Hi folks, this is in response to the above which I saw in an old thread for Able group. The reason I have quoted the above is because I have just experience a similar issue, if not worse. Back in December the boiler in our flat spring a small leak. Call Able, an Eng came out, credit card details given, call out charge taken then he says it needs this and that. he was told to proceed, as it was urgent and he then spends 3 hrs working on the boiler. He hands over a bill for £270 which is is then deducted immediately from my card. He then stated he needed to come back with a new thermostat, which he then popped out to get......never saw him again. Like the above, the excuses then followed that his van was off the road etc etc... We have called ABLE many times to ask them to resolve the issue but we are still waiting. Now they say they dont have another engineer and we should contact someone ourselves. WTF???? This group are a [problem]. Something needs to be done. What can be done? This will happen to many others unless they are exposed. Any help or advice welcome. thanks Debs.

Hi, Life is full of issues and only this forum eases the pain:) Here's my problem: Back at the end of December 2012, i had a pipe burst in the bathroom, at which i called the Able Group emergency number and booked a plumber to come and fix the burst pipe. The plumber arrived within 2 hrs, saw to the problem, replaced a plastic fitting, paid him £150 through credit card. Everything was fine up to today when the same problem happened again. Switched off the mains water supply and on closer look the same fitting as per plumber failed. So rang Able Group, spoke to a customer services advisor confirming my case and what had happened. The response i got was to wait in all day, and that i would receive i phonecall confirming the attendance of the plumber to assess the situation and if at fault will be fixed free. Now that conversation took place at 9am and its now 8pm and no further calls or communication took place. Naturally i am fuming as i have been home almost all day with no water and had to resort to friends and water bottles.I do not know what my legal options are: So what is/are your advice? a) Request chargeback and re-book a plumber from somewhere else b) Ring Able Group and complain + complain to the Trading Standards Any help ideas are welcome (and sorry if the above is long winded) Thanks

just when I thought I could have some peace from jcp I get a letter inviting me for an interview with them. on opening the letter it gives you my name etc and then go,s on to say, about your esa allowance claim, in order for us to check the information about your esa claim is correct and that your circumstances havnt changed an appointment has been made for you at this office at 10am on the 19.2.15. please bring the following for you and your partner, driving licence, passport, photo id. also at least 3 months bank statements from all bank accounts plus tenancy agreement any property owned. please bear in mind I was granted esa on the 29th jan 2015 and am in the support group. when I called jcp they said it was a standard interview after being granted esa which is happening to everyone. when I explained well im in the support group the woman I soke to said it dosnt matter as its happening to everyone placed on esa. has anyone else had this happen after being placed on esa as like me ive been granted it for 3 years. many thanks in advance.

Hello Everyone, My friend has her first work programme appointment on the 24th June 2013 and was unable to attend due to being very anxious, being sick and had panic attacks! I rang Ingeus and spoke to her Employment Advisor, he was busy when I rang so I left a message that is was important he call back because it was to do with my friend's appointment and that she was unable to attend that day! He did call back and I duly answered the phone call, I told him why my friend was unable to attend and if she can have another appointment date and that I will come with her, I've explained about her anxiety and panic attacks and also told him her advisor at the Job Centre knows of her circumstances as I've had to cancel an appointment she had with her job centre advisor before, I requested that my friend will need a private room as she will not cope being in a room full of people! All what we asked was granted and I also told Ingeus advisor to send me a letter to confirm my telephone conversation with him! Today a letter arrived there was no mention of speaking to me nor mentioned about requesting for a private room all the letter says! 'We have attempted to contact you by telephone but was unable to reach you. We have therefore arranged an appointment for you on such a date etc, etc. I couldn't believe what I was reading' Good job I wrote a letter confirming my telephone conversation with him on the 24th June and mentioned everything we spoke about, I've kept a copy of course and sent the letter to him! I need to write a letter to him about the letter I've received today not mentioning anything of our telephone conversations, my brain has gone pickled at the moment and I want to be careful how I write the letter! He has lied and also not stating the fact of out conversations has anyone come across this sort of problem with Ingeus it will be good to know about them a bit! Thanks helen

