watchcoll

Ok, if you say so.

I believe the retailer wasn't charging for the transaction, they were charging for the cash back. Many people have the view, raised earlier, that giving cash back to customers reduces their cash handling costs. Less cash to bank etc. However, shops also have to pay to "buy" cash from banks & get it delivered securely or risk collecting it themselves. Not that many people pay with cash anymore. Small shops need to keep what cash they have as a till float/ cash float. There is no benefit in giving it all away to customers for free & then having to pay to get more delivered. The retailer could choose to not offer cash back at all. Or they could offer the service with the cost passed onto the consumer. Like I said, Spar won't make the same income as Tesco so can't swallow all the associated costs. It is not always as simple as the retailer being a bit cheeky. If people really don't want to pay to withdraw their money, then they can use a free machine or visit a bank.

Or perhaps you don't understand mine? How do you know it is needless, from the retailers point of view? The extra charge for cash back could be to either deter lazy people (who can't be bothered to queue for a cash machine) from abusing the goodwill of a service the retailers provides at a detriment & cost to themselves. Or a fair charge to those same people who have no right to expect anything for free from a private business trying to operate at a profit - they are providing a service that has a demand, so expect to pay for it! It's a very specific circumstance for shops around the city centre that are situated around the bars etc. The likes of tesco can probably swallow the cost. But a small franchise probably can't. There is also the possibility it is a deterrent. Some shops don't want to be giving out cash back too often - imagine on a Friday night on Division Street. 10 people come in in the space of an hour, buy a 40p pack of chewing gum with £50 cash back which not only causes the retailer a loss on their profit margins & they've also now ran out of cash cos they never had £500 in the till to start with. Small businesses are not banks. Even the metro tesco on West Street had to put restrictions on their cash back when they opened purely because that many people were using the shop as a bank in the evenings (fags & £50 cash back) they kept running out of money in the tills, never mind that fact the 1p profit margin on a pack of cigarettes was being eaten up by the 8p card charges. So, what may seem needless to you might actually be imperative to the shop owner. The consumer has the choice to vote with their feet & go elsewhere if they so choose. The business owner has the right to run their business as they see fit in order to earn themselves a living. Welcome to the free world!

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cardsloans/article-2363930/Why-pay-use-credit-debit-card.html According to that, 8p for every transaction made on a debit card. On a sale of 40p (for the pack of chewing gum, the £50 cash back isn't exactly a sale) the retailer loses 8p. Doesn't make business sense to sell your stock for a loss. I used to work on West Street for a shop that didn't do cash back & the amount of people walking out leaving chewing gum on the counter every evening cos they couldn't get cash back was in the dozens. Small retailers need to make a profit. I can fully understand why they would charge in this case.

If it's one in the city centre or close to a few bars then they may charge to deter the people who come in& buy a single packet of chewing gum for a few pence just to get cash back so they don't have to join the long queue at the cash machine outside. The cost of the fees outweighs any profit for the business so they charge £1 to combat that & still provide the service. There was a spar on Division Street that used to have a minimum spend of £5 if you wanted cash back for this reason. On the other hand, they may just charge because they can.

I work in Pensions & finance. If you don't want to/can't pay for a financial advisor then Pensionwise is the best place to go. You get a free consultation & they will explain all of your options & any tax implications of each option. Make sure you shop the whole of the market, not just your pension provider's options. There may be better deals out there for you. Unbiased.co.uk is the place to visit if you need the help of an FA but don't know where to find one. & don't rush into anything, take the time to consider all of your options. Quite often once you have commited to an option it is an irreversible decision, so think it through properly.

Either first thing as soon as the place opens (but it doesn't stay quiet for long) or after work on a weekday when it's pretty quiet. I avoid going on a weekend altogether usually. It's mayhem & usually full of screaming kids.

I'm in the process of trying to buy the freehold of my house from them. They replied to the Notice served on them & gave a price (ridiculously high) & are now ignoring our very reasonable counter offers. Most presumably to try & panic me into paying more. However, I don't plan on moving any time soon so I am happy to keep issuing the same offer for a few months/a year & if they continue to ignore them then we'll be dropping the offer to the minimum market value & will invite them to see us at a tribunal where they will have to pay out their own legal fees of about £1200 to be awarded approx £300-£400 for the reversion & costs combined, & explain why they were unable to accept a higher offer when it was made prior to tribunal. Don't let them bully you into paying more than you need to.

Thanks for the info. I thought it was a bit hard to track it down!

