Just a quick one. Could any advise where we stand if a telecoms company has been repeatedly overcharging us for time spent on the phone invoiced for 156 hours only been on the phone 26 hours we have proof as we have a call tracker. Checked previous 4 months bills and they are all incorrect. The telecoms provider is not bothered said we should have checked bills before. We have contacted the ombudsman and as we have more than 10 employees they can not do anything. We have been advised to take it to the same claims court. Just wondering what peoples views were.

Hi guys, I received my last water bill a while ago and it's double what the previous bill was. I'm having problems understanding what's going because there have been no major changes to the house. They had been sending people round to access the meter in our front garden which they have never done before. It was a rather bizarre incident. These guys showed up and asked who they should write to at this address and I explained that we were already with Thameswater and I didn't understand what's going on. I don't know if we're getting billed for another house or what's going on. Is there any way our bill can be recalculated? I don't understand how reading a meter at the front of the house has affected our bill to this extent. Can someone help me with this situation because I have a feeling Thameswater will make a dogs dinner out of this.

Hello. First time using this website, so please forgive me if I will fail to follow any rules you might have. So long story short is as follows (I will try to cut it down as much as I can, will skip most of the dates as well). Signed up for Pay Monthly with Vodafone in April 2014. Spotify Premium (online music service, not managed by Vodafone) was supposed to be included in my subscription plan FREE of charge. After a couple of months I've noticed that my bill is £10 too large (FYI - that is the exact price for Spotify Premium). Thought that there might have been a mistake and that Vodafone will find it by themselves and that next month my bill will be adjusted. Sadly that didn't happen. Waited for another month - same result. Contacted their Customer Services. They admitted their fault, apologised and promised that next month on my bill I will see a refund for what I have overpaid and that all further charges will exclude Spotify Premium payment. Once again to my great disappointment the next bill came with no refund and with Spotify still included. So yet another £10 taken from me. Let me skip forward by about 6 months now. I'll just say that I was getting in touch with their Customer Services almost every month and each time I was getting the same promise - that next month I will get refund and all further bills will have no sign of Spotify ever again. Unfortunately the reality was that with each month the amount that they have taken from me was just increasing and increasing... Then finally in February 2015 I was able to get some sort of resolution. This lady in their CS or billing department assured that I will get £80 refund (the amount they were due at the time) and even assured me that I will get a compensation that I've asked for which was another £50 (I know, I should have asked for more, but whatever). So my next bill came and it was quite confusing. There were multiple lines with really odd figures, but if my amateur calculations were correct - I was credited for an amount of about £130. This of course could have been a happy (well sort off) ending for my story. But guess what - £10 payment for Spotify was still on my new bill. So I've just waited for another 5 months until they have taken £50 from me. And my monthly plan is £50 as well. I thought that since we're now sort off even I can just go and disable my direct debit. Well to be honest that was an advice from someone who in some way knows mobile phone market from the inside... Of course when my payment was due I've received a warning from Vodafone that if I will not pay then my line will get suspended. So I've called them (they never call you, trust me and we'll get to that later on). I was quite serious about my further actions. Just told them that if they will not refund me and if they will not fix my billing then I will just cancel my contract. The girl apologised and told me that she will talk to someone more senior on the team and they will get back in touch with me. She has also assured me that my line WILL NOT be suspended. They have never called me (surprise surprise). And after few days my line got suspended. I guess you understand that I have lost quite a few incoming calls that I was expecting as people were not able to reach me. Also I was not able to make calls which has caused even more damages to me. So I've called their support again. They have re-enabled my service and assured me that some manager will call me in the next few days. They never did... I've just kept on waiting. For about 2 weeks. In that time their systems were harassing me in all possible ways. I was getting text messages warning me that I must pay them. Then one day someone from their billing team called me to ask why I am not paying. She was not even aware that I have a case open and that it's them who should pay me and not the other way around. So that was the only time someone called me from Vodafone. After speaking to this lady she also assured me that her boss will call me and that my case will be resolved. Well nobody has called me again. So I have called them again on the 15th of July... This time I've heard some really interesting news. Apparently their billing system was not ready for providing customers with any FREE extra's and that for the last 1,5 year they have lost a lot of customers who cancelled their contracts due to wrong bills. How cool is that??? She also told me that their systems are now fixed and that she will remove Spotify charge from all my future bills. This time it will definitely happen. )) You might wonder why they haven't just fixed my bill automatically without me even calling them, but I guess that would be too much to ask. She has also promised me that I will see a refund of £50 that they have taken from me since February. And I've also asked for a compensation for all the time lost on the phone with them, for the inconveniences caused having my line disabled and for all sorts of distress I've experienced in the last 1,5 years. She promised me that her manager will call me by the EOB 16th July. You can probably guess what I will say next... LOL. No one has contacted me and then my new bill came. In this bill I am being charged not just my normal service charge of £50. But there is also a charge of £10 for Spotify Premium. There is no refund of £50 that they have promised. And they are charging me an interest of around £4,5 for being late to pay my last month's bill. Ain't that funny???? So. My question is quite simple. Can I sue them? Believe me I don't want to just get a refund or cancel my contract. I also want a decent compensation for my time that they have wasted on these endless conversations with their billing team. For all other inconveniences that they have caused me. For all the distress that I have been through. And also an interest on the amount of my money that they have been holding for all this time. Sorry for a long read. And hope someone can help me. p.s. despite the fact that my next payment is due on 28th of July (if I’d be willing to pay the current bill of £130) they have suspended my line again just now. p.s. if you want to take this case one step further - I am happy to put my signature on it. You can make a claim for as much as you want and when Vodafone will pay you - you'll share with me. )) I mean if you are some kind of lawyer. ) p.s. p.s. PLEASE DON’T TELL ME TO CONTACT THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICES AGAIN… ))

