Hi, myself and my partner just put a deposit down on an apartment which isn't available until the 7th of July. The letting agent has just sent us through the holding deposit T&C which states the following.. " Should the applicant withdraw the application or fail their referencing, which is at the landlords discretion and in this event be unable to provide a guarantor suitable to the landlord, the deposit will not be returned" Is this common practice? Surely that's a HUGE gamble with money?? I don't mind losing the fees but the entire deposit as well? Shouldn't they usually take this AFTER the checks have been carried out? Any help would be much appreciated before I sign these forms! Many thanks!

Hi Guys, with all the latest goings on with Wonga I hoped I might be in line for some compensation as I received letters from 'Chainey, D’Amato & Shannon’ so I filled in the contact section on the website as per the email back in September. I hadn't heard anything by the end of November so I decided to give them a call to see if they would acknowledge that I had been affected by this, they said I was and that I would be receiving a letter in due course. While on the phone I asked if they could send me a statement on my account so I could see what I actually paid back on my £750 Loan, Here is the statement: Initial Loan Advance 30 September 2008 £750.00 Total Principal Amount: £750.00 Payment 03 November 2008 £256.18 Payment 04 November 2008 £100.00 Payment 12 March 2009 £100.00 Payment 17 April 2009 £100.00 Payment 21 September 2009 £50.00 Payment 21 September 2009 £50.00 Payment 25 September 2009 £50.00 Payment 17 October 2009 £50.00 Payment 05 December 2009 £50.00 Payment 08 January 2010 £50.00 Payment 05 February 2010 £50.00 Payment 05 March 2010 £50.00 Payment 01 April 2010 £50.00 Payment 06 April 2010 £50.00 Payment 07 May 2010 £50.00 Payment 05 July 2010 £50.00 Payment 06 August 2010 £100.00 Payment 03 September 2010 £50.00 Payment 08 October 2010 £50.00 Payment 05 November 2010 £50.00 Payment 01 February 2011 £110.47 Payment 07 March 2011 £110.47 Payment 17 March 2011 £220.94 Payment 23 March 2011 £770.65 Payment 05 March 2013 £24.00 Payment 25 March 2013 £4.74 Payment 24 June 2014 £12.39 Payment 05 March 2013 £24.00 Payment 05 March 2013 £24.00 Payment 05 March 2013 £24.00 Total Sum Paid £2,731.84 Total Principal Amount less Total Sum Paid -£1,981.84 Transfer Fee 30 September 2008 £3.00 Extension Fee 04 November 2008 £10.00 Default Fee 30 October 2008 £10.00 Default Fee 28 November 2008 £10.00 Default Fee 07 December 2008 £45.00 Interest 29 October 2008 £222.81 Interest 27 November 2008 £197.50 Interest 13 January 2009 £50.00 Interest 01 February 2009 £534.73 Interest 29 March 2009 £585.67 Interest 21 September 2009 £50.00 Refund 05 March 2013 £174.00 Interest adjustment 05 March 2013 £24.00 Interest adjustment 05 March 2013 £24.00 Interest adjustment 05 March 2013 £24.00 Interest adjustment 25 March 2013 £4.74 Total Outstanding -£12.39 As you can see it took a long time to pay this back and got a default on my Experian Credit file which wont come off until February 2015! I got an email in March 13 saying my account had been wrongly calculated and I had over paid £174.00 and this was refunded. Just really wanted opinion from you guys if I have a case for reclaiming some of this inflated interest and if I do, who do I go to? Thanks D

