I'm doing the cardinal sin and posting this on behalf of a friend who doesn't have access to the Internet from home. My friend has had £200 stolen from their account by debit card and are currently on ESA/PIP due to serious medical issues and mental health conditions. My understanding is the transactions were taken by debit card. The Fraudster attempted a payment of £500 and then £400 and then £200 the formers were declined and the latter was accepted. The card in question has now been cancelled and it was reported as soon as they became aware. Barclays are insisting that an investigation be done before any money is refunded taking at least up to 10 working days. We all know that isn't true per the FCA rules here: https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/unauthorised-payments-account This is going to cause them serious problems as they need to attend medical appointments and put food on the table etc. They have offered a £35 GOGW payment in the first instance. The question becomes, how does one quote the legislation over the phone to effectively force the bank to behave themselves and issue those 'temporary refunds' until the case is investigated? Whilst I am sure they would be happy to make complaints to the FoS etc.. They need access to their funds and the bank are being deliberately obstructive. They want me to speak to them later today to see if quoting the FCA rules has any effect. But is there anything else you could advise in the second instance. Friend is classed as vulnerable adult with serious mental health issues too.

BT basic + broadband at £10 per month with no hidden extras as long as you are on a qualifying benefit it sounded a great option for me I have been long term unemployed and spend more than that each fortnight on PAYG to search for jobs. I read the website and it mentioned them sending a form out they would need back so I gave the free phone number a ring. So the first person I spoke to asked what benefit I was on, confirmed I was eligible and echoed basically what the website said and the forms would be in the post. 10 minuets after ending the call they rang back told me a date for installation was set up and took my bank details for direct debit. I was taken back to be honest I thought they wanted the paperwork back and assumed they had already made the necessary checks. Obviously happy now I did not have to wait for the forms to filled and returned and a date set for installation I was well chuffed with the service so far. Again everything went well installation complete and the service was as to be expected, finally could jobsearch without too much worry of cost. First bill came and as promised the cost was £10 which went out my account. Whoopee great finally something altruistic on the part of a big business hats of to bt. Then the whoopsie hit the fan. First indication something was wrong was my next bill was £47 and clearly something was wrong here. At the earliest opportunity I rang the helpline and was informed that as I did not return the forms they sent out to confirm I am on benefits and they can check I had been upgraded to a premium service. I never received any form to send back I wrongly assumed it had all been set up. So I cancelled the direct debit (if £46 went out my account I would starve ) then learned bt would add a further charge to my bill £10 for a failed payment, so I had to change my method of payment over to bill which was a £2.50 charge but less than £10 and left with no other choice. Then was told they would send me another form out to sign. I decided I would get in touch with bt support via Email as I could not afford the bill at all, I never asked for a upgrade and believe they should have suspended my service if there was an issue and in my opinion should not have provided me with the service until all paperwork had been completed anyway. I am on low income and would not get credit nor want it. Well all I can say is the customer services was no help at all and just said when they get the form back they will adjust it from the day I got in touch which still would make it impossible to pay and thus lose a much needed service when they cut me off for a missed payment. 8-9 days later and a few emails back and forth as to why I have issues with my post the form finally arrived. Now the catch 22 situation is they want the form back within 14 days and I sent the form back the same day I received it but according to them it arrived late. now I have incurred another months bill at premium rate for something that is out of my control. They have now sent out a 3rd form Wednesday and again so far it has not arrived so if it doesn't come Monday again I will miss the 14 day deadline. As a resolution I would like my bill adjusting back to the plan I asked for but who the heck is actually liable here the phone company or bt or both ?

I'm going to be having a new roof on the house shortly, and I don't want to employ some one without having a clearly defined contract in place. But having never done anything like this before.. I have no idea where to begin. Are there any templates out there that I can download, and tweak to suit, and most importantly... it will need to be legally binding in case of any issues. If a contractor refuses to sign a contract... they won't be hired. Any decent and reputable company would have no qualms about having a contract in place.

