In September, I saw my GP who said that the treatment he was considering for me was botox injections. I saw a neurologist who agreed and diagnosed me with torticollis. Around that time, I asked my DLA to be looked at and they wrote to me GP. My GP wrote that I have torticollis and that I'm waiting for botox therapy. In January, I saw the neurosurgeon, who disagreed with the diagnosis and the proposed treatment. He sent me for an MRI scan as he doesn't know (neither does anyone else) what's wrong with me. Do DWP need to know that my treatment has now changed? I won't know what is going to be done until I see the neurosurgeon and get my MRI results in 2 weeks time.

Two weeks ago I boarded a bus at around 8:00am in London. I got off the bus a few stops later to head into a local Tesco store to buy my lunch for the day. I then walked back to the bus stop that I got off at and waited for the next bus to take me to work. The next bus arrived at 8:30am. It was one of those buses where passengers can board the bus on either the front, middle or back door. I boarded the bus from the back door. I sat downstairs and minded my own business, staring through the window and browsing on my phone. A few minutes later, I heard a bus ticket inspector saying "tickets please" and that was when I was made aware that a ticket inspector was on board the bus. I got out my oyster card ready for him to scan it with the card reader. When he placed his card reader against my card, he asked me to take out my oyster card from the cardholder. I thought the reason why he wanted me to take out my card from the cardholder was because the cardholder was preventing his card reader from checking whether I had tapped in. However, when he then said "it appears you haven't tapped in for this journey", I realised to my horror that I had in fact forgotten to tap in when I boarded this bus, so I told him that I forgot to. then got out a small note pad and asked me to write down my name, address and date of birth, to which he used it to confirm that the card really does belong to me and he asked me to show him an ID that has my name on it and where did I board this bus and which stop I was planning to get off at. He then told me that he was going to issue me a penalty fare of £40 for not tapping in. I said to him that if you look at my journey history you will be able to see that I had previously boarded a bus at 8:00am and that if you look at the time now you can see that it's 8:35am, which means that under the Hopper Fare scheme, I would not have been charged for this journey anyway because I boarded this bus within the hour and hence I was not intentionally fare dodging. However, he said "you still need to tap in anyway" and proceeded to issue me with a penalty fare. He then handed me the bus penalty fare notice and asked me how I would like to settle it. I asked him “what options do I have?” He said that I need to pay £40 for the penalty. Because I needed to get off the next stop and I was late for work, I asked if I can pay later. He then said that if I don't pay now, it would be £80. However, having had a careful read through the notice, I realised that he omitted saying that if you don't pay within 21 days, then the penalty would go up to £80, it will be £40 if you pay within 21 days, so I thought there was some deliberate scaremongering on his part. When I got back home from work that day, I had a careful read through the penalty notice slip and read that I have a right to appeal against it. I decided to appeal on the grounds that I boarded a previous bus at 8:00am and how under the Hopper Fare scheme, I wouldn't have been charged anything for this second bus that I got on at 8:30am because I boarded it within the hour. i logged onto my oyster card account to get a screenshot of my journey history for that day to go with the appeal claim so that they can see that I did get on a bus at 8:00am in the hopes that they would be lenient about it and therefore waive the fee. However, I was very shocked to see that there was no record of me getting on the first bus at 8:00am! All the other trains and buses that I got on for that day were there apart from this 8:00am record of me getting on a bus. I definitely remember tapping in for this journey and hearing a beep and seeing the green light because I got on it from the front door and there was a bit of a hold up because there was a passenger in front of me in the queue who asked the driver whether this was the bus that goes to so and so. This had me suspecting whether the bus ticket inspector may have deleted this particular bus journey history from my account so that I don't stand a chance from getting a successful appeal. T he more I think back to it, the more I suspect that he had something to do with it. He kept hold of my oyster card throughout the journey and didn't give it back to me until I told him that I was getting off at the next stop. And during that time, I was not sitting facing him, he was standing behind me, so I suspect that he might have had a check through my journey history and used his card reader to delete this 8:00am bus journey history or colluded with the person on the phone who was checking to confirm my details to have it deleted off the system. Maybe it's just simply a case of coincidence - that it turns out there was a technical fault with the yellow oyster card reader on the first bus which meant that it didn't make a record of me tapping in. Otherwise, it sure is very sinister and sly of them to do this - they can make money out of innocent people. it makes me wonder if these inspectors have a quota to fill or an incentive or a commission awarded for catching fare dodgers? I'm wondering if there's anyone here who has been through a similar situation as me – I would like to hear your experience, and does anyone here know whether it's possible that your journey history can be deleted by an oyster card reader used by a ticket inspector?