More than a million pre-payment gas customers have been overcharged because their meters are faulty, the industry has admitted. About 1.5 million meters have not been working properly since they were installed, some as long ago as 2007. The affected meters were set up incorrectly, meaning they miscalculate the price of gas and overcharge customers. Energy suppliers are contacting customers with the faulty meter settings to arrange a refund http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30214471

I had aquired last November a SIMO deal for £8 which was being advertised as £0 per month for 12 months. I still have all the documentation stating this. However, this month (also being the first month I won't be paying for my other contract as it's been settled), my balance online is showing as £12.18 and that the SIMO contract was renewed on the 26/05/2014 which co-incidentally was the day I also used the PAC code to get my other phone number with them ported over to Vodafone. Absolutely shocked that if I hadn't checked that they would have charged me £12.18. Shame it's as late or I'd be on to their Customer service right now

I pinched the tyre on my car over the weekend and needed it replaced. It was a 'Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance' priced at £74.50 on the Kwik Fit website, including full fitting, valve, balance and disposal of old tyre. I was working all weekend, so my brother offered to take the tyre up to Kwik Fit and get it changed, he pays and I pay him. I've just seen the bill, they charged £111.50 for the tyre, balance, valve and disposal?!?!?! I've checked the code of the tyre on the invoice (GO205/55V16EFPER) and I'm sure it's the right one. How on earth can this be right?

I've been self-employed since 1 October 2011 until now as a sole trader. I run a small business from home and I’m on small earnings… not enough to be paying tax yet. When I completed my online self-assessment for 2011-2012, an outstanding amount of unpaid tax was flagged up from the year 2009-2010 (when I wasn’t self-employed, but on incapacity benefit and not working in any capacity), so I’m at a loss. I’ve had a think and there are 2 possible situations that could have caused this amount to occur, but I don’t know which for sure or if at all. SITUATION 1 With the online self-assessment submitted I sent a ‘Compromise Agreement’ from a previous employer that paid me a lump sum and terminated my employment due to incapacity in 2009. The lump sum was under £30K. The CA states the following, so I didn't think I was liable to pay tax on it: “The Company understands that HM Revenue & Customs allows ex gratia payments in compensation for loss of office to be made tax free up to a limit of £30,000. Accordingly the Company believes that the first £30,000 of the Termination Payment is not subject to deductions for tax and National Insurance contributions although it gives no warranty in this regard”. I pointed out this section on the self-assessment and asked if I could be advised on whether this is where the excess came from as there shouldn’t be anything outstanding to pay. I haven’t heard back on this, but instead I received an invoice for the outstanding amount I supposedly owe. On this, I sent a letter and a copy of the CA with the same query, asking for advice again. In reply I received a self-assessment statement (with interest accruing) on the outstanding amount. I’ve called HMRC and the automated telephone system tells me that all appeals should be submitted in writing. So, I’m being suitable ignored and at a total loss of what to do next. SITUATUION 2 In 2009 I started receiving home help, and to pay for this I was granted direct payments from my local council. The home help was paid by using a payroll company who deals with the tax and NI on my behalf. I still use this payroll company and as the outstanding HMRC amount is from 2009-2010 only, I don’t doubt that they haven’t been doing their job. As I’m also an ‘employer’, is this to be considered a factor? Every time I hear from HMRC on this matter I become paralysed with fear and can’t function properly. Is there a better approach of appeal I should be using? Is there a procedure to follow with HMRC in gaining information on where this amount has come from or are their sums ‘gospel’? Is anyone familiar with ‘Compromise Agreements’ and able to point out anything that I’m overlooking? Most of it doesn’t make any sense to me.. A copy should be attached with all personal entries omitted (I hope!). Any insight appreciated. Thanks, DK

