Hi so, I will try to be succinct! We all know the law changed, but I didn't quite get it. I bought a car second hand, it came with a tax disk, I thought I was fine for a few months. Obviously I wasn't, I understand that, and am happy to pay a REASONABLE amount because of this. I was caught on camera on 21st December near Oxford. I was caught on my home street in London on 13th January. I was clamped on 14th of January, costing me £100 to get out. I taxed my car that same day. On 15th January I get two letters, both dated 14th January - obviously these would not be received until after I got clamped. One letter referred to being caught on camera in December, charging me £117. The second letter referred to being caught on 13th January, asking me to pay £145. On phoning the DVLA, I was told I am supposed to pay BOTH fines. PLUS the £100 for the clamping. DO the maths if you want but it's a lot of money, for one (accidental) offence. I wrote a nice long, detailed letter of appeal, asking for a reasonable reduction and consolidation of these "out of court settlements). I have just received a letter telling me that none of my reasons were valid, and I still have to pay everything. Shall I fight it? It seems a crazy system, even if I swallow the fee for the clamping, having to pay twice for the same offence. And the fact that they seem to have KEPT THE DECEMBER OFFENCE BACK UNTIL THEY CAUGHT ME AGAIN, SENDING LETTERS FOR BOTH THE OFFENCES ON THE SAME DAY seems either very sneaky, to get maximum money from me, or at least very bad admin. If I do fight it, where will the court case be held? Locally to me or in Swansea? Anyone know? If I do fight it, how much might I have to pay if I lose? If I do fight it, anyone know my chances? Should I just pay because offences are offences? Thanks all, looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Jon

A number of frequent posters on the forum have said that they would like to have a thread so that we can discuss the procedures available for debtors if they consider that a bailiff has done something wrong. The thread can be used to discuss a variety of scenarios such as: What is the correct procedure for debtors to take if a bailiff clamps their car which is on finance? What should a debtor do if the bailiff has clamped or removed their car and it is needed for their employment. Can a bailiff charge a fee if the address on the warrant is wrong. PS: We had a similar thread when the new regulations came into effect on 6th April and that was extremely useful and provided a great source of information to frequent posters on the forum. This new thread should be the same.

Last year around May June I switched bank accounts from Barclays to Santander. I changed all the direct debits over myself (yes i sat on the phone for over an hour but was so paranoid about something going wrong if i left it up to the banks to do so for peace of mind I did it myself). Turns out I shouldn't have bothered! The only 1 that I had a problem with was United Utilities. I received a letter early September, followed by a phone call the same day saying I was in debt of around £120. My direct debit had apparently been cancelled by the bank. No chance I said, why would the bank cancel a direct debit. I was assured it was the banks fault, set it up again over the phone for my new account and thought no more of it. Just before Christmas I got another phone call saying my direct debit had been cancelled and the last payment I had made was in May 2014. I told them again that I had already had a phone call and set it up over the phone, Then told I was wrong and nothing had been set up at all. I checked my bank statements (I've learnt my lesson the hard way to keep checking more regularly) and its true they haven't even set up the dd. Let alone have the bank cancel it. Again I spoke to someone on the 8th Jan and again gave my details to set it up, its due out 1st Feb so time will tell whether its been done. More recently I tried to get a new credit card and was declined, not sure why as I have never missed a payment on purpose in a long time so just got my credit file today. United Utilities have added a 6 next to missed payments. they have messed up my credit file because they cannot set up a direct debit themselves and would rather blame the bank. I have contacted the bank who have told me they would not be able to cancel a direct debit without my say so. therefore I'm left thinking it is United Utilities who are in the wrong. Sorry this is turning out long How do i go about getting them to remove this on my file. This is the only negative I have on my file and I've worked so hard the past 10 years to get my credit to good standing and out of debt, and now this happens for something thats not even my fault! Any advice appreciated, thanks for reading.

