I signed up for a year of cover on a washer dryer and have just found out that they have been taking the payments since 2011 without me realising or indeed authorising it. I spoke to them and they were incredibly unhelpful - a rude and arrogant woman on the phone who said that they were not regulated by anyone and fundamentally they could do what they liked. They claim to have been sending me renewal notices each year which I have not received - I moved property so cannot verify this. Their main line of defence is that when they sent the first renewal letter it said that unless you cancel then it will automatically renew. I cannot believe that this is allowed?!? Can anyone please help me claim my hundreds of pounds back? I could have purchased about 3 new machines now for the amount they have charged!!! Any help greatly appreciated.

I received a letter recently from the DVLA i took my vehicle off the road a couple of months ago and therefore cancelled my direct debit but forgot to declare sorn until the start of this month. ive just seen a letter from the DVLA saying im required to pay the existing £181 of direct debit within seven days!!!! ive only just seen it and that was sent two weeks ago. Surely they cant expect me to pay £181 just like that?

Hi all, I know you must get asked this a million times but i cant seem to find an answer though I am sure I have seen this before. we have just had an offer of around 2k for PPI redress from Natwest but because the policies were so old, a good half of this is the 8% interest. We do have a large CCJ (8K) with Natwest which is subject to a court ordered payment of £70PCM through Dryden Fairfax solicitors. I have 2 questions 1) Can the bank offset the returned premiums against the 8k 2) I read somewhere that the y had to pay the statutory interest direct to us and couldnt offset that. Am I right in thinking that? I have a leaky roof and could really do with the money to sort it out. Thanks

Please excuse my spelling Hi on the 5th of june 2016 i was involved in a accident, which is a possible fault claim however this is still under dispute as i do not believe i am at fault. i called up hastings the next day to register my claim, they deemed my damage repairable and suggested i use a company called albany, the worst mistake i made. They also agreed my car was repairable. I was told i would have my car collected and given a courtesy car within the 24 hour time limit albany had to adhere to, I registered with them at 4pm on 6th of june and was told their approved garage which was miles away (long lane motors) from me will pick up my car and provide a courtesy by 11am the next morning. 11am came and i haven't heard a word from anyone, called up albany and they said the garage (long lane motors) was unable to provide an alternative vehicle and they have now changed my garage to one even further away place (thompson motors). I didnt even receive a call to notify me of this and had to call after their agreed time to find out that my car wont be collected today after taking a day off work. i thought fair enough but was told now to wait an additional 24 hours, which was unacceptable as i already had taken a day off work. When questioning this, as i already had waited 24 hours, the advisor told me that my 24hours had in fact started at 9am today as my claim was submitted after 5pm the day before which was a lie. I confronted her on this and told her where i could make a complaint, i was advised there was no official complaint procedure and no supervisors on site. I was not having it and was on there website looking at their page where i could make the complaint, i made her aware of this, to which she put me on hold for 20mins, came back and told me quite bluntly "sorry your car is now deemed a total loss, and we wont be handling your vehicle any longer and will report back to your insurers with this" I was perplexed as to what had just happened, and quickly got off the phone and called hastings. They advised me that my car was in fact deemed a total loss and albany use a matrix system to evaluate if the costs are economically repairable. Fair enough but would they not do this at the beginning before taking my claim on? It all seemed a bit fishy to me. I spoke to this girl from hastings that directly deals with albany (lauren i think) and she was appalled and made a complaint on my behalf. I told her my car has not been looked at once not even a photo so how is it you deem my car as a total loss. she sent out an "independent" assessor (AIA) and was also told i can use my own garage to get an estimate, the AIA assessor came on the 8th and viewed my car to see if it was repairable and value it. I asked him what he thought and he said it will be a total loss due to it being uneconomically repairable. i waited on his report, while i was waiting i thought id get a quote from a garage as to how much it would cost. I used thomson motors (the 2nd one albany gave to use) to get an estimate as i've never used a garage like this before. They asked me for photos and not to go in. It is now the 10th and i've called up my insurance about the AIA report and was told it had not arrived yet and they will call me on saturday to let me know and they said "it looks like it could be repairable". Ok i said to find out they are not even open on weekends! monday came and i'm now told it is repairable and the repair has been approved subject to striping of my car to check if there is no further damage. But i did not want to use this albany approved garage as i had a terrible experience with them. I only used them to get an estimate. I told my insurance that i was happy with a cash in lieu to settle this as they now have a pre accident valuation and also the repair cost. And i did not trust their process as i had been lied to on many occasions and told id be called back over 15 different times and got just one call and that was for me to send in my driving license! they passed this over to their in house engineers to give me a settlement i was told and would again be given a call back!. the next day arrived i gave them a call they had no idea what i was talking about and was told the in house engineers open at 9am. I then received a call at 11am but missed it due to work. I called back and they don't know who called me or why? I told them that i am waiting or an offer from the engineers to which i was told they do not do cash in lieu and that my car was a total loss and if i wanted to keep the car i would only be paid out 24% of the value of the car, i told him have you read my notes to which he replied "yes". Once again i was shocked, he was very rude and i asked to speak to another advisor. I was on hold for 45mins to a team that have nothing to do with my case. Hung up after getting fed up and have now just spoken to this girl and she had told me that they wont be now offering a cash in lieu and i should take my car to the albany approved garage to get it stripped to see if there is any more damage, even after i had mentioned i want nothing to do with albany! She has now referred me to a manager to again give me a call back. I have looked at the AIA report and believe it is correct and there is no further damage to my vehicle. How can i proceed with this as i have spent 8am-8pm all last week monday to friday on the phone to them. I did not go into work all week and it is now effecting this week. I have been lied to on many different levels, how do i proceed with this as i don't have faith in the their system any longer. Many thanks in advance