Hi all My apologies if this has been covered elsewhere, I have looked but cannot find an answer. A charging order was placed on my property 5 years ago by Welcome Finance, I was not required to make any monthly payments. I received a letter today saying that the entire debt has been sold to PRA Group and they are seeking to recover the debt. I was under the impression that as a CCJ, then a charging order had been granted, that the debt was stagnant until I sold my property. Could anyone offer any advice? Many thanks in advance. Emma

CAG Flyer A4 CAG Flyer A4.pdf CAG Flyer A5 CAG Flyer A5.pdf

Hi, I recently tried to transfer money via Iqra finance. Their website can be found by the name of iqragroup. In their website it says: FSA Registered 506617; HMRC Registered 12152234; Company Registered in England & Wales 5398731; ATOL Protected 6954. I withdraw cash from my current account and paid Iqra by cash to be sent money to Bangladesh on the 12th of December and since then whenever I call them to know the status of the transaction, they say the money has reached the account but its not. I went to their office and showed them the current bank statement in Bangladesh where I sent the money to, to prove that the money is still not there. The manager told me the money will be there next day and I checked next day and the following day and again and again with no luck. All I have is a receipt from Iqra in their official pad. I desparately need the money in my country right now. Any suggestions what can I do now please?

Hi I am posting with some questions for a friend of mine whom sufffers from mental health issues (anxiety panic attack, nausea, vomiting, depression) background she has just received notification of being placed in the WRAG group- contribution based ( migrated from IB). she is keen to get some support/advise re testing herself out for possible work WHEN she is well enough and is stuggling with coming to terms with admitting how ill she is. I believe she should be in the support group, as her mental health is such that she cannot reliably commit to work related interviews without risking exacerbation of her symptoms. ( i dont think she meets support group "descriptors" for mental health- but exceptional Circumstances Regulations -regulation 35 should apply "a “serious” or “substantial” risk of harm is likely, should the person be found to be capable of work-related activity" she wants support to get better and return to work but it would be better for her to be in the support group and voluntarily attending work related activity would be far more suitable than the pressure of WRAG group with the threat of sanctions hanging over her head when she inevitably is not well enough to attend. she is weighing up if she is well enough emotionally to consider an appeal wrag to support questions IF she was to ask for a mandatory reconsideration ( asking for scoresheet, statement of reasons and sends in letter from doctor and counsellor) and states Reg 35 as reason for consideration of support group) and the reconsideration response was to keep her in the WRAG group :- 1. what is the process now for mandatory recconsideration , and requesting the score sheet and statement of reasons and registering an appeal ....i vaguely recall some change since i went through this 2.would her money be dropped if she decided to appeal? 3. would she have to persue the appeal process or could she stop there? ( with the money at esa wrag contributions rate or would that be dropped) 3. many thanks in advance

hi I called Lowell today who are claiming 3 different amounts (2 from my wife and 1 from me) for O2 and T-Mobile. I do not dispute that the amounts are outstanding (although I have no memory or paperwork about the original debt.) However while trying to arrange a repayment schedule and amount with them for all three of these the woman (Saria) mentioned an old Capital One debt of £403 from 2007. Is this even relevant? I have absolutely no record of this original debt! In fact are any of the amounts valid? Do I have to deal with Lowell? Can I go back to the original creditors? Will paying these make any difference to our already damaged credit file? Mike

Hi All, I have two mobile phone contracts with EE and both are insured. I lost them on the night of Thursday 1st Jan and made a claim on the 2nd Jan. The insurance is through a third party 'Lifestyle Group'. I was advised my claim required me to fill out a Claim form which they emailed me later that day. I then called up Lifestyle Group and asked an agent if it would be ok for me to sign the form using an e pen to save me having to print and scan the form, i was advised as long as the signature looked like my signature there would not be an issue. The claims process takes 3 working days and can take longer for complicated claims according to Lifestyle group. After 3 days I had no contact so I called to chase the claim and was advised I needed to sign it using a pen after printing and my claim required more info and they had sent me a letter. I asked why I wasn't called or emailed as per the instructions I provided numerous times and they advised me they tried but couldn't get a dial tone. This is a total lie, my phone was working and I was waiting for the call. I re sent the claim this time with a signature after printing and scanning and also complained to the CEO of Lifestyle group I also included senior staff from EE and Allianz (the UW). The CEO replied saying the matter would be investigated and complaints are taken seriously etc. I was then contacted by someone from customer relations who said she had listened to the calls and at no time was an e pen mentioned and the claim was with the assessment team and they couldn't provide any timescale whatsoever. I explained on the second call the advisor had not been through my details so the call would not be logged on my account and as such without listening to every call on that day how would they be able determine if an e pen had been mentioned. I then chased them up today and the customer relations team advised the claim was still with the assessment team and they could not provide any time frame for a decision. she also offered me a £20 cheque as redress for the e pen issue and said it was because I feel misled and they weren't able to trace the call. I am thinking of sending a follow up email but I have now been without a phone for a week, is there anything I can do? Can a insurance company say we can take as long as we like??

