STRAIGHT TO THE POINT

BRITISH GAS is insisting that I pay a gas bill of £170. However, my home is not connected to the gas main and I heat it with coal. When I contacted the firm, I was told I had to pay the bill because I have a meter in my home. L. H., Staffordshire. BriTiSh GAS apologises and says you should not have received the bill. You ended up paying to stop the demands, and British Gas says it will provide a full refund. I READ that thousands are owed a refund for part of the fee paid when applying for power of attorney. I think I’m eligible, but I can never get through on the phone. Is there a deadline? I’m worried I’ll miss it. J. N., Crawley, W. Sussex. Don’T fret. You have three years to claim a refund, according to the office of the Public Guardian, which is running the scheme. if you are able to claim online, this might be quicker. The website is gov.uk/power- ofattorney-refund and the form should take around 15 minutes to complete. THE battery in my Gtech vacuum stopped working after two years. When I rang the company, it told me that was the battery’s lifespan and a replacement would cost £70. I’m a pensioner and can’t afford a new battery every two years. V. Q., Leicester. The warranty on the machine lasted two years, so you were outside of the cover period. however, GTech says the batteries should normally last for at least five years, so it has apologised and issued you with a free replacement. I’VE heard that some car insurers charge more depending on the colour of your car. Is this really the case? B. K., Slough, Berks. inSUrerS don’t ask about car colour when assessing how much risk you pose as a customer, and it should have no impact on the price of your premium.

That said, repainting your car or altering the original paint job would count as a modification, so you must tell your insurer.

while a purely cosmetic change probably wouldn’t increase your premium by much, it is important to inform them anyway.