Hi Came across this recently. For those struggling to obtain a basic Bank account, there is another option supported by Payplan and a number of different organisations. This might be particularly useful for people who have been homeless or are still homeless and need to have an account for any benefits money to be paid into. https://www.thechangeaccount.com/community/

So here's a brief rundown of my situation. I have a large loan with RBS, and was paying it off fine until about 8 months ago when I got into serious financial difficulty. RBS helped for a short time reducing my payments to just £1 per month for three months but of course still adding interest at £200 per month...which by the way they said they would not do but that's another story. My circumstances didn't improve and I have spent the last 5 months trying to reach an agreement with them. Eventually they agreed to accept a token payment of £1 per month and stop all interest and charges. However they also said in order to do that they would make my accounts "non-operational" and that I should return my debit card and see other banking facilities elsewhere. Fair enough but of course I need at least a basic account for money to go in and out of. I looked at Nationwide as their basic account seems to do everything I need however it seems that it is only available to bankrupts and/or people who do not already have another UK account. This leaves me with a problem because "technically" I no longer have a functioning UK account but it still "exists" if you see what I mean? I can't proceed with the online application if I answer yes to the question "do you have another UK account". If I answer no..would I be lying? I can't apply for the normal account because my credit rating is as low as it can possibly be right now so not only would it be an extra search on my file but I would be refused. Maybe I should just answer "no" to that question about other accounts. Just wanted to see what others experiences are.

Hello, and thanks for reading this. I am in a strange situation of trying to open a bank account, even a basic one. At the moment I use a credit union and it works brilliantly. Unfortunately, they are restricted to a maximum of £20K. In a few months , I am due an inheritance and I need somewhere to put it. Both the Co-op and Barclays have refused, despite saying yes at first, and sending account details. Today they have rescinded their offer. Now there are some defaults on my credit file. Two are current from Anglia Water, which have a note of dispute about them. The others are old, roughly 6 years and due to drop off the file next year. There is no fraud alerts, no CCJ's, everything else is clean. In the past 4 years I have 3 loans from my credit union and have never missed one payment on them. In fact I have a sizeable nest egg that I have saved up. None of this was taken into account, only that I have defaults, and that they must be accurate because the creditor says so, and we all know they don't make mistakes. do I challenge the defaults via the Information Commissioners Office. Cabot tried to sue me over a 5 year old credit card which I fought them off with help from this site. They have gone quiet, but I am wondering if it is worth suing them for filing an inaccurate and unproveable credit report. The Co-op bank may offer me an account if I write and explain things. I did that with Barclays, but to no avail. They treated me very shabbily with broken appointments, not informing me of refusing the account after they sent the details. The alternative is a simple savings account to deposit this inheritance into. I use the credit union for my everyday banking. The account must accept cheques in $dollars, as it is from an American friend who has died and left me some money. Any help will be greatly appreciated and I will return the favour for others who may be having trouble with debt collectors and banks.

Well another thread.Looking around saw a few articles on this idea and thought i would pop the idea on the forum. On this fine,sunny,crispy Monday morning in Spring to start the week off. Seems to be gathering momentum worldwide.Or the idea of. A bit rushed,maybe not that clear but a start that is all,i will find more articles as time goes on. But have a look around and have your say on what you think. Some say if companies were to invest massively in new machinery,many of our jobs could vanish. Saying the price of employing cheap labour is far cheaper than the modernising of companies,factories and the rest. But this will surely happen as time marches on. Robots are poised to eliminate millions of jobs over the coming decades. We have to address the coming epidemic of "technological unemployment" if we're to avoid crippling levels of poverty and societal collapse. Here's how a guaranteed basic income will help — and why it's absolutely inevitable. Whether working or not you would receive a basic income. Now how much the benefit system costs in this country i do not know,but obviously most of this would vanish i would think. How Universal Basic Income Will Save Us From the Robot Uprising. http://io9.gizmodo.com/how-universal-basic-income-will-save-us-from-the-robot-1653303459 So as i look around this idea seems to be interesting many countries. Paying all UK citizens £155 a week may be an idea whose time has come Introducing a basic income guarantee would be costly, but it could be the answer to a lot of different problems http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/12037623/Paying-all-UK-citizens-155-a-week-may-be-an-idea-whose-time-has-come.html Canada plans to experiment with giving people unconditional free money http://uk.businessinsider.com/ontario-announces-basic-income-plan-2016-3 Finland Finland is considering a radical plan to give everybody free money http://www.techinsider.io/finlands-plan-to-give-everyone-free-money-2015-11 Switzerland Will Hold The World's First Universal Basic Income Referendum What if everyone got a guaranteed $2,500 check every month? How would society change? http://www.fastcoexist.com/3056339/switzerland-will-hold-the-worlds-first-universal-basic-income-referendum Have your say,i am sure many will, i hope.Anyone there,of course there is. Come on in and have your say.

