DEAR MARGARET: Why won't Direct Line pay £19,000 leaky roof claim?

My mother-in-law, a 77-year-old widow, made a claim to Direct Line when her roof leaked after being covered in heavy snow.

On February 9, an engineer said her home was unsafe and advised her to move out immediately — which she did on the understanding that the £19,000 claim for repairs and rent would be met.

On February 25, a loss adjuster came to look at the damage. From early March she heard nothing, so I helped her chase the claim.

On April 20 the loss adjuster said the claim had been turned down.

My mother-in-law has received nothing towards the rent. She is also extremely upset that while waiting for the expected work to be carried out, the condition of her home, with a hole in the roof, has deteriorated. T. C., Bradford.

Customer service: As a result of your trouble, Direct Line is reviewing how it liaises with its loss adjusters

Direct Line says that the trouble lies in the fact that the loss adjuster failed to take the structural engineer’s report into account. Instead, it decided the damage was wear and tear, but the engineer did not agree. Direct Line has now gone back and asked them to marry up both reports.
The good news is it has agreed to pay the £19,000 claim in full and cover the cost of accommodation. It has already sent your mother-in-law £1,800 to cover the rent and a further £1,000 for the start of the building works.

As a result of your trouble, it is also reviewing how it liaises with its loss adjusters.
Direct Line apologises to your mother-in-law and has sent £500 as a goodwill gesture.
It reacted swiftly when I highlighted your complaint. It’s a pity it did not do so for a 77-year-old woman.

I have been chased by Orange for a mobile phone bill of £154 since my daughter upgraded her contract in October 2009.

The contract was in my name as my daughter was not yet 18, but she paid the outstanding amount with a debit card.

However, Orange continued to bill me for the old contract and I have had five debt companies trying to get the money.
I have sent bank statements going back two years proving that the old contract was paid off. Can you please help? S. F., Kingswinford, West Midlands.
Mistakes happen, but this is inexcusable. You have clearly shown that you have paid the bill and yet you have been hounded for this money.
Just hours after I phoned Orange about your problem it contacted you admitting to the mistake and agreeing to write off the debt.
It claimed that the problem was due to a ‘computer error’ which kept your daughter’s old account open. It has apologised but, despite the stress it has caused, has refused to pay any compensation.
Money Mail receives far too many complaints about firms that make similar mistakes, then wash their hands of them once they pass the case to a debt collector
If you want to make a further complaint against Orange, phone Ofcom on 0300 123 3333 or 020  7981 3040.
For future reference, a debt collector is forbidden from chasing a debt which is in dispute — as yours clearly was.
If you want to make a  complaint against the debt collector, phone Consumer Direct on 08454 040506.

I have been a victim of identity fraud. I received a letter from Next Directory thanking me for shopping with the company.

I called Next and eventually deduced that someone had set up an online account using my name and address but an incorrect date of birth. Despite being credit-checked, the fraudster still managed to spend more than £300.

I followed procedure, sending a ‘letter of disassociation’, and Next confirmed in writing that the account had been suspended.

I also reported the fraudulent account to the police (who were not interested), my bank and Experian, the credit reference agency. However, the other day I received a Next statement indicating that the minimum payment of £28.28 must reach it by May 18! P. B., Manchester.
Like many catalogue sites, Next appears more interested in encouraging its customers to ‘buy now, pay later’ than carrying out rigorous checks on people. In your case, it seems all a fraudster needed was your name and address to go on a spending spree, leaving you with a £300 bill.
It is worrying that Next’s ‘credit check’ did not detect that the date of birth was incorrect.
Next says that it will not decline an application on the basis that someone’s date of birth differs to that on their credit file because the date of birth on credit files ‘hasn’t been verified with an official source such as passport or birth certificate’ — therefore, apparently, it is not worth bothering with.
However, the good news is that Next says it has closed down the fraudulent account and it won’t be asking you for any more money. You’ve also been given a £50 Next giftcard for all the inconvenience.
You may wish to keep an eye on your credit file in case the same fraudster tries to make any other credit applications in your name.

• Letters were answered this week by Sylvia Morris.

Straight to the point

My Halifax cash Isa has matured.  It is offering 3.65 per cent fixed for two years on a new one. Can I get more elsewhere? V. H., St Albans.

You can earn marginally more over two years with Santander — it pays 3.7 pc — which means 50p extra interest a year on each £1,000 in your account.
Under Halifax Isa Promise you will earn the new fixed rate from the day you fill in the application form. With Santander you could have to wait for 15 days — the maximum time allowed for banks to complete a cash Isa transfer.

I have found shares with Anglian Water after losing them for several years. Whom should I contact? M. H., Blackpool.

Write to the share registrar Equiniti Ltd, Aspects House, Spencer Road, Lancing, West Sussex BN99 6DA.
Give your name, address and contact details, the name of the company you have shares with and how many shares. You should also provide the share registration number that is on your share certificate. Go to  shareview.co.uk or call 0871 384 2030 for more information.

My pension provider tells me that rules forcing you to buy an annuity  at 75 have been scrapped, but  there will still be strict limits on the income you can draw each year. Can you explain? M. T., Worcestershire.

From April 6, instead of having to buy an annuity at age 75, savers can continue in an ‘income drawdown’ plan. This is when your money remains invested in the stock market and you draw an income.
Unless you have a guaranteed annual income of £20,000 from an annuity or work pension to fall back on, there are strict limits to how much income you can take. This is to prevent you from running out of money.
My sister has been in a care home for more than three years. Her fees increased by 5.8 per cent this year. Is there a maximum a care home can charge?  D. T., East Bridgford, Notts.
It’s a free market, so care homes can charge what they want. Fees vary hugely across the country — from an average of £435 a week in the  North-West to £610 in the Home Counties.
Cutbacks by local authorities also mean care homes are hiking their fees.
Source http://www.dailymail.co.uk/