From flight compensation to improving your credit score rating – our experts share advice and deals
Every Saturday, The Consumer Crew are here to solve your problems.
Mel Hunter will take on readers’ consumer issues, Amanda Cable will give you the best advice for buying your dream home, Maddy Tooke rounds up the best coupons to save you money and Judge Rinder will tackle your legal woes.
Judge Rinder - The Sun's legal expert
WHEN beleaguered British Airways boss Alex Cruz went on TV after three days of near radio silence to apologise to the tens of thousands of customers who had their bank holidays ruined, I was struck by two things.
Firstly, he looks rather like an inhabitant of Middle Earth and, secondly, that he seemed genuinely upset by what had happened.
Despite my better judgment I felt rather sorry for him.
Running an airline is, pretty much, the toughest corporate gig that there is.
I don’t expect anybody else to feel bad for Mr Cruz.
I doubt his staff are planning any fun runs for him any time soon but I was impressed by his answers to questions about BA customers’ legal rights. He knew his stuff.
I get that you would expect him to, but you would be surprised by the number of chief executives who know as much about law as I do about dancing the samba (Craig gave me a six).
For those who experienced the horror of Terminal 5 last week or if you’re ever delayed in the future, here are your legal rights.
The most important thing is that you do not get compensation for flight delays or cancellations automatically, you have to write an actual complaint letter.
There are plenty of reliable templates online that you can use.
The amount of money you are entitled to depends on the distance of your flight and the length of delay.
This entire area of law is governed by European regulations which are — currently — unaffected by Brexit.
If you are delayed overnight then the airline must pay for your hotel and a transfer to get there.
Airlines have to offer full refunds, paid within seven days, or re-bookings for all flights cancelled at short notice.
Once you prove the delay was the fault of the airline, you are entitled to compensation or assistance on short-haul flights delayed for at least two hours, medium-haul flights delayed by three hours, or long-haul flights delayed by four.
So, now you know the law, for goodness sake make sure that you use it.
Who knows, it may make BA improve.
After all, stranger things have happened.
SUMMING UP
Q. MY husband was caught selling items that belonged to the firm he worked for. He was given a two-year suspended sentence and 200 hours community service.
The court accepted a claim from the company that the goods would be worth £38,000 and he has been ordered to pay this back in full or face five years in prison.
They have estimated that his share of the equity in our house is enough to cover said amount and argue he could get a mortgage to pay it back.
But how can he get a mortgage when he has been unable to find any work with his conviction? And I put up 70 per cent of the purchase price from the sale of the house I had before we married and we got a joint mortgage for what remained.
We purchased the house in joint names as tenants in common with a 70/30 ownership in my favour. Why am I being more punished when I have not done anything wrong? What can I do?
Theresa, Norwich
A. This is very difficult. It seems your husband has been made the subject of an order under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Prior to the court making this order (which requires your husband to pay the £38,000 back), he would have completed a detailed financial statement.
Extensive investigations would also have been carried out in order to determine precisely what assets (including your home) could be sold to cover this debt.
Given the rather unusual legal ownership of your house, the correct time for you to have brought this up was before the order was made.
There is a provision in the Act which could have protected you.
You need to get to a lawyer who specialises in proceeds of crime cases as soon as possible.
- Mr Rinder regrets he cannot answer questions personally. Answers intended as general guidance – they do not constitute legal advice and are not a substitute for getting independent legal advice.
Got a question for Judge Rinder? Email [email protected]
Amanda Cable – Property expert with the best advice for your home
Credit score bad for Sam
WHEN a mortgage adviser told Samantha Hodge and boyfriend Sam Wright that their low credit score meant they had “no chance” of a mortgage they were devastated.
Samantha, 24, an educational support worker from Plymouth, said: “We were living with my mum and both had loans on cars and credit cards, with a total of £20,000 debt.”
In desperation, they turned to Mortgage Advice Bureau. Samantha said: “Their expert found us a Help to Buy mortgage. He also advised us to use our £6,000 savings to clear our credit card debt and help our credit rating.”
The couple, who moved into their £159,000, two-bed home in March this year, had not realised how a low credit score affects securing a mortgage – and they are not alone.
Research by Mortgage Advice Bureau shows that two-thirds of people who want to apply for a mortgage do not know their credit score.
The survey by OnePoll also found that those aged between 25-34 are most likely to be affected by a low credit score when applying for a mortgage.
People aged 35-44 are the least likely to know their credit score.
And those over 55 are the least likely to know how to improve their credit rating.
Mortgage Advice Bureau head of lending Brian Murphy said: “A credit score is one of the first things many lenders look at when processing applications.”
HOW TO BOOST YOUR CREDIT SCORE
- Have a landline telephone number – it signifies stability to a lender.
- Get on the Electoral Register – it provides evidence of your address.
- Have a varied account history – a record of different bank accounts helps verify your identity.
- Use your credit card responsibly – if your available credit is low, it could indicate you are struggling to manage.
A room with a view
SEA views add up to 20 per cent to a property price – but there are still places you can afford.
HouseSimple scanned for 10,165 properties for sale with a sea view to find the top bargains:
£75,000 – One-bed flat in Morecambe, Lancs, with views of the seafront from the living room.