Hi all, I was hoping that you good people could offer any advise. My son was placed in the ESA support group. The claim was made November 2013 and he was finally placed in the support group in September 2014. We received a letter today titled Notification of Office Interview. I thought with him being placed in the support group that they could not harrass him. I can't upload he letter so I will typr it out below: An office interview has been arranged We would like you to attend an interview at: xxxxxx with xxxx. What to do if you cannot keep this appointment: If you cannot keep this appointment, or wish to report any changes in your circumstances, please contact me on xxxx. Why it is essential that you attend this interview This interview has been arranged because your circumstances may have changed and we need to ensure your payments are correct. Following this interview, we can arrange for you to see a Work Coach at the Jobcentre. They will be able to support you in considering your options for returning to or starting work. They can help with; Training to get the right job Work taster or work experience Discuss permitted work and how that can help you The best way to search and look for work What you need to bring to the interview Passport Driving license Photo ID AND Last 3 months bank statements. When you arrive at xxxx Jobcentre you will need to take a seat etc etc.... Do I have to take my son to this interview? My son is autistic and he can not cope with these kind of situations. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Many thanks

Can anyone help me with regard to an employer attempting to reject me as a member of the group of employees who have submitted a claim to the Employment Tribunal. Briefly, I joined with a group of self employed people who are seeking to have their employment status confirmed as being contracted employees. If their claim is successful we would be similar as I have in the same way as the self employed people would have for claims for unpaid statutory holiday pay. The employer has not paid me correct statutory holiday pay. The employer is seeking to have my claim struck out as I am not a self employed person. I am aware that the tribunal does have the power to waive or vary the requirement that all claimants under a group claim have to be similar. To what extent would the tribunal consider or waive the requirement? If I had to submit a new claim, would the date of submitting the claim be replaced by the date I originally claimed? If it were not to be, I think I might have an issue with being out of time. Any help please would be greatly appreciated.

Could anybody please advise me on the possible outcome of a DWP investigation into a payment I receive each month via my employer that they get from a group phi/income protection policy. I receive a contribution based ESA support group payment as well.I am taxed on both.The DWP are saying the group income protection payment is either a occupational or personal pension,and also personal health insurance or a work related pension. I have phoned DWP and wages department, both said wait to see what the end outcome is.In the meantime my ESA payment has* stopped. Very confused as I did not think group phi/income protection affected ESA payments.Sorry for length of post,any help would be very much appreciated.

Once again the letter from my work provider telling me a telephone interview has been arranged and that I must be available for it. I know I do not have to participate as I am in the support group, but it is criminal how they hound people (we look forward to seeing you again, and helping you find the right job). How can they 'see' me over the telephone. It's so exhausting keep up with all of this, failed PIP medical, lost mortgage relief form, now these people. You get to the point of just wanting it ALL to end.

