Yourshout

Insuring life is more difficult


While researching the renewal of my car insurance, I came across two disturbing facts. Firstly, some insurance companies - Lloyds TSB and Axa, for example - will not accept payments by cheque.

They will only take payment by direct debit and credit cards. This affected me, because I wanted to pay in advance - I was going on holiday when the renewal was due but didn't want to take the money from my bank account immediately, as would happen with a debit card.

The second thing I have noticed from various quotes, is that an APR of up to 23.6% will be charged for monthly repayment of the insurance. Surely this is a month-by-month cover and not "borrowed" money.

Increasingly, it feels that these companies are making life more difficult for their customers?

Is this "fair trading"?

Viviene Burns
Suffolk

Account for two names


I saw the letter from GS of Sheffield who had problems opening a savings account because the usual identification/address documents - such as utility bills - are in her husband's name.

Rather than argue with the nit-picking guideline followers, I have found the solution is to write to the utilities or companies concerned and get them to put both names on such bills.

This gets over the practical problem, as well as alleviating the Kafka-esque sensation of not existing.

I made an effort to do this because I did not change my name when we married and we keep our personal finances separate. Indeed, we now have some bills in three names to cover my mother in law as well.

I usually explain it is partly to avoid this difficulty. It sometimes takes a couple of reminders, but companies will do it in the end.

Hillary Gee
via email

Time we got the massage


Having recently completed a diploma in massage therapy through at the Clare Maxwell Hudson School of Massage, I was outraged to read Tony Levene's response to CF, London in the Capital Letters section of Jobs & Money on Saturday August 9, 2003, "Massage the truth".

Unfortunately, prostitutes have euphemistically used the term "masseuse", thus giving massage a bad reputation. Consequently, many complimentary therapy schools have encouraged massage graduates to use the term massage therapists.

I think Mr Levene's response shows that he is unaware of many changes in society such as the increasing number of people who turn to complementary therapies, especially massage as a form of release from the general "stress" to more specific "lymphatic drainage".

A recent report by Mintel revealed that more than 50% of adults in the UK visit an alternative health practitioner, such as an osteopath or an aroma- therapist, every year.

Aromatherapy can be delivered in several ways but is commonly done through massage.

For many people, being a massage therapist is their livelihood. It is my dream that it will one day be my livelihood, too.

Messages like this undermine and tarnish the good work being done by these people and the benefit they bring their clients.

I thought that Clare and the other pioneers of Complimentary Therapies had eradicated this outdated way of thinking.

However, I realise that students, therapists and clients need to be vigilant if such ignorance is to be erased.

SC
Reading, Berkshire

A powerful force

Following your campaign about power company billing problems during June and July, my niece asked you to help her deal with British Gas, which had failed to answer any of her letters. She would like to thank you, as British Gas responded at last.

It transpired that many of the payments she had made had not been credited.

British Gas has even apologised. So, many thanks for your help.

B Bailey
London

Card charge surprise

The Post Office advertises commission-free foreign currency at its branches. So I was suprised to find that my Barclays Connect account was debited £4.50 more than the figure quoted. Barclays now tell me it's a Visa charge! But it wasn't mentioned at the point of sale or itemised on my statement - and it's contrary to normal use of the card. The publicity is misleading, the need for the charge is dubious, and the way it's applied should be much more explicit.

Michael Evans
Manchester

· Write to Jobs and Money119 Farringdon Road London EC1R 3ER