STRAIGHT TO THE POINT
MY ENERGY account with First Utility is £100 in credit. For four months I’ve tried to get a refund to no avail. What next? R. B., Bristol. yoU resorted to stopping your direct debit until the money was repaid. i wouldn’t recommend this as it can make matters worse — but everything is finally sorted. you are no longer in as much credit and First Utility has sent you £30 as an apology. I RECENTLY received a vague letter asking me to visit a Barclays branch and take proof of identity with me. When I called to ask about it and explain I’m no longer a Barclays customer, I was told to ignore it. Should I follow up again? V. B., London. yoU must be glad you did call again. it turns out Barclays had been trying to find you because it owes you compensation. A few years back the bank discovered it had sent thousands of personal loan customers statements that did not comply with the Consumer Credit Act.
Because of these errors, Barclays had to repay any interest charged over that period. As you’d moved home since repaying your loan, it hadn’t been able to reach you.
The letter was vague to ensure that if it fell into the wrong hands someone else didn’t try to fraudulently claim the money. NORTON emailed to say my computer virus software was due to expire and would be automatically renewed if I did nothing. But it took the money a month before the expiry date, giving me no time to shop around for an alternative. I was also charged £59 when it advertises the same deal for new customers at £24. R.M., London. NoRToN says it told you when it would take the money in the small print of the email. it adds that it takes the money a month before the renewal date so that there is no gap in your cover should there be a problem with the payment. however, it has refunded you the £35 difference between its renewal price and new customer offer. I RECEIVED a voicemail from a Lisa Williamson claiming to work for HMRC. She said I should call back on 2031 296 283, or I’d incur high costs. I phoned but didn’t get an answer. Should I be worried? F. P., Grimsby. hMRC confirmed this call was from a scammer. it says if you cannot verify the identity of a caller, do not speak to them.