I went ahead with a property sale abroad, believing that clearing the draft would take about five days. But when I went to the branch with the draft, I was told it would take four to six weeks. This has left me with insufficient funds to buy our new home and the prospect of having nowhere to live.
SAVE MONEY, MAKE MONEY: OUR TIPS TO GET RICHER
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TONY HETHERINGTON: One of Britain's biggest carbon cheats is banned - and now Israel starts to crack down on binary options firms
After 12 months of unanswered calls and emails, Vodafone is now threatening my credit score after it failed to record my final...
The risks of buying a leasehold property: How lease length, maintenance bills and ground rents can sting buyers - and watch out if...
We lent my brother-in-law £10,000 but he won't pay us back. Now, we need it for a new kitchen so can we legally demand it back?
I found a Peter Rabbit coin in my change: How much is a Beatrix Potter 50p worth and will they rise in value?
TONY HETHERINGTON: Sitting comfortably? How a firm ripped off a woman of 95
My 95-year-old mother ordered a fitted chair from Westminster Recliners Limited on July 7, for delivery in August. The chair has still not arrived. We have tried to contact the firm several times but were fobbed off with a mobile number that does not work, or told we cannot speak to the manager. My mother has asked for the contract to be cancelled and her money refunded, but she has received neither the chair nor a refund.
TONY HETHERINGTON: The FedEx Fitbit saga... and how shipping firms slap on charges for collecting tax
We read with great interest your recent stories about FedEx and its charges. We were in the US in May and left behind a Fitbit activity wristband. The hotel offered to ship it to the UK if we supplied our card details, which we did. But my card bill was for £82 which seemed excessive. Shipping documents said the weight was 1.2kg yet the wristband weighs only 30g.
I got a Benjamin Britten 50p coin recently in my change: Is it really worth thousands of pounds?
A few days ago I received a Benjamin Britten 50p coin in my change. My dad told me to keep hold of it as they are rare and fetch quite a bit of money. I searched the coin on eBay and found some examples of the Benjamin Britten coin being listed for thousands of pounds. Have a hit a bit of good fortune, or is it a red herring?
TONY HETHERINGTON: British Gas moved our meter in 1995 - then never read it again or billed us
A new meter was fitted and we were billed for the old meter reading. During the years since, despite numerous appeals, we have still not received a gas bill. We are not in a position to pay what I am sure would be a huge amount. However, we would like to clear this up and not leave our family with any financial burden. Can you act on our behalf?
Our five-year NS&I; index-linked savings certificates are about to mature - do we reinvest or find an alternative deal?
Our National Savings and Investments index-linked savings certificates Issue 48 are about to mature. Should we renew them? And if so, should we pick a three or five year term? I am a higher rate tax payer but my wife is a basic rate tax payer. Are there better deals out there for us to reinvest the cash in risk free?
ASK TONY: HMRC owes me £800 - so why has it only sent a cheque for £1?
I have been trying to get a tax rebate from HMRC for the past year and feel I am being either fobbed off or totally ignored. I am 68 and receive a state pension of £75.41 a week and a small private pension of £350.72 per annum. On August 24, I received a reply with a cheque for £1 - which I have framed! I wrote again on September 16 but I have heard nothing.
TONY HETHERINGTON: PPI claims firm made 2.5m cold calls... and one got you to part with £238
In August last year I received a call from claims firm Falcon & Pointer Limited. It assured me it could get me money back from my bank because my bank had missold Payment Protection Insurance. I was aware of negative publicity about no-win, no-fee offers but foolishly I gave my card details and £238 was taken that day.
ASK TONY: Nationwide owes me £4,750 after I bought a faulty VW Golf - but it won't pay out
In June, my son and I bought a VW Golf for £4,750. I paid £650 of this on my Nationwide credit card after reading in your column that this would give me protection under the Consumer Credit Act. After two weeks, the car gave me trouble and was subsequently found to need nearly £3,000 worth of repairs. I tried to return it to the garage as unfit for purpose, but it refused to take it back.
TONY HETHERINGTON: These people claiming to be from the Postcode Lottery are fraudsters - and stupid ones
My brother, who is 84 years old, has just received a letter saying he has won £325k in the People's Postcode Lottery. We are both extremely suspicious, but the letter looks so official that if it is a scam, it might well trick a lot of people.There is a People's Postcode Lottery, warns Tony Hetherington, but this isn't from it.
TONY HETHERINGTON: Pension 'freedom' with a sting in the tail from taxman
I applied to draw down my annual pension from Scottish Widows. In previous years, this has been taxed at the basic rate, less a little tax-free allowance. I was surprised when all my income was taxed at 40 per cent. Scottish Widows said it had been instructed by Revenue & Customs to apply this to all pension drawdowns. Is this a Revenue ploy to extract money in advance due to the new pension freedoms?