Hi All, Like all those before me, I'd like to say this site has been very useful. I was stopped/caught using an oyster nominee card I found - I have used it for a few weeks. To start off with, I know I am in the wrong - much like a few people here, my reasoning behind this was financial (or lack of finances) driven. To be more specific, I have been without an income for a couple of months and at the same time have been paying medical bills (Cancer) for my dad. I have started a new job, and getting a (criminal) record would not only be detrimental but actually stop me getting any future employment in my role (note I have just started a career/working life). Note also: this is my first mistake. I don't know what to do - and even though money is extremely tight - I am considering getting a (payday) loan so I can get/talk to a solicitor. I received the 1st letter giving me 10days to present my case/supporting comments etc. What should I do? In the worse case and I do get a record - is it a "full" criminal record or a "civil" record? (i seem to recall someone writing here there is a difference...) how long would this last/does it get erased? Many thanks for any help/advice

Received my DSAR from CitiFinancial re; platinum credit card taken out in 2003. received copies of statements and original application form, which includes a ticked box for "Cardholder Repayment Protection" which statements show I paid an average of £20 per month , is this the same as PPI?? I cannot remember asking for this. the statements also shows numerous Late Charges and Overlimit Charges for £20 a time. Also, £5 charges for cash advances. Many advice would be welcomed.

The trade negotiations are an assault on democracy. I would vote against them except… hang on a minute, I can’t.... More ...

I was quite disturbed this morning when I wondered whether certain Insurance Companies are [problem]ming the public via computer systems which ask you to pay more money than you should be. I am a landlord and insured my first house in early July via Bedford Insurance and a company 'e-unlimited'. I paid £315.13 for the whole year. I was told that when occupied this would fall to £178.13. Due to extensive renovation, a tenant walked into my house on Wednesday ie. exactly 5 months from the date of insurance cover. I contacted 'Bedford Insurance' and after having done some basic sums beforehand was surprised to discover that the money due back to me was less than I expected. I spoke to two insurance brokers who immediately got defensive when I questioned this figure stating they were simply doing what the computer had told them. Given there was a discrepancy of £7.28 in my favour, I asked whether I could speak to a manager. Credit to the manager, he did phone me back this morning, much to my surprise, and he bothered to go through the sums in detail with me. He suggested that insurance quotes go up and down and therefore wondered whether the £178.13 quoted to me in early July was now higher. On checking, and much to his embarrassment, it was a little lower! He agreed with my sums and then, almost flippantly, said he would offer an additional £10 on to the quote the computer gave me the previous day. This leads to a disturbing question: How many people are paying more than they should be because the computer has got the sums wrong? Or more conspiratorially, are some companies purposefully manipulating the computer system to achieve financial figures very much more in their favour?

My DS would like an Xbox One for Christmas. He currently has a 360 but all his mates have the new one so naturally he doesn't want to be left out. My question is, are they really worth it, they are so expensive. He is paying towards it with his birthday money so that's OK but is it really worth the extra money. He keeps telling me that the graphics are brilliant but he doesn't have a flash telly so no sure if he'll see the benefit of better graphics. Also, do you really need the Kinect with it, seems that's only needed for voice activation. Anyone's views would be very welcome. I'm happy for him to have one, I just don't want him to waste any money. Thank you.

I have been working for an agency for 4 years now, doing the same job, on the same site for 3 and a half of those. A couple of years ago, the company started taking on 'flexi' workers. A couple of months ago, i was advised to apply for this round of 'flexi' jobs. I asked if the job i have been doing is available as one of those jobs, and was told, in no uncertain terms, that no, there will never be a flexi worker doing that job. On that basis, i didnt apply. I have discovered yesterday, that indeed the flexis are taking over that job. Is there anything i can do? the flexis they gave the job to, are less skilled, and much less experienced, and at least one is waiting to get his qualification so he can even start training.

