Hi everyone, I need some advice on behalf of a friend. He started working as a self-employed DPD franchise driver last year. It means you get the title as self-employed but essentially you drive their van, you wear their uniform, they tell you what hours to work & theres little say on your part in this. During the course of his working day, he got into an accident. The insurance companies stated that they could find nobody to be at fault for the collision and any damages were paid for. I believe the other guy who was involved in the crash had quite a high excess and as such is looking to claim this back - by taking DPD to court. This is where things get complicated. The claimant wants to sue DPD to recover costs. As such, the case is being heard in the claimants local county court because DPD are a business. DPD have told my friend he is to travel some 300 miles to this court and represent himself. My friend has had nothing from any court come through summoning him to court. We believe DPD have all the paperwork. We think DPD is trying to make him go to court on behalf of them to deal with this claim. DPD do have solicitors working on this case - we have yet to establish if they will be present on the court date. My question is, if the case is against DPD the company, does my friend need to go? when essentially he was a self employed franchise worker and not an "actual worker". Has anyone got any advice for a situation like this?

Would be grateful for any advice. I worked for a driving school whilst going from being a PDI to a fully qualified ADI. I started 1 May 2016 and the franchise fee was £210 per week which I paid regularly. The pupils pay the company and supposedly this should be passed to me. I have received approx. £3,000 but I work out I am owed another £8,000, the company have not paid me since 24 October 2016, I have been in regular contact with them and they keep asking for spreadsheets, etc, of how many pupils I have taught, in March this year they agreed to pay me £100 per day to clear the backlog which lasted 3 days. I stopped paying the franchise fee in March 2017 as I really could not afford it any longer. I now work for another company but when I spoke to the original company they said they owe me £500 but this was 'outset' by £5,000! I don't understand this and they are not providing any evidence. I have worked full time for £3,000 (less petrol and other overheads). Please can anyone tell me how to get help with this. Thank you.

I purchased a Sony LCD 40 inch TV from Preston Sony Centre, the store closed about 2 years ago. The TV failed just before the expiration of the 5 year warranty.Ii contacted the parent company Sony who told me to take it to the nearest repairer to me. The TV according to the repairer can't be repaired economically as the part is no longer available( although Sony say they will have parts available for 7 years) therefore the whole screen would have to be replaced. The repairer cannot get the parts from Sony and Sony keep telling me that they are looking for the warranty. This has now been going on for a couple of months. i didn't receive a third party warranty certificate to cover the 5 year warranty when I took delivery of the TV only the standard Sony warranty paperwork. Preston Sony Centre was a franchise operated by a company by the name of Willo who have now gone into administration. I have tried on two occasions to contact the administrators to try and find out who the third party insurer was , however I have had no response todate. Is this a lost cause or can anybody offer some useful advice. If so it would be much appreciated. thank you

Thank you for creating such useful forum. If my case is won, yes I will make a donation to support you. I am determined to take legal action against the abusive situation which I have been involved with recently, at one of the local Pitman Centre. Yet if I can understand how to proceed and ways to proceed without involving court action, I will be happy to settle the dispute with Pitman Training Head Office. Yet I do not know how to contact them, nor whom to speak/ write to. can you help? I was unable to finish my course within the year as it is stipulated in their contract. I enrolled in Feb. 2012 on a P.A Executive course for which I had personally invested £4400; yet struggled over the months with a long list of personal obstacles ( a divorce, full-time caring for a teenager single-handedly, moving home twice in two years, having to travel between two country to care for a father suffering from Alzheimer, other trainings examinations ...) As the Centre for which I had enrolled was not the closest to my new home, I had even asked to change Centre location. But my request was rejected. As a result, I only managed to cover Excel half-way through by Feb. 2013. I went back to the Centre in November this year, to beg the Centre Manageress to take me back, explaining my long list of personal difficulties which by now also include running into debts, as my courses are not yet completed. She agreed to take me back for ONLY part of the course for which I had invested such hope AND huge sum of money: Word and Excel. Also she refused to put me on the latest version of Word. So she made me study Word 2007 despite my request to study the latest version for which I had paid for. Excel still needing to be finished, I also requested to receive training with Dreamweaver: declined. Why didn't I take action here and then? Anyway: I had booked a space for yesterday, telling that I would arrive by 10am. As I was delayed on my journey, I kindly called to let her know. When I arrived at the Centre, the manageress acted in a very angry fashion. She said that as I had booked the day before and managed to stay glued to my computer for only three hours, she had to change my hours to six; because the booking was for 9.30-4.30. I disputed this, and told her that I so did not; I had specifically stated the day before that I could only book an approximate arrival time and asked her to remain flexible about the leaving time, as I had other important matters to cover on that day too. I also told her that I found her attitude abusive, that I felt bullied and reminded her that I had paid for the course and yet still was awaiting the goods. Specially the latest version of the goods. Being French, I tend to express myself rather firmly when required, and by then I had started to raise my voice; I remained polite, nevertheless. The manageress still told me to get out, literally ending all forms of communication over the matter without even an ounce of compassion. Not only I had been robbed of £4400 but I was also being made to feel guilty about it. So I went to the police station who advised me to take legal action. I then walked in a legal aid centre. I am awaiting to hear their response. I am determined to get my money back, my legal fees paid by Pitman Training, and free other students from this specific Centre, from this manageress who many have experienced as a stubborn, controlling bully. I have heard complaints from other students, and even from other Pitman staffs who know of her (the staffs in the centre closer to my home; centre for which my request to change had been rejected) Worth adding: I have taken pictures of the manageress at her desk, of her diploma on the wall, of my computer at the Centre, of the Centre. I also have copies of my enrolment papers, and the hours achieved so far. I am determined to get my money back, and my legal fees covered by Pitman Training. Also I am determined to free other students in that centre from possibly suffering in silence whilst struggling financially to achieve some qualifications to seek further employment. No manager/manageress has the right to bully her students and staff for that matter (she has been reported to bully her last assistant) in that manner. This is abusing her position. And it doesn't help Pitman Training Reputation. The course itself is well structured; yet in this case, stifled by the wrong person in charge. Justice be done.

My Letting Agent is a large franchise. The franchise has recently been sold to another. I have a complaint regarding the first franchise owner should the second franchise owner investigate this and refund any money which is owed.

I was employed to work as a kitchen manager for a newly opened franchised business. The franchisee's put into place by head office had invested a large sum of money into the business which was packaged as a stand alone, freehold opportunity. My contract of employment was drawn up by the franchisee's which I agreed with and signed. However, it became apparent that the owner of the franchised company had other ideas for the business and decided to remove the franchisee's from the business, rendering every bodies contracts null and void and ultimately without a job. No offer of payment has been made nor any clear or concise reason behind the management decisions made. I would like to know my rights and seek full reimbursement of wages owed as well as possible damages to rectify the vulnerable position i've been forced into. I am currently now in arrears with my rent. Do I go after the franchise or do i go after the already out of pocket franchisee's who were ejected from the business? Please help!