Well a little bit of background Info in a period from 2010-2014 I got caught In the payday debt spiral like many others did I would often move from one lender to next In a desperate attempt to try and make my month salary meet my everyday commitments, I eventually got out of the trap but not without a big impact to my credit score and mental health (I found myself to scared to open letters and ans phone calls I even changed email address to avoid dealing with the problem) I realise this was a stupid thing to do but believe this may have been caused by a mild form of depression caused by the stress of the situation. I would often feel intimidated by these companies and would agree to repay amounts I couldn't afford when trying to get then to agree to repayment plans, I even had a period when I went on holiday with my partner where I would have mild panic attacks when my phone would ring as I knew my mum was staying at our house looking after my young son and was worried one of these lenders had rang her or had sent a collection agency around. I have since started on a DMP with step change and started to get back on my feet, I am annoyed with myself for not acting sooner but honestly didnt have the confidence to deal with the issue and at the time I was mentally a mess unfortunately this resulted in me getting 2 ccjs one that should have been statue barred and one (uncle buck) where a defualt hadn't even been issued but because of my mental state I just wasn't in a position to fight these, I have however kept up with the repayments and both will be satisfied in next few months. I have recently learnt that a number of these loans will have been classed as irresponsible lending and to begin with I just passed it off as not worth the fight (again scared of potential outcome and maybe being forced to repay more effect my dmp ect) but on Sunday decided I was going to fight them due to the effects these loans have had on me as a person. I originally sent this email on Sunday night to all the lenders I have since received rather speedy replies from a number of lenders and have just sent my first ever complaint and feel quite liberated in doing so. any further advice would be greatly appreciated, I know this wont be a short process and I am hoping that I can continue with the positive mental state and not sink back into the shell im gradually crawling out of.

I haven't been able to find a link to the actual decision, but an Upper Tribunal has apparently now decided that 'cannot follow' means both cannot because of some physical or intellectual disability AND cannot because of e.g. anxiety, thus clarifying whether all of the descriptors can apply to conditions such as agoraphobia. There were previously two contradictory decisons on this subject, and of course DWP guidance reflected the most restrictive so people with agoraphobia who were able to leave the house could only score a maximum of 4 points and were therefore being denied any rate of mobility. I suspect it will take some time to update DWP guidance for assessors, and I doubt they'll be backdating any previous claims so if this may affect you, it may be worth considering putting in a new claim if you were previously turned down completely or effectively reporting a change of circumstances if you believe you should have had an award of standard or enhanced for the mobility component. In the latter case, be aware that your existing award can be reduced as well as increased. If anyone can find a link to the case report, it was apparently last month, I would be grateful.

Hi, I was caught by the revenue checking inspector/office, while travelling from Wickford to London Liverpool street for not paying full fare for my journey. I have been regularly travelling from Ilford to Liverpool street by having an annual ticket. Quite recently, I moved to Wickford and travelling once or twice in a week. I was travelling part of the journey without valid ticket (for more than once) in order to save few pounds based on the wrong advice that I had received from a friend. Because of which, I am in trouble. Ticket inspector/officer caught me and found out that I am doing this for about 5-6 times and said that he will send my case to court and said not to issue any fine, even though I requested him many times. I fully regret for what I have done in the first place. My finances were bit tight because of recent parents visit to UK, new mortgage and other additional expenses because of new place. All these things played part of my thinking and made me to follow wrong friend's advice, which I should not do in the first place (and fully regret) in order to save few pounds in travelling. Office was not able to match my name with the address that I had given through the system that they use for checks on the day, when he booked me in September. After around 2 months, I got a letter from Greater Anglia to confirm, if I am the one, who has been caught. I am having a family with 2 kids and they are fully dependant on my earnings and they will be in deep trouble, if any thing happens to me and with my employment. I don't want them to be in trouble for the mistake that I had done. I am having sleepless night because of constant remembrance of the incident and feeling ashamed for what I did in the first place. Please advice, what I have to do, now? What kind of capital punishment that I am going to face? And is there any way to get settlement out of court with Greater Anglia. Your immediate help and advice is much appreciated. NOTE : Right after the incident, I starting paying full fare for my journey and kept those tickets as evidence (if needed).

Why Does A £358 Washing Machine Cost £1092? HERE

Hi, I purchased a period return ticket from Oxford to Manchester last week. I didn't have a problem on the way up, but I had an issue with using the return ticket on my back. I don't remember which stop it was after but, somewhere between Manchester and Birmingham New Street, the guard came through and stamped the return half of my ticket. When I reached Birmingham New Street, a new guard replaced the previous one. When he came through to check the tickets, he told me that I had already used my ticket and I could only use it once. I explained to him that the ticket had been stamped by the other guard, who he had replaced, on the same train, but he didn't believe me. He told me that I would have to purchase another ticket. As he was threatening to get the police involved and being intimidating, I begrudgingly paid up. Is it possible to get my money back for this ticket? I shouldn't have had to purchase it. Unfortunately the second guard confiscated both halves of my ticket, so I have no proof that I already had a ticket.

