The five biggest lies companies tell us

As a new report reveals rail firms are selling first class tickets for trains without first class seating, we reveal the biggest lies companies tell us - and how to fight back.

When is a first-class rail ticket not worth the paper it's printed on? When the train you've paid for doesn't have first-class seating. Anywhere.

It's not a joke. According to a recent report by Which?, some rail companies are actually selling such tickets.

Which? found that SouthEastern rail charges 30% more for a single first-class ticket on the high-speed London to Dover route, even though there's absolutely nowhere on the train you can sit in first-class.

Similarly, First Capital Connect charges 63% more for a first-class ticket from Luton Airport Parkway to Wimbledon, but all seating on the train has been de-classified - so there are no benefits to buying a first-class ticket.

And the most galling thing is, when Which? revealed its finding to the companies, they had the gall to try to defend their treatment of customers.

SouthEastern, for example, said their ticketing was justified because customers wanting a first-class service could switch to the slower mainline service - which would increase their journey time by 40 minutes!

But First Capital Connect had the worst excuse, arguing customers who paid more could travel first-class for part of their journey - which would involve getting off a train and taking a 12-minute Tube journey before getting back on a train.

While what these companies are doing is perfectly legal, here at lovemoney.com, we think these examples show an appalling abuse of customers' trust. And we don't think you should have to put and shut up with companies who treat you this way.

To help you stay vigiliant, here are five of the most common lies big companies tell us - and how you can fight back against them!

Lie #1 - You can't get out of a mobile phone contract

When taking out a new mobile phone deal, you have 14 days to change your mind, so if you take your new phone home and discover your signal isn't going to be sufficient, don't just tough it out - get it changed!

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Take the case of Tom Prescott, who had an 18 month contract with Orange, but couldn't get a signal at his home or at his office.

Orange initially wouldn't let him out of the contract, but he took the firm to court in February this year and argued that, when he was sold the 18-month contract, he expected a reasonable level of service from Orange. He ended up being awarded £500.

Orange told the BBC programme Watchdog: "While we do not offer an option for customers to break their contract for moving house, in exceptional cases where a customer clearly has network coverage at a new home of residence and has been unable to make calls, we will look to resolve in their best interest."

So, if you end up in a similar situation, it really does pay to speak to your network. Don't let them pull a fast one!

There is also some brilliant information on the Consumer Direct website on your rights once you have bought the phone, so be sure to give it a read.

Lie #2 - You have to pay a fine if you travel without a train ticket

In no way am I condoning fare dodgers. But occasionally, commuters are forced to travel without a ticket thanks to broken ticket machines, and are then whacked with a fine just to top off their bad luck.

However, with all things to do with rail ticket fines, section 8 of the Penalty Fares Rules might just be your friend. According to the rules, a penalty fare cannot be charged if there were no facilities available for selling the appropriate ticket.

In fact, the regulations explicitly state how long you can queue for a ticket before it becomes unreasonable. Section 4.12 states: "We expect operators to provide enough ticket windows, ticket machines and staff at staffed stations to meet the queuing standards set out in the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement and their Passenger's Charter under normal circumstances. This standard is normally five minutes at peak times and three minutes at other times."

In other words, if you are prevented from buying a ticket because of a long queue, you should be able to avoid having to pay a fine. Take a picture of the queue on your phone if you can.

And if you are hit with a fine for another reason, this marvelous piece of legislation makes clear that rather than pay the fine, you should only be charged "a minimum payment that is equal to the full single fare which [you] would have had to pay for [your] journey if penalty fares had not applied".

Basically, the maximum you should ever have to pay is the cost of a single ticket for the journey.

If you take the train on a regular basis, I reckon you should definitely be very well acquainted with these rules and what they mean for you, whatever your ticketing mishap. Check out the rules on the Department for Transport's website.

Lie #3 - You always have to pay your parking fines

There are times when you get whacked with a parking fine that you have to simply hold your hands up - you were in the wrong.

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However, a fair proportion of the time, the fines issued are unfair - more than 60% of appeals against parking fines are upheld by adjudicators.

There are loads of sites which will complain on your behalf if you think you have been hit with an unfair ticket, including Noparkingtickets.co.uk and Appealnow.com. Unfortuantely, these services cost money.

However, one site which I like the look of - and which provides plenty of information absolutely free - is Penaltychargenotice. The site contains a load of information on your rights as motorists, and what to look out for in case of over-officious traffic wardens.

It exposes some pretty nasty double-standards on behalf of local councils, gives plenty of advice on when you should proceed with an appeal, and outlines specifically what the laws state about such traffic violations.

It makes for some pretty compelling reading, so if you are a driver, it is definitely a site to visit - it might just save you a few quid as well!

Lie #4 - You can't return an item after a month

Many companies trade off our ignorance of our own rights as consumers, leaving us out of pocket when we have been let down.

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Well, don't stand for shoddy goods or services! Kick up a fuss!

The Sale of Goods Act is your friend on this one. If the goods or services you buy are not as described, are not fit for purpose or are not of satisfactory quality, then you are completely within your rights to return them and get your money back. This even includes items that are on sale, or items which you bought several months or even years ago, but which break down before they should. So, for example, you can argue that a mobile phone that stops working after five months or a laptop that malfunctions after two years were not fit for purpose, and therefore you are entitled to a full refund - not just a repair.

For a full rundown on your rights as a consumer, make sure you read Your Rights To Refunds, Repairs And Replacements! and Know your online shopping rights.

Lie #5 - You can't get a refund if the company refuses to cough up or goes bankrupt

In a recession, more and more firms are at risk of going bust. So, to ensure you don't suffer financially if a firm you buy from goes bankrupt, it's important to be aware of just how much protection you have under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

If you buy something that costs more than £100 on your credit card, then if anything goes wrong with that purchase - if the goods fail to show up, or the goods show up and are not up to scratch, or you've bought a plane ticket and the travel company goes bust - then your credit card provider is liable to provide you with your money back.

This is the case even if you've only paid for £1 of the purchase on your credit card, and paid for the remaining sum by some other method, such as cash. However, the price of the item must be over £100 before you are protected.

So if the firm you've dealt with have let you down, or even gone under, you shouldn't end up out of pocket as a result - get onto your credit cart provider, sharpish! Often, providers will try to pretend ignorance of the Act, but don't let them get away with it. Put everything in writing and complain to the chief executive if necessary!

Have you ever been ripped off? Share your experiences using the comments box below or ask for advice on what to do using the Q&A tool.

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