I have been using this site for a while for information and advice given to others and have found it very valuable, so first of all well done to all involved helping consumers. thought i would post my issue as seems i need some specific advice on what to do at the moment... I moved down to London last year and signed up for a gym membership on a corporate rate through my work. I didn't actually involve my work, but when i went down to discuss the membership i mentioned i worked for the company i did and negotiated a deal with them. when negotiating i specifically asked (because my work contract was only 10 months and wasn't sure how long i may stay in london) if i move house or leave my current employment am i able to cancel early, i was told most definitely that wouldn't be a problem. and that was it.... the contract i was on in their T&Cs meant my monthly fee dropped from £100 to £75 a month. low and behold in the summer i decided to leave as my employment had finished and although i would be staying in london, i had found a closer gym to me, but i had left my job and was freelancing or as far as the gym were concerned 'unemployed' i called up to cancel and was told that, if i was to cancel early, i would have to give 3 months notice, but also my membership would have to be upgraded back to a full membership and pay the back dated £25 for the months i had had it discounted, as well as 3 further months at £100, as you can imagine i kicked off with them big time. The gym advisor had not detailed any of these charges when i confronted him about the process of cancelling early, and i said this basically amounts to mis-selling a contract or product which of course is illegal(it?). I played hardball and told them i had sought legal advice from my solicitor (which i hadn't) and that was told to demand them to release me from my contract i told them the advisor that had mis-sold me the contract had intentionally done this to get my to sign up. i was told as a 'gesture of goodwill (ha!)' they would 'waive' the back dated payments and i could cancel for the remaining £100 each month. i told them this was not acceptable, i said i wanted to be released from the contract and that i would serve a months notice as a fair compromise. i didn't hear anything back. so as a compromise i decided to just pay the remaining 3 months and then cancelled my standing order with them. shortly after the standing order had ceased, i received letters telling them that i had missed payments and still had a contract with them, they basically ignored my letters and continued to try and take the payments as normal. i sent them another email saying that back in march we had had the discussion to cancel, you had told me it was 3 months. i paid april may and june's payments and now i consider myself no longer a member. please cancel down my membership. i didn't receive a reply. i called and the account managers' argument was that i hadn't paid the full membership 3 months notice, i had only paid the £75 a month. so therefore i still owe £75. On the phone she had confirmed that £75 would cancel down the account... i wish i had got this in writing!! hindsight... FYI the advisor that sold me the contract has ceased working with them. either he left or more likely he was let go for using this technique (probably more than once?) i received standard letters with requests to pay from the gym and then finally good old CRS got in touch. i haven't made contact since. from looking at forum threads, i made the decision to ignore them. the balance now apparently stands at £434.20?!? i receive a weekly or fortnightly letter from them with new ways of saying i should pay, and i could be in big big trouble if i don't pay. i receive regular text messages telling me to contact them .i have not made contact the latest letter says... 'We regret that despite out attempts to reach an amicable resolution on your account (haven't made contact yet??) you remain in arrears to ROKO We must therefore give notice that failing to reply to this letter within the next 10 days will result in your account balance being passed to Zinc Group, one of the UK's leading providers of debt recovery solutions WE WOULD STILL LIKE TO RESOLVE THIS MATTER (oh yes I'm sure you would lol...) We're still happy to listen to your reasons for not paying (are you really?) and will do whatever we can to reach an acceptable resolution for both parties (lol)/ all that is required for you to call us on NUMBER so we can discuss the matter further (thanks for making it so easy for me..)" anyway, aside from the sarcasm, it seems they are either giving up on the dept and selling it on? or moving it to Zinc Group to pursue having looked at the forum it seems Zinc are the same type of jokers as CRS so what do you think I should do? quite happy ignoring the letters and messages but wondering if that is the best resolution To be honest i would probably pay the £75 just to get them to go away . but then i think, no why should i? they have taken the mickey and mis-sold me the contract. i acted very reasonably considering what i was led in too so is there a more legal and legitimate way to approach this or should i just ignore them. excuse the essay, but its a complicated one... any help is GREATLY appreciated in advance! thanks