6-7 years ago, I had a problem with bills and had to have a prepayment meter fitted for Gsa and Electricity. I am now in a completely stable financial position and would like to get a better deal for my power. However Scottish power have done a credit check and asked for a deposit of £150 which I am not willing to pay. My CRB is not brilliant but there is only a couple of SBd accounts on it. I have had no difficulties with mobile contracts, with Sky or other minor checks. I really dont want to engage in this deposit thing but I still want to save money on my bills. Any suggestions

Hi, my balance was £6,700 on my MBNA credit card and paid £4,409 which made my new balance £2,224 owed. My direct debit then paid the minimum of £67 which should of then made my newer balance £2,157 but this did not happen, instead, my balance owed went from £2,224 to £2,291, adding £67 to the debt rather than deducting it. I'm currently in a interest free offer and I have not used my card. This has never happened before, it's strange.

Hello, My wife received a claim form from Lowell Solicitors Limited on Saturday morning. Details are below: Name of the Claimant ? Lowell Portfolio Ltd Date of issue 14th January 2016 What is the claim for – the reason they have issued the claim? The particulars: 1. The Defendant entered into a consumer credit act 1974 regulated agreement with Shop direct under account reference ...... the agreement The defendant failed to maintain the required payment and a default notice was served and not complied with The Agreement was later assigned to the claimant on 2/12/2011 and notice given to the defendant. 2.Despite repeated requests for payment, the sum of £2,030.36 remains due and outstanding Interest pursuant to s69 County courts act 1984 at the rate of 8% per annum from the date of assignment to the date of issue, accuring at a daily rate of £0.445 but limited to one year, being £162.43 What is the value of the claim? £2377.79 Is the claim for a current account (Overdraft) or credit/loan account or mobile phone account? Cat When did you enter into the original agreement before or after 2007? Possibly 2007, not sure as she has ignored calls from them. Has the claim been issued by the original creditor or was the account assigned and it is the Debt purchaser who has issued the claim. Lowell issued the claim Were you aware the account had been assigned – did you receive a Notice of Assignment? no Did you receive a Default Notice from the original creditor? I don't think so. Have you been receiving statutory notices headed “Notice of Default sums” – at least once a year ? None Why did you cease payments? Finance problems What was the date of your last payment? Not sure but looking through bank statement to find the last payment. Was there a dispute with the original creditor that remains unresolved? No Did you communicate any financial problems to the original creditor and make any attempt to enter into a debt management plan? Yes I can send a scanned pic of the claim form (details scrubbed out) if that helps, Its just scary getting this in the mail.