My job is in the public service for nearly 20 Years. The last two years has worsened, cutbacks, blame, toxic atmosphere, confusion. The last Year has been hell, since my new Manager arrived. I see think she is an autocratic perfectionist who focuses on the negative aspects in people performance, including me, who make a few errors under the pressure of our jobs ( though she has her favourite‘pupils’ ), whilst she side lines the positive bigger picture. Praise, when it comes feels shallow / awkward. We are all facing the Performance Improvement Plan if our standards don’t improve. I see this as a threat and not a tool to really improve my performance. I look at some of my feedback / performance and realise that I often perform at 100% accuracy and quality. Occasionally, my performance dips and it is this that she targets as a complete failure and sees it as a personal failing rather than the lack of training and poor procedures in place. Recently, exit packages were announced for June next Year and I have volunteered, awaiting decision soon. I’m 53 Years old. Fortunately I have paid my mortgage. No debts and have saved 5 Years’ worth of salary and no dependants. It’s not enough to retire on because I still hope to have Years ahead of me in some kind of work. I have not had sick leave in 4 years but I’m stressed to the hilt and need to leave and live my life without this mindless blame culture / poison. I want to leave now but obviously there will be no payoff and future employers may be curious. If I endure this for the next 7 Months, I might get the payoff or they could sack me for incapability within three Months which wouldn’t look good. Either way, my health will suffer further. My union wants to fight this but not sure that I want to drag it out. I just wish they would pay be off now to avoid the time wasting and expense of an improvement plan which is flawed. I’m interested to here from anyone with a similar experience or for your thoughts. Many thanks:!:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]54082[/ATTACH] Mom parked the car here. The black car and got a PCN. Directly under a UKPS sign that says private and no parking. Is there any point in appealing? She wasn't thinking as it was packed with cars and when she got back, everyone got a ticket. There was no markings on the road at all. Also the grace perid of 14 days is tomorrow. She just showed me the ticket and asked me to pay.. sigh

Hi, I hope someone out there will be able to help me - I am currently having problems with a local car dealership who are insisting I return my temporary car and take my original car back. However I consider it is unsafe to drive, following three major issues in a 5mth period. The engine blew up in Apr 14, then the car had complete brake and steering failure in Aug 14 while I was driving it which was terrifying. I have tried speaking & writing to the dealership, HP finance company and manufacturer however they are all passing the buck and its difficult to work out who is accountable. Effectively I feel the product supplied is under parr - not of reasonable quality & I now feel unsafe in it. A day after the full brake failure, I received a call from the dealership saying the car was tested and ready. Later it turned out that none of the work had been done on the car and the car was still unsafe/unfixed when I was told that. I voiced serious concerns about this communication and said that following that and issues with the car, I no longer had faith in either the dealership or the vehicle make. On this basis, I advised all parties in August that I was unwilling to accept the vehicle back however they fixed it anyway and tried to make me take it back - to date no reasonable offer has been made. I have received a number of letters stating they want the temporary car returned and mentioning police action, lack of insurance, my car getting vandalised at their premises. The dealership have phoned me on my work number numerous times a day last week, despite me asking them not to phone that number they continued to do so. I have continued to make my mthly HP payments on time every mth and have not breached any of the terms of my agreement. I wrote to the dealership, finance company and manufacturer recently and pointed out I was still paying for a car and therefore it seemed reasonable I keep that until I was made a reasonable offer of an alternative or compensation. As I was paying it seemed reasonable whilst negotiations were made. Throughout this, the dealership have continued to make approaches to dump 'my' car back with me and take away the temporary car - I believe this is now verging on intimidation as they're hoping I'll give up and just walk away. However I cannot now go to another brand as they have my deposit and I also haven't had the car I've been paying for during most of this year. The last response was that an independent garage (of same manufacturer brand therefore not in effect an independent) had inspected it and said the brakes were fine. Due to issues encompassed, I feel no more reassured about the car, brand or dealership. Just to clarify I am 18mth into a 3y HP agreement Mar13-Mar16 but as a result of the lack of faith I now have in the vehicle and dealership, I have requested they release me from the finance agreement and repay a proportion of the money I have paid so that I am not left at a disadvantage as a result of poor product supplied. I paid £1000 up front & 19mths x £283 p.m. I have stumped up quite a phone bill, taken a number of hrs/ days off work, had an under parr product since engine replaced Apr 14 (noisy, extras missing, poorer acceleration, poorer fuel consumption, was also advised replacement was hybrid of two brands as they couldn't source one - this has now been denied by the manufacturer.) As I've not had 'my car' at all for 4mth of this year I'm thinking I would like to seek compensation along these lines- Goodwill return of deposit £1000 for all the issues I've had to put up with + 1/2 the mthly payments (Apr-Oct 14) £994 because I haven't had the car I contracted to. Do you consider this is a reasonable request and if so, who should I hold accountable? I am prepared to take this to small claims if necessary and was thinking I may write a letter of intended action if someone can point me to who that should be against. thank you for any advice you may be able to offer. They've told me I'm no longer insured in the temp car so it's now sitting outside my house and I'm without any car at all despite fact I'm paying them £283 p/mth....

