Ever been whacked by a parking ticket, had to wait over an hour for a train, received shoddy customer service, bought a faulty item, or left some money in a bank account you've lost the details for? Here's how to get your money back...
Unfair parking fines
If you've received an official parking ticket from a local council (not on private land), and you think it's been issued unfairly, you may have a case to appeal.
For example, you may have a case if the signs or road markings in the area were obscured or confusing, or if you did buy a ticket or parking permit but didn't display it.
It's also worth checking whether the amount you've been fined is too high - fines issued outside of London should be between £40 and £60. And if it's within London, they should be between £80 and £120. Anything over and you can appeal.
To start your appeal, take photographs of any evidence - such as unclear road signs or road markings. It's also worth gathering together any paperwork as further evidence - such as a crime reference number if your car was stolen, or a doctor's note if you were ill at the time.
You should then send all of this to the authority that issued the ticket. You should be able to find the address on the ticket or on the local council's website.
- Watch our video: How to appeal against parking penalties
Get your train fare back
Generally speaking, if your train is delayed by an hour or more due to a problem within the train company's control, you're entitled to compensation. If you can't travel at all due to the delay, you must be offered a full refund.
However, if you can still travel, for a single ticket, you're entitled to at least 20% of the fare value, and for a return, at least 10%. Note that these are minimum amounts, so it's well worth checking individual company websites because some train operators are more generous than others.
As compensation, you may be offered a voucher rather than cash - if you'd prefer cash, you should ask, but the company isn't obliged to give you cash. And if you're not automatically given compensation, make sure you request it on the spot or by writing to the train company involved.
If, like me, you have a season ticket, things work slightly differently - again, depending on the train operator. You may find you receive a discount on your ticket when you come to renew. This is dependent on whether the performance targets for the routes you travel on have been met. Alternatively, you may receive compensation each time there is a delay of over 30 minutes. It's worth checking the terms and conditions for more details.
Be warned however, if the delays were caused by something that wasn't in the train company's control - such as adverse weather conditions - you will generally find it harder to claim a refund. You can find out more in the National Rail Conditions of Carriage.
Finally, if you travel on the London Underground and you experience a delay to your journey of more than 15 minutes, you're entitled to a voucher refund to the value of the single delayed journey. You can find out more on the Transport for London website.
The art of complaining
If you don't complain, you don't gain!
For the less serious stuff, it's worth writing to the company involved. Believe me, I have done this many a time - writing to Next, Tesco, Halifax, and Sainsbury's, to name a few - and having a good old whinge when I wasn't happy with the service I had received.
It can be so easy not to bother, but personally, I think it's well worth it when a nice little cheque and an apology lands on your doorstep!
Find out more in How to complain and actually get your way.
On the other hand, if you feel a financial company has treated you unfairly, you might have to take things a step further. It's still worth putting your complaint in writing, however. Keep a record of your correspondence and leave a reasonable amount of time for the company to investigate your complaint.
If you are not satisfied with their eventual decision, write another letter explaining why and tell them you will take the complaint further by contacting the Financial Ombudsman Service. This is an independent body which aims to settle disputes between customers and financial companies. You can find out more about this in How to complain when things go wrong.
Card casualties
If you spend on your credit card, the great news is you're entitled to valuable consumer protection if there's a problem with your purchases. Providing you've spent between £100 and £30,000, you'll be covered by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974.
In a nutshell, this protection means you may be entitled to compensation if the goods you buy turn out to be faulty or damaged; if the supplier you buy the item from goes bust and you never receive your order; or if the quality of the item is unsatisfactory.
You can find out more about this in Don't get fobbed off by your credit card company.
If you've paid on your Visa debit card, you also have a form of protection known as the Visa chargeback scheme. And again, this allows you to claim back money if your goods don't arrive or the company goes bust.
Unfortunately, however, this scheme isn't actually a legal requirement, and is therefore more limited than Section 75. You can read more about the Visa chargeback scheme in Why plastic really is fantastic.
Lost accounts
Have you ever considered you might have some spare cash lying in a bank account you've long forgotten about? Well, it's probably time you did. That's because the government recently announced plans for a new central reclaim fund which will hold unclaimed assets from dormant accounts.
The aim is to return dormant assets to their owners if they come forward, but any leftover money will be invested in a range of charitable causes.
Banks and building societies estimate that there is about £400 million in dormant accounts which will be eligible for transfer to this fund this summer. So if you think you might have some money lurking around, and you want to claim it back before it's too late, it's well worth checking out the website mylostaccount.org.uk.
This website was designed to make it easier for people to search for lost accounts and combines the tracing services of the British Banker's Association, the Building Societies' Association (BSA) and National Savings and Investments (NS&I).
There's no charge for using the website and to find out more, make sure you read Get your hands on some extra cash.
Finally, if you'd like to know of even more ways to boost your income, lovemoney.com can help.
First, adopt this goal: Make some extra money. Next, watch this video: How to save when you've got no money. Finally, why not have a wander over to Q&A and ask other lovemoney.com members for advice?
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