STRAIGHT TO THE POINT
NPOWER has twice tried to install a smart meter in our home. The first time the engineer arrived and said it was impossible to install one because our fuse box was too far away from our gas and electricity meters. A month later, it sent another engineer who said it wouldn’t work but went ahead anyway. The electricity supply to our dining and utility room has frequently cut out since then.
A. F., by email.
THE energy giant apologises but says its initial investigations indicate they are due to human error rather than the smart meter itself. Npower is investigating further but has reimbursed you £50 for the callout fee and offered a goodwill gesture of £175. OVER the course of nearly a year, I have earned just over £21 cashback using my Asda credit card. But despite calling twice and being promised the vouchers would arrive in five days, they haven’t.
K. I., by email.
ASDA thinks there was a misunderstanding as the vouchers had been sent and in fact arrived just a few days after you contacted this paper. SOMEONE hacked into my mobile phone in August and made eight purchases from Microsoft totalling £127.92. My bank tried to get the money back from my mobile provider EE, but it rejected the claim. Microsoft refuses to resolve the situation.
G. M., by email.
AFTER three weeks of back and forth, Microsoft has finally agreed to refund you.
EE, which responded more swiftly, told me it had rejected the claim because your bank gave the wrong reason for the refund. It agreed to reimburse the full amount if Microsoft refused, and has credited your account with a month’s line rental at £22 as a gesture of goodwill. IS IT true that if you want to defer your state pension you simply do not claim it? My wife deferred her pension 11 years ago and is now worried she will lose it.
R. E., Leicestershire.
YOuR state pension is not paid automatically — so if you do not claim it, it is assumed you are deferring taking it. When your wife wants to claim her pension, she can check her options online at gov.uk/deferring-statepension or call 0800 731 7898.