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Win £25: I've been sent a stack of weird books. What should I do?

           

Each Saturday as part of Times Money's expanded consumer affairs section, we publish your questions and invite other readers to suggest solutions. 

This week Julia Downer wrote to us. She says: "I ordered a few out-of-print paperbacks for my daughter through Abebooks.co.uk for £7.99. However, I was sent quite a quantity of bizarre other books instead. To obtain a refund, the weird books had to be returned, which cost me £8.65.

"However, Abebooks.co.uk allows only the original postage paid to be counted towards the additional postage, so I am down £2.97 on the transaction and have had to pack up books and queue at the the post office.

"What should I do?"

A selection of the best responses will be published in Times Money on Saturday June 20 with the star answer receiving £25 of vouchers. 

The 10 best online discounts

 

The internet is a great source of special offers and discount vouchers, but rooting around for them can be a hassle. Here Times Money has rounded up the ten best current deals on everything from clothes to chocolates and flowers. Please post links to other discounts you recommend in the comment field below.

The 10 best free events this summer

  You don't get owt for nowt, according to the Yorkshire saying. Not true. Times Money has selected ten fantastic free events over the summer, from world-class opera to guided walks and a chance to nose around hundreds of usually private architectural gems.

20 money saving tips you've never heard before

Dinner party conversations are dominated by ways to reduce the amount we spend. We are now all familiar with cheap restaurant deals, or the benefits of shopping around online. We all know someone who is growing vegetables in the garden or darning their socks. 

But do you know how to store your fruit so it lasts longer, or what to use instead of washing powder? We have scoured the internet to find 20 money saving tips we think you might not have come across before. If you are already practicing these thrifty tricks, use the comment space below to share other suggestions.  

Win £25: If I offer money to my brother can I control how he spends it?

    

Each Saturday as part of Times Money's expanded consumer affairs section, we publish your questions and invite other readers to suggest solutions. 

This week Jack Williams wrote to us. He says: "My brother and his wife are struggling financially and I can assist them to the tune of about £10,000. However, I'm not sure that they have their priorities right. For example, they are buying my nephew a Wii for his birthday. They both work but the money they bring in is clearly not enough.

"If you offer money to someone do you have the right to put stipulations on what they spend it on?"

A selection of the best responses will be published in Times Money on Saturday June 6 with the star answer receiving £25 of vouchers. 

Win £25: How can I find out who owns the house next door?

   

Each Saturday as part of Times Money's expanded consumer affairs section, we publish your questions and invite other readers to suggest solutions. 

This week Simon Blackburn wrote to us. He says: "The two maisonettes next to my flat have been empty since I moved in two years ago.

"Occasionally someone comes to clear the junk mail and perform basic maintenance, but there are no signs of inhabitation. I can't believe that a freeholder would let properties stand empty for so long, and if they are probate properties, it seems odd that there are two. I would be interested in buying one or both, but they are not registered with Land Registry. Is there another way to find out who owns them?"

A selection of the best responses will be published in Times Money on Saturday May 30 with the star answer receiving £25 of vouchers. 

Win £25: How can I best secure my baby's financial future?

  

Each Saturday as part of Times Money's expanded consumer affairs section, we publish your questions and invite other readers to suggest solutions. 

This week James Thornos wrote to us. He says: "I have set up a Child Trust Fund for my four-month-old son and bought him some Premium Bonds, but I would like to invest more. I am particularly keen to find a savings product that allows parental control after he turns 18. Any suggestions?"

A selection of the best responses will be published in Times Money on Saturday May 23 with the star answer receiving £25 of vouchers. 

Win £25: Should I be honest about my social smoking?

Each Saturday as part of Times Money's expanded consumer affairs section, we publish your questions and invite other readers to suggest solutions. 

This week Gina Shah wrote to us. She says: "I am an occasional smoker. I may have four or five cigarettes a week, when I am out with friends. However, I do not declare it on my insurance. Should I?"

A selection of the best responses will be published in Times Money on Saturday May 16 with the star answer receiving £25 of vouchers. 