After waiting on the phone for 40 mins I have just been disconnected obviously as the lines close at 6pm Can someone please tell me the address of the DWP where I send my sick certificate regarding ESA please. Thank you

Someone asked me this question and I could not answer. So as this idea grows I feel it is best to open a thread to discuss this important question. Where would the money come from. Would as Automation takes over and increased productivity happens from there somehow perhaps. Taxes. Companies, where do you think it would come from. It has to come from somewhere. Basic Income-A Great Idea Whose Time Is Coming. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_income

Millions of people who have basic bank accounts may be paying higher fees than necessary.. Basic bank accounts are designed for people who do not already have a bank account and are ineligible for a standard current account .While eight million people have basic accounts, around half of them are still liable to pay fees for failed payments. Completely fee-free basic accounts have been available since January 2016, following an industry agreement. Vulnerable customers who have such accounts are not charged for failed payments, or for going overdrawn. The Treasury figures show that 3.7 million people have accounts that do not conform to the agreement, struck between the government and the banking industry, in 2014. Of those, 3.6 million bank with Lloyds, the rest being RBS customers All the other seven big High Street banks do not charge fees for basic account customers http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38289654

I tried to find this out but cannot find. Is there an explanation of the different member types? i.e. Basic, Classic etc If there is a sticky, would someone pls post the link ta

Caroline Lucas created BASIC INCOME EDM 974. Jonathan Reynolds similarly supports basic income. John McDonnell said Labour are considering basic income. Basic income trials are set to take place in Canada, Finland, and Holland. The time is ripe for UK Parliament to debate EDM 974 BASIC INCOME. That this House notes the growing crisis of low pay and precarity in a labour market increasingly characterised by casualised forms of employment that offer little in the way of pay, predictable hours or long-term security; further notes the evident inability of our bureaucratically costly social security system, with its dependence on means-testing and often arbitrary sanctions, to provide an adequate income floor; believes that a Basic Income, an unconditional, non-withdrawable income paid to everyone, has the potential to offer genuine social security to all while boosting entrepreneurialism and the creation of small businesses; Much more on the link. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/128234 And of course a thread open for those that perhaps do not know to much about Basic Income. Worth a read,in my view. Basic Income Guarantee-Do You Like The Idea-Any Views-Have Your Say. http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?461005-Basic-Income-Guarantee-Do-You-Like-The-Idea-Any-Views-Have-Your-Say.

Hi All I had a under 18s account with Abbey in 2004 which was then upgraded to a basic account when I was 18 in 2006. I then stopped using the account around 2010. Recently I checked my credit file and noticed a default from Santander for £55. I called to enquire as I assumed these accounts were now dormant due to them not being used in so many years. I was told that they were defaulted in 23/3/2012 (I don't recall recieveing a notice of default) and that it was due to an unpaid DD on my basic account and another on the Under 18 account. Neither had credit or overdraft facilities btw. I sent a complaint and recieved a call the following day saying that instead of being upgraded my under 18 account wasnt closed and another account was opened and as they are unpaid DD fees I still have to pay them. Ideally I would like to get this wiped off my credit file completely as I am preparing to buy a house and this is completely tarnishing my credit file, dispite the small amount. Could anybody advise as to how I can go about doing this?

