We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More » This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are - or become - political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.

📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Praise, vent & warnings

Archives for July 2021

Gumtree scam resulted in my bank account being frozen
Two days ago my debit card was declined in a shop. I called my bank and was advised that the fraud team (APP Scams Team) were investigating an allegation made against me by another party. It concerns a credit transaction into my account a fortnight ago. They asked me to go into a branch and explain the transaction in…
Another Energy Direct Debit Whinge! But not what you might expect....
Once again I have received a summer energy bill and the company has dropped my direct debit in half because it thinks I will not use enough energy to warrant the current DD amount. But, they choose to ignore the fact that I have carefully calculated my normal annual consumption in KwH using previous bills, and averaged a…
Hermes delivery driver refuses to deliver to us for 4 months (and counting)
Hi all, Just after a sanity check of what I'm doing to try and resolve a dispute with Hermes, the delivery company. Background: For 4 months a total of 7 parcels have been returned to sender with no delivery attempt, and the driver claiming they tried to deliver when they did not. This is after we asked the delivery person…
Cash gift to small charity shop
I had a few bags of 'coppers' (decided to stop collecting for grandsons now they're older - bank transfers easier!). Counted & bagged in correct denominations & amounts, £3 whole & 70p mixed. Took it in to a local charity shop & asked if it could be donated, the response...............NO! Maybe they didn't want to bank it…
SANTANDER - call wait times
Hi All, Just wondering are all UK banks taking so long to answer the phones or is it just Santander. Over the last few weeks I have to call them everytime I wish to use my debit card. They clear the transaction and my card gets blocked again. They can take anything upto 30 minutes to reply, yesterday I gave up after 41…
Underpaid postage for recruitment scam letter
The other day I received a card from the royal mail saying there was a letter for me with underpaid postage (I'm aware there are scams around this, but this was from the local delivery office and I went directly to royalmail.com who confirmed I needed to pay). As I'm in the midst of a house purchase at the moment I thought…
Issue with Hermes
Hi, I used Hermes to send an item to a business, the business never received the item. Hermes sent me an email with the tracking number but it appears to be invalid and I cannot get through to anyone on their phone system due to this inaccurate tracking number. I have opened a case months ago on Resolver that went nowhere…
Messages
Hi All, Received two messages first from spokeslady about receiving a parking charge at an airport and the second from Dudeface asking why I've sent him a message. I don't know why spokeslady would message me!! And I've not sent Dudeface any messages either!! This is my first time on the forum for quite some time!!…
Huge praise for sainsburys
Visited our local Sainsbury's to get my Wife some flowers for our wedding anniversary. When I got them home I noticed they didn't look half as lively as they did in the store. I decided to contact Sainsbury's customer service via Facebook Messenger. I sent them a couple of pictures and thought they'd just say that I should…
Praise for BT
On Monday we had a nearby lightening strike which threw our trips and stopped the internet. Having tried all the usual things, including another router we already had, we contacted BT. They sent an engineer within 2 days to check out the wiring and posted us a minihub to keep us going. He could not cure it so they sent an…
Car Breakdown Cover Warning
I've been buying breakdown cover since I began driving in 1980. I've just renewed to a company I hadn't heard of, assume it's one of the smaller ones, but it came up via a well-known comparison website and the price was good at £27.50 including Homestart. However, when I got my confirmation and documents, and read through…
Amazon Prime Trial - Careful
joined amazon prime 30 day trial. just before trial ended attempted to cancel it. Amazon asked if I wanted to keep trial for another week at $ 1.99 USD. I agreed and kept trial for another week. Just before the week expired I tried to cancel and it gave me the option to pause subscription, so, if I ever need to rejoin I…
Depop 🙄
Vent.... vent .... vent .....🙄😤 When it works well it works really well, but when sellers list and aren't proactive it's a right royal pain in the **** Over the last few months it's happened 4 times, i purchase, wait .... nothing, communicate with seller ....nothing..... Each time, i contact Paypal, open a case - and win…
Deafening Volume Levels at Cinemas Nowadays - Permanent Hearing Damage?
Hi everyone, I used to really enjoy going to the Cinema, but I think I'm now going to have to stop going on a permanent basis because of the volume levels. I have found over the years that all cinemas have gradually increased the volume levels on all films and it's got to the point now where my ears can no longer take it.…
What are some general issues you experience with companies' customer service?
Hello folks, The MSE Campaigns team is keen to hear about any general issues you experience with companies' customer service. Do you have any insight to share? It's a wide open question and they're interested to hear anything/everything, but here are some questions to get you started: * Have you found it's difficult to get…
British gas and LCS
So I sold my house to a developer as a part of a part exchange deal. We completed and moved out 2 days later 27th October 20 infant. I've received a letter from LCS saying I owe £345 for energy usage over a period dating 27th oct 2020 to Feb 2021 I told British gas of the move and they closed the account and everything for…
Bensons for Beds nightmare. Two year struggle, over £800 down. failing after failing. AVOID!
I bought a wardrobe from Bensons for Beds in February 2019 and in January 2020 I reported a problem with one of the draws on the wardrobe not closing properly, this is something we lived with from the off but was getting progressively worse. They asked me to pay for an independent report on the wardrobe and gave details of…
Sony Tv Remote Vs washing machine - who won?
Didn't realise that the Sony TV remote was tied up in the sheets for washing. Big surprise to find it still working after 40 Degrees wash cycle. So well done to sony for making this one washing machine proof. Anyone else have any unusual items that survived the washing machine?
Shark vacuum cleaner offer - out of stock already?
I saw the Shark vacuum cleaner offer in this week's e-mail, and placed an order yesterday morning. Heard nothing further (despite the website claiming to offer next day delivery), so I called Shark today. Apparently, so I was told over the phone, the vacuum cleaners are out of stock and won't be back in stock for a couple…
Telephone calls from Doctor's Surgery
Don't know if this is a universal problem or just confined to our surgery but over the past few days I have missed a few calls to my mobile from 'Private Number' I mentioned this to my wife who said it is probably the Doctor's Surgery calling they always show as Private number. To satisfy my curiosity I tried ringing the…

