Educational campaigns built from the scenarios

Monday morning, no service

A total loss of broadband. Reported the same day. Fault reference issued.

Then the no-shows

An engineer booked for Wednesday. Another for the following Monday. Neither arrived.

Nine days later

Service restored — and the bill charged in full for every day it was down.

The bit that is automatic

Ofcom's scheme requires participating providers to pay set amounts for delayed repairs and missed appointments. It should not need asking.

But ask anyway

It is frequently missed. Quote the scheme, give the fault reference, and ask for the credit date in writing.

If they refuse

Formal complaint, then after eight weeks take it to the independent ADR scheme. Free, and binding on the provider.

22:10, the night before

'We regret to inform you your flight has been cancelled.' Three seats, one cousin's wedding, no explanation.

A replacement flight, and a bill

Five hours later, an airport hotel, food, taxis. Nobody at the airport mentions money.

What is actually owed

A refund or a replacement flight, care while you wait, and fixed compensation where the cancellation was within 14 days and within the airline's control.

The published figures

For UK departures the CAA publishes fixed amounts by distance: £220, £350, and £520 per passenger.

The favourite refusal

'Extraordinary circumstances.' Sometimes true. Technical faults and crew-hours problems usually are not.

Where to take it

Claim from the airline, give it about eight weeks, then escalate to an approved aviation ADR body. It is free.

Home from a night shift

Water down the kitchen wall. The joint on a fifteen-year-old pipe had split.

The evidence was good

Plumber's invoice: sudden failure. Photographs of the split, the soaked units, the ruined flooring.

Six weeks later

'Gradual damage and wear and tear.' No one had ever visited to look.

What the ombudsman examines

How clear the exclusion is, whether the insurer actually investigated, and whether it treated you fairly.

Free, and it binds the firm

The Financial Ombudsman Service costs the consumer nothing. Accept its decision and it binds the insurer.

The deadline that catches people

Six months from the date on the final response. That date on the letter is the one that matters.

Dead on arrival

A £1,250 laptop. Black screen. The seller advertised a UK dispatch address.

The proof of delivery

A photograph of a parcel on a doorstep. Different door colour. Different house number.

Everyone points elsewhere

The seller stops replying. The marketplace says it only 'connects buyers and sellers'. The bank wants a police reference.

The remedy that still exists

Once a repair has been attempted and failed, the final right to reject or a price reduction arises.

Fastest route first

Chargeback is free but strictly time-limited by the card scheme. Raise it while you argue about everything else.

Keep the record

Order records, the delivery photo, the support thread showing the failed repair, and every refusal in writing.

Left spotless

Professional cleaner, dated photos of every room, check-out report: no damage recorded.

Then the email

£340 retained for 'cleaning and gardening'. No breakdown. No invoices.

The line that ends conversations

'The deposit is held at the landlord's discretion.' It is not a legal basis for keeping your money.

The free route

If the deposit was protected, the scheme holding it runs free dispute resolution — an adjudicator decides on the evidence.

Evidence wins

Check-in and check-out reports, dated photographs, the cleaner's invoice, and every message with the agent.

Where it goes further

If the deposit was never protected, or the prescribed information was not served, the county court can order far more.

Friday, 4pm

Your manager closes the meeting room door and hands you a letter. 'Performance hasn't been good enough.'

No warning. Ever.

No targets, no review, no chance to answer. Just a letter, your final pay and the car park.

Is that actually allowed?

A performance dismissal can be fair — but only with a fair reason, a reasonable investigation and a fair process.

What you would need

Contract, dismissal letter, payslips, shift records, messages, and a dated note of what was said and by whom.

The clock is the real risk

Employment tribunal deadlines are strict, and the time limit changed in October 2026. Speak to Acas first — it is free.

What happens next

Acas early conciliation, then a tribunal claim if no settlement. Compensation is capped and costs are rarely recoverable.