Hello team CAG, This is a little long, but please bear with me. I applied to one of the Emergency Services in London, and after passing an assessment was invited to an interview on 18th August. On 30th August I made contact with one of the two panel members who interviewed me as I had received no feedback. I had a lengthy conversation with this person who raised concern about unaccounted gaps in my employment but also stated that I sat a good interview and did not fail it. I was informed if I were to send a complete employment history covering the gaps along with key skills gained/used, there would be potential of a second interview but this would have to be with somebody else. On 4th September I emailed the person above (also Cc’d two other HR staff members) my complete employment history accounting for the gaps. I called my interviewer on 9th September as I had received no communications. I was informed that my information had been passed on and I should contact HR. On 12th September I received an email from one of the two HR staff members I had Cc'd informing me that I have been unsuccessful? No reason/feedback provided. I called this HR staff member the following day seeking an explanation and feedback. To my surprise I was informed that my interviewer had mentioned to this HR staff that she (my interviewer) had informed me that I had failed. My interviewer never mentioned this to me during any of our conversations. I emailed my interviewer on 13th September seeking clarification and feedback, which I am yet to receive. I sent a letter to the Head of Recruitment for role applied for on 16th September, expressing my dissatisfaction and seeking clarification/investigation. I also attached comms I made by email. Received an email acknowledging my letter and will respond no later than 14 days from receipt. GUESS WHAT?...NOTHING!!! Emailed this person on 9th October seeking an update, only to be informed my interviewer has been away, investigation is ongoing and will get back to me by the end of this week (14/10). If I do not hear from the Head of Recruitment OR if I do and the result is not in my favour, can I pursue this further? Your input would be greatly appreciated on this matter.

Good morning! I have an interesting issue here. Last week a friend of mine came to a Post Office branch at Canning Town. There was already a small queue of just 3 people. It was Saturday. Closing time was 12:30. She came to the branch at 12:10. All she needed was to register her biometric details. The procedure normally takes around 4 minutes. But the staff of the Post Office refused to service her, because otherwise they would have to stay at work later than 12:30.. After several minutes of arguing my friend had to leave the branch, it was 12:20, still 10 minutes before closure. What should my friend have done in that situation? I'd like to know if the Post Office staff violated the law by doing so? If yes, how could the girl make them act in accordance with the law?

There was a story in the financial section of today's Daily Mail about a chap who lived in south London and always had done being chased by Robbers Way for a debt that beloned to someone in Essex. it transpired that Experian does a people matching service and came up with the poor fellow's name and DoB being similar to the defaulter so they sold Robbers his details and they then put a default on his credit files and changed the original address to match the new erroneous data. Now I know that this crookedness and deception was down to Robbers Way but they wouldnt have ever had the opportunity to do so if Experian wasnt touting this service and then blaming others when they then hold false records on their system. RW even needed a big kick up the backside to remove the default as they werent going to do it willingly even after they were caught out by the DM. Vindictive sods.

A Guide to the Veterans Welfare Service can be downloaded. READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-guide-to-the-veterans-welfare-service

Hi, Due to Virgin Media price increases, signed up for BT Infinity, phone line and basic TV package on 06/09/16. Supposed to all be working by midnight 23/09/16 - phone line doesn't seem to be working and as everything comes through this I've zero service to date. Spoken to mostly India on the phone (over 5 hours and counting in the past week) and they open a fault then close it off as completed and open a new fault. They are saying an engineer will check from my property to the cabinet on 06/10/16. I suspect we have not been connected at the telegraph pole on the side street but they won't listen. I've had enough and I want to cancel without any charges and they can pick their equipment up. I'm told as it is more than 14 days since I entered into a contract for the service I can't cancel. How can this be? I am told I need to speak to technical again who must deem that the fault cannot be fixed, only then can I leave without penalty. How can BT get away with providing such a shoddy service? Even takes 30 minutes+ just to get through to cancellations! Unbelievable! Kind regards, chaoticj

As this is now included as a forced, non optional add-on, has anyone been able to reclaim it and how can you find out what proportion of a payment is "insurance"? i unfortunately use brighthouse atm and have also used them back when it was crazy georges so i potentially have a sizeable reclaim to work on.