There has been discussion on whether some jailed for life should be kept inside for the whole of their lifes. Should this be the case, no matter how much it costs or should the government look at other options ? If someone is kept in a maximum security prison for 50 years, that would cost approximately £2.5 million. This is the equivalent of the tax paid by 500 full time workers on average salaries. How would these people feel that their hard earned tax is going on paying for murderers meals, accommodation, plus their funeral costs at the end of their life ? While I do not support the death penalty, when you work out the costs of justice and that the family of the murdered may be paying their taxes to feed/house these people, it does make you ask the question.

http://metro.co.uk/2014/10/15/tory-work-and-pensions-minister-disabled-people-not-worth-minimum-wage-4906892/?ito=v-a I think even his own party should be calling for his resignation. I would say that 90% of parliament are not worth what the tax payer is shelling out for them.. especially when they make crass statements such as this ??

Had 285.89 outstanding on this year's council tax which I paid online to council this morning. Got home to find hand posted bailiff letter demanding 661 + 75 + 235 stating they will call again at 6am Saturday I have emailed council requesting they call off bailiff ASAP as paid. But considering bailiffs figures are out of date guessing communications are poor and they may call back What can I do? Do I owe bailiff 310....which is greater than what I owed the council!? Help much appreciated as very concerned

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/iphone-6-plus-bending-irate-apple-fans-report-new-smartphones-bending-in-pockets-9752204.html

I am currently in a debt management plan through step change paying off debts mainly to Santander & one to barclaycard. The outstanding balance is currently around £12k, it has only just come to my attention that once 6 years have passed from my default date the debts can no longer appear on my credit file. my question is simple.. .what happens if I stop paying the debts once they have dropped off my credit file?

We have been asked by neighbours to seek advice on the downward spiraling values of our properties due to the numerous drug rehabilitation, wet houses and homeless hostels which have been opened with no consultation in our direct vicinity. Can you advise?

We've had trouble with discoloured tap water ever since we moved into this house, I think the neighbours get it too, not sure if it's as bad for them though. We've reported it to the water board several times, but they just say it's normal and acceptable to get slight discolouration from time to time - just a bit of sediment/rust in the pipes apparently. We asked them to fit a filter, but they said they wouldn't do that. Sometimes it's clearer than others, but today it's about as bad as it gets, so I took some pictures and filled a small bottle with a sample, intending to send it off to them. This is what a couple of inches of water in our (white) bath tub looks like: [ATTACH=CONFIG]53325[/ATTACH] Am I expecting too much, is it reasonable to get tap water this colour? My kids drink this stuff, and I'd like to be sure it isn't affecting their health!

MPs' salaries should go up by the planned 9% to £74,000 after May's general election, the body in charge of their pay and expenses says.

It's generally accepted that a CCA doesn't have to be provided when creditors provide information under a SAR, but I've never quite got why that is. A friend recently sent a SAR to Barclaycard, who sent plenty of information up to exactly 10 years old. The one thing that they provided which was older was a copy of a signed application for a card. My friend had other cards with BC too but there were no CCAs or applications for them. Are we right to accept that a CCA doesn't have to be provided in response to a SAR, or are we being hoodwinked?

We own a buy to let flat in a converted office building. There are 12 flats altogether. We are expecting the current owners to offer to sell the freehold of the building in the near future. On the face of it, buying the freehold between us sounds like a good idea, but we don't really know what the pros and cons might be. Since the landlord can already get us to pay for things like a new roof, would we be any worse off owning a share in the freehold? One of the mortgage conditions was that they wouldn't lend on freehold flats, which is partly why we're dubious, but other than notifying them if we do buy a share is this likely to be a problem?