I'm living in fear of bailiffs over my last tenant's £3,668 British Gas bill, can you help?
I had a rental property. The tenant left several years ago, after which it stood empty until I sold it last year. British Gas sent me a bill for £3,668. I explained that it was for the tenant to pay and that I had never lived in the property. British Gas said the account would be closed, but now I have been contacted by debt collectors and I fear that bailiffs will arrive over a debt that is not mine.
ASK TONY: I made just £20 pet-sitting - now HMRC is hounding me for £100 over a late tax return
I set up a pet-sitting business and made only £20 in the tax year 2014/15. I called HMRC and was told all I needed to do was write in, setting out details of the cash movements on my business account. In February, I received a £100 late-filing penalty as I'd not completed a tax return. I was told to appeal, but have heard nothing.
TONY HETHERINGTON: Miss Wisdom, the Canary Wharf 'whizzkid'... and missing £7,000
Omar Mohammed, of Bespoke Capital Consultants Limited (BCC) and Thames Riverside Investments Limited (TRI), offered a pooled funds investment scheme. My partner and I met him at his Canary Wharf office and invested more than £11,000 for two months.After a long time, he repaid £4,200, but nothing more. We went to TRI's Liverpool Street address in London, where we were told it did not exist, and at Mr Mohammed's Canary Wharf address we were told his company had been kicked out.
EXPERT ANSWERS BY SECTION
- MORTGAGES: Are you getting ripped off?
- SAVING & BANKING: Hold them to account
- INVESTING: Make money, avoid scams
- CREDIT & DEBT: Don't suffer in silence
- INSURANCE: Confused? Don't be
- PENSIONS: How to have a richer retirement
- HOUSEHOLD: Bills, shops, consumers
- TAX: Want to pay LESS tax? Find out how
- WORK: Your rights, your job, your life...
DON'T MISS
- JEFF PRESTRIDGE Investors shouldn't have returns denuded by excessive fund fees
- JON REES Why were the experts so wrong about the impact of Brexit on the economy?
- 'My garage was full of old bike parts - now they're my money-spinner!' How to make a profit from decluttering your home
- TONY HETHERINGTON Bank's euro draft bungle cost £1,500 in just one month
- SUNDAY NEWSPAPER SHARE TIPS: Phoenix Group and AO World We round up the Sunday newspaper share tips. This week, Midas looks at Phoenix Group while The Sunday Times highlights AO World.
- Got a gift card for Christmas? Spend it now - or it will join the £300m black hole
- The Great Interior Design Challenge Exclusive interviews with the contestants who left the TV show this week (and what their future plans are)
- The families struggling on £70k Two thirds say they're 'just about managing', including above average earners
- Could the FTSE 100 hit 9000 this year? After seven days of records, experts are predicting a bumper 2017
- The most popular used cars revealed BMW 3 Series is in hottest demand as 2016's second-hand car sales are tipped to break records.
- What next for buy-to-let mortgages in 2017? Landlords with just one or two buy-to-lets are likely to see mortgage rates slashed.
FIX YOUR FINANCES
- This is Money's five favourite cash Isas Essential Isa reading kept up-to-date throughout the year
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- How to plan for a richer retirement Whatever your age, there's a plan for you. Follow our decade-by-decade guide
- How to pick the best DIY investing Isa We explain how to decide and pick five of the best (and cheapest) available
- Energy bills: Is it worth switching? What are the best deals and should you fix?
- How to get out of debt Read our ten-step guide to getting back into the black
ANSWERS FROM THE Experts
- TONY HETHERINGTON: One of Britain's biggest carbon cheats is banned - and now Israel starts to crack down on binary options firms
- TONY HETHERINGTON: Bank's euro draft bungle cost £1,500 in just one month
- After 12 months of unanswered calls and emails, Vodafone is now threatening my credit score after it failed to record my final payment
- Energy saving tips: Can drying my clothes on the radiator push up my energy bills?
- ASK TONY: Scottish Power failed to issue me a final bill and now wants £130 for leaving them
- The risks of buying a leasehold property: How lease length, maintenance bills and ground rents can sting buyers - and watch out if you want to extend
- ASK TONY: Samsung returned my broken TV in the same condition, then took 12 months to replace it
- We lent my brother-in-law £10,000 but he won't pay us back. Now, we need it for a new kitchen so can we legally demand it back?
- How do I buy insurance for my quad bike and lawnmower if new EU rules come in?
- ASK TONY: How did Canada Life charges destroy my entire pension pot?
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