Anyone else noticed this??

Hi all, Wonder if anyone could shed a bit of light on this situation My in laws, who are in their 60's, have a washing machine from Brighthouse, which they have had for about 3 years. They have never had an annual statement in the 3 years and when they asked their local store they were fobbed off with excuses. Does anyone know how they would go about getting one of these that would cover from the period they got the washing machine til now as they have been told that the machine wont be paid off until a week before christmas which we think it longer than what it should be. They have also had a tv and a touchscreen pc in previous years, the tv went back because they missed a payment and the pc was a joke, it broke, was returned three times each time with another pc that was clearly broken and during this time they were advised not to pay as they didnt have the pc. They were told that they would only be entitled to a new working pc if they signed a new agreement with them which they didn't. With all of these items they had OSC and DLC, where do they stand with these as the have occasionally fell behind with payments and have continued to pay they're weekly payment which included these covers? Thank You

Customer Update Many customers should continue to see an improved position on their accounts today, with account transactions continuing to update. We now expect that next week (commencing 9 July) will be the final week of any significant delays for Ulster Bank customers. We expect gradual, but significant and noticeable improvements throughout the remainder of this week and next. It is our expectation that by the week of the 16 July the vast majority of customers will return to a normal service. There may be some final reconciliations required to customers' accounts.We will provide updates daily on our progress. You can find out more by reading the latest media statement from RBS Group. We know this disruption to our customers is unacceptable and we're committed to doing all we can to help as many of our customers as possible. 42 of our branches will have extended opening hours from 9.30am to 7pm until Friday 6 July. . To help us facilitate your requests, please bring photographic identification and your account details (account number and sort code) . Please bring your payslip if the balance does not reflect any salary payments. We have also doubled the number of staff available in our call centres. Our dedicated help desk is open 8am to 10pm to take your call on 0800 231232. If you are calling from abroad please call +4428 90843556. We confirm that no customer will be permanently out of pocket and there should be no adverse impact on customers' credit ratings as a result of this incident. We will continue to post daily updates here. Follow us on Twitter @ulsterbankgroup Key Questions on Customers' Minds How can I access cash? If your balance does not reflect up to date payments due into your account, please come to any Ulster Bank branch with your photographic ID and your account details. Please bring your payslip if the balance does not reflect any salary payments. Ulster Bank credit card holders may also use their card for cash withdrawals from an ATM; no cash advance fee or interest will be charged for using this service provided the amount withdrawn is repaid within one month of the withdrawal. What is the situation with lodgements made to my account? Electronic payments are being received into accounts but they are delayed. If your salary, pension or welfare payment was due to be paid into your account before Thursday 21st June, this is now in your account balance. If you were due to receive your salary via an electronic payment between Thursday 21st and Friday 29th June this may not yet be in your account. Lodgements of cash or cheques made over our branch counters from Wednesday 20th June are receipted but have yet to be credited to customers' accounts and will be credited as we clear the backlog. What about my direct debit, will it be paid? Direct Debits that were received between 21st of June and 3rd of July will be paid; however, you may not see these reflected in your account until our systems have been fully restored. Direct Debits up to 20 June have been processed as normal. You may wish to let the beneficiary know that there is a delay. We understand that customers are concerned they might get disconnected from a utility or service provider if their account is not paid. We would like to reassure our customers and those of other banks, that we are working with other banks, service providers, insurance and utility companies to make sure that, as a result of this issue, customers will not be without their services, will not be permanently out of pocket and will not have their credit record affected. Is Anytime internet and mobile banking operational? Yes, our internet banking and mobile services are available to allow you to view your accounts, make transfers and pay bills. Please note that you will only be able to make transfers and pay bills on Anytime internet or mobile banking up to the stated balance which may not be up to date. As we update our systems there may be times when the service is temporarily unavailable; if this happens please try again later. Please remember we will never contact you to ask you for your PIN or password. We have suspended our text balance service while we resolve this issue.

Follows an investigation by the OFT into 3 high Street electrical retailers http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updates/press/2012/53-12

Follows an investigation by the OFT http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updates/press/2012/53-12

Hi Im hoping someone can give me some advice please after 2 days of arguements with a ex I have recently had my Derbyshire Building Society statement sent to a wrong address which unfortunately was a ex and my childs mum. I havent lived with this person for 9 years and have had at least 6 previous addresses. I use this account frequently and the last thing I need is for this ex to have any information and also me being accused of using her address! I changed my address in may and have received a statement to my address on the 29th May. My ex has recieved my annual statement dated June!! How can they send it to her address, I have never lived there and have no connection besides my son with her!! In all honesty I am fuming and just when things had calmed down between us this as flared up big time! I dont see how they can send it to her of all people and if hadnt seen it with my own eyes wouldnt of believed her. I had to have ID to even change my address so how the hell can it be changed without this? Pls Help before I go in all guns blazing

Hi there Can anyone tell me if I have to fill in a financial statement to a DCA? I have been making reduced payments for 4 years to DLC and the debt was moved to Moorcroft. As I became unemployed I negotiated payments with them of £1.00 per month starting 8th March 2012. The debt has now been passed to Allied International Credit who want to renegotiate the payment and for me to provide a financial statement. I have since found out that Moorcroft did not collect the £1.00 from my account as arranged. I keep getting calls from Allied. Many thanks SusieQ33