Yes, it is. Thank you. & I can't see anywhere on there where it tells you what night it is held evey month. There is nothing under the events tab & it only seems to show past events, not future events. The next one I can see is the Xmas Glitterbal party, which isn't exactly a regular club night. Do they not do a regular monthly club night anymore, then? I'm sure when I last went it was the 3rd friday of each month.

Does Shef Uni still do the Climax night every month, does anyone know? It's years since I last went & I can't find out anywhere on the net what night of the month it's held on.

Both contractors told me that wireless is extremely reliable now, compared to in the past. It is also easier to fit and there are no ugly wires! Both also recommended a wired bell, as it sounds for 15 mins rather than just 4mins as in a wireless one. Best thing to do is get them to do a site survey. There is no "standard" set up - what you require depends entirely on your house's floor plan, how many rooms, where the vulnerable points are. Etc etc. Each house is different.

I think they do but I never enquired about it.

I used C&H Alarms. Very good service & very happy with the alarm. It works perfectly, as I've found out a few times in the mornings when I forgot it was there....! I had quotes from both Ashton Alarms & C&H Alarms, & the latter came out slightly cheaper for the installation & the yearly maintenance. Both seemed like very professional companies. C&H tend to have a wait time of a couple of weeks, tho. My house is a small 2 up 2 down style terrace. I chose a fairly simple set up of wireless door contacts & room sensors with a wired bell & an extra (more discreet) panel and it cost £504 all in. £70 approx for the servicing. Both quotes said this was entirely suitable for my house, & didn't try to flog any extras. C&H suggested the extra keypad as it's in my lounge & the proper control panel, which is large & unsightly with it's fused spur and protruding wires, is hidden away in a cupboard. I'd suggest getting both to quote & go with what's best for you.

I've put mine back on, with the thermostat set to 18c. The heating hasn't kicked in this morning so it can't be that cold. I did, however, put the door curtains back out over the draughty back door & front door that opens straight into the lounge. Every other morning the heating has been coming on until now. I didn't realise a bit of draught proofing would make that much difference!

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/9432/leaflet.pdf The above link has a lot of detailed info on the act you mentioned. However, it mainly concerns flats. If you are all owners of individual houses then you have the right to enfranchise once you have owned the lease for over 2 years. You can do it without a solicitor, but that is not a very good idea. Your solicitor will serve notice on the freeholder on your behalf. I think the Act you should be referring to is The Leasehold Reform Act 1967, for houses.

I feel for you. I have the same problem with one cat that belongs to the house that backs onto mine. The only thing I've found to be effective is wire (or plastic) mesh over my grass and bare soil. They also do not like geraniums, so I grow those every year in my beds along with other plants but this only deters them when the plants are more mature. When I do find poop I scoop it up and throw it back into the cat owners garden - their cat, their mess.

Yes, turned my heating on today for an hour to warm up a bit. I don't think it's that cold just cooler than it has been & I hate being cold!

This is the first time I've had a problem with them. I was thinking it was to do with updating to ios10 because it only seems to drop out on my phone. It'll work fine, then I just get an "error 403" page. As soon as I swith to 3G everything loads. It's getting annoying now!

Is anyone else with TalkTalk & keeps having their internet dropping out? It's been doing it on & off for two days now. Seemed ok this morning, but worse than ever now! My 3G is currently faster.

I had a similar experience on an Aer Lingus regional flight from Dublin to Manchester. As I had flown in from San Francisco with Dublin being my connection, my baggage was checked through to Manchester. I expected a long wait at the carousel, but as most people seemed to have carry on there were hardly any bags at all from the hold so I was out in hardly any more time than if I'd not had hold baggage. I'm guessing the regional flight itself charged extra for hold baggage.

I'm in almost exactly the same situation as yours, & in the process of buying the freehold after serving Notice of Claim. Mine is shaping up to look like the whole lot will cost me approx £1000. About £500 for my solictor and about £500 for their side - cost of freehold & their fees included. Be prepared to negotiate and don't accept their first offer, it'll be way too high.

I won a tenner, once. I cancelled it after about a year. Waste of money.

Yes, my house has a ground rent of £1.50, which was a lot of money back in 1890 when the house was built & the 800 year lease was signed. There was no provision made for rent increases in the lease. Also, my solicitor alluded to there being no planning laws (such as there are today) back in Victorian England and thus leases were a way for land owners who owned vast estates to keep some control over what the inhabitants of the newly formed housing areas could & could not do on their land. Especially as new towns grew quickly with the onset of the Industrial Revolution. My lease prohibits me from baking bricks, boiling tripe, running a tannery etc & also binds me to making sure I look after the boundaries & party walls & keep the land & building in good repair.

Sorted now, but thanks for the offer.