Your Questions

I bought a digital camera while on holiday in Spain a few weeks ago. Now it has stopped working. What should I do?

Most EU countries have implemented a EU directive, which gives consumers who buy goods rights for two years and for the first six months any defect is presumed to have existed at the time of delivery unless proved otherwise. Spain is one of these countries. This means you are entitled to ask for your camera to be repaired or replaced free of charge. But also, if you paid with a UK credit card and the camera cost over £100, the credit card company may be equally liable. It could be easier to try and get redress through them. However, it is up to individual card issuers whether they decide to provide this consumer protection on overseas purchases, it is not an automatic right.

You will need a proof of purchase to pursue a claim – till receipt, credit card statement or confirmation of order will do.

• contact the seller or the credit card company and explain what the problem is and what you want.
• enclose copies of your proof of purchase and send the letters by recorded delivery – keeping a copy.
• if the seller or the credit card company do not respond, refuse to do anything or make a final offer you are unwilling to accept, you should get advice

For more detailed advice on buying abroad, visit www.euroconsumer.org.uk , part of the UK European Consumer Centre, a new online advice service for UK consumers with European consumer queries run by the Citizens Advice service.

I know that as a gay man I will be able to ‘marry’ my boyfriend when new laws come into force later this year, and we want to make the arrangements for our ‘wedding’ as soon as possible.  How should we go about this?

From December 5th 2005 gay and lesbian couples will be able to get legal recognition of their relationship with their same-sex partner by registering a civil partnership.

This will mean new rights and responsibilities for those who decide to take this step.  It will affect adoption, inheritance, housing, tax, benefits and pensions.  For more detail on the changes, go to our public information website at www.adviceguide.org.uk or talk to an adviser at the Citizens Advice Bureau.

To register a civil partnership, you will need to sign a special document in front of two witnesses and a registrar. You will be able to do this legally as long as you are both at least 16 years old, (although you will need written consent from parents or guardians if one or both of you is under 18), you have lived in England or Wales for at least seven days, neither of you is already a civil partner or married, and you are not close blood relatives. 

Registration will take place in local register offices (although you will probably be able to use other non-religious, licensed premises such as hotels) and you will need to give at least 15 days notice to your registrar.

You don’t have to have a ceremony, although you are free to arrange one if you want to.

You may be able to start making arrangements now to register a civil partnership.  You should contact the local register office where you want to register your civil partnership for more information.

I have recently been made redundant and I have no idea how I am going to pay my mortgage. I also have a £10,000 bank loan and a three-piece suite on hire purchase. How am I going to pay all these debts and ongoing bills with no income?

Firstly check to see if your mortgage, hire purchase debt or loan are covered by payment protection insurance. If you think you are covered you should make a claim. If your claim is rejected ask for a full copy of the policy and seek advice from your local Citizens Advice Bureau.  A CAB adviser can also help you identify which benefits you may be eligible for and help you make a claim.

Secondly you will need to prepare to balance a reduced income. Some debts are more important to pay than others – these are known as priority debts. These are things like your mortgage, fuel, water, council tax and fines. If these are not paid, results can be eviction, imprisonment, bailiff action or disconnection. The rule is to keep in contact with creditors, and keep any income for these commitments rather than for any non-priority unsecured debts such as credit cards.

If your bank loan is secured, this means that your home could be repossessed if you fail to make payments. Help may be available through Income-based Jobseekers Allowance or Income Support. Payment of these benefits is subject to a means test and other income affects any amount payable. In the longer term you may be able to make interest only payments, or get a temporary suspension or reduction in payments - you should seek advice from your lender.

Finally, contact your local authority to get help with paying your council tax; you may well be eligible for council tax benefit.

Contact the CAB for more information on budgeting, dealing with debt and welfare benefits or visit the Citizens Advice website www.adviceguide.org.uk for more information.

If you are reading this and you are from outside the Hyndburn area our website will give you links to find your local CAB by using your postcode.

I am an estate agent and work five days a week and two Saturdays a month. I heard something on the news that people in the UK should really only work 48 hours a week – I do many more hours than this – am I breaking the law?

No you are not breaking the law. In the UK workers can agree to work longer than 48 hours. The Working Time Regulations (based on the European Working Time Directive) say that if you do not agree to the opt-out, your average working time, including overtime, must not exceed 48 hours a week.

If you have agreed to opt out neither you nor your employer are breaking the law. However, a worker cannot be forced to opt out.
Recently there have been some stories in the media about European Parliament plans to stop countries such as the UK from opting out of the Working Time Directive. European MP’s voted to phase out the opt-out over the next three years, as they believe it would ensure that people have a better work-life balance (so do some unions; they see it as a health and safety issue). The British Government opposes these plans, as it believes that they would reduce the competitiveness of the UK’s economy. To block the European Parliament's plans, the UK would need to recruit other countries' support to retain the clause under qualified majority voting in the EU council of ministers. So watch this space!
More information on workplace rights contact us or look on the Citizens Advice service website www.adviceguide.org.uk