on

Why was my £900 Help to Buy Isa bonus rejected?

In September my wife and I bought our first home together, neither of us having owned a property before. We both had a Help to Buy Isa with Barclays and each had the same value, £4,000.




on

Your rights when it comes to returning Christmas presents: Consumer Fightback

Have you bought someone a Christmas present they didn't like, received one you've already got, or bought something in the sales and realised it's not quite right?




on

VICTORIA BISCHOFF has one plea for 2020: Bring back customer service

In just the past ten days I've battled with my home insurer after the price of my policy was hiked by 30 per cent for no reason, chased my old energy supplier for a £174 refund.




on

ASK TONY: My mobile caught fire in the car - but Samsung blames me!

My Samsung phone was only a year old when it spontaneously caught fire in the footwell of my car. I put it there after receiving a phone call, but as I drove off I noticed a strange smell.




on

TONY HETHERINGTON: My 90-year-old father's £600 fine after tax error 

My dad will be 90 next month and has severe health issues. Revenue & Customs wrote saying he no longer needs to submit a tax return.




on

TONY HETHERINGTON: A 12 per cent IOU return? We could both get rich... 

I am sending you an investment email I received from Rothco Wills and Estate Planning, offering a minimum of 12 per cent guaranteed return plus bonuses. Who are these people?




on

ASK TONY: Scrapped New York trip to care for son but refused refund

My partner and I booked a short break in New York to celebrate my 50th birthday. At the beginning of August, my son was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma blood cancer.




on

How did a fraudster take out a Three mobile contract in my name 

I received a letter from a credit recovery company at the end of November demanding £290, which has now risen to £360.




on

Why did Shelter back a squatter in my dad's house? TONY HETHERINGTON investigates

My father bought a house in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in 1971. Several years ago, a tenant tried to seize ownership by claiming squatter's rights.




on

ASK TONY: We caught car theft on CCTV but insurer still wouldn't pay out

Our leased Range Rover Velar was stolen in October. The police never recovered it because the thieves ripped out its tracker, which was later found thrown in a ditch.




on

TONY HETHERINGTON: I smell a rat in this tale of a criminal tenant

I rented out my late mother's house. I chose Howards Estate Agents to find a suitable tenant in full time employment, but it later became apparent they were not and defaulted on the rent.




on

ASK TONY: We cancelled our Greek villa but insurer refused to pay the bill

My husband and I booked and paid for a villa for a week in Corfu, and invited our four daughters and families to join us at our expense. The villa cost £2,391. We paid £96 for insurance with Get Going.




on

Does the time you land or get off the plane count for EU flight compensation?

We were put over the three hour delay time which entitles us to compensation after we landed at Amsterdam, are we still due a payout or is it based on when the plane touches down?




on

ASK TONY: Santander and PayPal refused to refund stolen £450

Someone has fraudulently opened an account with PayPal using my name. PayPal withdrew £450 from my Santander account. It refunded this, but took it back the following week.




on

BT has left me without internet and I need it for my heart monitor

My mother moved from one flat to another in mid-December. Her broadband stopped working after the move and BT have not fixed it even though she needs it as her heart monitor requires wi-fi.




on

Do you need a transit visa for a connecting flight if you don't leave airport?

One couple turned up at Heathrow Airport for their flight to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania via Toronto - but were refused boarding for not having a transit visa for Canada.




on

TONY HETHERINGTON: Since your last intervention, Revolut has taken £2,500 from my wife!

I had hoped that after your probe into Revolut, we could move on. But it has messaged my wife, saying that her account has been closed and funds returned 'to source'. Well, I was that source. Where's the cash?




on

ASK TONY: Water torture of our £1,300 bowls club bill

I am the treasurer of a 300-year-old bowling club. In October, I received a water bill for £1,335.29 (£1,220.72 actual plus £114.57 estimated). Bills had previously been about £30 per quarter.




on

How quickly do I need to inform mobile provider if my phone is stolen?

I recently had my phone stolen and within five minutes of losing it, over £200 was spent on Google Play. Neither EE or Google have said they can help me. How can I get my money back?




on

Screwfix fixed a shower the right way: Consumer Fightback

Abigail bought a shower from Screwfix for £119.99 and when Triton refused to repair it, the retailer stepped in and treated the customer right. Here's how to get the same result




on

TONY HETHERINGTON: It's your call... but I'd take offer to scrap £1,238 Vodafone debt

My son has experienced no end of problems since upgrading his contract. His phone has been cut off, debt collectors have demanded money, and now he's being threatened by bailiffs.




on

ASK TONY: STILL waiting for £800 refund after Corsica crash in 2017

My son rented a vehicle in Corsica in July 2017 and was involved in a minor accident which was not his fault. Enterprise Corsica, the car hire firm, has not repaid his €950 excess.




on

Spotify hacking: How has someone taken over my music?

I was listening to music on my Spotify account when I found it had been taken over by someone else and I couldn't listen to my own music. How was someone able to get access to my account?




on

ASK TONY: Scammers stole £3k but Tesco said I was too late to complain

I was contacted regarding potential fraudulent activity on my Tesco Mastercard in early October 2019. In total, £3,700.20 of illicit transactions were refunded.




on

My fridge-freezer broke over 5 months ago and my insurer still hasn't paid out. What can I do?  

