Let's not forget the unfair taxation costing us more than businesses ever will.

At least with businesses/banks you get something in return, even if it's only a £25 letter to tell you that you are skint.

Surely most people will say they have been mistreated, imagine, you get caught uploading a movie and your cut off from your internet service for doing so. The majority of people who get caught for this blame the ISP because they are too stupid to take precautions.

If you go over your overdraft limit and the bank charges you... well thats unfair isn't it?

Britain is a nation of moaners, we know that, but it doesn't mean we've been screwed out of 6.6Bn!

Not just private businesses, the whole UK.gov has that attitude of 'I'm always right, you're always wrong, prove me wrong'.

The plastic police stop photography in public, don't argue or they'll splap you for something else,

DVLA hands out peoples private data to companies in disputes in which it has no business taking sides, don't pay and they'll add on extra charges,

C&E seizes vehicles without due process, you want due process? You have to fight for due process.

Police do likewise, on the spot fines, fixed penalties for not paying the previous penalty you disputed.

IR same trick, automatic fines even when they're in the wrong. You prove otherwise.

SUV driven 10 miles? 25 quid a day charge in London, normal car drive 50 miles, 8 quid a day. SUV blamed for CO2 emissions, regardless of realities.

Send your kids to a popular school, get followed by council snoops, if you complain they'll lie and say you are committing fraud, even though they've never even filed a fraud charge.

ISP's selling your surfing data, can we get a prosecution? Can you buggery.

Use an open Wifi, get prosecuted using a law made before Wifi existed that could never have been written with wifi in mind.

Unfair treatment is endemic in the UK.

Shall we stop it now?

What about Worst, sorry, First Group? Surely they cost the country more?

trading standards have very little effect, thats why. Sure they spend a load of time promoting themselves and making sure everyone knows they are there but if a company is trading under bad ethics there is little anyone can do as its not a legal matter its an ethical one.

["Only five per cent of people in the UK report their complaint through channels such as Trading Standards and Consumer Direct," said OFT chief executive]

Well I could tell the OFT CE why this is so: the trading standards people are as effective as a g-string tampon.

They won't help, they won't tell you what the law is and they'll avoid doing any work if they can get away with it.

And when you get the situation "resolved" by your own efforts, they fail to respond to continuing failures.

One major problem is that TS staff won't work against a trader unless there have been many complaints. But they don't share the information of complaints, so if you're complaining about a company you bought mail-order, only complaints from your council catchment count as to whether trading standards will bother.

of course nobody contacts trading standards / consumer direct.. thats because if you goto the websites, they give the helpful advice about having to complain to the service provider. then contact the of-whoever involved.

the of-whoever involved has a system that you must first exhaust all the procedures of the companies customer "service" before they would then consider helping you out.

way before then most people would have given up.

I don't blame peeps for not using trading standards to help resolve issues. It's so difficult to find the right help or advice that effort alone is significant. When I call the trading standands, they say it's the wrong post code, or the wrong type of complaint. These rip off companies have to opporate within the comsumer law guidelines but don't, and they know the helpfulness of the UK infrastructure is not what it's cracked up to be which allows them to get away with it.

We need a centralised trading standards that acts as a hub for the whole of the UK, that way, they route the issue in accordance with their guidelines for handling complaints. The consumer can then pick up their issue at that point rather than waisting time and money trying to identify who they should be speaking to in the first instance.

The country needs to grow some balls....

"Police do likewise, on the spot fines, fixed penalties for not paying the previous penalty you disputed."

On the spot fines are a method of preventing you from having to go to court. If you were doing 50 in a 40 zone and you got pulled over, you can either take the fixed fine, or go to court. According to the 1689 declairation of rights, no man can be financially penalized or fined with out being found guilt in a court of law.

You have the right to take the speeding ticket or congestion charge fine to court, but the chances are you'll still end up paying.

I work in an advice agency. Most clients don't know how to complain. They think a whine over the phone to the company they are having a problem with is going to resolve matters, it isn't.

Complain formally, in writing, keep copies and send it recorded delivery. If not satisfied with the response, or there is no response, threaten a small claims court action. Still not satisfied then go to court.

If you can't be arsed to do that then the problem isn't that big of a deal just learn from it, boycott the outfit giving you poor service and spread the word. That said Most banks and communication companies have essentially non-existent customer service to keep costs down.

Obviously everyone will not win a small claim but the majority will. District judges are generally understanding and reasonable people who are quite happy to dispense justice in favour of consumers, because the law is framed that way.

Finally, don't buy the cheapest product/service and expect world class customer support. If something is cheap there's a reason and it's almost never a good reason.

The problem is you have to check up that this sort of late fee is legal. Trading standards should be going to these places and TELLING them they cannot ask for it and sending them to court for disobeying.

We aren't supposed to be our own solicitor. If we were, we'd have to be given the text of all our laws and any changes when and as they come out.

Now you try finding your consumer credit act laws...

Yes Olly. The free charitable advice agency I work at gets loads of clients like you who want everyone else to hand them stuff on a plate without them having to lift a finger. It doesn't work like that. It never will and nor should it.

One of the reasons the UK has such dreadful customer service is because too many consumers buy on price and/or won't change a supplier because of inertia/idleness.

If you can't be arsed to complain and you're too idle to boycott then why are you surprised when you get taken for a sucker?