As published by BIS in May,the codes will include; a good practice customer charter explaining how the loan works and the costs involved; a commitment to inform customers three days before money is withdrawn; increased transparency about loan repayment so that consumers can make informed decisions and are not surprised by hidden payments; more help for customers in financial difficulty by freezing charges and interest; robust credit and affordability assessments to ensure loans are suitable for the customer’s situation; and effective compliance monitoring by the Trade Associations to root out poor practice in the industry. 1. A Good Practice Customer Charter to be published by 25 July 2012 setting out in a clear, concise and user-friendly format what customers of payday and other short-term loans should expect from their lender. This Charter will: · highlight lenders’ key commitments to customers, including clear information about how the loan works, the price per £100 borrowed as well as the APR, and charges for extending the term of the loan (‘rolling over’) and default; · explain how lenders will communicate with customers and how customers can contact them; · explain how they assess if customers can afford a loan; · explain how to complain if there is a problem and signpost customers to sources of free and independent debt advice and relevant helplines; · sit along with each trade association’s individual Codes and be easily accessible via lenders’ websites or at business premises. 2. Increased transparency about loan repayments to help consumers make better informed decisions and making sure that continuous payment authority is not used inappropriately for those in financial difficulty. Lenders have committed to: · only extend (‘rollover’) the term of their loan at the specific request of the customer and after reminding the customer of the risks of extending a short term loan; · provide consumers with a clear explanation of how continuous payment authority works and how payments will be deducted from their bank accounts. This will help consumers decide whether this type of repayment is acceptable to them before they take out the loan; · set out consumers’ rights to cancel a continuous payment authority before they take out a loan, reminding them that if they cancel they will still owe any outstanding debt and the need to provide an alternative method of payment on the due date to avoid going into default; · always pre-notify consumers by email, text, letter or phone at least three days[1] in advance before attempting to recover repayment using continuous payment authority on the due date. This notice will encourage customers to contact the lender if they are in financial difficulties and cannot repay; · Where customers have failed to make repayment on the due date, send further regular reminders to customers when a continuous payment authority is being used, providing a contact point for the customer if they are experiencing repayment problems; · Repay any amounts recovered by the continuous payment authority if the customer is in financial difficulty. 3. More help for customers in financial difficulty: Lenders have committed to: · freeze charges and interest if a reasonable repayment plan can be agreed, or after a maximum of 60 days of non-payment; · engage sympathetically and positively with the customer and split the loan into realistic repayments to be repaid over a longer period, where appropriate; · provide customers with a ‘breathing space’ of 30 to 60 days where they are making a genuine effort to agree a repayment plan. 4. Robust credit assessments: Lenders have committed to: · undertake sound, proper and appropriate affordability assessments and credit vetting as part of each loan application and before the term of a loan is extended (‘rollover’); · check the suitability of the loan given the customer’s situation · remind the customer that the loan is only suitable for borrowing over a short-term and not over a longer-term. 5. Effective compliance monitoring of members by their trade associations to ensure improved self-regulation and root out poor practice in the payday and short-term markets. The trade associations have committed to: · meaningful and enforceable sanctions in their Codes (up to and including expulsion from membership for serious non-compliance) · delivering rigorous internal complaints procedures; · taking a proactive approach to monitoring compliance with their codes and regular meetings with the OFT to discuss areas of concern in the market. · undertake a review of the effectiveness of these changes to the Codes 12 months after they come into effect and in light of the OFT’s current study of the market and publish the findings. Definition: Payday and other short-term loans include an agreement where you can borrow a small amount of money (usually between £50 and £800) and repay the loan over a short period (typically one or two months). [1] Where contact is being made by telephone, this timeframe will be influenced by the customer actually receiving the call. Full details;http://news.bis.gov.uk/Press-Releases/Better-help-for-consumers-in-financial-difficulty-from-payday-loans-67a77.aspx

Hi, If I want to disclose / use a witness statement from a non-english speaker, do I (or can I) need to translate it myself (I can speak this language fluently), or do I need to submit the statement in a foreign language, and the court has to translate? Will the court then send the statement translated to the defendant? Thanks

Hi, I am (unfortunately) having to go to through an employment tribunal process against my present employer. I had an initial case management discussion meeting (CMD) a few months ago. At that meeting my employer's legal representative stated that my employer intended to call several witnesses. The names of these witnesses were not listed in the CMD agenda - even though I had openly listed the names and number of my potential witnesses - and I had expected the employer's side to do the same thing for the CMD meeting. My employer's legal representative stated at the CMD that they (the employer's legal rep) didn't know the names of witnesses, just the number to be called. I have since emailed my employer's internal Legal section several times requesting a list of witnesses names. My employer's Legal section has not even acknowledged receipt of my email requests let alone supply me with the list of names. This refusal to name their witnesses has the potential to weaken my case. Indeed one or two employees which I have sounded out as potential witnesses on my side have instead bailed out (which is unfortunately somewhat understandable in these days of job cuts) explaining that they were doing so because they might actually be called as witnesses on behalf of my employer (which is a lot less easier to forgive I must say!). I'm not interested in recriminations against any of my co-workers who may actually stand as a witness for the employer (I really don't have the enery left for it apart from anything else). However I do feel that I should be entitled to know who may have been 'bagged' for the other side! Does anyone know if I do have a right to know who these employer-side witnesses are and if so, can I make my employer disclose this list of witnesses asap? Any advice would be most welcome.

Hello Can my employer change the hours on my contract to suit themselves. Have been informed that if we dont work overtime our hrs will be changed from 7.45-4.45 to 7am to 4.45. The contract says we must do a reasonable amount of overtime to suit the buisness. Thanks in advance

My wife CCA'd the RBS regarding her credit card. They have sent back a copy of her application form (below) and a copy of a 7 page Credit Agreement. The copy of the credit agreement is unsigned (in fact there is nowhere on the agreement to sign) so I imagine if thats their best effort, the agreement is unenforcable. What do you think folks.