Latest news with #MeganHarwoodBaynes
Sky News
5 days ago
- Business
- Sky News
Money Problem: 'Wickes fitted the wrong kitchen' v 'Your reader ordered the wrong kitchen'
Every week, our Money blog team finds the answer to a reader's financial problem or consumer dispute. Here's our latest... We had our kitchen redone with Wickes - there were a number of issues, but the main one was that they sent the wrong worktop. I didn't realise after it had been installed. They are claiming this is the one we picked out in the showroom. Tina Our cost of living specialist Megan Harwood-Baynes tackles this one... You told me when you went to pick out your kitchen, there was a particular quartz worktop on display that you fell in love with. Not knowing the specific name, you pointed it out to the designer, who ordered it. When it arrived, although it was similar, you had a nagging feeling it wasn't quite right, so you went back to the showroom and realised the wrong worktop had been installed. Other issues you told me about in the process included: Being quoted a bathroom and kitchen £8,000 more expensive than your budget; A top-of-the-range microwave oven was ordered that you did not ask for; The height of the oven was too low - this was adjusted by the fitter - but this made the microwave too big for the remaining gap; You were told you would get a refund for the microwave only once the financing for the kitchen began; Conflicting messages about using the finance option when you wanted to pay cash; The hob protection plate was not installed, so now the cutlery drawer gets too hot when cooking. You filed an initial complaint with Wickes about this, but were told: "There appears to be a discrepancy between your recollection of the specific worktop ordered and the details recorded by the design consultant during the design process." More from this series: 'BA went back on refund promise' 'Dud car dealer won't give my money back' 'My husband is freelance and in hospital' You told me: "All I want is my worktop changed to the one I chose and my microwave refunded, but no one is listening." I reached out to Wickes, who said they were sorry to hear about your experience. They said: "Our customer relations team has conducted a thorough review of the matter and concludes that Wickes followed all due processes to ensure the order was correct. Our customer relations team has been in direct contact with Ms Edwards to explain our findings, and as a gesture of goodwill, we have offered a discount on the work surface." You told me they had offered you a 25% discount on the work surface, but you are unhappy with this because you said you didn't want it in the first place. But they also said they are looking into how the hob protection plate can be correctly fitted, to prevent the issue with your cutlery drawer overheating. You have now filed a complaint with the Furniture and Home Improvement Ombudsman. Next steps Issues like this can be tricky to resolve, because it has come to "he said, she said". It will be up to the furniture ombudsman to decide what happens next. When ordering such high-value items, it is always worth double-checking the order confirmation the company sends across. I appreciate your invoice had 200+ items on it, and whilst you probably didn't need to check every single fitting and fixture, the worktop and appliances would have benefited from a double check. Whilst I don't doubt your recollection of events, it is difficult to prove what happened. But given you had a host of other issues with the process, it is still worth taking the complaint to the ombudsman. This feature is not intended as financial advice - the aim is to give an overview of the things you should think about. Submit your dilemma or consumer dispute via:
Sky News
06-08-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Money Problem: 'My husband is freelance and in hospital - how can I make sure we don't lose our home?'
Every week, our Money team finds the answer to a reader's financial problem or consumer dispute. Here's our latest... My husband is freelance and the breadwinner of the family. He is in hospital for an unknown length of time. Is there any support for us in the short term, so we can keep our home? Anonymous Our cost of living specialist Megan Harwood-Baynes tackles this one... I am so sorry to hear this - I have recently been through something similar with my husband, and it can be really stressful when you add financial worries on top of medical issues. To help you navigate the next steps, I've broken this up into what support you can get with your mortgage specifically, government help and some advice on the rest of your bills. Help with housing Your most immediate concern seemed to be housing (understandably). First, try not to panic - it is easy to skip to the thought of losing your home, but the last thing your mortgage lender is going to want to do is go through the hassle of repossession for what could just be a short-term issue. Start by having a look through your insurance - certain types of insurance can help with mortgage repayments if your income falls due to sickness. (If you don't have this, make a note to consider taking it out for next time - you never know when something like this could happen again, and income protection insurance could make a huge difference in the future.) Assuming you don't have insurance coverage, the next step is to contact your lender. The sooner you do this, the better, as you're more likely to have better options available to you before you miss a payment. Things you can ask for include: To lengthen the term of your mortgage; To switch to interest-only repayments; Ask about a temporary mortgage payment holiday. There are pros and cons to all of the above, which you should consider carefully. For example, a mortgage holiday is only suitable as a temporary fix - remember, you are still racking up interest on your remaining mortgage. It will leave the balance and remaining payments higher than they were before. If you have already missed a payment, you are now in mortgage arrears. This can damage your credit file, and yes, it could eventually lead to you losing your home. But there is still support to get you back on track. Again, contact your lender and ask them for support. The UK's biggest mortgage lenders and the Financial Conduct Authority agreed on a set of standards under Rishi Sunak's government, known as the Mortgage Charter. Under this, lenders are obligated to offer tailored support to anyone struggling - whatever the right option is will depend on your circumstances - so go into discussions with the mindset that they are there to help you. Government support If your husband is freelance, you won't be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), but he will be able to claim Employment Support Allowance. This is for people who are self-employed, unemployed, classed as a student or who are employed but not eligible for SSP. To apply, you will need to demonstrate that he is unable to work because of his illness or injury. The doctors should be able to provide a sick note and medical evidence for this. You will need to make sure he has paid enough national insurance contributions. He should be able to check his records for gaps and then voluntarily fill them if need be. He may also be eligible for a personal independence payment or PIP, which is for people living with disabilities or long-term health conditions. In some cases, he may also be able to claim universal credit - this would be based on his monthly income before he went off sick. As well as benefits, you may be entitled to a working-from-home tax rebate, or you could reclaim bank charges if you've incurred fees for going beyond your limit. This seems overwhelming, I realise, so the best bet is to start by looking at the government's benefits calculator. You should also reach out to Citizens Advice or a charity such as Turn2us for advice from someone who can look at your situation in more detail. If you aren't yet in a debt crisis, I would caution against visiting a debt-counselling agency. They may push you towards declaring bankruptcy or an individual voluntary arrangement, which you may not need at this point. They are serious measures designed for those with few options left. Help with bills and all the rest Before you start missing payments on your bills, try to contact your utility companies first. Explain the circumstances - they are also obligated to help you. You can claim support with your energy bills and any other costs. There's no "one-size-fits-all" approach, so the best thing is to contact each of them individually. Good luck, and I hope your husband recovers soon. This feature is not intended as financial advice - the aim is to give an overview of the things you should think about.