★ ★ ★ Meet your Ambassadors

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

MSE News

Ofgem proposes new 'no standing charge' Price Cap – but Martin Lewis warns vulnerable customers need to be opted in or it won't work
Ofgem has today launched detailed proposals for a major shake up to its Energy Price Cap that dictates the price over 80% of homes in England, Scotland and Wales pay for their energy bills.
Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland to cut overdraft rates for millions but hike them for others – here's what's happening and full help
If you're a Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland current account holder, the interest rate you're charged for using your overdraft could change soon as part of a fees shake-up. The Lloyds Banking Group, which owns all three brands, says millions of its customers will pay less after the changes – but a "few" will pay more.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more low-income households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Martin Lewis: At last a chance to fix Council Tax flaws impacting millions – debt collection, difficulty challenging your band, discounts and more
Major flaws in the Council Tax system in England could finally be fixed in future, as the Government has launched a wide-ranging consultation to review hideous debt collection practices, the difficulty of challenging your band, the overly complex and horribly-named Severe Mental Impairment discount and more. MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis, who has long campaigned on these issues, shares his response and analysis.
Energy complaints to be dealt with more quickly and Energy Ombudsman to get new powers under Government plans
If you have a complaint about your energy firm, it may be resolved more quickly in future, as the Government has announced a raft of proposals to strengthen consumer protections in the energy market. The planned changes include giving the Energy Ombudsman new powers to force firms to comply with its decisions – but it's still very early days. Here's what we know so far.
Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed with millions more eligible for the £150 top-up this winter – here's what we know
Around 2.7 million more households, including 900,000 families with children, will become eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount this winter, as the Government has confirmed it will remove the existing 'hard to heat' eligibility criteria. The extension has only been confirmed for winter 2025/26, with further changes possible for future years.
Base rate held at 4.25% – here's what it means and when it might be cut next
The Bank of England has held the base rate at 4.25%. Below we explain why, when it might be cut, plus what it means for your mortgage and savings.
Applied for South West Trains 'boundary fares' compensation? Act now to claim it
If you applied for compensation from South West Trains before the deadline in January 2025, you now need to provide your bank details to the claim administrator so it can be paid to you. Here's what you need to know.
Winter Fuel Payments to be reinstated for millions – Martin Lewis explains how it'll work, what it means and if it's an improvement
All State Pensioners in England and Wales will receive a Winter Fuel Payment this winter, though those who earn over £35,000 will see it clawed back through the tax system. It means nine million pensioners will get the £200 or £300 top-up. Here MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis shares his instant response and analysis, and we include answers to your key questions.

View All

Praise, vent & warnings

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

🚀 Getting Started

Is this how you want to be seen?

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free

Praise, vent & warnings

Discussion List

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

🚀 Getting Started

Is this how you want to be seen?

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free