Hi all (sorry, this is long) I am seeking advice on whether to pursue a PI claim against Tesco. I haven't had anything like this happen before and I can't seem to get my head together. There is so much background and I am in pain and very anxious, so I think I need an outside perspective? I slipped on some water in the drinks aisle at Tesco yesterday. I didn't fall all the way down (tried to stay upright due to the embarrassment of being in public!) but another customer saw it and came over to see if I was ok (it was a real "banana peel" moment, with my right leg going up in the air). I was more embarrassed than anything so I kinda just brushed her off, saying I was fine. I went over to the tills, reported the spillage to the supervisor and she apologised and asked if I was ok. I said yes, and went off to get my shopping (this happened within seconds of entering the store) - I was only picking up a couple of bits, so was in there less than 5 minutes, I guess? By the time I got back to the till, my lower back, right leg and lower right side of my stomach had started hurting and I think shock kicked in? I got all shaky and hot and started sweating profusely. I bumped into the same customer again, she asked if I was ok (I probably looked rough!) and I said no, I was feeling a bit rough now. She gave me her name/number (she kept saying to me I would be in more pain tomorrow and I should make a claim) and said I should sit down. Luckily I was at the self-service tills, next to customer service, so I went over. They got me a seat, some water and a fan and phoned their "injury helpline" to report it. They offered me ibuprofen but I didn't want to chance it (see below) so I gave them my details and, once I felt well enough, I left to pick my daughter up. Background medical: I am 9 weeks pregnant and on blood thinning meds to prevent miscarriage (I have a diagnosis and a previous successful pregnancy whilst on these meds). I also had a slipped disc in 2006, treated by GP & NHS physio at the time, with the occasional recurrences treated by a private osteopath. I saw my GP last night (I was picking up my repeat prescription anyway so made an emergency apt as I was in pain). He examined me, said it was probably a pulled muscle in my abdomen and that I shouldn't take ibuprofen, just paracetamol because of my other meds. He was concerned about the risk of internal bleeding due to my meds and said that if I bruise or start to bleed, I need to attend A&E immediately. Apparently because of the blood thinners there is a risk of internal haemorrhage. He ordered 2 days' bed rest and paracetamol, and to phone him if it got any worse - he offered to prescribe codeine but I don't want to risk it. Today, I have sciatic pain radiating down both legs (my slipped disc previously affected my left leg only) and am unable to stand, sit or walk comfortably. Also the pulled muscle in my stomach is killing me whenever I sneeze or stand up too quickly. My parents have had to come over and help out with my daughter most of the day, so I could stay in bed. My dad and husband are both telling me I should claim against Tesco - I don't understand why? What could I claim for - I didn't break anything or even hit the floor, I just have sciatic pain which could be attributed to my prior disc problems? I do have some slight bruising along my lower spine - I am waiting for my husband to get home from work to decide whether to go to A&E. If anything does happen, won't Tesco just claim that it is due to my history of miscarriage? I am just worried that they will demand to see my medical records and just say I had a prior back problem, which is exacerbated by pregnancy. I am sorry for the flood of info - I am hoping that there is a "legal" someone out there who can pick out all the relevant info. My mind is spinning and I am struggling to look after my 4-year old, as I don't want to take any more meds. I also run our business from home and can't focus today, as I am just worried about this little person inside me! If anyone has any advice, it would be gratefully received. I think I am mostly glad to get all this off my chest - it was a bit traumatic and I haven't had anyone to talk to about it today. Thanks for reading, if you got through all that!

Got issued with a CCMCC, with court fees and sol costs. Called up original creditor and paid the original sum excluding the fees. Do i need to pay the fees? I called up the sol involved and told them I have paid the original amount. They said they still intend to go to court to get the fees. Is this correct?

recently caught doing 38 in a 30 zone, having just come out of a 40. the 30 sign was at the side of the road facing the other side, rather than directly towards the oncoming driver so not very clear. I cant find anything on the legislation pages which says how signs should be positioned, only the dimensions of the sign any advice would be welcome.