STRAIGHT TO THE POINT
I SENT a parcel to my daughter in Australia, but it never arrived. It was collected by Hermes on November 8 — I suspect it was lost soon after, but no one will help me find it.
L. A., by email.
herMes says the delivery was booked and managed by Parcel2Go. As the parcel still hasn’t turned up, Parcel2Go has processed a £298 refund to cover the cost. A hermes spokesman says: ‘The level of service was not in line with our usually high standards and we apologise.’
I RECENTLY installed the First Direct app on my Samsung smartphone, but it won’t open. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the app, but it still will not work.
S. D., Kent.
FIrsT Direct says it is aware there is a fault with its app for Android phones, such as your samsung. If the phone is in batterysaving mode, the app won’t open, even if the phone has enough power. The bank says it’s trying to fix the fault. Meanwhile, you can switch off battery-saving mode in settings.
MY SISTER and I cancelled our Xercise4Less gym memberships and our direct debits in October, but we are still being chased for payment.
S. B., Wigan.
AFTer I contacted Xercise4Less, it sprang into action. It listened to your calls with the customer service department and saw there had been a misunderstanding, as you didn’t realise you needed to cancel online, giving 30 days’ notice. It has now cleared the outstanding balance of £69.98.
WE READ that exit penalties on equity release loans cannot exceed more than 25 pc of the initial loan. However, my parents took out a £31,500 loan in 2000 and Aviva wants to charge £37,923.60 in early repayment fees.
G. B., by email.
eXIT fees have been capped only since October 2004, when the financial watchdog took over regulation of mortgages. It ruled that early repayment fees must be a reasonable estimate of how much it would cost the lender if a customer repaid the loan early. each lender set its own cap — typically 20 pc to 25 pc of the original sum borrowed.
For loans taken out prior to October 2004, firms can charge whatever they like.