Do you have a money moral dilemma?

Are you struggling with a money moral dilemma? Have you got a consumer complaint that you need help resolving?

E-mail your burning questions to moneyletters@thetimes.co.uk and we'll present them to Times Money readers in our weekly 'Readers to the rescue' slot. Please include your full name and location.

Do you know a company that deserves praise?

Fancy reading some good news for a change? Have you come across a company you feel deserves praise?

We'd like to hear your great customer service stories for Times Money's 'On the brightside' slot.

E-mail us your experiences at moneyletters@thetimes.co.uk. Please include your full name and location.

Win £25: Should I financially support my student son?

           

Each Saturday as part of Times Money's expanded consumer affairs section, we publish your questions and invite other readers to suggest solutions. 

This week Julian Byers wrote to us. He says: "My son, in his second year at the University of Bristol, says that he is struggling to make ends meet despite working weekends in a restaurant. I could afford to help him, but I am not convinced that he is spending wisely. I want him to learn the value of money. Is this the right thing to do, or am I being mean?"

A selection of the best responses will be published in Times Money on Saturday May 2 with the star answer receiving £25 of vouchers. 

Win £25: Should I steal my neighbour's broadband?

         

Each Saturday as part of Times Money's expanded consumer affairs section, we publish your questions and invite other readers to suggest solutions. 

This week Tim Jones wrote to us. He says: "I recently moved into a new block of flats and need internet access. The thing is, I have discovered that I can log on using my neighbours' wireless connection as they have not secured it. Is it really worth me paying to install a BT landline and buying broadband when I can use theirs?"

A selection of the best responses will be published in Times Money on Saturday April 25, with the star answer receiving £25 of vouchers. 

Ten cars that are cheaper to buy new than second-hand

Some new cars are currently cheaper than used ones, according to Parkers.co.uk.

With dealers offering substantial discounts on new cars, and a shortage of good quality used cars, deals in showrooms may be up to £1,000 cheaper than the same model bought second hand with few miles on the clock.

Simon Harris, of Parker's, says: "This price reversal will only be a temporary phenomenon in the market place. Historically used cars are always worth less than new pre-registered cars, so given time the market will correct itself. In the meantime people should keep shopping to find the best deals."

Here are ten example spotted by Mr. Harris.

The top 10 cheapest city breaks

   

With the pound still floundering against the Euro, springtime in Paris might bit a bit beyond your budget this year. But before you pysch yourself up for a wet weekend on a Welsh campsite have a look at our list below.

As the figures from a recent survey by the Post Office show, short-haul trips to countries outside of the Eurozone remain reasonably priced, with Eastern Europe proving the best value.

Here are the top ten cheapest city breaks. The average cost is based on one night's accommodation in a three-star hotel for two, a three-course meal for two in a local restaurant, airport transfers, entrance to the city's top tourist attractions and art gallery, a cup of coffee, bottle of Coca-Cola and a stamped postcard back home to Blighty.

 

Rank	City	Exchange rate true of April 8 2009	Average  price of a bundle of goods *
1	Budapest, Hungary	308.24 Forint	£125.33
2	Warsaw, Poland	4.67 Zloty	£132.18
3	Prague, Czech Republic	27.46 Koruna	£147.31
4	Tallinn, Estonia	16.26 Kroon	£151.91
5	Riga, Latvia	0.71 Lats	£166.83
6	Istanbul, Turkey	2.24 Lira	£208.26
7	Geneva, Switzerland	1.62 Swiss Franc	£212.78
8	Stockholm, Sweden	11.63 Sweden Kroner	£233.34
9	Oslo, Norway	9.52  Norway Kroner	£237.02
10	Copenhagen, Denmark	8.01 Denmark Kroner	£243.18

* price of flights not included.

Click here for Times Online's dedicated Budget Travel website

By Laura Whateley, Source: Post Office

The top 10 financial freebies

We all like something for nothing, especially in a recession.

So here are ten financial freebies currently available, from flights and financial advice to cold hard cash.