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Hi This morning I had to attend an interview with the Compliance Officer at the local Job Centre. I am the appointee and official carer for my daughter who is receipt of ESA (Support Group) and we went to a family wedding in Turkey for 7 days in June 2014. Apparently I am meant to inform them when my daughter goes on holiday for a week, firstly I would like to know if this is true as I thought it was longer than this. The second thing I would like to clarify is that since this holiday someone has informed the DWP that my daughter is living abroad in Turkey with a Turk which is totally untrue. After this holiday my daughter broke off her long term relationship with a boyfriend who she was not living with, they both had seperate properties and since then has moved back into my home with me due to harassment and other problems, my daughter has mental health problems. We attended a Compliance Interview this morning in which she showed her passport, I had to show some I.D. and I provided written confirmation that my daughter is living with me. The Compliance Officer used bullying tactics which were way over the top, it is a good job that I know the Benefits system quite well as I used to work at the Citizens Advice Bureau but that was a few years ago now. This officer was like a rabid dog with a bone and treated us both terribly. She has stated that my daughter is not even allowed to stay overnight anywhere with her new boyfriend nor he with her when she is in receipt of ESA, is this correct because if so then that would mean that nobody under the new system would be allowed to have a normal relationship. I did state I was very unhappy with the bullying tactics and that I was going to complain at a higher level. Can somebody on this site please enlighten me on the new rules in regard to ESA. I appreciate any help in this matter. My daughter is 26 years old.

With formal notice from Ofgem in relation to an investigation of BES, it is considered reasonable to make the following information public; It is with some satisfaction I can finally reveal that a major London law firm has now agreed to look into BES with the intention of starting a group action. At this stage, anyone reading this that has received a 'gagging order' in theory will still be able to bring their case to the group action as evidence - any attempt to stop you doing that will be taken very seriously, and is almost certainly perverting the course of justice, so please do contact the group action in confidence. I am unable to divulge who this law firm is at the moment, as there are a couple of loose ends and the QC wants to see the cases in more detail (and needs a few more to look at). However, rest assured that the person I have looking at BES is one of the best QC's in the UK. He is vastly experienced with over 30 years experience in litigation both representing and taking actions against banks, investment companies and even the Government over contracts worth billions of pounds. He is the man for the job! The lawyer is also concerned about any letters anyone may have received from a law firm acting on behalf of BES threatening defamation. This is clearly defended by True Comment, Honest Opinion, Public Interest and Fair Comment, which under the circumstances are entirely reasonable. Some concern has also been cited in relation to the apparent time scales in the letter in question, and in fact whether the law firm had been correctly instructed. The group action is bring organised by someone else, but I can advise you it will seek to; 1) Investigate and if possible prove an unlawful connection between BES and brokers . 2) Investigate and if possible prove that contracts had been miss sold via bullying, intimidation, harassment and unwanted pressured sales calls. 3) Investigate and if possible prove that the contracts in question should be voided and the Contractees awarded damages. 4) Investigate and if possible prove that a number of telephone calls have been edited to serve the purposes of winning a judicial process. 5) Investigate and if possible prove that BES and companies herein have colluded and conspired to decept a court of law in order to obtain warrants for bailiff action and/or supply disconnection. 6) Using the evidence provided show our findings to a judge before a court of law with the intention of proving that BES and companies herein have acted unlawfully, wrongly and unreasonably - and to award the victims damages. The QC has kindly offered to look at cases free of charge, with the intention to mount a case once he has in the region of 10 cases - which I think will be somewhat of an underestimate of what he will receive. Once the Ofgem investigation is complete, the QC will be leaning on them for evidence to support the claims set out above. If you feel that you would like your case to be looked at, please email besclassaction@gmail.com with your details, they will be passed on and you will receive a reply in the upcoming weeks. The review process will be free of charge, and you will be notified if the QC is prepared to take on your case.

Hi, Just wondered where I stand with a default from Home Retail Group (Argos card). I missed 2 payments in August 2010 and they registered a default in November 2010. I paid the debt of fully in May 2012. That is when Home retail group stopped reporting my account to the CRA. I called them last week about removing the default or account from the CRA's but they have no details of my account on their systems. I looked into this a little and believe that Home Retail Group updated their systems in 2013 and may have deleted my account as it was satisfied. Would this give me a case to call/write to them to get them to remove my default? As I think they have no info on it? Kind Regards