Seriously boiling mad - I have had RAC breakdown insurance for last 4 yrs . On auto renewal direct debit . Just discovered after checking my bank online they have taken out £113 ( Last years renewal was £85 ) with no letter sent to state new premium - straight on phone to wait 20 minutes for call center . I have used their service about twice in 4yrs . Demanded a full refund for the absolute cheek of them , got offered a check in the post . ( Firstly in was a £16 refund ) Now waiting for their Complaints section to contact me for a direct transfer as it has maxed out my poor account - will not be using them again or recommending these shysters . Beware if yr on DD payments

Hi, I've been paying this company for a good 5 years for debts I had with M&S. Just checked my bank account and my recent payment has been put back in and standing order cancelled. Upon further investigation have found out that this company has closed. Who do I contact to make payments to M&S or do I just wait for them to contact me. Thanks for reading.

For a very long time I have raised concerns on here about inaccurate information regarding the enforcement of Magistrate Court fines. The reason for my concern is because, unlike any other debts, (penalty charge notices, liability orders etc) the enforcement officer has the right under the warrant to 'force entry'. Yesterday, the Parliamentray Under-Secretary of State for Justice; Shaliest Vara, clarified the position regarding enforcement agents fees....the 'pro rata' distribution of payments.... and most importantly, how courts deal with direct payments (after a warrant has been past to the enforcement agency. A copy of his statement features in my second post. By way of background, the following is a copy of a post that I made earlier this month: In the past couple of weeks I have received reports of six cases where a locksmith had been used to enforce a debt for magistrate court fines after a debtor had relied upon misinformation on the internet and believed that paying the amount only of the court fine (minus bailiff fees) to the court (as opposed to the enforcement company) would mean that the warrant had been satisfied. In four cases, payment had been made to the court on receipt of the Notice of Enforcement (when bailiff fees of just £75 had been added). In the remaining two cases, payment had been made following an enforcement agent agent visit (fee of £235 had been applied) In each case, the person had relied upon the following statements featured on social media sites (with close links to the Freeman on the Land movement). The warrant for court fines only enables the enforcement of the "Sum Adjudged". Section 76 of the Magistrates courts Act 1980. Pay the fine online. That extinguishes the power to control of goods. The warrant only gives a power to take control of goods for the "sum adjudged". In each debtors case, after making payment to the Magistrates Court they had received notification from the court that their payment had been forwarded to the enforcement company so that the company could properly deduct their Compliance fee of £75 and apportion the balance on a pro rata basis in line with legislation. By following the inaccurate advice, each debtor had incurred substantial additional fees. In four cases, an enforcement fee of £235 had been added and in each case locksmith fee had also been applied.

Good evening, I am hoping somebody can offer me some advice please. I have today received a Claim Form for a Shop Direct account that I have no idea about. The debt is for £689.58 but with charges and fee's etc the total amount they are trying to claim is £874.75. Please can somebody help as I have to respond within 14 days. Thank you in advance.

Hi there I recently had a parking ticket from Park Direct UK. I had parked outside a private block of flats in London to drop my disabled mother in law at her friends. I was only inside for ten mins helping her to the door. We had displayed her disabled badge, and were not causing an obstruction. I ignored the first letter from Park Direct on the advice of a friend, but they have now sent a second letter threatening court action or the use of a debt recovery company. Should I continue to ignore them or appeal based on my mother in law's disability? Any help or advice will be much appreciated. Many thanks Aled.