Hi caggers, Please could you advise my next step, absolutely at the end of my tether!! We had TT installed at our new house approximately August 2015 and also had broadband . . . alas there was a crackle on the line from day 1 and after a few days i contacted TT to tell them . . . they sent an open reach engineer out and although his report was credible it didn't resolve the problem and so it continued, month, after month, after month until now when finally they appear to have sorted the problem out!! After paying them approximately 50.00 per month for calls, broadband (which also includes an upgrade which is a joke), and a telephone package to make the various calls cheaper etc (blah, blah, blah) The latest bill they have charged me a 65.00 BT Engineer charge, which of course i'm disputing with them . . . tonight on live chat they've offered me 67.00 compensation, which of course i flatly refused and informed them i'll be sending them a letter before action notice and will let the courts decide on true compensation . . . and here is my request please guys . . . what steps do i need to follow to ensure I get what I want, which is a decent compensation and not a token fob off and the cancellation of the contract as it's left a bitter taste in my mouth and I no longer want them to supply our household . . . thanks in advance guys . . .

Hi there, Just wondering if anyone can help. We moved into our previous house in 2011. We paid a management company each year for the communal service charge as instructed. Not an issue. However, when we were in the process of selling in 2015, our solicitor found that the accounts for the previous four years had not been completed and filed by the management company. We were advised that our buyers wanted to hold a retainer of £200 in case of an underpayment, which we agreed to. Just before we exchanged contracts, the management company emailed to advise that for the first year (2011-2012), we had actually OVERPAID them by £144.45. Following this, we emailed them the following: ----------------------------------------------- From: ***** Sent: 08 June 2015 18:08 To: ***** Subject: Ref ****** Good afternoon ****, I have received communication from you regarding a credit to my account for the period 06/07/2011 - 30/06/2012 to the value of £144.45. As the charges for each year are paid in advance, I would not like this credit applied to any future bill, instead I would like to receive the amount direct to myself in form of a cheque or bank transfer, due to the fact that I have sold the above property and will be moving at the end of this month. Please can you confirm that this will be actioned as per my request, and the same applied to any further credits that may be due for any charges up until 30th June 2015. I look forward to hearing from you. I can be contacted via this email or on the mobile number below. Regards ****** ------------------------------------------------------ The management company then replied with the following stating that once ALL years accounts were finalised, they would return any overpayments to us: On Tuesday, 16 June 2015, *********** wrote: Good Morning Thank you for your email I note your below instruction however at this stage the credit it unable to be returned to yourself. Any overall credits can of course be returned to yourself following the production of all outstanding accounts. Kind regards **********- MIRPM AssocRICS Acting Branch Manager, Estate Management ------------------------------------------------- We have since been advised by our solicitor that the overpayments are for the following amounts: 2011-2012 - £144.45 2012-2013 - £185.41 2013-2014 - £110.83 2014-2015 - £83.80 Total overpaid - £524.49 However, the management company have gone against what they have agreed to and credited the accounts, meaning the buyers have now had this money and they are refusing to refund us. Our solicitor has not been overly helpful and the management company have now said they won't speak to us as we are no longer the owners of the house. What rights do we have? Are we able to fight this in small claims? Any know how would be good. Thanks in advance.