The UK Government has taken action to ensure remote homes and businesses can access its promised basic 2Mbps broadband service In a bid to deliver on previous guarantees it has made about affordable broadband access, the government will offer subsidised satellite dishes to some of the most remote areas. The scheme will be administered by local authorities. Homeowners and businesses within eligible areas will receive a voucher code to provide them with a free satellite dish and in some cases installation, as well as reduced 12 monthly subscription costs from partnering satellite broadband providers. Use the postcode checker here to find information about what is available in your area: http://gosuperfastchecker.culture.gov.uk/basicbroadbandchecker/index.php

Halifax is imposing a fee of £1 a day from arranged overdrafts of £0.01 to £1,999 as from 1st Dec 2015. No interest rate is charged. So if one has an arranged overdraft of £100 and goes overdrawn by £0.10, a fee of £1 will be charged and by 100 days, this £0.10 becomes a unarranged overdraft for which a fee of £5.00 is faced. Is this imposing excessive charges or treating customers unfairly??

A friends son has been banking with Abbey all of his life. Nothing fancy, simple child saver account which eventually they changed to a basic bank account - without an overdraft facility. They make purchases overseas frequently in USD (dollars) and because of a delay in the transaction time / rate of exchange, are often hit by being a penny or so overdrawn. To date, I think the most was less than £2. The bank in it's infinite wisdom, basically just deduct £25 as they can extort from his account and leave it overdrawn, despite this not actually being allowed under their rules. From my looking at his (disorganised) statements, he may well have paid over £400 this year alone and says it goes back much further. What is the best way to proceed on reclaiming these charges, before he moves to another bank?

last week a post went up making me aware of a service BT provide called BT Basic package. It is a service they do not let known to the general public and readily available Thanks site team for making me aware of it and it suits me ideal. I contact BT and to begin with it was like pulling teeth, and I thought a debt collection agencies are economical with the truth. Any way all sorted and they said a letter will be going out today for me to sign and return to change package. This was last week. I have just phoned them and nothing has been done. There excuse being "it seems to just be hanging there in the system". I have been guaranteed that I will get this letter by Tuesday to sign and return next week All credit to the customer service chap at BT who I have just spoken to and after 20 minutes on the phone has now sorted it. The service BT offers such as phone and Broadband are fantastic, customer service is pants.

Some new posters may have some questions relating to Universal Credit (UC) here is a basic guide including many links to any questions you may have see here https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/categories/universal-credit Within this link you can clink on further links and see what is what with UC. There are now many areas of the UK that have already transferred to UC and this is for those that have not. This guide will let you see what you will need to do now and also allow you to see what you can learn before this happens to you. If you have any questions please post them up so others may be able to help you come to terms with the changes before it affects you in the very near future. What you will need to do now is to put some money if possible away before these changes happen as your first payment which will be monthly will happen FIVE weeks after you are on UC. In other words the last payment you receive will need to last you till you get your first months benefits. This will include your housing costs I.E your rent. In this link you will see what areas are going to go through the changes now, then you will see when your area maybe added in the very near future. see below http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?441364-Universal-Credit-national-expansion-–-Tranche-two If you have any questions and require some help please feel free to ask now before the changes make things difficult for you......

