STRAIGHT TO THE POINT

WHEN I switched away from Scottish Power last November, I gave a final meter reading and was refunded a small credit. Now the firm claims I owe £246.90. When I complain, no one ever calls back. H. D., London. SCOTTISH Power was trying to bill you for another flat in your building. It has now apologised for this and given you £75 to apologise for the trouble caused. You should receive no further bills. I HEARD that if you have a faulty Whirlpool tumble dryer you can get a new machine at a discount. How do I do this? A. C., via email. Call 0800 151 0905 and register your appliance for repair. You’ll be given the option of upgrading your dryer. If you’ve already registered, details of how to upgrade will be included in any letters or emails sent out to you. You can also register online at

safety.hotpoint.eu or safety.indesit.eu. HOW can I check if a 50-year-old Premium Bond is a winner? I’ve just found one. M. C., Netherlands. If you have the internet, visit nsandi.com/

prize-checker and enter the serial number on the bond. Or you can write to National Savings & Investments at NS&I, Glasgow G58 1SB. remember to include your name, address and Premium Bonds holder’s number. Or you can call — as you live abroad, phone +44 1253 832007. from the uk, the number is 08085 007 007. IF I give shares to my wife, will I have to pay capital gains tax? A. H., London. You can transfer them to her name without incurring any tax charge if you use so-called Crest forms.

another option is to sell and buy back the shares under her name. If the value of the shares has grown by less than £11,100 — your annual capital gains tax (CGT) allowance — there is no tax to pay.

and that means when you next sell the shares, the growth will be calculated from the date your wife bought them — which will help keep future CGT bills down, too.