THE Consumer Crew are here to solve your problems.
Mel Hunter will take on readers’ consumer issues, Jane Hamilton will give you the best advice for buying your dream home, and Judge Rinder will tackle your legal woes.
Jane Hamilton, property expert
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Beat the cost of living
THE cost of living has rocketed to a 30-year high – and there’s more bad news with inflation predicted to be six per cent by April.
In total, along with tax rises, the average family is facing a hit of £2,260 a year. But what does it mean for the housing market?
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Property expert Amer Ali, of Black Solicitors, shares his tips to help shield yourself from inflation.
Mortgage: It is very likely that mortgage interest rates will rise, so consider taking out a fixed-rate deal now.
First-time buyer: You might be waiting for the market to “cool” but take professional advice. Affordability might be affected if potential buyers wait too long and we see a further increase in interest rates.
Selling: Think about offloading your property now while interest rates are still low, and buying power remains in the market.
Renting: If inflation causes interest rates to increase, more people will shift to renting rather than buying. If you want to switch rental homes, it may be wise to do it sooner.
Renting out a property: Investors and landlords may want to remortgage their portfolio while interest rates are still relatively low, or even consider growing their portfolio and buying more homes to let out.
Buy of the week
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HOUSE prices in Yorkshire are predicted to grow by 18.8 per cent over the next five years.
Get in on the act now and snap up this bargain two-bedroom terrace home in Barnsley, South Yorks, for offers over £90,000.
For details see onthemarket.com/details/11356414.
Extra space
HOUSEHOLDS are sitting on a huge £791.5billion worth of unused space in the form of their spare rooms.
Research from property portal Boomin reveals the average spare room is currently valued at £42,000, or £76,476 in London.
Michael Bruce, CEO of Boomin, said: “It begs the question whether some buyers could save a considerable sum by being more realistic about how much space they need, compared to how much they’d like.”
Deal of the week
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STORE in style with this Kirkton House bedroom ottoman for just £79.99 at aldi.co.uk, a fraction of the cost of designer styles.
SAVE: About £100
Judge Rinder, legal expert
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“I got homeless pal a phone and put it in my name, we lost contact ten years ago and now firm is after me for debt”
Q) A FRIEND became homeless about a decade ago after a marriage break-up, so I took him in and got him back on his feet.
He got a job and moved on, but when he needed a phone for his job I ordered one from Vodafone with the contract in my name. He was going to pay the bill and change it over to his name.
I lost contact with him and heard nothing from Vodafone, so had no reason to think the bill hadn’t been switched over. Then last summer they said he had missed a few bills last year, they had put the account on default and wanted the money off me.
After long conversations with Vodafone I found he has paid the bill every month for ten years, has had several upgrades delivered to his house and has added more accounts to my account.
Clearly he has just forgotten to transfer the name and the account is his in all but name.
But Vodafone says I am liable for his debt. Please advise. I don’t have contact details for him and my credit rating has gone down.
Paul, Kent
A) This is a legal lesson for everyone. It is never a good idea to get a mobile phone contract on behalf of a friend.
But as this long-lost friend never changed the name on the contract, I am seriously concerned that the mobile phone provider was prepared not only to communicate with him but provide him with upgrades and additional contracts in your name.
This may have been a serious breach of laws relating to data protection and may even have been a fraud on the part of your friend.
Email and call the phone company and demand every contract be terminated at once.
Also explain that this debt accrued without your knowledge, when your friend must have falsely claimed to be you.
State that the reason this has happened (at least in part) was because the company failed to check they were speaking to the real account holder.
Flights fight
Q) I PLANNED to visit my son in Cork, Ireland, in July 2021 and booked a flight in May that year.
A few days later I had an email from the company I booked with to say the flight would now be landing in Dublin.
I was offered a refund, which I accepted. But almost nine months later and after multiple emails, I am still waiting for the money.
I even booked insurance through this company but apparently I am not entitled to that back. What should I do?
Janice, London
A) There is no doubt you are legally entitled to a full refund. Your claim is probably lost in the pile as airlines deal with Covid cancellations. I would encourage you to email the head of customer affairs. You might also reach out to the carrier on social media.
Set out what happened and be clear that, unless you receive your money back within 14 days (as agreed), you will be taking them to the small claims court.
Q) I ORDERED a new couch and two chairs in September at a furniture store and was told they would be delivered for Christmas.
I got my living room decorated and emptied in time, only for the order to not arrive.
I got no phone call, email or anything to tell me. So I sat over Christmas on garden furniture.
I have MS so the stress of this and not having a comfy seat spoilt Christmas.
I have contacted the furniture store and was told a manager would contact me within 72 hours but I’m still waiting. What can I do?
Wendy, Sutton Coldfield
A) Look at the contract and any other paper- work you signed. If this says your furniture would arrive before Christmas, or a sales person in the shop gave you that guarantee when you paid, you would be legally entitled to terminate your agreement and get a full refund. The problem in your case is that you want these sofas as soon as possible.
You almost certainly don’t have a legal claim against this firm for your discomfort over Christmas, after you threw away your original furniture. But you need to be tough with them.
Email the head of customer services, or the managing director, making clear you expect the furniture to arrive within seven days.
If they ignore you, your only remedy is to demand your money back and ensure that others are aware of this appalling service.
Mel Hunter, reader’s champion
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Service sofa is a disgrace
Q) WE received a new lounge suite from ScS in July – a two-seat recliner sofa and a three-seat one. We heard a loud screeching noise coming from the two-seater and reported it to the shop.
An engineer came out and said it would wear in but sprayed the mechanism with oil. A few weeks later, it broke completely. This time the engineer said the motor would have to be replaced. He tied it up with string and left.
That was two months ago and I’ve been told the repair won’t happen for another month.
Last week, the other seat on the recliner stuck in the open position with my wife trapped on it. As she is disabled and has cancer she was unable to get off.
We’ve lost confidence in the furniture and asked for a refund but ScS refused.
Edward, Solihull
A) To have all these problems within just a few months of purchase is really disappointing and I understood why you were so wary.
The faults occurred with the same item, within six months of purchase. Under consumer law, ScS is allowed one chance at repair – as long as it is done in a timely manner, with little stress to the customer.
I don’t feel the three-month wait you faced was timely. What’s more, while you were waiting, another serious problem occurred, leaving your poor wife stranded.
On that basis, I thought you were within your rights to ask for a refund.
After I contacted ScS, the furniture store admitted it could not obtain the necessary parts within a “reasonable timescale” because of supply chain challenges and agreed to refund you and take the furniture away.
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Q) WE were automatically transferred to British Gas after People’s Energy went out of business – and that’s when the problems started.
Our first bill from British Gas claims we owe £841.43 for a 16-day period, which is ridiculous, especially as we have a two-bed flat. We rarely have our heating on as we are on a limited budget.
The problems stem from the smart meter readings they have used. The current reading is correct but the opening figure is not right.
We are both pensioners and my husband is disabled. This is leaving us stressed and anxious.
We just don’t know where to turn because we are struggling to contact British Gas.
Eileen, Warwick
Most read in The Sun
A) You’d done your detective work and found out exactly what was at the root of your crazy bill.
But getting through to British Gas was proving a real challenge – let alone getting the situation resolved.
You’d tried hard to sort this out yourself, so I stepped in to give British Gas a firm nudge in the right direction.
Finally you got the right reading, adding up to a bill of just £53.
British Gas cancelled this as a goodwill gesture and helped you set up the correct direct debit.
A spokesperson said: “We’ve been in touch with Mrs Birch and the bill now accurately reflects her energy consumption.
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