As a very early fan of the Eagles, I was sad to learn of his death yesterday, far too young. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/glenn-frey-eagles-guitarist-dead-at-67-20160118 HB

Of particular interest is the Energy companies apologist group saying it will improve when smart meters are installed and they are rolling them out to th whole country NOW.. Rather strange when many of the complaints were after correct readings were given. Seems they are just trying to justify smart meters, not actually address the issues. ... Other than that just the same old same old - 3times proper size billing, multiple different bills, dozens of emails/calls not fixing issues etc etc as has been going on for years. Link to BBC site detail and player added: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06kn2pq

Hi all I'm new on here and hoping for some advice. I paid for two waist trainers from wowcher however within ten weeks they have literally fallen apart I have contacted the company Boni Caro who sent the items however they state that any refund has to be taken up with Wowcher, Wowcher however state that this is not their problem as all they did was sell me a code not the product. I paid wowcher the money through paypal so my thinking was that my contract is with Wowcher not the other company. if i could get a firm correct answer as to who is responsible i can move forward with making a claim against them however as it stands both companies are denying any responsibility.

EDF may be changing your direct debit without informing you or writing to you about the changes. If you have registered for online account servicing then a check of your account maybe wise. I did so today just after they took their monthly agreed DD but failed to inform me that they had changed it to a higher amount for next month. Stating this was due to your account owing £xx-XX when in fact it was in credit by a low 3 figure amount and they said we are increasing your amount payable because your account is in credit WTF??? Well currently having a typing war with EDF ATM so please check your accounts and amounts this company are currently taking from you.....

My mortgage is with the dreaded SPML/Capstan/Acenden and my mortgage rate is supposed to be based on the Libor rate. As we all know this was fixed and the banks were fined. My question is this; How does or can this affect me and my mortgage? Does this mean that I am owed anything back from my "lovely" mortgage lender?

It looks like my days of playing the lottery will be ending in October, they are adding ten more balls so increasing them from 49 to 59 and the odds on winning the jackpot jumps from 14 million to 1 to 45 million to one. They say they are making up for it by adding another prize, you will get something for getting 2 balls correct, another bloody lottery ticket, well whoopy.

Please help, my best friend just had a baby and had to relocate near families After vacating the property and asking landlord for refund of deposit, landlord is finding lots of excuses to grab whole deposit and worse the agency is on the side of the lanlord basically these are the charges eplace smashed centre light fitting Replace/repair pull-switch and refit to ceiling Replace broken toilet seat and flushing mechanism. £80.00 · Bedroom Re-decorate £100 · Kitchen Replace electric cooker (which was new when tenants moved in) £150.00 · Lounge Re-hang electric economy 7 heater £50 · Garden Arrange removal of large amounts of rubbish left in garden and outside shed £40 · Thorough cleaning of the property £75 Total £495.00 AND THE DEPOSIT IS £500 This flat was rented for less than 2 years by a couple, no kids And the oven was never brand new How can this couple defend themselves Please they have been given 24 hours to answer, Any advice welcome Thanks

Ad A promotion on Glamour Heaven's Facebook page stated "MASSIVE ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY … WE ARE GIVING AWAY THIS STUNNING MINI COOPER. FOR A CHANCE TO WIN SIMPLY SHARE THIS PHOTO AND LIKE OUR PAGE". Issue The complainant challenged whether the promotion was genuine. CAP Code (Edition 12) 3.18.18.2 Response Glamour Heaven did not respond to the ASA's enquiries. Assessment Upheld The ASA was concerned by lack of substantive response and apparent disregard for the Code from Glamour Heaven, which was a breach of CAP Code rule 1.7 (Unreasonable delay). We reminded them of their responsibility to provide a substantive response to our enquiries and told them to do so in future. We had not seen any evidence that that prize was genuine or that it had been awarded to an entrant, we therefore concluded it was misleading. The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 (Misleading advertising), 8.1 and 8.2 (Sales promotions). Action The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Glamour Heaven to ensure their promotions were genuine. We referred the matter to CAP's Compliance team.

