Latest news with #consumerdispute
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
15-07-2025
- Sky News
Money Problem: 'easyJet wouldn't refund a name change despite my sister-in-law's dying wish'
Every week, we get an expert to answer your financial problems or consumer disputes. Today, reader Anthony Worthington asks... "My terminally-ill sister-in-law passed away days before one final trip to Scotland with my wife. One of her last wishes was for my wife to go on the trip with me instead, so I paid £120 to change her name on the ticket to mine. But when I applied for a refund, the airline told me this isn't covered in their bereavement policy. I believe this is wrong - what can I do?" It's hard not to sympathise with Anthony's predicament here. His wife Debra had planned to fly to Edinburgh from Gatwick with her sister Tania on 11 April. As it started to dawn on Tania that she wouldn't make it, she wanted Anthony to take her place. She died on 21 March. So, Anthony did what any brother-in-law would have done - respect one of her dying wishes. Paying £120 to change the name on the plane ticket wasn't an issue for Anthony, but he had expected this outlay to be covered for one specific reason. "If I got anything back, I would donate it to the Royal Legion, as Tania sold poppies every year," he told us. "This isn't about the money." So here's what the dispute hinged on... What easyJet's policy says "If the booker or a passenger on the booking is deceased, we can offer a full or partial refund to the original method of payment," the airline's website states. Digging into the terms and conditions, section 5.3.2 has this to say: "If you need to cancel due to a family bereavement: please contact our Customer Services Team as soon as you can. Our team will review your case and if your circumstances qualify we may, in our discretion, offer you a refund, fee waiver to change your flight or flight voucher towards the value of a subsequent flight, to be used within twelve months. You may be asked to provide proof of these special circumstances." Notice there is no mention here of changing names - more on this shortly. Anthony went ahead and changed the name for £60 per flight, amounting to £120. He then requested a refund via the website. Three days later, he got a response - seen by the Money team - telling him: "Regrettably, I must inform you that the name change fee is not covered under our bereavement policy. Therefore, we are unable to process a refund for this fee." Conflicting accounts That's when Anthony reached out to us, and, naturally, we approached easyJet to find out more. The airline said it advised Anthony of two options: a refund on the flight or a voucher for the full value of the booking. These are set out on easyJet's website - as we outlined above - but these weren't options Anthony was ever likely to choose, given Tania's wish. Moreover, Anthony insists he was not informed of these options. So we went back to easyJet. What did easyJet say? The airline maintains it explained to Anthony what his options were. "We understand that our customers' plans may change due to bereavement and so we strive to make the process as easy as possible during this difficult time," it said. "We offer the option to request a refund or voucher for the full value of the booking, which would allow them to rebook the same or different flight with different passengers if they still wished to travel. "We advised Mr Worthington of these options when he contacted us explaining that a name change fee would not be refundable, and provided a link to request a refund or voucher." But there was, ultimately, good news for Anthony. "However, on this occasion we have refunded the change fee as a gesture of goodwill," the airline added. Anthony was, of course, happy with that "amazing news", but he did have one final thought. "I did take them to task, though, when they said the refund was as a gesture of goodwill, which suggested a mistake or misunderstanding on my part," he said. "I Googled easyJet bereavement, and it clearly says easyJet will try and assist to make whatever changes are needed in the case of bereavement." On the airline's website here, it does state this: "In the unfortunate event that you're cancelling or have missed your flight because of bereavement, we'll do our best to help you with cancelling or making any necessary changes to your flight." Hopefully, this at least gave Anthony, Debra and their family more space to grieve.