Hi all, I'd be really grateful for some advice on the following please.. Email 'Subject to Contract' from July 2015 gist as follows: 1. Annual basic salary of £XX,XXX 2. Annual performance related bonus of £XX,XXX (providing OTE of £XX,XXX). As discussed, your first quarter's OTE of £X,XXX will be paid to you regardless of the sales achieved during this period subject to satisfactory completion of the three month probationary period. 3. Statutory holidays plus 20 days per annum vacation. Official working base XX, formally confirm acceptance of this post and a full contract of employment will be drawn up. Accepted and started the job beginning of September 2015. - No contract supplied despite the email from July 2015 and me asking for one both verbally/in writing on more than one occasion. - No performance reviews or final performance review, probationary period end was at the beginning of December 2015. First meeting late January 2016: With line manager and another senior manager, not told what it was about - titled 'review', no notice/time to prepare and not informed of right to be accompanied. Told I was not being sacked or dismissed just that my probationary period was not being extended; this was purely due to the financial position of the company - a restructure which affected other members of staff. I'd receive two weeks' notice instead of the statutory one week. I said I did not agree, that I had already passed the probationary period as I had not been told otherwise or had any performance reviews. I was then told there were business reasons for the delay (business owners compassionate leave). Got slightly heated and asked how much longer I'd be working for the company, I was told to go home and to come back the next day. Second meeting late January 2016: Told it was just a normal day then had a meeting with senior manager and someone external HR (on their side), offered right to be accompanied but as I'd only been there a short period of time I didn't ask anyone. Same position from previous day reiterated, HR told me I should have requested performance reviews myself. I asked at end of meeting for payment of my £X,XXX bonus as it wasn't dependant on sales but simply passing the probationary period and also a months notice as that would be usual for a position such as mine. The meeting was adjourned to ask the MD, was told that I had failed my probationary period due to performance reasons (the only condition on payment of the bonus and in contradiction to the previous days meeting).. - Not provided with copies of any meeting notes despite asking for them verbally. - Formally requested payment of the £X,XXX bonus via email - two week deadline - now passed. - Dismissal letter states I failed to achieve the responsibilities outlined in my job description and gives an example of failing to delivery a commercially driven strategic growth plan. - Appealed the dismissal at the beginning of February stating points above, crux was as I had not been informed I had failed the probationary period and there was no contract stating it could be extended I am deemed to have passed it and the bonus should be paid. Regarding poor performance example, I created the strategic plan in the first couple of weeks of my employment, was decided after a week I'd be responsible for less than the job description how could I deliver something I wasn't fully responsible for? Had been given a really slow old computer only sorted mid November 2015, systems not in place/being set up despite me raising this - which was taking up considerable time daily and insufficient stock of best selling products etc. I asked for further details as to why I'd failed. Attended an appeal meeting Couple of weeks later, accompanied by a colleague after great effort. Meeting consisted of the managing director asking me lots of questions and only asking me toward the end if I had any points to discuss (points from my appeal not fully discussed). They took a picture of my notes and I took one of theirs. Appeal outcome Dated same day of appeal meeting - original dismissal decision upheld, saying I did not meet the expectations and responsibilities of the role as detailed in my job description. Especially prevalent in areas of leadership, management and dealing with workplace issues and challenges. They also say I acknowledged my role did not materially differ from non-managerial junior colleagues. Just wondering how best to go about getting the bonus I was promised? I've waited a couple of weeks since the appeal to make sure I get the rest of my outstanding pay, I've had the pay slip so it should be in my bank Monday. I have spoken to acas a few times but they give differing advice.. I've been told I can go to acas early conciliation for free, if the employer refuses or it doesn't work out I could then take them to a tribunal at a cost of £400 - may be paid back to me if I win. Unfair dismissal is unlikely as I have short service, wrongful dismissal and non payment of wages may be possible but I'm told it is my word against the employers due to not having a companion in the first meeting. I've also seen online I could take them to small claims court for the £X,XXX bonus and someone else had mentioned about submitting a statutory notice for winding up (but I'm not sure if that is more for freelance people rather than employees). Is it worth making a SAR to my employer at all? Sorry for length! Thanks in advance, chaoticj