I would appreciate your consideration of the shocking situation I have experienced with my Dodge Journey – now off the road and worthless following an unexpected, catastrophic and unbelievable internal mechanical collapse. My Dodge Journey is only four and a half years old with just 64,000 miles driven and was registered by the Chrysler dealer on 24th December 2009 and purchased direct from Chrysler Oxford by me in the summer of 2010 at just 6 months old with no other prior owners. My car was exclusively maintained and serviced by Chrysler Oxford until I relocated during 2013, after which it was only ever maintained and serviced by Chrysler Peterborough (Stoneacre). On 13th August 2014, during a journey through a local town the car came to a sudden and unexpected halt accompanied by some mechanical crunch-type noises. No warning lights, no sign or signal that anything was wrong prior to that moment. Following recovery and delivery of the car to Chrysler Peterborough the diagnosis was explained to me and confirmed by the dealership with the e-mail content below: .....After an initial diagnosis and strip down of your Dodge Journey here are the findings as discussed: The offside drive shaft has spun in the differential due to the splines being worn. This has in turn caused extensive damage to the differential splines. The vehicle requires a new transmission and driveshaft. Price as discussed is £11467 inclusive of parts, labour and VAT. Kind Regards Service Manager Stoneacre Peterborough Fiat, Chrysler, Jeep & Dodge As I am sure you will appreciate I was absolutely shocked and stunned by this outcome. I foolishly assumed that no reputable, quality, luxury car manufacturer would accept one of their vehicles collapsing in this way, at this age, at this, mileage. This was clearly always going to happen – it was just a matter of when this internal material defect would surface. There is nothing I could have done, nor could I have known this was going to happen. This was an expensive car to buy and I wanted to have a quality car, suited to the needs of my family. I wanted it to be maintained and serviced only by Chrysler – so that I could be sure that it would be well cared for and that I would know I had done all the right things to look after this car correctly. I have a disabled child that requires constant care and supervision and as he grows this car was to be a comfortable, safe, reliable, quality car from a reputable luxury brand. I did not get what I paid for as this car is no longer fit for purpose. While I fully understand that my car is beyond its original 3year warranty, this mechanical collapse surely must be an unusual and exceptional situation – which I assumed would be as big a shock to Chrysler UK as it was to me. I contacted Chrysler Customer Services and explained the events. I was advised that a Case Manager would be assigned and that contact would be made with Chrysler Peterborough to review the damage described by them. I waited 48 hours and as no contact had been made with me, I caller Chrysler UK again, only to be advised that no Case Manager had been assigned and that no action of any kind had been taken with my case. I realised then that Chrysler UK had no interest in my situation and were not intending to treat my case with any level of concern at all. After protesting at this appalling treatment a Customer Service ‘executive’ called me back and immediately advise in as prompt a manner as possible, that my Dodge Journey was out of warranty, that Chrysler UK had no intention of offering any goodwill solution to this situation, that there was no one else in Chrysler UK that I could escalate my case to and that I was not to contact Chrysler UK again as there was nothing else to say on the matter. My complaint is, I am sure, very clear: that through no fault of my own – at just four and a half years old and at just 64,000 miles - my luxury Dodge Journey car has suffered a catastrophic mechanical failure. I have a car that is now beyond economical repair and of no value to anyone in this current condition. I do not have the quality car I paid for and as the consumer I am left with nothing. This mechanical collapse was as a direct result of defective manufacture, be that materials or process – a situation that someone, somewhere should be taking responsibility for. I believe this situation is worthy of consideration at the highest level within Chrysler UK and my car should be repaired fully or replaced to honour the commitment to provide a vehicle fit for purpose and an appropriate expected lifespan. I am requesting help from you to assist in any way possible with getting someone to agree that this is unacceptable and to step in to offer a credible and honourable solution or could there any UK or European consumer law that might help me in this situation? Any advice offered would be of great benefit.

hi cliam form sent nov 12 2013 dwp got it atos got it 5 dec 2013 no news at all m p has witten one month ago she still not heard anything back from them either is this a record

Hi My son has received a latter today from IRCAS saying he hasn't appealed a train fine from may 28th. Well its news to him, this is the first letter. It says he dodged his fare on this date from Hereford to Manchester. He has never been to Hereford in his life or near there and was in work that day and can prove it. its a 72 quid fine. at first i thought it was a spoof as had never heard of them before but now I think someone must have used his name and address. Do they ask for ID when taking someones name and address? It wasn't him and I am not sure what to do now. Anyone able to help please?

