory were also warped letting through drafts. When it came to renewing our tenancy this year, we pointed out all of the defects in the flat and asked for these to be repaired. 3 months on, we had no contact from the landlady at all. My husband has major back surgery in August 2012 and has been off work for the last 12 months. Regardless the rent and bills have been paid by me. One day it got to the point that my husband was in so much pain due to the cold that he investigated where the drafts were coming from in the bedroom. He pulled back some of the corner wallpaper and was horrified to see daylight! The conservatory wall was not actually fixed to the rest of the building. It was at this point we took lots of pictures and I called the landlady. I advised her that the problem was getting worse and she needed to get someone out ASAP. She was very uninterested about doing this and asked me to arrange someone to have a look. So I did! A few days later, a conservatory repair specialist came out to have a look at the property and was horrified at the condition. The conservatory was not safe and he recommended that it was replaced as it was beyond repair. I telephoned the landlady (from work where calls were recorded) and advised her of this. She was less than happy with what I was saying to her and almost disbeliving. As she was so non committal on the phone, I felt that I had no other choice but to call my local environmental health department. They were lovely and reassured me that I had done the right thing. Later the same day, the landlady left a message on my home number (where she knew I was not at home) stating that she was coming round with her builder to "see what he says" the tone of the message was not only accusing but very patronising. I arranged to have the time off work to be at the property with my husband and I called the landlady back. When I spoke to her to state that I had arranged the time off, she stated that I did not need to do that and as the property was hers and she would be paying any bill that I should not be concerned. I said that as I rent the property, I would like to be there (and also that I dont trust her as far as I could throw her) she responded with "well thats your choice" I was disgusted with her attiude then reminded her that as the landlady of the property it is her responsibility to maintain the property which she has not done. She then accused me of intimidating her as I was asking for the work to be done. I was not forceful, agressive or rude on the phone to her. (this is why I call her from work as all of the calls are recorded) She said that she was not continung to discuss with me and she put the phone down. It was at this point that we moved our bed (or at least our mattress) into the living room so we now only have 1 room that we can use (even that is freezing) When she arrived with her builder a couple of days later, she did not utter a word to me at all and only spoke to my husband. Her builder agreed that the conservatory needed replacing and had been built incorrectly with incorrect materials also. She did ask him if there was anyway to "just fix it" and he said no there wasnt (smart builder). Environmental health arrived a couple of days after this and looked over the whole property. He was not impressed at the condition and went away to write his report. This came back just before my husband and I went on our belated honeymoon. This report was also forwarded to our landlady. The environmental health report stated that the proerty sufferes from extreme cold, has been split without planning permission, she does not hold correct licences for a house of multiple occupancy (as it is now classed) The fire safety is not in place for other flats and no smoke alarms, the damp & dry rot is all over, the conservatory is unsafe, the heating should be controled by each flat and not set temp or times with other issues too. The landlady has also not held our deposit in a deposit guarantee scheme. When we arrived home yesterday, we were greeted by a nice solicitors letter on behalf of the landlady. She has instructed them to contact us regarding the environmental health report and the repairs. The landlady would like us to terminating the existing lease voulentarrily with some form of compensation. The finanical situation of myself and my husband is that I am the only wage earner, my husband is in receipt of ESA and is not going to be fit to go back to work for at least a further 3-6 months. The coldness is not helping his recovery at all. We cannot afford to move, we cannot afford another deposit, we cannot afford the removals costs either. We have had to send my husbands son back to stay with his mother as it is too cold here for him also and we are on the council waiting list (very low down tho) Sending his son back was heartbreaking for both my husband and I. Although we desperately need to get out of here, we just dont know what to do. If I were to give her the property back, what sort of compensation should I ask for? I have 8 months left on the tenancy @ £545.00 per month. All the other properties in the area are a min rental of £650 per month plus bills. All I can afford each month is £800 inc all bills. I am working all hours just to keep our heads above water (50 hours per week). Any help and/or advice would be appreciated.

Sorry if i'm posting in the wrong place. I looked everywhere. Hoping someone can help. I received an invoice from the council in November 2010 stating I owed £146 for rechargeable repairs to a councill property I left in August 2010. I did not pay it as I was just too broke. Heard absolutely nothing for over 2years then fast forward to April 2013 I receive a demand for payment for £1503 for rechargeable repairs to the property and if I didn't pay within 7 days county court action would commence against me. I emailed the council asking 1) Why has this bill increased so dramatically 2) Why have I not been contacted at all in 2 1/2years for payment. I received an email back from the council informing me that I had not been contacted for this long time frame as it was with another department for collection and the department now sending me the bill has just had it passed to them and as regards to the breakdown of costs she has put my account on hold for 6 weeks so I can be sent a breakdown of where it came from. (No explanation as to why it has increased so dramatically) She CC'd the lady who would be sending me the breakdown. So in 7 days time the 6 weeks will have passed and as of yet I have received no breakdown. Basically I just want to know what my options are? I agree that probably I owe around £146 as I know when I moved out I left my bed there and a door was broken on a kitchen cupboard so I guess I am responsible for that. But what they say it is, £1503 I cant afford that! Also can they just take me to court even though they have not attempted to collect anything or make contact with me for 2 1/2 years? And what if they do not send me the breakdown? Any advice please. Thank You