Good Evening Folks, Looking for some advice about whether or not I can actually get anything back from Samsung for their totally unacceptable customer service. To save me re-explaining to you guys, here is a copy of the email I have just sent to their complaints department. See what you think: Good Evening, I would like to make a formal complaint against the terrible customer service I have received. Around a month ago I contacted Samsung regarding a fault with my Galaxy Note 4 and the camera. The person I spoke to arranged for my phone to be picked up and repaired, I expressed concern that I wanted my phone for a holiday I was going on and the person promised me that the phone would be repaired and returned to me within 5 days. I have this in writing. I had not received my phone back, nor had any contact from anyone at Samsung or the repair centre. All correspondence up until this moment had been via email so I assumed it would remain like this. I contacted Samsung using the online live chat option. Session ID:- 6033078. In which the representative Taj told me that my phone had been repaired, was fully functioning and awaiting shipment back to me. To confirm the date I would receive the device he advised me to contact the repair centre directly. I then proceeded to ring the repair centre, who then informed me that my phone actually had not been repaired, and could not be repaired. So I was misinformed by your online chat representative. There was also no contact from anyone at Samsung regarding the fact my phone could not be repaired. The repair centre claimed they tried to contact me, however they said they tried to contact me on my own personal number, how could I answer this, when my phone was at their repair centre. I provided no other number to contact me on because I was never asked to do so. All previous communication had been via email, so I assumed that is how they would contact me again, they did not. Had I not been constantly pestering for information it could’ve been even longer before I eventually found out my phone was unfixable. The repair centre said they then contacted Samsung and advised to get in touch with me for an Alternative Resolution, which again, they did not. I had to contact the alternative resolution team. They provided me with a list of resolutions that were not acceptable. They would not provide me with a replacement of a galaxy note 4 again, the phone I had purchased and want. They offered me, an S6 edge, a phone over a year old or a refund of the current market value of the phone, which would leave me losing money and paying for a phone I did not have, so this was not an acceptable resolution either. They then proceeded to offer me a Samsung S7, an offer I reluctantly accepted as I felt I had no other choice. I wanted a Note 4 again. I asked for the S7 in Black, something again they refused to provide me with. They told me that the replacement would be with me within 7 days. It has not arrived. I also asked that they put all of this information in an email to me so I had proof and so I knew what was going on. They promised they would do this after the phone conversation. Again. This was not the case, I have received no email, and no confirmation that my phone was unrepairable so Samsung were sending me an S7. As a result I have tonight contacted Samsung through the online chat option again, Session ID:- 6161560 asking for information on what was actually going on. The same representative from the first time was on the other line and apologised for what had happened, but it was still unacceptable. He advised me that the phone had been issued on the 20th July and yet I still haven’t received it. Considering my phone was picked up at the beginning of July and I was promised it back WITHIN 5 days, this is completely unacceptable that Samsung have taken this long to provide me with a replacement phone. Especially as it was a manufacturers fault with the camera in the first place and not my own. Considering how much of a prestigious company Samsung is I am disgusted at the level of service I have received, which is very unfortunate because until now, I have loved and purchased many Samsung Products over the last 9 years. In light of the fact that: - The phone broke through a manufacturers fault - I was promised my phone (or a direct replacement) back within 5 days and did not receive this - Was contacted through no means, at all to be given information from Samsung regarding my repair - When I contacted Samsung I was given misinformation and told my phone had been repaired, despite the fact it hadn’t - When I tried to come to an alternative resolution, I was basically forced into a resolution I wasn’t happy with because it was the “best of a bad bunch” of options. - They couldn’t provide me with the phone I wanted - They couldn’t even provide me with the COLOUR I wanted, something that surely makes no difference to Samsung whether it’s black or not, why is this not an option - This has been going on for almost a month - I still haven’t received the phone (S7) that was supposed to have arrived already I am deeply saddened that this has been the outcome, as previously mentioned I was in love with Samsung products and often promoted them to friends and family, but as a result of this customer service I have received I do not think I will be buying Samsung products again. If you search the internet for Samsung customer service reviews it amazed me to find that this was the case an awful lot. Such a prestigious company, should have a far better customer service. I believe Samsung should provide me with some sort of compensation, or offer to “make it up to me” for this terrible customer service and the multiple issues mentioned throughout this email. This is not what I expected from one of the biggest phone manufacturers in the world. To say I am disappointed is an understatement. I look forward to your response Regards Do you guys think I was cheeky asking for anything, and do you know of anyone ever receiving anything for the terrible customer service they have received? Thanks in advance Kind Regards V

If this hasnt been posted before? Credit Unions for Armed Services personnel http://www.abcul.org/media-and-research/news/view/615 http://joiningforcescu.co.uk/

Hi I received a letter on Saturday, spent all weekend worrying about what it is about. I telephoned the number this morning to try and find out more, was advised he has not looked at the case yet but need to wait until Friday when the interview is booked for. I explained i suffer from serve anxiety and nerves and not knowing what it is about is causing me a huge amount of stress, I explained even an interview with my GP I find very stressful but the person I spoke to could not bring it forward or advise me of anything. Can anyone give me some advice.

READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/commemorating-a-century-of-muslim-military-service

My Hotpoint machine broke down on the 27th May. I contacted Domestic and General and was actively encouraged in taking out a payment plan which I did. I did not get an initial visit from Hotpoint until the 6/6/16 when guarantees were made that parts would be ordered and machine fixed by the following Friday or Monday at the latest.These days arrived, no word from Hotpoint. After many phone calls to D&G and Hotpoint they have given me a date for the 28/6/16. Hotpoint made errors with the ordering of parts I have explained that I have disabled daughter who because of her disability needs frequent changes of clothes. Hotpoint said they do not prioritise the needs of the disabled ,thus making carers lives very difficult. I am not asking to go to the top of the queue ,but just be shown a little humanity. Their mistake and inefficiency that I am having to pay for.

Hello Friends, Can you tell me whether the UKBA service of assessing visa application is subject to general consumer laws or not ? And if so , can I raise a claim in court, six years after I was wronged by them. they had made and admitted their mistake in assessing my application but refused to refund my air travel ticket saying that they advise applicants not to book ticket in advance. However I don't think I am bound by their advise and that I want to claim this in court, five years after the incident.