A new fee-free template for basic UK bank accounts has been revealed by the Treasury after a deal with major banks. Basic accounts do not offer overdrafts or cheque books, and may be given to those with a chequered credit history. Some holders of these accounts have been hit by initial fees of £30 or more after a direct debit or standing order payment has bounced. The cost can then escalate if the fees are unpaid. Under the new terms agreed, these one-off fees will be scrapped. Economic Secretary to the Treasury Andrea Leadsom said the new accounts would give basic bank account holders "certainty and clarity". "It will end people being effectively locked out of their basic bank accounts due to high fees and charges when their payments failed," she added. Account holders should also be offered a debit card, in order to withdraw cash from the UK's ATM network. Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, welcomed the move but said it came a year later than planned. Inside a debt charity: Matt Barlow, chief executive of Christians Against Poverty, says: We ask all our new debt clients to open a basic bank account with a bank that they don't owe money to. It is often not an easy business, especially for vulnerable people. In some cases, staff at the local branches are unaware of the basic bank account and we have found they inadvertently up-sell, offering the client a current account which results in rejection when they carry out a credit check. This is especially hard on someone who is trying really hard to get their finances back on track and take their first tentative steps to addressing problem debt. One of the other biggest stumbling blocks is that the banks want photo identification, which can be too expensive for someone without a passport or driving licence. There are only one or two companies which allow other forms of ID and we would love to see the Treasury tackle that issue. Another difficult element is the lack of a debit card with many of these accounts which really hit people in rural communities who end up travelling to a cash machine out of their immediate area and are unable to do shopping online. 'Fair fees' Some banks have, at times, withdrawn or reduced basic account holders' access to cash machines, prompting criticism from campaigners. There are an estimated nine million users of basic bank accounts in the UK. Nine High Street banks have signed up to the deal, accounting for 90% of the UK current account market. Access to basic bank accounts is extremely sporadic across the sector” says Mike O'Connor Chief executive, StepChange Banking industry body the British Bankers Association, which worked with the banks to develop the new template, said the revised account was aimed at people who might not be able to open a standard account and customers in financial difficulty. "These basic accounts will make it easier for more people to manage their money. They will have many features that will help people to budget, pay bills and save up," said BBA chief executive Anthony Browne. The EU authorities agreed a directive earlier this year that said all residents should be given the opportunity to open a basic bank account, with fees that were fair, and allowing people the opportunity to switch providers. Kevin Mountford, head of banking at price comparison website Moneysupermarket, said: "While the main banks have always borne a degree of responsibility to provide such facilities, these have often lacked clarity around fee structures and uncertainty as to who can and cannot apply, so this should now change. "It is essential that all banks fully enter into the spirit of this ruling and create basic banking products in order to help those customers who have been badly underserved in the past." Mike O'Connor, chief executive of StepChange debt charity, said: "The experience of our clients is that access to basic bank accounts is extremely sporadic across the sector, and things like high charges and limited access to cash machines can cause real problems on a day-to-day basis. "This move will give hope to the millions of people who currently feel locked out of the banking system, and help them to regain control of their finances. "However, signs of financial difficulty should not be ignored. We would urge banks and those across the credit sector to do more to recognise when people are falling behind on their essential bills and credit commitments, and signpost them to free independent debt advice as early as possible." More ...

Hi Team, I bought Xperia Z2 in March 2014 which is when it came out. I have been a HTC user prior to that. Phone build quality and functions impressed me for first few weeks and then it started dropping calls. Being Techie, i have done factory restore, latest software update, Tried that SIM into different phone to provde its not SIM problem and etc. And finally it was a phone fault. Went to Vodafone shop with the problem as Intermiatan network dropping while call is going.. Vodafone Team logged this fault and sent it to Repair Centre which i think was their Repair Centre - not Sony's. Phone came back in a week Time and Report was written saying - the reported problem has been fixed and latest software has been upgraded ! Being satisfied with that service i took the phone back and then put back my own stuff on it- like emails and etc etc. Started using it from then and again it gave the same problme of Network Dropping in Oct early days. This time, to shows the evidence i have captured few screenshots using the third party Application so that someone can seriously investigate on the problem. Pleasee see my attachment here. Unfortunatelty Shop Team cant send mye evidence to repair team as there is no any mechanism to send and they says they mentioned my fault on the repair case and repair team will see it and then they will surely fix it. Phone came back within 3 days and as usual i started using is- put my all data on it and again it started giving me same problem - network dropping intermitantly. now i know if i got to the shop -same story will repert - phone will go in repair and then i will need to transfer all my data, phone will come back with some fix report and possibly fault will go forevere. Being on 24 month contract, this is absolutely embarassing and i do not want to spend my whole life taking my data backup - sending this phone in repair every month - wait for repair - put my data back - and then same problem. I tried this method twice already within first 6 months of my contract. I am looking for the solution either from below which Vodafone team is not ageering with. - Allow me to break the contract and go for any different phone as Sony Xperia Z2 i got no trust at all. Basic all drop problem is not at all acceptable for any phone . Especially a premium type phone - Take this device back and offeer a Brand new Xperia Z2 if you think that Z2 hasnt got know problem but possibly only my phone has got some problem. Kindly note, all the test i did was in the area where i get full network coverage so do not blame the network. Also i tried the same SIM in different phone various times to prove its not a SIM fault or network Fault. Its definately a Device Fault. Please help to get this resolved.