I have a Rotary watch which had been very little used except for special occasions. Just outside the 12 months warranty a piece of the bracelet clip fell off making it impossible to remove the bracelet from my hand. I went to a Rotary outlet who kindly removed a link from the bracelet to 'get me out'. I then reported the matter to the original vendor (a provincial specialist watch retailer). He was unable to obtain a replacement fastener for the bracelet and advised me to approach Rotary myself. I did this and they advised that they do not sell spare parts and I must send the watch to them for assessment and repair. I did this and received a quotation to service the entire watch and replace the fastener at a cost of about a half of the original retail cost of the watch. The watch itself looked and worked like new so I did not require it to be serviced. I requested that they simply replace the catch as I had requested which they did, they sent the watch back in a Jiffy envelope (not carefully boxed in bubble wrap as I had sent it!) Looking at the watch it had stopped working. I took it to my local 'proper' watch repairer asking him to fit a new battery. The watch did not work even with a new battery and he said that the movement would need replacing. Obviously it is now my word against the repairers but it seems an extraordinary coincidence that this new fault should occur in the post. My concern is that a technician may have 'sabotaged' the electronics when I refused to accept the repair quotation. I contacted Rotary Sales office who referred me to the repair centre who said send the watch back again (adding extra postal costs to those I have already experienced with no firm prospect of resolution) possibly costing me more money on what is already seeming an expensive and regretted purchase. Their response did not appear contrite or helpful. Is this a common situation or what hope do I have to bottom the issue out? I am minded to bin the watch rather than pursue the matter.

I had a spongy clutch pedal, asked the garage to sort... went to collect the van from the garage who had changed the entire clutch and slave cylinder, (which was only a year old) making no difference at all. had to pay 450 quid to get it out, then took it back and they found the problem was the master cylinder which they fixed in 30 minutes with a part lying around their garage. They have said If i get an engineers report that the slave cylinder is not leaking they will refund, but I just want to know my rights in case they get problematic. I have video recorded everything, including them admitting they got it wrong. Apparently it is very simple to determine if a slave or master cylinder is leaking. Takes about 30 seconds but I will spare the tech details.

A few weeks back i needed a mot and rear pad change. Whilst doing the pads the guy said the head race bearings needed replacing and there was no steering stop so that needed to be done to pass. he recommended a local garage to do the work. Took in on a Thursday and was told 2-3 hours for front and rear brakes, steering race and stop. Off i went to sit in catford and wait. 3 hours later i call and am told there is a delay for the steering stop and will be another 2 hours. I wait 3 hours and then getting wound up i walk back to the garage. I ask if its finished and am told they are just finishing the front but still have the back to do (45 minute job max) I ask why its not done after 6 hours they say they were doing other work on other bikes? I said how long to do the rear and despite it being 2 hours till closing he says it wont be ready till tomorrow. I tell him not to bother and to finish what he is doing. I get charged £210 for 3.5 hours but was annoyed it took 7. Im then back at work for 7 days so book it to a different garage who also do MOT,s for my next days off to have the rear pads done and a mot. Whilst driving to work i hit a bump and suddenly the bearings are loose with lots of play in the steering. Later when i goto get the pads and mot i ask him to sort the bearings he tries but cant and calls the first garage who say they will fix what they did. so he does the rear brake instead. the next day i goto the first garage who say they are busy so cant do it today so i say i will be back after another 7 days at work. Whilst driving for 7 days the rear will starts weaving around on inspection the rear will is rocking around? when i get it to the 1st garage to fix the head race i warn them about the rear wheel. 5 hours sitting in catford no phone call so again im not happy and walk back up there to find the bike outside probably fixed. They say the head race bearings are tight but will slacken off? and say tell the MOT garage to call to confirm if need be. They said the bad real wheel shake was because the guy that done the pads did not tighten the wheel up properly? Next day i goto the MOT place who say straight off no way it would pass i need to go back to get the bearings loosened off. I go back to the 1st garage and say wth? they say they had problems when they installed. if they loosened the steering there was play if they tightened it there was no play but too tight? they say they don't have time today so i need to take it in tomorrow so tomorrow is my 3rd day off wasted of just this week. Punchline is when they finally sort the steering the MoT will probably find other stuff i was not even aware of. Looks like when it comes to bikes people take their good old time and do a awful job. If i find a new garage thats good i dont care where they are i will stick to them

wonder if anyone can help, last Tuesday I took my laptop in to a local repair shop to have the fan cleaned, part of the service was also a hard drive diagnostic which I agreed to, I asked how long it would take and got the reply "probably tomorrow" reluctantly I agreed and left, when I returned the next day I was told that there was a problem with drive and it was faulty and they were trying to fix the problem and to come back later that day, which I duly did to be told that they couldn`t do it and were going to clone my drive drop in a new one and move all the data across and that it would take, surprise surprise until the next day, I went back the next day to be told that the clone didn't work and that a data recovery process was the only way forward which I had no choice but to agree to, however when I went back the next day the data recovery hadn't worked but I did have a new hard drive in the laptop, albeit with nothing on it apart from windows and my old hard drive in plastic bag, when I questioned how to get my data back the response was "not our problem, you should have backed it up" they also refused to put the old hard drive back in so I could do this, (they claim it might not boot) and refused to sign the receipt to say I had paid under protest. because of this company I have lost important business documents, personal documents, pictures and over £300 worth of downloaded music. I have since taken the old hard drive to another specialist who did a very quick check of the drive and could find no data on it whatsoever. what I would like to know is where I stand in relation to recovering this data and/or having the old drive put back in thank you