in the past I was total apple iphone only upto the 6 I would replace both my handset's every year with question until they released the 6 so thin it looked liked the camera was superglued on the back such a bad handset (hopefully the new one will be better) I always buy my phones second hand to save on money, in the past I have purchased an iphone that got network blocked, I took the handset back to apple who told me the phone was blacklisted in the UK but not to worry and promptly replaced the phone with another without any questions what so ever so a few days ago my wife's Samsung S7 edge came up with emergency calls only spoke to samsung live help (which were of no help at all) took the phone down to stoke (100 miles round trip) Samsung took the phone in and told me give us an hour to check it out, got a text telling me the phone is all sorted now, went to collect the phone to see the same fault, the advisor there then checked on a free website http://www.imeipro.info/ and told me phone was blacklisted, if I have any other problems feel free to go back and see her... Apple simply replaced and keep your phone working through out the warranty period, Samsung just didn't care

The ABLE GROUP provide property maintenance services, ie glaziers, locksmiths, plumbers, electricians, drainage, gas, heating, pest control, etc. Please note however: If you need any such services, I suggest you look elsewhere. I have had the most horrendous experience with them and I hope my post helps others avoid going through the same horror story. Booked them to clear my house external drains, was quoted £114 to have them 4 drains unblocked. On the 7th of April, their Eng. came out, informed that the drains were now in good working order. My other half took his word for it and why not... They are supposed to be the specialists. After weeks of rain, I took time during last sunny weekend to clear the garden in prep. for the Summer and noticed that two drains had not been touched at all and were still blocked. Called their Customer Service, a few days ago, no reply. Called today and they refuse point blank to rectify the issue unless I pay again £114.00. What an outrage this company is really. I am absolutely furious with this disgusting bunch of dodgy people, taking the mickey. My advice to anyone is very simple: Learn from my experience and definitely engage an alternative company.

Afternoon everyone, Just a question really as follows: I was made redundant 31/07/2015 and followed all the correct procedures. Went to employment tribunal and won my case, which was not contested. Recieved my judgement order on 18/03/2016, which has not been settled. I found out that my previous employer has since closed the business and as of yet not legally gone bankrupt, called in an insolvency practioner nor liquidated the company. I applied to the insolvency service which is going through now and I received a letter saying that they will pay the redundancy as per employment judgement order and then go after my former employer for the monies. I was awarded the judgement for redundancy along with a calculation date of 8% simple interest payable on a day to day basis starting 01/04/2016. So my question is will I get the interest that has occurred or just the statutory redundancy payment. Many thanks in advance

BT has more than tripled charges for former broadband customers who hold on to their email address. Its Premium Mail is free for people who pay for BT broadband, but costs £1.60 a month for those with other providers — until this month From 6th April, the monthly fee rose to £5, or £60 a year. Many pay for the service to keep their BT email address, access to their inbox and contacts after moving away from the firm. Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-3525098/BT-triples-charges-former-broadband-customers-hold-email-address.html#ixzz46pcFcheB

Just a note to let anyone who has recently sent their ESA50 back to the Nottingham address, they have a massive backlog, and in the past week have had over 100,000 forms returned to them. So they are under a lot of pressure. I sent mine back beginning of March, and it's now just waiting to go to the nurse! Hoping to have a decision in the next week...or so they say....here's hoping........ Miss A.:|

At the end of my previous mobile phone contract I decided to change provider and move to Vodafone. It was one of the worst customer experiences of my life. Coincidentally, at that time, I became unemployed and having registered my old number with many recruitment agencies and former colleagues/employers I desperately needed my original number to be available for them to contact me on if/when any suitable roles came up. I was told by Vodafone that the transfer of my number would be straight forward and there would be no problems. It would all be sorted within 24 hours. Unfortunately I trusted them to make this happen. It eventually took around 3 weeks for my number to function correctly. I made many attempts to get this sorted with a variety of Vodafone call centre personnel who 'sincerely promise' that my number would work within 24 hours. I made each one give me a timescale for it being resolved before ending the conversation. Each one lied just like the one before (I have copies of the calls/chat conversations). I called into 2 separate (local) Vodafone shops on more than one occasion to try to resolve the problem. I was in absolute desperation due to the employment situation. My original number could be used to make calls but I couldn't receive ANY. My mobile number was in limbo. I couldn't return to my original provider and I couldn't receive any calls through Vodafone. The manager in one of the branches really tried to help. He understood the situation and to appease me (he had limited power to resolve the issue) gave me a free 30 day sim card on a new Vodafone number. The manager of another branch also tried really hard to resolve this but he told me it was a known issue with Vodafone. He had 3 more customers coming in THAT day with the same problem. Apparently the problem was due to the network and systems being inadequate to deal with the transfers. He also mentioned that I wasn't likely to improve quickly. I've now been contacted by a debt recovery agency who are asking me to contact them about this, no doubt wanting me to pay for a Vodafone bill. The day my number was completely ported into Vodafone and working correctly I IMMEDIATELY requested a PAC number to leave Vodafone and return to my original provider. I did this and was fully operational with 24 hours. I also cancelled my DD with Vodafone so I've not made any payments to them for the 'service' I received. Also worth noting is that during my sorry dealings with this company I noticed that they don't seem to like to put things in writing. During the on-line 'chats' to resolve the problem they requested to contact me by my landline phone to discuss the problem. I refused this offer so that I could maintain a written account of what did happen. I have since received more calls from Vodafone and each time I refuse to talk with them. Even though they have my email and home address details they have never communicated the so-called debt issue with me. They are now using a debt recovery agent (who do have my email address!!). As yet, I have not responded to their request. Any advise on what to do next would greatly be appreciated.