Hi I wonder if anyone has any information about the legality of the above,. My son has a basic account which does not have an overdraft facility, and he has accumulated several charges for returned direct debits.(£15 a pop) My probably simplistic understanding of the Supreme Court ruling was that the bank charges were legitimate because they were a core or ancillary term and in effect a fee for consideration of an overdraft, of course this is not the case in a basic account, as an OD is not an option. If this is correct is there cause for an action for reclaiming these charges under the UTCC'S and under common law as being an unfair (penalty)

Hi, I'm new on here, but would greatly appreciate your help. On 17/01/2011 I was given a conditional discharge for 2 years and disqualification relating to animals. I was advised at the time that I could apply after 3 years if I wished to keep any animals. I have recently had a basic disclosure check for a new job and the conditional discharge is still showing on there, along with the disqualification relating to animals. My question is this, should the conditional discharge still show on a basic disclosure, 14 months after it had been spent? I have been working at my new job for a month and I am very concerned that this blemish still showing on my record will affect my chances of keeping my job.

Hello I would be extremely grateful for any help or advice for this problem below. The person in question cannot open a basic bank account. He has tried every bank and building society on the high st, in a possible radius and online. He has even tried the Barclays Cash Card and the Co-op Cash Minder. http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/basic-bank-accounts Both Barclays and Co-op have said that as long as you have the required proof of address and ID, you'll be able to get a basic bank account. Went there, tried, no look at all. Still he cannot get a basic bank account to have his wages paid into. I would like to ask members is there anything else that can be done? Thanks for your time. Dan

I am being harassed by a DCA, Atdvantis, for an HMRC self-assessed penalty charge of £1200. It relates to failure to file SA two years ago - I have attempted several times to demonstrate to the HMRC that I wasn't liable as I owed no tax and therefore did not need to complete one, but they have ignored me. At this stage, they are just demanding repayment in full and offer no terms, it hasn't yet reached the county court stage. Couple of basic questions - just wondering if people here know the answers. * Is Advantis able to use any powers beyond the normal county court processes, because this is an HMRC debt? * Are they able to add charges or interest? * Is this debt collectible in County Court if I did not owe tax and I told HMRC that I did not owe tax? * If they obtain a CCJ, are they given any wider powers to collect other than the usual routes, so can I make a regular payment offer to the court? I am now unemployed so can afford very little. Many thanks for any advice!

Hi, praticaly all correspondence I receive from my respondent's solicitors is liberally peppered with quoted sections from various procedures and legislation. So much so it does induce a certain amount of word-blindness and unease (which I think is part of the reason it is included!). Are there a few basic pieces of legislation and/or guidance notes that I should be looking at in order to appreciate the overall business of the Tribunal and the responsibilities of both the claimant and the respondent. The tribunal service sent me a few very basic booklets - but nothing that covers the procedural tomfoolery of my respondent's solicitors. Any pointers would be most useful.