Hi all, I need some advice regarding the world of car insurance & "no claims bonus" My Girlfriend was with Direct Line and should have about 6 years No Claims Bonus. Unfortunately due to a bit of financial difficulty, her Direct Debit failed with them & Direct Line cancelled the policy. This was 6mths ago, in that time frame the car was SORN her circumstances have changed and finances have come back on track, and she's has been told by Direct Line that due to the failed DD, Cancelled Policy and the 6mths lapse of insurance, they will only confirm 1 years NCB. My Questions are: Can they do this? If NO what can we (probably I as I enjoy a good fight -- Oh Advantage how I miss you) do to get confirmation of the 6yrs NCB. By having the 6 yr confirmed makes a £300 difference in price. Thanks for reading. Ads.

Hi all, hope you can help me out. I am being chased from B&S for council tax for 3 property's (during myself and partners we where moved out due to landlords either selling property's or finding it troublesome, antisocial behaviour or violence, however we are now with the local housing trust as we have a child. Now during those 3 years we have occurred some council tax, some was billed for the entire year, some only for the months we where there. Even before B&S started chasing me, I went to the council and explained the situation, they told me to pay what i could across all the council taxes, so they gave me a bar code for the last few months would chip away at the debt, however the process of bailiffs was automatic and eventually the debt would be passed back to the council. They also told me they would apply for an earnings attachment where they would take a % directly out of my wages to cover council tax and back dated payments, and that has happend and has done for 4 months and it will continue until its paid off? Today b&s have visited with an enforcement notice.... Now I dont want to talk to b&s, infact i want to send some form of letter first calsss recorded giving them no right to access my property and also that the debt is being dealt with the council and their services are not required, from the research ive done their people have no power, and the only people with any say are high court enforcement offices? any help with letters or templates would be great!

Someone went into the side of my work van a couple of weeks ago whilst he was pulling out of a junction. It was his fault. There was some cosmetic damage, scratches etc. and the passenger door wouldn’t open. So I decided to put a claim in through his insurance company. I was given a courtesy van whilst mine was taken off to be assessed. A couple weeks later I received a telephone call to say my vehicle had been written off Cat C. I was offered a settlement and the option to buy my van back. However the offer was way below what it would have cost me to either repair or replace the vehicle so I declined it. I have now been told that as I declined the offer my claim has now been transferred back to my insurance company Hastings and the other drivers insurance company would no longer be dealing with it. I would no longer be able to buy my van back. The rental vehicle will need to be returned and I will lose my no claims. At no point was I told by Albany the implications of me declining the first offer. Otherwise I may have reconsidered taking the offer. Now I’m going to lose out. I have 3 options: · Withdraw my claim, keep my van and pay for the door to be repaired myself. · Settle the claim for below market value and buy my own van back from auction and hope that the settlement cost will cover the cost to buy it back and do the repair work. · Or Settle the claim for below market value and having to get some sort of finance to replace the vehicle. My van is sign written and has been fully fitted out for my work needs with a reversing camera so the cost of replacing all of this will be well in excess of what I will receive. And most of this would be removed before it is auctioned off. All I want is my van back and some money towards the repair cost. I don’t understand how this was an option when I got my first offer but Hastings are now saying I can’t get my van back. Poor customer service all round and the accident wasn’t even my fault.

Over the last few years, Npower always seemed to increase my DD around October time (the bill would likely show that my usage had left an underpayment of around £50.00). Npower would then have to refund me almost £100.00 around June of the following year. This because the increase in the DD was quite substantial between £20-30 increase. This year it would appear I am £29.60 in CREDIT - yet they have still increased the Direct Debit although for a much smaller sum of £6.00 per month ?