Letting agents’ fees should be banned to protect tenants in the private rental sector, a new Citizens Advice report has urged. New evidence uncovered by the charity reveals tenants are frequently ripped-off by fees often hidden by letting agents – to the tune of £337 on average. These charges come on top of advertised rent prices and deposits and in some cases can force people into debt, the charity says. The Still Let Down report says letting agents have refused to adopt measures that were supposed to bring transparency and competition to the market. Most agents charge for checking references, but costs range from as little as £6 to £300, according to the study. Renters can also be hit by charges ranging from between £15 to £300 for simply renewing their tenancies. Some agents charged £300 for credit checks that are widely available for £25. Even when moving out of a property, almost half of the 353 agencies polled by Citizens Advice said they charge an average ‘check out’ fee of £76. http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/pressoffice/press_index/press_20150327.htm Citizens Advice wants to gather evidence of bad letting agent's adverts such as the advert didn't include details of the fees, how much fees would be or being asked to pay fees not listed in the advert. You can report it here: https://citizensadvice1.wufoo.eu/forms/bad-letting-agent-ad-report-it/

back in 2007 i purchased 3 computers all from pc world and all having the top pc performance package ive had the computers ever since then and the 2 advents which i purchased within a few months of each other have now both got issues blue screening and crash dumping memory the card readers dont function and one dvd player is not working several times over the years one machine in particular has been sent back for the same repair a few weeks ago i went into the store to book a repair at my place of work only to be told they do not do that cover anymore ? i asked for an in house repair i then went back to work got the machine and took it into the shop at marsh mills plymouth i was told that i would have to book it in for the repair it would need to be sent off for repair ? i was told it would take no longer than 7 days i booked it in with pc world to get done i went into pc world 3 days later to still find the computer in the shop ? after 5 days i got the customer support on the phone asking what is wrong with the machine i explained the same as the notes that were left with the machine when i booked it in ? the dvd drive work when it wanted ? the card reader did not work at all ? the fan was going flat out all the time the machine was really noisey ok she said ill make sure the technician knows all the faults when he works on the machine i replied today is thursday and its due back saturday no worries it will be done then i had the technician on the phone asking what i wanted to be saved off the machine i replied everything he told me that if i wanted to save the data and photos ect i would have to purchase one of there memory devices at the cost of £60 i said no way ill send one in to the shop to be passed on to you i went into the shop with my brand new 64GB memory stick the man went to the computer to book the memory stick in then came back to tell me they wont be needing it now ideal i said not really they have done a factory re set and lost all of the data on the tower ? i left the shop as i was shocked and stunned well i got the machine back 5 days later with a letter to say that the card reader had been replaced and a cable was defective and it had a corrupt version of windows ? well i took the machine home to plug it in only to find that the card reader still wont work as it has no drivers the machine is beyond factory settings its bare so i took the machine back into the store as i am not happy with this at all if i had as there agreement says an on site technician i would never have let the machine be wiped clean these people are total jokers if they do not want to honour my warranty where do i stand any help would be great many thanks lee

A news item, (not appeared on their site yet), on Sky News this morning highlights the difference in price between Argos and Brighthouse plus Brighthouse adds compulsory insurance, again at rip-off prices. Sorry to say this but anyone who uses this store are really stupid especially after all the warnings, it doesn't matter what the circumstances are. It matters not if you have a bad credit rating, there are other forms of credit besides using this expansion of a loan shark.

I just come across this mail address in my means off leaving how am filling with this so called AA REPAIR WARRANTY which is just taken money from people and when there is a propblem with their car you tell them to clear off. I have the AA repair warranty with the aboved car. my car is in prtfect condition untill recently it developed a problem with the first gear. i called tghe AA patrol team who come to see the car and advice i take it to my local VAT garage. car was sent to KENS AUTOS in croydon since few month ago they replace the clutch of this same car and it still under warranty. upon they investigating the problem with car, they said it was the flywheel so it must be change. job was carried and they phone the AA to inform them. the AA promised sending a technician to inspect the damage flywheel. the said technician visited the garage on the agreed date and sent a repot to the AA that the problem with the flywheel has been there for ages and this the information received from the garage. upon such information sent to the AA they refused to pay my claim. i have been to kens autos in croydon to ask them about this case and they said no information of such types was given to the technician when he come around their garage. CCTV evidence was shown to proof that no such communication took place there so meaning the technician has lied or given false information about my car to the AA hence refusing my claim. the garage confirmed that no such problem was with the car when they were changing the clutch. it it was they would have done both together avoiding further cos to me the technician is from a company called ACE. i wrote to them about what their technician has done. they then wrote to the AA to find out but was told to stop given me information or responding to me. this means it deliberately thing the AA is doing. I have been in touch with a team member by nae NASH and ADOM who told me they still stand by their wards and wont change anything. My next step is the court and i have already assigned the case to a solicitor because i see it as a total rip off from a company like the AA. WHY IS THE AA RIPPING OFF PEOPLE . WHY WHY WHY NEVER BUY AA CAR REPAIR WARRANTY