I complained about Capital One who were harassing me with phone calls even though I had already told them not to contact me by phone but to write me letters or emails. I logged a 5 week period and they phoned me about 130 times. I complained to the Ombudsman service and after their investigation their representative basically come to the conclusion that Capital One were perfectly within their rights to phone me 130 times in a 5 week period.I was astounded. Capital One without taking any blame offered me £75 as a goodwill gesture,which I turned down. I was claiming £600 compensation for harassment which the Ombudsman rep basically stated I had no chance of getting in his first phone call to me, even before he had done his investigation. Anyway, I did some research and appealed to an actual Ombudsman. I included in my appeal quotes from a judgment from a UK high court in a similar case to mind, which wiped the floor with the logic of the guy who conducted the initial investigation. My appeal was successful and the Ombudsman offered me £400 compensation, which I accepted. I believe I could have got a lot more if I had by passed the Ombudsman and gone to court. So even though I was successful in the end, I expect a lot of people would have stopped when the original decision was in the negative. I really do not think a lot of the Ombudsman service, it was like the guy who conducted the original investigation was working for Capital One because he was just repeating what they had told me before. Absolute disgrace and I told him so.

Hi everyone, Any help or advise on where to go on this would be most welcome please as it's a battle I've been fighting for just over 6 years, without a break, and I NEED to get the Pension Service to put right the ultra vires decision (on the wrong legislation) and recieve the back pay owed. I am 110% correct in my findings from both DMG and legislation, the Pension Service are completely wrong and no-one will look at it. I list below a copy of the letter I have last sent, a brief outline of events leading to the wrongful withdrawal, by the Pension Service (PS), of allowable housing costs, with evidence. Brief Background History As a result of a divorce and Court proceedings an order was issued for me to acquire my ex-husband’s share in the house within a specified time limit of the Divorce. We had a joint mortgage for £30000 on our home. I had to remortgage (i) to redeem the original mortgage balance of £27108 and (ii) add £22500 equity acquisition to be paid to my ex-husband’s solicitors within a Court-specified time limit and (iii) to cover legal aid and other acquisition costs involved. However the costs amount was not only unknown but unexpectedly delayed until late 2008 because of solicitor errors. There was absolutely no problem with IS and they let me know that acquiring my ex-husband’s equity share in the house was an allowable housing cost. I received housing costs as Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI), paid direct to lender, as part of IS. The relevant letter from Wendy Steele, IS Decision Maker dated 02.06.06 quoted: “The Income Support (General) Regulations 1987, No. 1967, Sch 3, para 4(6)(a), 15(1), 16(2), DMG 29825”. After my having to involve the Law Society regarding solicitor error and resulting Legal Services Commission (LSC) error, they were resolved in my favour and as a result the LSC wrote and apologised for their error and issued the amount of legal costs to be paid back for legal aid of £5875. There was also a £500 arrangement fee and £350 broker’s fee which had to be added to the legal aid bill of £5875 making basic acquisition costs of £6725. In August 2007, on reaching age 60, I was transferred from Income Support to Pension Credit and housing costs, including the equity acquisition of my ex-husband’s share of the home, remained the same without question, as confirmed in writing by the Pension Service (PS) State Pension Credit Regs, Schedule 2, para 11, DMG 78407 – 78410. However they failed to allow the full original mortgage redemption of £27,108 because evidence had been burned by my ex-husband so I had no proof of full allowable costs, e.g. conservatory (est) £4200). Only £17776.66 was allowed as per receipt evidence. Since the beginning of the re-mortgage IS (and later the PS) were advised of the delay in submitting legal costs because of solicitor and LSC errors but after the acquisition costs were established, late 2008, I requested that the PS added these costs to my SMI now that the matter was resolved and the amount was known. I repeated the request for acquisition costs to be added several times between late 2008 and July 2009 because each request was ignored. In response to yet another request to add costs, in July 2009 “Abdul” (no surname given), instead of adding acquisition costs to SMI, informed me that I was not allowed to acquire an interest in my home and that SMI for it was stopped! The reason given was that the PS had made a mistake. This error of one lone PS employee caused the whole fiasco from which I have suffered very badly. His error opposed all correctly decided housing costs by IS and PS Decision Makers and all other current Government information whether written or online and Case Law and this miscarriage of justice to my very great detriment has not been addressed or corrected! I appealed which was denied. I telephoned IS who were at a loss as to know why the PS had stopped SMI because acquiring an interest in my home was an allowable housing cost. Buying out an ex-partner (my case) is even exampled in detail in Decision Makers Guides (DMGs) (78405, 78407, 78409) and clearly specified in other Government information and Case law. I have struggled without ceasing to get this miscarriage of justice corrected whilst my financial situation has become more and more extremely serious. This goes against the very reason for the legislation being passed in the first place. I repeatedly requested specific responses to the following because these were all correctly applicable to my case as initially determined by both IS and the PS: (i) the relevant