£87,500 – Two-bed terrace house in Swansea, chain-free, with views of Swansea Bay.
£99,950 – Two-bed flat in Lowestoft, Suffolk, enjoying a clear sea view. See zoopla.co.uk.
UK residents living in a dark home are 27 per cent more likely to report poor health conditions including asthma, a report by Velux has found.
Those living in damp homes are 34 per cent more likely to suffer health conditions.
Got a question for our experts? Email [email protected]
Mel Hunter – Readers’ champion on fighting for your rights
Crossed lines over BT cut-off
Q. I WAS having problems with my BT broadband so after I read in your column that customers could leave without penalty following price increases, I did what was required and moved to EE.
Now I am being threatened by BT to pay £605 to a debt recovery firm.
I am an 80-year-old gentleman and do not need this aggravation. I hope you can rid me of this worry.
Peter Penrose, Romsey, Hampshire
A. In January, when BT hiked its prices, I reported customers had 30 days after being notified of the increase to switch to another company without paying a penalty.
You talked to BT and believed you’d done everything by the book.
I asked BT what was going on. They cancelled the charges, apologising to you, saying there had been some confusion about your intention to leave.
The company confirmed customers can leave within the terms I had explained.
Q. When my daughter’s cooker was delivered in October last year, the delivery men broke one of the knobs.
They told her to contact Argos to get it replaced. She did this but the new knob was the wrong one.
Over the past six months she made at least 20 calls to Argos and the manufacturer, Bush.
She was then told the cooker has been discontinued and she could order another cooker at the price she paid.
But her appliance was discounted by £150 so a new one would not be as good quality.
Plus, her kitchen was built around the cooker so a new one might not fit the space and she would have to pay to get the old one taken out and new one fitted.
Angela Fowke, Uxbridge, W London
A. When I contacted Argos a replacement knob was located within a couple of days. Although I was very glad to get things sorted for you, I asked the store why your daughter hadn’t had any joy over the previous six months.
Argos told me the first replacement sent was the wrong colour and a shortage of spare parts meant they couldn’t get the correct one straight away.
They finally got the right knob to you and offered you £70 as a goodwill gesture, which you accepted.
Planting an idea
BRITS spend £1.5billion a year on garden greenery – but only a fifth try to return a problem plant.
However it may be worth complaining. Of those who did, six in ten got a replacement and a fifth got a refund.
Only one in ten were refused compensation, a Which? poll found.
Consumer rights apply to plants and garden products like any other purchases.
They should match the descriptions and be of satisfactory quality.
If they fall short, you have 30 days to reject the greenery and get a full refund, and longer to get a replacement.
If you buy plants online you can return them within 14 days of delivery even if nothing is wrong with them.
Many big garden centres also offer guarantees on hardy plants as long as the care instructions have been followed and you keep the original label and proof of purchase.
Do you have a consumer issue? Email [email protected]
MOST READ IN MONEY
Maddy Tooke – Coupon Queen finding you
the best bargains
10 best deals
- Get 60 per cent off personalised photo pillows and canvas prints with code PROTECTOR; 55 per cent off photobooks with code CELEBRATEDAD; 55 per cent off phone cases and coasters with code LIFECOACH; and save 50 per cent on cards and stationery with code LOVEHIM. All from . Codes expire on June 25.
- Save ten per cent on Debenhams orders over £30 with code FZ49. Order through for four per cent cash back. Expires Monday.
- Get 20 per cent off at The Works with code QUID20. Order through and get 17 per cent cash back. Expires tomorrow.
- Get 20 per cent off orders over £20 from Snapfish with code SFUK552 or order 50 6x4 prints and get 100 free with code SFUK520. Get ten per cent cash back via Quidco. Expires June 11.
- Save 40 per cent on purchases over £25 from The Body Shop with code 14672. Expires in store Monday and online Tuesday at 9am.
- Kids eat for £1 at Toby Carvery until June 10. Get your voucher from . Valid Monday-Saturday for up to two under-10s per party.
- Get a free Beauty Box worth £50 when you spend £50 at Boots in store or online. Offer ends tomorrow. Available while stocks last.
- Save 30 per cent on holiday shop orders from Boohoo via voucher . Expires tomorrow.
- Get 15 per cent off Goldsmiths. Get code or in-store voucher from . Offer expires June 11.
- Save 10 per cent on your first order from with code WELCOME10. Expires August 9.
Five top freebies
- DADS go free to all Gulliver’s Theme Parks on Father’s Day weekend, June 17-18, when accompanied by a full-paying person. Book at . Deal found at HotUKdeals.com.
- FATHERS eat free at Hungry Horse from 6pm on Father’s Day, June 18. Booking is advised at .
- NEW Topcashback.co.uk members get a free £10 spend at wilko.com. Sign up at and click through to wilko.com to order. The offer is valid until June 25.
- FREE pint of Hop House 13 after 7pm at Ember Inns. Just sign up to the email mailing list at . Offer ends June 30.
- FREE vegetable or flower seeds from bakker.com to celebrate National Children’s Gardening Week. Request yours from . Ends tomorrow while stocks last.