Leasehold and train battles continue

Two successes but we have to make sure we do not allow ourselves to go soft and stop fighting.   The Government has announced that it plans to ban builders from selling new houses as leasehold.  At Money Fight Club, in the Financial Times and on Share Radio I have long campaigned for the feudal leasehold system to be reformed.  The Leasehold Knowledge Partnership has also been brilliant. Sajid Javid late last night announced that the market was broken and was harming home buyers.  Builders and the companies that make fat profits from buying freeholds from property developers to inflate […]

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Read the small print or get conned

We all do it.  Tick the box stating that we have read and agree the terms and conditions before placing an order.   Mostly we get away with it, but in the last week or so I have come across several dodgy contracts produced to make extra money for the business at the expense of the customer. The first example was a hotel in South London that a relative booked for two nights.  He paid the £126 cost, but did not actually end up using the room or even visiting it.  A good deal for the hotel you might think. […]

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Hit by bad weather rail failures? Compensation letter

Record numbers of train journeys have been delayed or cancelled due to floods and strong winds. The problems are getting worse, with more rail failures and more lines affected every day. Network Rail, which runs and maintains Britain’s rail tracks, has agreed a new five year plan to get the trains running on time. But, in the meantime, if you can’t travel it is important that you claim compensation from the rail company who should have got you where you needed to get to. As you might expect each one has a different system. Any other approach would make it […]

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Your rights – adding extra punch

Your rights sit at your strong right hand and help you land a tougher punch. Quoting the law, showing you know who a particular industry’s regulator is and demonstrating you can find your way around both internal and external complaints’ procedures will make most companies break out in a cold sweat. At the time of writing an overhaul of consumer law has been promised but in the meantime there’s an assortment of existing legislation, as well as regulators – not to mention the option of pursuing a small claim through the courts. But you need to take a strategic approach. […]

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