Tesco is to charge customers for click and collect orders through its Direct arm costing less than £30 The supermarket giant, will introduce the £2 fee on Tesco Direct orders on 2 February. It already has a £4 charge for grocery shops below £40 which are ordered online and collected in store. In July, John Lewis introduced a similar charge for orders collected in its stores and in branches of Waitrose. http://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/jan/06/tesco-direct-charge-click-and-collect-orders

Hi, I would like any advice you may give. My wife received a letter today regarding possible mis-sold PPI with this company while using Littlewoods catalogue.It gives a freephone number to call and i quote says "you may belong to a small group of customers to whom we may have mis-sold PPI" Is this genuine and should she call them. What does she need to watch out for if she calls. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hi All, Had a recent bereavement in the family and didn't know a CCJ was entered by a courier form for my business. Got a call saying come to premises or will call a locksmith and more £ will be charged. Met HCEO and showed him we were flooded during Boxing Day and going to be a hard graft ahead. The CCJ was for £1204.74 - their paperwork is nearly £2300, and if sums unpaid etc, and further action including sale or disposal stage will make it near £3100. Advised got no help and unable to pay in one go, he looked around - showed me no ID and didn't give me the Notice of Enforcement - but just an intention to take control of goods - no signature was asked for from me. Going to contact creditor to try and make payment direct to close debt/ Question is - when I contact HCEO - am I liable for the compliance costs only, or 1st enforcement costs as well - or are they going to try and get more from us - I assume the creditor hasnt levied another £1k on top? Pulled a sneaky one on me after reading this forum. Any and all advice appreciated. Thanks

Hi All, I'm renting a property short term for 6-7 months and have electric supplied by Scottish Power. Initially the Direct Debit amount was set to £50, which quickly became apparently as being massively over-estimated. I generally only use around 3kWh per day, so the actual bill is next to nothing, and in 3 months I have now accumulated £70 in credit. I managed to reduce my direct debit via my online account, which was a struggle in itself. If I reduced it by more than £4 at once, it demanded an upfront payment and estimated I would be £6000 in debt at my yearly review. I eventually got it down to £25 which seemed sensible, though received an e-mail a week later saying it had been reset to £50. I can no longer change it via account as I have exceeded the number of changes per year. I phoned Scottish Power today to ask them to reduce it but the customer advisor told me the lowest they could do is £37. Seems a bit daft. Even at £37, I'll still be accumulating a significant credit amount per month, in addition to the £70 already sitting in my account. I'm only expecting to be in the property another 3 months so it seems daft to continue throwing money into the account when it's obvious they're just going to have to refund it to me at account close. Anyone any advise or how to deal with it sensible in the present? Thanks

Hi there, I have a huge issue with this insurance, my motorcycle was stolen from the college car park and Hastings direct claim that my insurance does not cover going to college. I had this motorcycle for a few months, and when speaking to their representative Im sure they as you for the purpose of using your vehicle. I mainly used it to get to and from work, as I cannot afford another car (mrs has one). When I asked for explaination they said they will back to me, but never did. I must also say that I have never received my policy booklet, nothing, so I didnt have chance to verify it. At work my friends are saying that going to college isnt like work, its your pleasure, same like you going to watch football every week. I didnt even use this motorcycle to go to college on regular basis, because of a huge traffic in the morning. My other friend advised me to speak to my MP, a local newspaper, watch dogs, etc. and all them saying its disgusting what Hastings Direct did to me. If possible would anyone give me any tips what to do and do I have any chance fighting for my rights? I feel completely disappointed with my insurance, really thinking I was naive to believe in honesty of this insurer who I did not change for past 3/4 years!

My brother sold a car part for £460. The part is a piggy back ECU which is quite rare. He told me that the buyer wanted to pay with a bank transfer to save on him getting fee's etc. My brother said the payment came through instantly and is coming up with something like "3rd party transfer" which we've not seen before. I told him I would check to see if this is safe, or if there is some sort of [problem] that involves doing direct transfers? The buyer is within the UK. Thanks!