Following success with my mum and Halifax my sister got me to SAR Blackhorse they have now sent her 4 agreements including their remortage loan from 2003. Looking at agreements the cost if PPI is high. Her hubby was self employed and she a home help. She is adamant they were told she had to take insurance. The loan agreements are typed and ppi box ticked and their signatures at bottom of agreement. One if the loans she is adamant she didnt tick the box. Should i send a statin sheet for each loan with the questionaire? I am gonna state mis sold reason she had sickness cover and didnt need the insurance. Thanks as usual guys

Im going to need some help along the way with this one and hopefully my journey will help others. I have to date had 4 successful PPI Claims 2x MBNA, 1 x Halifax and 1 x Capital One. Yes Car Credit is my final one and reading other threads it appears this will be the most challenging. I have SAR'ed them and received my response today, It makes very interesting reading. Im claiming as i have comprehensive cover through my employment and never have needed it, I was also told I had to take it out to get the finance. 1st my number one referee, has been filled in by them, with a name i have never even heard of, the person has even circiled their relationship to me as 'PARENT'. There are lots of other things that have been ticked by them which i was not aware off. I need help with the whole insurances and what i am actually claiming for... i know im claiming for PPI but do i claim the other insurance. Could someone help with the correct spreadsheet please to workout my claim. My finance was signed 13/6/2002. below is a screenshot of the insurance and finance etc. thanks in advance

Not a problem, just a question… I have asked the following at my local train station(Chelmsford) and London Underground (Liverpool street) and have 2 different answers(No and yes in that order!) At present I buy a monthly travelcard including zones 1-6. I wish to split this and instead purchase a monthly travelcard from Chelmsford to Harold Wood (Zone 6) and also have a monthly Oystercard (Zones 1-6) to completer the journey to London Liverpool Street. Is this acceptable considering that the Chelmsford to London train passes through Harold wood but does not stop there? Thanks and hoping for a definitive answer!

Hi Everyone, Some of you will know me as I post regularly on the benefits forum. Today I received that which those of us on ESA dread - the ESA50 form. I went to open the innocent looking white envelope and noticed 'Atos healthcare' on the back and my stomach sank. Yes, even a former benefits worker dreads the prospect of the assessment process starting again. I've been on ESA for several years and have had two assessments, the first one placing me in WRAG, the second in the support group. I have yet to have to appeal for myself - but there is always a first time. I thought it might be useful to some to have a thread following the process through (to appeal if necessary) - I'll put as much detail in as I can about how I approach the ESA50, Atos assessment and appeal, and any issues that arise. Like a blog, I suppose, but in a thread. I was thinking of how to make a positive out of another assessment, and thought of a blog, but felt I'd rather share with my friends here. Sorry if it proves boring and unhelpful. I've never written anything like this before, so please bear with me. So my initial thoughts on receiving the form were unrepeatable. But then my thoughts turned to what I'm going to need. I have no evidence at home about my conditions, so first I thought I'd contact my GP surgery for my medical records, as these would have test results and consultant letters etc. I phoned my surgery and the receptionist stated to put my request in writing, that there was no fee (though she didn't seem entirely sure, I was expecting a £10 fee) and no she couldn't tell me how long it would take - the secretary would contact me once they had my request to give me a timescale. My initial aim will be to provide as much information as possible with the ESA50 (including the content of the completed ESA50) to try to not have an Atos assessment if possible. I doubt very much I'll be successful, but thought it was best to at least try. There is also the problem that the ESA50 needs to be back in a month, and I may not get the medical records before I need to send it back. So today's job, is print off a letter requesting my medical records - making very sure I put in the letter what the records are for, as I don't want them to delay thinking I'm planning on complaining against a doctor. Tomorrow I'll start on the ESA50 form.

The journey (flight of fantasy) of a PIP appeal. Note: fails to state the appellant’s two time limits to act. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pip-disputes-journey.pdf Tribunal Service SCSS1 appeal form http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/forms/tribunals/sscs/sscs1.pdf This is the guidance pages for the new appeals system http://www.justice.gov.uk/forms/hmcts/sscs

I really hope someone can help, I am really anxious about this. I took a rail journey which I have taken many times before on the same Oyster card. This time however the ticket barriers were open. I tried to scan my card anyway but it didnt beep/accept. There is also another point where you can scan but this area was cordoned off for painting work. If there was another place to scan I was unaware of it, Perhaps I should have had a good look around but I didn't. They did send me a letter where I had a chance to reply within 14 days. I wrote a whole page explaining the circumstances but unfortuantly I have only just realised I forgot to send it back to them. They have now sent me a court summons for the fare, valued at £4.40 + £100 in court costs. I am unemployed so the money is a big deal to me. More importantly I am a long term sufferer of Social anxiety. Attending a court is unthinkable, I really don't know what to do. I thought there was a penalty fine of £20 for failing to pay. Even though I believe I am in the right I would happily pay this given the chance in order to avoid court. Please help. Bob