STRAIGHT TO THE POINT

WHEN I switched energy supplier, Npower told me it would take 40 days to pay back the credit I’d built up. I asked the firm to check but it assured me this was so. Can this be right?

V. B., Coventry. tHiS is a mistake. it should take just 14 days to refund any credit owed to you once your final bill has been issued. I USED claims management firm Belmont Thornton to help me apply for a refund for missold payment protection insurance against M&S Money. I agreed to pay them 25 pc of any payout plus VAT. I received £871.39 from M&S and duly paid Belmont.

M&S later said I was owed £851.26 more. Belmont Thornton then said I owed them an extra £255. I paid, but I don’t understand why Belmont deserved more money — it was M&S who discovered I should have received more.

M. B., Huddersfield. YOU agreed to give it 25 pc, plus VAt, of any successful PPi claim. Belmont argues this still stands. it has agreed, however, to give you a £100 goodwill payment.

A spokesman adds: ‘if an offer were to be lowered by a lender, we would revise the invoice downwards and refund any overpayment made.’ IS HALIFAX’S 6 pc Junior Isa mentioned in Money Mail available t o customers l i ke myself i n Scotland?

A. C., Scotland. YeS — but, as with all Halifax children’s accounts, you can only open it in a branch. there are no Halifax branches in Scotland — so you will have to travel to england to take advantage. SINCE I’ve had my phone and broadband with BT, I’ve had nothing but problems. Now it is trying to charge me a £307.98 early exit fee even though I waited until my contract was up to switch. Can you help?

E. V., Cornwall. Bt HAS apologised to you for this mistake and has removed the early exit fee. it is also refunding you a month’s line rental at £20.25. I HAVE always been under the impression you could go back seven years to claim income tax back, but your articles say four. Can you clarify this for me?

J. C., by email. tHe LiMit was set at a maximum of four years in 2008.