Hi - please can anyone advise. Came home tonight to find a hand delivered 'removal notice' from Marston Group (in my 22 year old daughter's name). When we phoned him all he would say is that it was for West Hampshire Court for vehicle offence of being without a valid licence. He couldn't give vehicle, or registration just said it was 14 June. The thing is my daughter was here in Kent on 14 june - she was at work am and the picked up us from the airport pm (Gatwick). Nowhere near West Hampshire! Also, this removal notice is the FIRST piece of correspondence we have had. No court papers, no summons, no notice of hearing, no paperwork at all from any creditor or any court and no previous correspondence from Marstons - bailiffs have to write first before turning up. We've had nothing. Just this removal notice out of the blue. I'm going to contact the court but what can we do about this bailiff firm harrassing us in the meantime? The guy was just aggressive and rude and not interested. I'm really worried. Daughter has just finished Uni and doesn;t have any goods apart from her clothes and make up but the guy reckons he has a power of entry to come into my house and will take whatever she cannot prove is not hers! Please help. Thanks

Hi CAG, Wondering if I could get a little bit of advice here on what I should do and where to start. I've been claiming income related ESA since the 8th of April 2014 and on the 26th September 2014 I had my ATOS assessment. This week the DWP/ESA have decided and placed me in the Work Related Activity group (Yay - I think?). Well they have put me in the group from the 26th September 2014 and told me that I will be back paid from the 26th September not the 14th week of my ESA claim like it says on there website None of my circumstances have changed between the 8th of April and today so I see no reason why I should be penalised for the long wait time for my assessment. Thanks CAG...

Hi, hope admin don't mind but I am looking for others like myself who have been screwed over by Natwest/RBS. I moved some of my properties to them and took out a 5 year loan facility with them in 2007 on the understanding that they would renew the loan as long as I was a good customer & paid my dues. I did pay my dues & never missed a payment but after the banking crisis they decided they didn't want to have "buy to let properties" on their books any more & demanded all the money back, including the further loans that I had taken out over a 15 year term. As banks weren't lending at that time I was unable to repay the money so Natwest appointed LPA receivers. This never went to court as they use "the law of property act 1925" a very interesting read if you have time. I have been battling with Natwest ever since & have spent a small fortune on solicitors & barristers. Please see my other posts for the early part of my story. Unfortunately I cant post the rest of my story at the moment but I will as soon as I can. The main thing I need to do is find others like myself so please contact me, we may be able to help each other. Thanks in advance.

Hi, I just wondered whether anybody can help me with this. I am in the Support Group of ESA and I am also in receipt of both the care component and mobility component of PIP. I received a letter today from my local job centre saying I have to attend a work-focused interview with a view to helping me back into employment. I telephoned them to ask what it was for and why I was being called in for a work-focused interview whilst in the Support Group and they said it is because there is a new advisor at the job centre and she is calling people in “for a chat, just to get to know them”. As far as I’m aware the DWP don’t call you in for a chat, just to get to know you. I’m really worried now that they’re going to try to force me into work or sanction me because I’m not capable of working. They said on the phone I had to attend or it will affect my benefits. Anybody any ideas why this might have happened and what I can do about it?

Just asking for my brother he has recently been put in the support group of ESA, I have advised him to try and claim PIP, but as of yet he hasn't. I have been reading a lot about Severe disability premium, and wanted to ask is this added automatically to your ESA if you are in the support group, or do you have to apply for it separately. Any advice would be very welcome, BTW, he lives on his own.

Hi all, I have been attending the Work Related Activity program for a couple a months now. All was going fine, chatted about what I'd like to do eventually and sorted out my C.V. etc. However, since last week, the lady who I see has entered me into the Universal Job Match website and insists that I look for work through that website. This confused me as I thought I was considered too ill to work at the moment but according to her, people on ESA are considered the same as people on JSA and should look for work on a regular basis. Is this true? I can't work because I lose consciousness sometimes two times a day making it impossible. I don't know why I am being forced to look for work if I can't. Also, on a side note, I have been staying at my in-laws for the past week and arrived home to two letters from them. One was for an appointment today to look through jobs vacancies (which I missed due to having no awareness of it) and one tomorrow to discuss what should have happened today, and to bring along any evidence of my efforts to look for work (what evidence though? There is none!) I don't know if the lady is getting mixed up between JSA and ESA or what, or if this is a cruel government scheme. And, what should I say to explain my absence of today's appointment, should I tell the truth or would this be detrimental to my benefits? Thank you! Edit: If I am indeed not expected to apply for jobs, is there any government websites which states this that I can show her?