legislation (SPC Regs 2002, Schedule 2, para 11), (ii) the relevant DMGs 78405, 78407, 78409, (iii) all current online and documented Government information and (iv) all relevant Case Law The specific responses were not addressed and, because of my persistence in trying to get the PS unlawful disallowance of legislated housing costs reversed, I was told by the PS that I would no longer be responded to except by way of acknowledgement of my correspondence. I have been disgracefully treated, dismissed and ignored over a long period of time. I have been denied any opportunity to represent myself at any interview, local or otherwise despite repeatedly explaining the extremely severe financial difficulties and anxiety/distress caused to me by the PSby the refusal to address the specific issues raised which would have resulted in reinstatement of my housing costs. Would you very kindly urgently look at the simple and uncomplicated facts relevant to my claimant category (residential homeowner acquiring an interest in my home) and the applicable legislation relevant to it, SPC Regs 2002, Schedule 2, para 11, the DMGs that apply to Schedule 2, para 11, 78405, 78407, 78409 and if necessary confirmatory Government information and Case Law and reinstate my housing costs from the unlawful disallowance. I am happy to supply any information and/or documents should they be required. To avoid any complication in looking at the above request, I would add that I am not and never have been a renter and therefore I have never been in receipt of housing benefit via the local council. I have only re-mortgaged once to acquire my ex-husband’s share in my home by Court Order. My case is very simple and straightforward: I am a residential homeowner acquiring an interest in my home which is an allowable housing cost as per: State Pension Credit Regs 2002, Schedule 2, para 11: Loans on residential property 11.—(1) A loan qualifies under this paragraph where the loan was taken out to defray monies applied for any of the following purposes— (a)acquiring an interest in the dwelling occupied as the home; or (b)paying off another loan to the extent that the other loan would have qualified under head (a) above had the loan not been paid off. (2) For the purposes of this paragraph, references to a loan include also a reference to money borrowed under a hire purchase agreement for any purpose specified in heads (a) and (b) of sub-paragraph (l). (3) Where a loan is applied only in part for the purposes specified in heads (a) and (b) of sub-paragraph (1), only that portion of the loan which is applied for that purpose shall qualify under this paragraph. The mandatory guidance referenced to the legislation above and which Decision Makers are obliged to follow is DMGs, 78405 – 78409 as copied below. Note: The suspension of IS from 6th March 2006 to 10th May 2006 referred to above (on the screenshot from the Pension Service dated 2010) was due to the remortgage funds being released through my bank to pay my ex-husbands solicitors for the acquisition. This is normal banking procedure and the money was paid out immediately. A decision maker decided that the remortgage funds constituted savings and therefore I wasn’t entitled to any Income Support or housing costs. This inappropriate decision was readily acknowledged by the people I spoke to at the IS department but I still had to go through the process of Tribunal to get this folly reversed by 10th May. None of the above circumstances (screen-shot) relates to a residential homeowner acquiring an interest in the home. That legislation is found in SPC Regs 2002, Schedule 2, para 11 and DMGs 78405, 78407, 78409. None of the DMG in the PS screenshot refer to acquiring an interest in the home or to Schedule 2, para 11. The DMGs which reference para 11 have been omitted by the PS and the PS Decision Maker has justified his error with irrelevant and unreferenced DMGs and faulty reasoning based on legislation totally inapplicable and irrelevant to my case. This Decision Maker’s faulty reasoning can be seen on examination. He stated above that increases are only allowable in points 1-5 listed. This is an error and the descriptions of points 1 and 2 above especially shows no understanding of the legislation. In point 1 above there is no increase in housing costs in a relevant period (1994/5 legislation brought in to prevent up-marketing by a full homeowner taking out a loan (e.g. change of lender, equity release) to either stay in the same home or move to a different one. The housing costs payable currently will not be increased. There is no relevance to acquiring an interest in the home in this provision of Schedule 2, para 5(7)(a)(b). This legislation is not interchangeable with Schedule 2, para 11 and cannot be applied to para 11. DMGs clearly reference each one and neither is interchangeable. In point 2 above there is no increase in housing costs in a relevant period (1994/5 legislation brought in to prevent up-marketing by changing from renting to buying in a relevant period. If a renter acquires an interest (becomes owner/co-owner Rent to Buy Scheme especially) then he must qualify by being in receipt of housing benefit payable to renters via the local council the week before the acquisition and the amount of SMI payable direct to lender will not exceed the amount of housing benefit previously paid via the local council. There will not be an increase in housing costs allowable. This legislation is not interchangeable with Schedule 2, para 11 and cannot be applied to para 11. DMGs clearly reference each one and neither is interchangeable. In points 3 and 4 above the circumstances have to be individually determined by the Decision Makers and some increase in housing costs can be allowable. In point 5 above other housing costs specifically exclude involvement of para 11 (residential homeowners acquiring an interest in the home) and there is no reference to para 11 in the relevant DMG. Many thanks and I would be so grateful for any help on how to get this sorted as I'm just hitting my head on a brick wall with every letter written. TPP x