Hi Forum, I am new here, so I hope someone can help. Back in June 2011, my mobile phone contract with t-mobile was coming to end, and I was keen on getting the best deal for Samsung Galaxy S2. The best deal was with "Three", so I decided to order the phone and contract for 24 months online, and all went well. In the meantime, I contacted t-mobile and asked to terminate my contract. And as you may know, they throw a big offer that was better than the "Three" offer. Having been happy with t-mobile, I decided to cancel my order with Three. I received the phone from Three, but I sent it back immediately, (it was received well before the 14 days cooling off period), and phoned them and they confirmed that all is ok and you don't have to do anything. Last week, I have accidentally seen an amount 0f £36 on my online bank statement that just showed H3G. Looking suspicious, I googled it and it turns out to be Hutchinson 3G, which is the "Three" network! I am just amazed that so long had passed and I did not spot that on my online statements. But I recall, that I used to have an insurance with Hutchinson company till lately, and till recently, on the bank statement used to see the Hutchinson, thinking that it was my insurance! It turned out that my Insurance name on statement is "Hutchinson taylor" and it was only when three, changed their name to H3G, then it raised alarm! I must admit, that I have done a very bad book-keeping for such late discovery! However, there has been over 20 months, since they have been withdrawing £36 from my account every month, without a Phone or a Phone number or any statement to my address! I contacted them last week. It took over 2 hours of talking with different people from Cancellation department to online department to online cancellation department... . I was told that yes, you have sent the phone back within the 14 days period, and have asked for cancellation, but because the contract is for 24 months, we can't cancel it because otherwise, you will owe us for the remaining 4 months! This went on for sometime and I finally gave up after being on hold for another 30 minutes! I filled an online complaint, and received a confirmation of receipt on 8th of January this year, and although they said they will contact me by email, I only had one voicemail from them, where he was advising me to call them on 333 with "Three" mobile number! I filled another online complaint form with the reference of the previous one. this time no reply at all! To me, this is like thieving people! They know the contract never started, they confirm the phone was sent back within the cooling off period, yet, they do not reply and worse, refund my money, which by now is over £700 of payments. I have cancelled my DD immediately already. I like to hear from the experts here as to what can I do legally to force them to pay back the funds and if I can sue them for negligence and lack of due care. Also, had I not have raised this, they would have happily have charged me, despite the fact that I do not have a number, and obviously the bills for the past 12 months must have been null values! What can I do? Please advise.

My son has a vodafone mobile on contract with a monthly call limit. He has been keeping within his limit by calling his girlfriend's landline. She then immediately calls him back so that she pays for the calls. However, he has just discovered that he is apparently being charged for these calls - over £200 (his is a 17 year old schoolboy). Is it possible that the Vodafone line has remained open after he has pushed the 'end call' button on his phone, so that an incoming call from the number he has just called is read as a continuation of the original outgoing one? It's the only explanation we can think of. Has anyone else come across this? We are talking to Vodafone, but no progress so far

Hi, this is a small but irksome niggle I've been trying to sort since October last year. I parked at Paddington Train Station in an APCOA managed car park. When I tried to buy a ticket at the pay and display machine, it took forever then said "Transaction Timed Out". I spoke to a very reluctant attendant who said I must try a different machine and assured me I had not been charged as the machine didn't issue a ticket. So I walked to the other end of the car park, bought a ticket successfully and went belatedly on my way. Sure enough when I checked my bank statement there were two charges. I've been emailing them and calling them to no avail. Initially they did enter a dialogue, asked me to send proof (which I did) and then they asked for my address and said a payment was being issued. I have not received it and now my emails and answerphone messages are being blithely ignored. It's not a vast sum of money but given the time and hassle I am determined not to let them off the hook. Any suggestions warmly received!