Sky News
12-06-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Money Problem: 'My dog died and insurance company charged me nearly £700'
Our reader Alex* got in touch with Money with this problem... My dog Benji died last month at the age of 11. But when I went to cancel his insurance, they told me I was still liable for paying the remaining five months of his policy (at £138 a month). They took £691.75 out of my final claim. They told me this was standard because if you make a claim in the same year the pet dies, you are then liable for the remaining year's premiums. Is this right? I've had the policy with them since 2020. Our cost of living specialist Megan Harwood-Baynes tackled this one... I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. You told me he died unexpectedly - he was going for tests and died before the results came back. It took you a couple of days to summon up the strength to call HealthyPets and cancel his insurance, but when you did, you were shocked to be told you were liable to pay the remaining £691.75 on your premium. As someone who has also been stung by pet insurance (with a different insurer), I was sad but not surprised to find out this clause exists. Your insurance policy says this: "Any claim resulting from the death/permanent loss (referred as Total Loss) of the insured animal will result in the immediate cancellation of the contract and no refund of the annual premium will be allowed." So, unfortunately, it does seem to be the case that you had to pay the premium. And look, we are all guilty of not reading the small print, and even when we do, it's so dense it can be really difficult to take it all in. When you have an older animal (usually over the ages of eight to ten), your policy changes significantly, as certain things stop being covered. For example, you can claim if your kitten dies, but not your 12-year-old cat. If you stay with the same insurer, this can be particularly tricky to navigate because they rarely flag any policy changes from year to year. Personally, I'm not sure why not - it wouldn't be difficult to include a PDF highlighting what things have changed once your pet reaches a certain age. My main advice to anyone with a pet over a certain age would be to read and reread the small print - and call the insurer before you need to claim to make sure you fully know what you are signing up for. But is this policy fair? That being said, you said what upset you the most was the way you were dealt with by HealthyPets - for an insurer that presumably deals with this situation every day, you said there was no acknowledgement of the shock or grief you were going through. Overall, you felt the approach was rather blunt and cold, especially given you'd been with them for four years (and presumably paid them thousands of pounds) and not claimed for Benji in that time. You felt it could have chosen to be more courteous to you or show some discretion with this clause. I reached out to HealthyPets to ask if it felt it was fair for you to pay premiums on a deceased animal. To me, it seems a particularly cruel clause, designed to hit just when you're grieving your pet. The official reply was this: "We would like to express our deepest condolences to Alex for the loss of Benji as we fully recognise the pain and stress the loss of a pet can cause. Thank you for bringing her complaint to our attention. We have reached out to her directly to discuss her concerns." So, it was not the most helpful reply, but the next day, HealthyPets phoned you to say a formal complaint had been raised on your behalf. You said what mattered most is that in that phone call, the company apologised to you and expressed condolences for Benji's death. A few days later, you had a final response to your complaint. HealthyPets apologised for the fact that its service had not met expectations. It said it tried to make policy wording as clear as possible (I'll let you decide if you agree that is the case…) and explained exactly why, in accordance with their terms, the premium was due to be paid. But it concluded by saying that while it couldn't change the terms of your policy, it arranged for a goodwill payment of £450 in recognition of the distress and disappointment caused by the situation. You told me you were pleased with the outcome - you genuinely weren't expecting any money, but the acknowledgement and apology were what you had hoped for. How to complain about an insurer If you also feel unhappy with how you've been dealt with by an insurer, the first thing you need to do is raise a formal complaint directly with them. They should issue you a final response within a couple of months. If you don't agree with their final decision, you can then go to the Financial Ombudsman - they will make a final decision, which is then binding. If you are still not happy, you can then take your insurer to court, but this should be an absolute last resort. You can find out more about making a complaint on the Citizens' Advice website.