Hi all This is a bit of a strange one but hoping someone can give me some advice. Last year we enquired about a property in Spain via Rightmove the agency "introduced" us to a local agent in Spain. They did nothing but forward our e-mail as far as I can tell. During the purchase of the property the agency told us that a 3% fee was payable to the Rightmove agency. I did think that was a bit steep for doing nothing but the deal was a good one on the property so we didn't say anything. I transferred the 3% along with the rest of the money to my new Spanish bank account and our agent and solicitor handled the purchase. Long story short, we ended up paying more tax than expected, and the funds for the 3% were used by the solicitor I did not know this until afterwards when the Rightmove agency started chasing me for payment. I queried it as I thought it had been paid then found out that actually it hadn't and was no longer available. Of course I was annoyed neither the agent or the solicitor informed me of the change. Another long story short, the agent said the builders would give us the choice on the apartment and solarium we wanted as we were the first to make an offer and it was a distressed property. We told the agency what we wanted fast forward several months we find out that actually, due to the deeds we could never have had a different solarium and therefore ended up with the right apartment but wrong solarium with no warning at all. The agency told us complete nonsense, probably to secure our sale, and simply didn't do their homework first on the property. Of course we were livid and also very upset end result is we owned the apartment and after discussing with our solicitor they said there was no way to change anything. The next thing is I get an email chasing the 3% I felt that was outrageous given the huge mistake made by the company that the Rightmove agency introduced us to so I've refused to pay it. The Rightmove agency tell me that all they do is introduce and have nothing more to do with it, so will take me to small claims. I should point out I've never signed any contract with the Rightmove agency at all. Personally I feel that for 3% (around £1200) I should get some value from the service they have provided and if they are introducing surely they have some responsibility to ensure they are introducing us to competent professionals. Am I mistaken, can they get away with this ?

Hello, Could someone help me with a little advice on where I stand with a BT issue please? A brief overview is that in November, I ordered a new BT line and Infinity, with a connection date of December. This date was missed, but eventually after much chasing the line and broadband were working by the middle of January. By the beginning of February, I received a call from BT saying that the broadband was incorrectly routed and it needed to be disconnected for 48 hours to reroute it in case it failed. Despite my requests not to, the broadband was disconnected and has not been connected since. I have spoken to a number of people at BT, no-one appears to take ownership of the issue and I have received numerous broken promises. There is obviously a technical issue; however BT's answer is to create new orders without telling me, to the point I now have 12 orders showing. To cut a long story short, I am being charged for a phone line that is no use to me and BT will not allow me to cancel it. I was initially told that I would not be charged line rental until the broadband is fixed, but have since been told that this will not be honoured and there is no record of it on the notes. My recent monthly bill is £110 for various activation and delivery charges and the breakdown is so convoluted it is impossible to understand what I am being charged for. The latest advisor (Diana) argues that the line and broadband are separate services and I am not able to cancel the phone line as it is working, however I purchased them as a package deal and BT have not honoured the agreement. Surely BT have breached their contract and I cannot be made to honour it when they have not kept their end of the bargain? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks Steve