The deals vary and some are only available to certain groups, such as existing customers.

The information has been supplied by price comparison sites moneysupermarket.com and moneyfacts.co.uk, along with Defaqto, the financial information group.

 

Win £25: Should my daughter have to pay so much council tax?

        

Each Saturday as part of Times Money's expanded consumer affairs section, we publish your questions and invite other readers to suggest solutions. 

This week Liz Wiles wrote to us. She says: "My daughter graduated last year and is now sharing a house with four fourth-year students in Manchester. She is working on a one-year internship on a mediocre salary and trying to repay her student loans. She has received a bill for 75 per cent of the council tax for the whole property, even though she rents only one bedroom. The other four are exempt from the tax. This seems a grossly unjust system. Surely she should pay only a fifth of the bill? Can she obtain any form of redress?"

A selection of the best responses will be published in Times Money on Saturday April 18, with the star answer receiving £25 of vouchers. 

The 10 highest paid politicians in the world

There is nothing like a scandal involving porn films claimed on Commons expenses to focus attention on the pay and perks enjoyed, sorry earned, by our public servants.

Even before Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, was forced to apologise for her husband's blue movies there had been calls for the whole system to be overturned. The committee on standards in public life which has promised to report on MP pay and expenses by the end of the year is under pressure to do something radical.

Whenever MPs come under attack over pay they are quick to argue that compared to executives in the private and public sector they are not particularly well paid.

With the G20 leaders in the country we thought it was worth getting a snapshot of how much the highest paid presidents and prime ministers around the world earn. For comparison's sake all earnings have been converted into dollars. It also shows basic annual salary only, not the expenses claimed on top.

So, where does our own Gordon Brown stand?

MPs' expenses: the ten most outrageous claims ever

MPs are paid an annual salary of £63,291 – yet in 2007 each MP also claimed an average of £135,600 for expenses. Travel costs, staff pay and, of course, the controversial second homes allowance are amongst the many things charged to the taxpayer.

Matthew Elliott of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “Some politicians have been taking the mickey and taking advantage of taxpayers’ generosity. It is more important than ever, for the democratic system as much as for taxpayers, that the full details of every claim be published. The minority who are cashing in so disgracefully should be run out of town.”

As the row over the transparency of expenses continues, Money Central lists the 10 most outrageous expense claims ever made by MPs.

Revealed: the worst energy suppliers for customer service

 

An annual gas and electricity bill for the average household on a direct debit "dual fuel" tariff now stands at £1,195 - more than double what it was in early 2004. Since last year the average cost of gas has risen by almost 29 per cent and electricity by 14 per cent.

However, this price rises do not appear to have had an impact on the standard of customer service offered by the big six according to the latest Which? customer satisfaction survey.

The consumer organisation asked more than 6,000 of its members to rate energy suppliers. The overall scores are an amalgamation of individual ratings given to each energy company based on factors such as customer service, value for money, accuracy of bills, ease of understanding bills, online and phone support and how well queries are answered.

The average score was a lousy 43 per cent.

The smaller suppliers are the only ones to have scored significantly above average overall, despite the fact that The Utility Warehouse's direct debit dual fuel is around £100 more expensive than the cheapest big six supplier in each region. Which? customers still gave it five out of five for value for money.

Here are the results from all the major supplierswith NPower and British Gas (surprise, surprise) coming out as the worst. 

Win £25: Can I have my penalty fare waived?

      

Each Saturday as part of Times Money's expanded consumer affairs section, we publish your questions and invite other readers to suggest solutions. 

This week Simon Percival wrote to us. He says: "I was late for a meeting in Oxford, so boarded a train in London with the intention of purchasing a ticket from an inspector during the journey, but none came along. On arrival, I presented myself to staff and told them that I needed to pay for my journey. Despite my offer to pay, they insisted on delaying me while they completed a  penalty-fare notice. I do not believe it is fair that I have been fined. Is there a precedent for the penalty being waived?"

A selection of the best responses will be published in Times Money on Saturday April 4, with the star answer receiving £25 of vouchers.