I made a claim with Legal and General five months ago after my fridge-freezer broke but it still hasn't paid out for the problem or made any repairs. What can I do to get this sorted?




on

TONY HETHERINGTON: We're watching you 

Two South London men awaiting trial on fraud charges have been ordered to hand over £8.6 million.




on

TONY HETHERINGTON: £47k bill for new build with no planning permission

In January 2018, my son Michael paid a deposit on an off-plan new build apartment in Smithfield Square, Birmingham. Last year, we discovered that there was still no planning permission.




on

ASK TONY: TalkTalk won't let me cancel my care home dad's phone bill

My father, 92, was admitted to a dementia care home last September. I have Lasting Power of Attorney. I rang TalkTalk to cancel his account but they refused because I wasn't the account holder.




on

I owe £2,232 in tax but the new Chancellor isn't too bothered: TONY HETHERINGTON investigates 

I closed my company in March last year. Final corporation tax due stood at £2,232 and I have tried repeatedly to pay this, but now the company is closed, the Revenue just does not accept it.




on

RUTH SUNDERLAND: Markets will ride out the Corona Virus crisis

The recent stock market falls have been the worst since the financial crisis and, just as then, we are in new and sobering territory.




on

ASK TONY: TSB - The bank that said 'NO' to my frail 86-year-old mother

I took my mother to a TSB branch to open an account because she has been told she can no longer receive her state pension via the Post Office. We took several documents showing her address.




on

I received shock £1.7k bill for a day's mobile phone use abroad

I checked my bill from O2 and found a charge for £1,710 which was taken for 285MB worth of data usage while in Saudi Arabia. But it won't tell me what it was used on.




on

We moved and let our home, will we soon face more tax when we sell?

Six years ago due to a situation which led to an untenable dispute with an aggressive neighbour my husband and I became what is broadly termed as accidental landlords.




on

I've accidentally sent money to the wrong bank account, can I get it back?

I transferred some money to someone who was doing some work in my garden and unknowingly and rather stupidly managed to get the account number wrong.




on

TONY HETHERINGTON: ScottishPower's billing shambles may bankrupt us

P.S. writes: I am secretary of a not-for-profit charity. ScottishPower for some reason reduced the utility payments for our premises from £748 a month to just £1.




on

Coronavirus: What should be included in my travel insurance policy?

I have booked a family ski holiday to France in April and we have every intention of still going, despite coronavirus. What do I need to check for to see if I am covered if the trip gets cancelled?




on

ASK TONY: I was banking on my Isa to buy a house but Skipton closed it

I opened a Lifetime Isa (Lisa) with Skipton on June 27, 2017. I recently tried to pay into it, but discovered Skipton had closed it on September 16 last year.




on

JEFF PRESTRIDGE: Put on a tin hat - and try our four defensive tips for the trenches 

The UK stock market alone has fallen in value by 30 per cent since the start of the year. But if you hold these trusts for troubled times then things should look better.




on

ASK TONY: Travel agent pocketed £225 of our China holiday refund

Last July, my wife, daughter and I used travel agent Carlton Leisure to book flights to Beijing with British Airways, returning via Hong Kong, with an internal flight between there and Chengdu.




on

Can I get a season ticket refund now Covid-19 makes me work at home?

I have an annual train season ticket which cost just over £5,000. However, I now have to work from home until June 2020. Can I get a refund or delay the ticket until I am back to work?




on

'Bulgarian "crypto firm" stole £5,680 from my account': TONY HETHERINGTON investigates

I was contacted by Xtraderfx and told that it would transfer my frozen credit balance of £680 to my NatWest credit card. I agreed and gave my card details.




on

Tui wanted me to pay £100 to postpone my holiday to Italy?

I am trying to defer my holiday with Tui to Italy until next year when the coronavirus outbreak will hopefully be over - but Tui have said if I do that, I will have to pay a £100 fee.




on

ASK TONY: I was scammed out of £170, so why isn't PayPal paying up?

I received two texts from PayPal in the early hours of August 6 about a suspicious transaction. It was for £170.94 to a company called Zalando SE. I replied at 10.21am to say it was unauthorised.




on

Is a plumber allowed to fix our boiler during coronavirus outbreak? 

Our boiler has been playing up since the weekend and we ideally need a plumber to come over and check it over. Are engineers able to come out to do necessary maintenance?




on

I moved flat last weekend, during the coronavirus outbreak. Can I get my deposit back in 10 days?

I moved flat last weekend, thankfully just before the Government lockdown. Will I still be able to get my deposit back from my old flat, once I leave, within 10 days?




on

TONY HETHERINGTON: A huge payments scam - and Nationwide and Visa should be ashamed

I fell for a sales pitch from Easytrade.biz, and now am unable to withdraw any money. I have filled in several withdrawal forms, but it never happenes.




on

Should I use my Lifetime Isa as a supplementary pension?

I'm 27 and hold a stocks and shares Lifetime Isa with Nutmeg, and haven't even considered whether there are legalities around what age I can take my private pension, which I haven't needed to consider




on

ASK TONY: We waited two weeks for Morrisons order, then RBS blocked it

My wife and I received a message from our bank saying there had been an 'unusual' request for payment on our account and it had declined to pay it. The payment was to Morrisons.




on

Chelsea Bonds and Infinity Bonds paying 27% - are they too good to be true?

We have a chunk of cash we want to tuck away for up to five years. I have seen two bonds advertised through Google. One is named Chelsea Bonds, the other is Infinity Bonds.




on

ASK TONY: Husband's birthday Beatles treat fell victim to coronavirus

For my husband's 50th birthday I booked an apartment in Liverpool via Booking.com. He wanted to see all The Beatles memorabilia and we had tickets to see the tribute band.