I would really really appreciate some help, as my gym owe me £2250 and will not refund me my money! I am very stressed about the situation and do not know what to do. In March 2013, I took out a 3-month membership with my local pilates studio. This cost £250 per month, for 8 classes. Over the next three months of the membership I managed to use 18 classes of the 24 that comprised the 3 month membership. However, in May (just before the 3 month membership expired), I advised the studio by email that I had to go into hospital so "I am not sure when I will be able to resume exercise, so it is probably best if I cancel for now. I think I have some classes remaining from my 3 month course - I will be in touch when I am well enough to use them." My clear intention was that I no longer wished to continue my membership. However, the studio continued to take £250 from my account each month. This is on the grounds that their contracts states "This is a 3 month agreement, which will thereafter be renewed on a monthly basis... After successful completion of the initial core period the member may cancel this agreement by sending a written confirmation to the studio before the first day of the final month of membership." I failed to see that the studio was continuing to take money out of my account as I was first in hospital, and then suffered a bereavement - it was a really difficult time personally, was not as on top of my finances as I would usually be (yes, I know!). Plus, in my mind, I had written to cancel so had no reasonable grounds to believe that they would still be taking money from me. In February 2014, I realised what had been happening and wrote to the studio, telling them that they owed me nine months worth of fees, ie £2250. They responded in March 2014, saying that they could not find a copy of my written cancellation confirmation as they had not been able to find this in their records. They said that in the absence of written confirmation, I had a total of 86 unused classes in my account. In April 2014, I had some time off work, and decided that as a gesture of goodwill I should use up some of the classes (I had thought that £2250 was a large amount for the studio to have to repay therefore if I used some of them up it would show willing). I managed to use up a further 24 classes during April and May. However during this time three things happened: 1. In May I suffered an injury during a class with one of the instructors. I had some physio to help the muscle. However I cancelled all my classes with that instructor and refused to schedule any more with him (that was the only class I had had with that instructor and I was not confident in their abilities). 2. I continued classes with the other three instructors that I did trust. However in June I had a class with another new instructor, and suffered two sprained ribs. This was very painful and again, I had to have physio. I told the studio that I would not take classes with that instructor again. 3. During this period, I had found it increasingly difficult to get a class when I wanted one. I repeatedly told the studio that I had seven hours a week when I was available to take a class . They repeatedly told me that they did not have any classes available for me then, and kept offering me classes at other times (eg during the working day, when I was at work!). I have numerous emails between me and them documenting this. As a result of both the injuries which caused me to lose faith in the studio, and the fact that they couldn't actually provide me with any classes, in June I decided that I had done enough to try and use up my classes and now wished to be refunded the remainder. I therefore wrote again to the studio, telling them this, and that I therefore wished to be refunded for my remaining 62 classes - a total of £1940. I enclosed a copy of the email that I had sent them in May 2013 cancelling my membership. In September, I received a response from them. They said: 1. they required a written confirmation sent to the studio address. The email could not be taken as cancellation, as "it refers to the cancellation and re-scheduling of classes but does not refer to the cancellation of your membership contract." I don't think this is right - my email could not have been taken as referring to cancelling classes, as at that point I did not have any classes booked to cancel, therefore it should reasonably have been taken as meaning my contract. Surely if they thought I meant cancelling classes, as they say they did, then they would have responded to say that I didn't have any classes to cancel? 2. That "classes were used during this period (from April to December 2014) which in law is described as a continuation of a contract". I clearly had no idea it would be taken a continuation of a contract - I had thought I was doing them a favour by using up some classes so they had to repay me less - so much for a gesture of goodwill! 3. That "as goodwill, they can offer me either to use up my remaining 62 classes or to cancel my membership and lose all my money". I don't see how offering me to lose all my money can be described as a goodwill gesture! I also cannot use up my classes, as they have repeatedly told me that they cannot give me a class when I am available to take a class. (In addition, after not one but two injuries I have lost all faith in them.) I really am at a loss as to what to do, and am very stressed about the situation. I presume my only option is to take them to the small claims court on the grounds that (1) I did cancel my membership (2) they cannot fulfill their part of the contract because they can not provide me with a class when I can take a class and (3) loss of faith due to injuries (and I have not attempted to reclaim the cost of my physio which I had to have as a result of the injuries, which totalled around £750). Does that sound right? I would really appreciate any advice - I obviously cannot afford to just write off nearly £2000, as they seem to be suggesting!

Basically, I've been overpaid £2000 by large employer, and they want it back, where do I stand. They made the error, I only work 20 hours a week and would struggle to pay it. Goes back over 2/3 years.