Rail passengers are routinely being denied the cheapest fares when they buy tickets at stations, The Telegraph can disclose. Self-service machines — which are used to purchase almost a quarter of all tickets sold annually — offer wildly different fares, an investigation by this newspaper shows. Customers buying from a machine can pay more than £200 when a ticket for the same destination can be found elsewhere at the station for more than £100 cheaper. For example, at machines run by train company Northern Rail in Leeds, passengers buying a First-Class Anytime Return to Birmingham were charged £271. Only feet away, an East Coast trains machine offered the same journey using a First-Class Off-peak Return for £145.70. This type of ticket is not available for customers using Northern Rail’s machines, which means that some passengers might not be aware that they could save £125.30 by travelling off-peak. The Telegraph investigation examined rail fares across the country and found that customers were being offered different prices for the same journey depending on which operator’s machine they used. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/11175688/Rail-ticket-rip-off-passengers-routinely-denied-cheapest-fares.html The best way to ensure you don't get ripped off is to buy your ticket at the ticket office. Ticket office clerks are required by law to offer the cheapest tickets, regardless of which company they work for.

Have you ever made a copy of a CD as a backup or to play the music on an MP3 player or smartphone? Then you would have been committing a crime until this month. An update to British copyright law, first announced back in March but only coming into effect this month, means that it's now legal to make copies of CDs, DVDs, e-books, MP3s and Blu-rays - provided they are for personal use. It is still illegal to make copies of movies or music to give to friends and family. If you do want to give an album to a loved one, you’ll need to delete any personal copies you have to stay within the law. So if you buy a CD or DVD and then rip it, you aren't allowed to then sell on the hard copy. Nor are you allowed to rip a rented Blu-ray, e-book or other media file. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/its-no-longer-illegal-rip-4365409

[ATTACH=CONFIG]53823[/ATTACH]

I have been a valued member of the AA for the past 2 years with the Maximum family Cover, I have always thought very highly of them and have recommended them to numerous people. Within one day, when my renewal dropped through the door, my perception has totally changed and I am totally shocked at their lack of customer service. My renewal quote was 90% more than I paid last year, initially i thought they had made a mistake and called them, they clarified the price and said this was because my family (with 3 cars) had called them out 10 times over the past year, they would not budge on or reduce the price !! I know for a fact this is wrong as i keep records, i informed the advisor that in fact it was only seven times as a few of the times i had cancelled due to a long wait time for assistance, 2 of the call outs were also within 24 hours as the patrol said nothing was wrong first time ?? I was told to write in with my concerns, An email was immediately sent but they have not even had the courtesy to reply to me. The same cover for a new member is available at half the price i have been quoted, they are insistent on charging loyal customers alot more money. The same cover is also available with competitors at alot cheaper price, dont want to leave them, but feel i have no choice !! What has happened to the AA ???? Not Looking after customers !!!!! Not responding to their emails !!!! VERY POOR - AVOID AT ALL COSTS

