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'Power firm making my last days a misery'
A dying woman says an energy company is ruining what is left of her life by hounding her for cash she does not owe.Consumerwatch reporter SOPHIE HAZAN investigates.
IT is not the fact that Judith Fairburn is dying that should make her exempt from settling an outstanding energy bill.
But terminal breast and bone cancer did make it impossible for her to run up the debt at her former home in Cookridge, Leeds.
For the last eight months the 55-year-old has been living FIVE miles away in sheltered accommodation at Rawdon, where she is visited twice a day by social workers.
Ms Fairburn moved to the bungalow after she was discharged from St James' Hospital where she had been an in-patient for FIVE months.
Ambulance
Since March 15 2008 – the day she was taken by ambulance to hospital – Ms Fairburn has only returned to the Cookridge address to collect post, having by this point split from her husband.
She now also spends one day a week at Wheatfields Hospice in Headingley
Yet attempts by Ms Fairburn to make her point heard have so far failed.
Letters have TWICE been sent by her solicitor and social care worker to Scottish Power outlining the facts.
Yet the power company continues to send in demands for money.
These have now starting arriving directly to her new home in Rawdon.
The largest sum was for 498.77, thought to be estimated for both gas and electricity use over a 13-month period.
A month later the amount was amended
to 448.23 – 162.93 for electricity used from June to November 2008, and 285.30 on gas for November 2008 to February 2009.
A day later a third estimated bill was sent by Scottish Power, this time for 217.98 based on electricity used between December 2008 and February 2009.
The latest bailiff threat arrived on Tuesday, April 14, from debt collectors SPM Collections demanding 85.39.
"I have tried being blunt," said Ms Fairburn.
"I have phoned and told them that I am dying; that I don't need people phoning me and chasing me for money, furniture or taking me to court.
Fighting
"These are my last days. I don't want to be spending them fighting over an energy bill.
"All they (Scottish Power] have said is that they won't wipe the bill clean because I haven't ever attempted to pay even part of it.
"This is not just affecting me, but I worry that my daughter is close to breaking point.
"She has been trying to talk sense into them but nothing has been done."
l After Consumerwatch had spoken to Ms Fairbairn, a spokeswoman for Scottish Power said the company had known nothing about Ms Fairburn's personal circumstances until a letter arrived in early April of this year from her social worker.
Yet she confirmed that a letter had arrived from the Citizen's Advice Bureau in February stating that while she co-owned the Cookridge property she had not been living at the address.
She said that the last phone call received from the family dated back to June 2008.
The spokeswoman added that the company sympathised with the situation and had now cleared all debts from the account.
She said that Ms Fairburn's name and address had also been removed from the system.
Push to find out your rights before you buy a baby buggy
NEW and expecting parents are urged to swat up on their consumer rights before buying baby buggies, prams and pushchairs.
There has been a 67 per cent increase in complaints about baby carriages on the same period last year, according to national advice line Consumer Direct.
The government-funded service found that in the three-month period to t he end of February 2009 there were 1,219 complaints about baby transport.
Almost half of these complaints were about products costing more than 300. While many complaints were about customer service issues or business failures, a significant number were about products which were faulty on arrival or which developed faults soon after their first use.
Customers reported steering faults, wheels falling off and buggies collapsing, as well as problems such as badly fitting hoods and footrests.
Pushchairs bought on the high street or online must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and match their description. If they are not, shoppers may be able to claim a repair, replacement, or a partial or full refund.
Michele Shambrook, operations manager for Consumer Direct, said: "Pushchairs can be a big outlay at an expensive time for parents, so if things go wrong it's worth remembering you've got rights.
"If an item is inherently faulty, it's down to the retailer to put it right by offering you a refund, repair or a replacement."
Anyone unclear about their rights or unsure how to make a claim can call Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or visit the website at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk
Fans can follow fast track down to Wembley
EXTRA trains will help York City football fans follow their team to Wembley.
The additional services are to be run by train operator National Express East Coast from London on Saturday, May 9 – the day the Minstermen take on Stevenage Borough in the FA Trophy final.
If York emerge as victors in the final, they will pick up the club's first piece of silverware since 1993 – and thousands of fans are expected to travel south to see if their heroes can make sporting history.
Tickets and seats on the extra trains are on sale now and can be booked online at www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com, by phone on 08457 225225 or by visiting any staffed rail station.
Advance return fares between York and London start from 25 standard class or 84 first class.
Charitable ways of Yorkshire folk
YORKSHIRE folk are the most vocal when it comes to charitable donations from online lottery games, according to new research.
More than three quarters of all adults living in the region (79 per cent) have said they want more control on where donations from online lottery games go, according to findings by PlayOTTO.com. The survey conducted by YouGov also showed that while sponsored events involving friends or family were most likely to get people digging deep, collection tins and TV appeals were the least likely.
Vodka drink off limits
A VODKA-based test tube drink is being removed from shelves after producers showed "profound disregard" for responsible drinking, an industry watchdog has said.
The Portman Group ruled that the publicity for Rampant TTs – test tubes containing brightly-coloured vodka-based drinks – promoted "down in one" consumption and did not make its alcoholic nature clear.
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