BANK - barclays & 1st credit PROBLEM - Barclays sold my UK debt to 1st credit and I now live in Spain INITIAL LOAN AMOUNT - £4900 AMOUNT OWED / REMAINING - £3509 LOAN START DATE - 10 FEB 2012 LOAN TERM - 60 months LOAN MONTHLY REPAYMENT AMOUNT - £106 reduced to £5 COLATERAL - None REF: Barclays sold my debt to 1st credit against our agreement when no payments where missed or late. NB My situation can be classified under 3 forums and I have posted this message under 1st direct, barclays and debts abroad. My apologies for any confusion. Hello Everyone, I took a loan for a car in England to do my job as a support worker for children and adults with disabilities. The loan amount was £4900. In December 2013 I went to live in Spain perminantly and do not have a source of regular income. In August 2014 I was unable to continue repayments of £106 and agreed with Barclays bank by telephone to reduce my repayments to £5 per month for 12 months, to be reviewed 12 months later. I paid all these repayments fully and on time. 12 months later, in August 2015 I contacted barclays by telephone again and agreed to continue repayments of £5/month for another 12 months until August 2016. . I paid all these repayments fully and on time. I received a letter on 12 November 2015 (dated September 2015) from Barclays stating that- - they (Barclays) have "transferred the debt you owe us to a company called 1st Credit Ltd" and - "1st Credit Ltd will contact you to complete an income and expediture review to see what you can afford to pay after a minimum of 3 months" and - to cancel any standing orders to Barclays I made a payment of £5 on 12th Nov 2015 online using the 1st Credit website. I shall make another payment using the 1st credit website of £5 on the 3rd December 2015. I will continue paying £5/month. I would sincerely be grateful for advice and have some questions I would like ask: * I have read on the internet that the UK is stopping people at airports from leaving the country and demanding repayment or prison. This frightens me because I am going to visit my family soon (they payed for my air tickets). Would this affect me? * I live in Spain and do not have either a telephone number or a postal address so: -how are 1st Credit going to telephone me to "agree a repayment plan"? - they only have my email address to which they have posted 2 messages, one as a payment confirmation of £5 and one as an "Introduction to 1st Credit". I have not posted any emails to 1st credit. * Barclays sold the debt to 1st credit and broke the repayment agreement whilst it was still in effect. How do I stand in this situation when the agreement as made by telephone from Spain? * I dont want to be bullied and put under mental stress by debt collectors. Will they try to chase me in Spain when I am continuing to make payments of £5/month? * Will 1st credit chase my family or partner's family for repayments? NOTES: *I have limited communications and no motorised transport, so phone calls must be done by cycling to the nearest town. *I cannot receive phonecalls. Internet / email communictions must also be done using an internet cafe in the town. *I have absolutely no colateral, no vehicles, no property, no savings / investments, no jewelry and I am not married by english law to a person with any colateral. Thank you all for your help. Love and Light.

Floodline Warnings Direct is a free service from the Environment Agency that provides flood warnings by phone, text or email. Use the Environment Agency’s maps to find out if you’re at risk from flooding. Sign up for free flood warnings for your area. Create a flood plan - read the personal or business flood plan guidance.

Hi, during 2015 I was at University at Brighton and decided to get a gym membership. I went to a few gyms checking prices and commitments and when I went to LA Fitness the guy that eventually signed me up (obviously trying to make a sale) lied to me, he stated that if I moved out of Brighton (which I obviously would do, as Uni does end) that it'd be fine and my account could be closed no hassle. He stated that all I had to do was be 8 miles from THAT PARTICULAR gym. Well I moved back home to Southampton, and went to cancel my membership stating that "yes, I had moved over 8 miles from the gym." That wasn't good enough, and the lady on the phone replied saying that I had to be 8 miles from any LA Fitness in the UK, and that it wasn't their fault or problem that the guy lied. This was awful news, I was in my overdraft and had no job, and I couldn't afford £20-40 a month, I showed proof (with a bank statement) and they didn't accept that. This went on for 2 MONTHS. I decided to cancel the direct debit on my card, and I heard nothing from then until today, I just got a letter from ARCEUROPE LTD saying I owe them £202.40 and have to pay in 14 days. I can't afford that, being still in my overdraft, what do I do? I've already posted this to reddit and they have pointed out that because I cancelled and didn't keep arguing my cancellation that I'm in the wrong and liable to pay the debt.