So sorry to hear of the passing of Robin Williams (Through Suicide) Thank you for the laughs you have given me & my family over the years. Stigman

introducing myself, swiftcover online car insurance accepted £56 deposit for cover agreeing to a policy price of £196 subject to No Claim Discount, two weeks in swiftcover rejected my NCD evidence on the grounds my previous NCD was from a camper van... then hiking the policy cost to over £554 needless to say i cancelled the policy and the Direct Debit and gained insurance including my camper van insurance NCD another less blood sucking insurance company but in the meantime swizz-cover tried to extort more money by demanding i pay a further £65 policy cost & threatening an additional 'policy change charge' of £35 on top. so on returning the unopened letter from swiftcover i marked 'no contract return to sender', they have texted & emailed me notifications they intend to deploy debt collectors on my sorry ass which i will deal with but it is hard when these corporate debts are solely manufactured to fleece & extort as much as they can out of us even if it means moving the goal post in the contract. thanks peace

Tesco has today announced the introduction of a current account. It will cost £5 per month unless you deposit £750 per month. Although it will pay interest on credit balances, this is one not to get involved with unless you can guarantee funds deposits exceeding £750 per month every month or have funds left over at the end of each month. There will also be an 18.9% charge on arranged overdrafts plus fees on top of that for unarranged. So if you went over by £50 and could only afford to repay at £15 per month, you overdraft will continue to increase plus the fees on top.

Continued from here http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?374679-The-great-interest-rate-rip-off-part-8/page82

Can anyone advise or give opinion please? We are about to move home and my present insurance company has told me that I cannot move my policy onto our new home and it will have to be cancelled and we have to start a new policy. They want me to pay a £50 cancellation fee, which I feel is unfair because I do not want to cancel my insurance- I just want to move home and have my new home insured. On top of that, as I pay by Direct Debit they say I have to pay off the rest off the policy which has 6 months to go. They say they have paid the policy up front for me and allowed me to pay by DD so the remaining part of the policy has to be paid. Why should I have to do that if we are not insured for our old home and will be paying for a policy on our new home? They are making us pay £50 cancellation when we do not want to cancel and on top of that we have to pay another £100 to pay off our policy before starting a new one. If you buy a new car, the insurer will transfer the policy and make adjustment to the payments. I feel that what they are doing is completely wrong but they argue they are within their rights. They say their cooling off time has a cancellation fee of £25 if you decide not to go ahead!!

On the 10th March 2014 I ordered some car paint from a company called Car Paint Repair and paid by VISA debit card £16.49 including postage. After a week days and no delivery, I emailed them to query it and the reply was that the goods were in post and to wait a few more days. Yesterday and today I emailed them and no reply. I have tried phoning but no answer. I have since done a search and found a number fo bad reviews for this company. My fault I should have checked them out first for reviews. Is there any way I can get my bank, Nationwide to cancel the transaction and refund the money back to my card? thanks.

I got the brakes repaired at my local garage. I had the front discs and pads and the rear shoes done. He charged me £350 for parts and labour. I think this was a little on the high side? what do you think? The van is a berlingo 08.

I have just received notice of the annual rent increase from my (Housing Trust) landlord. Whilst the rent increase is within the legal guidelines, in this case 2.7%, the increase in service charge is closer to 70%. This increase is due to the previously £0.28 per week charge for fire alarm/safety maintenance being increased to £6.04 per week. As there are 24 flats in the building this comes to £144.96 per week or £7537.92 per annum to "maintain" 3 low maintenance communal alarm systems (each group of 8 flats has a separate hallway and alarm panel). This rise of over £7000 per annum from the previous £349 seems to me to be a backdoor attempt to raise the rent beyond the amount allowed. A friend who is a tenant of a different local Housing trust is also facing a similar huge hike in service charge in this case for communal electricity, the 6 flats in his building are being expected to pay collectively £42 + per week for communal lighting that actually works out to about £4-5 per week @12 hours per day average. Any suggestions with regard challenging these increase's would be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone has any info on the actual maintenance requirements/costs of a modern (about 18 months old) fire alarm system (central panel, smoke and heat detectors in flats, smoke detectors in hall) it would be helpful.

I have just had my car insurance renewal through and as usual I thought I would shop around for a cheaper deal (as you do !) - Thought Aviva would be cheaper as there are no middle men and you are dealing direct - my quote came back 3 times higher than my renewal with my current provider, at in excess of £900.00 ! - how can they justify such a massive difference ? (no difference in level of cover) Has anyone else had the same experience ? or am I a one off ?