Money Box

Unexpected bills from video games and apps? The online world of video games and apps can be financially treacherous, filled with loot boxes and micro-transactions. They can mean large, unexpected bills through the relatively new phenomenon of in-game purchases. Louise Cooper and guests discuss what your consumer rights are if things go wrong. Guests:Dr Jo Twist, CEO at The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE) Alex Neill, CEO at Resolver David McClelland, technology journalistProducer: Ben Carter Editor: Hugh Levinson

Should the unwed lose out on a benefit paid to married people? Bereavement Support Payment is available to the widows, widowers or surviving civil partners of people who died on or after 6 April 2017. There's additional money if they have children. A recent High Court judgement held that the Pensions Act, by excluding bereaved unmarried partners from claiming Bereavement Support Payment, contravened the human rights of any children they might have. This week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told parliament that he would look into what he described as an "injustice". Guest: Alison Penny, director of the Childhood Bereavement Network.Richard is 20 and earns £18,000 a year. He applied online for a credit card. When this was approved he was shocked to find he had an £8,000 credit limit. Guest: Peter Tutton, head of policy, StepChange debt charity. If you missed the January self-assessment tax deadline, picked up a £100 penalty and still haven't filed, there's another deadline. It's March 1st and if you have tax to pay the penalties for missing it could cost you a great deal more. How can you track down old pensions from past jobs? When you find them, will you be able to you lump them together? Guest: Claire Trott, head of pension strategy for Technical Connections.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Producer: Charmaine Cozier Editor: Emma Rippon

This week Louise Cooper asks how you can negotiate the best broadband deal. How do you know if you’re paying too much? What’s the best way of securing a better deal? What are your rights if you’ve been overpaying? What are the best deals available at the moment?Guests:Selina Chadha: Director of Consumer Policy at Ofcom Adam French: Consumer Rights Editor at Which? Guy Anker: Deputy Editor at Money Saving ExpertEmail questions for the panel or top tips to moneybox@bbc.co.ukProducer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon

Money Box has found that there has been a big increase in the number of young adults being taken to court for unpaid debts. Court records show that last year around 160,000 people in their twenties were given County Court Judgments in England and Wales - a rise of 30 per cent from the year before.How a £3 month long trial for a dating website ended up costing one user £300.And Jon Douglas visits a bank that’s swimming against the tide by opening branches in rural locations. Presenter: Louise Cooper Researcher: Darin Graham Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

Wedding planning can be stressful and expensive. Venue, catering, flowers...the list goes on. Charmaine Cozier and guests talk through the best ways to budget and negotiate on price.Guests:Lisa Garwood-Cross, Living Thrifty Eve Obasuyi, Money Medics Ruby Norris, Wedding Ideas Magazine Gary Rycroft, Joseph A Jones SolicitorsEmail questions and experiences to moneybox@bbc.co.ukProducer: Ben Carter Editor Emma Rippon

One of the most important rights that Europe gave us was the freedom to live and work in EU countries and retire there. About a quarter of a million UK pensioners live in the EU and draw their UK pensions and, in most countries, still get the winter fuel payment. But will that continue post - Brexit?A Money Box investigation by Dan Whitworth has found more than 1000 people making the most serious complaints about maladministration at the Department for Work and Pensions face waiting 18 months before their case is even opened.And the campaigner trying to get Google to take action on adverts for unregulated investments.Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

What are your rights when that dream holiday you've saved up for gets cancelled or you experience problems during the holiday itself? Paul Lewis and guests answer your calls and emails.Guests: the travel journalist Simon Calder and consumer champion Helen Dewdney.Email: moneybox@bbc.co.ukProducer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon

Home owners are at risk of losing large amounts of money when selling their properties by using so called quick sale estate agents. That’s a warning from Trading Standards. It’s told Money Box it’s seen dozens of examples of people losing tens of thousands of pounds from the market value of their homes when agents exploit people who are desperate to sell quickly. In the first half of last year private parking firms requested 4.32m driver details from the DVLA so they could issue fines to motorists. This number of demands is 25% up on 2018 which was itself a fifth higher than 2017. We get many emails to moneybox@bbc.co.uk from listeners asking what they should do when they think they have been sent a demand which they believe is unfair. We speak to parking expert John Wilkie to find out.A Money Box investigation has found that councils around the country are charging students Council Tax over the summer holidays when they should be exempt. Last week we heard from a student at Durham University who'd been sent a bill for hundreds of pounds. After the programme we were contacted by students from Oxford, Norwich, Salford, and Chester who had a similar story. Student bodies are now calling on the government to address the issue with local authorities to ensure that students aren’t forced to pay Council Tax.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researcher: Darin Graham Producer: Dan Whitworth/Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon

The gig economy is booming in the UK. More than a million people are using online platforms to secure jobs. Some people say that Uber drivers and couriers are the poster boys and girls for an exploited part of the workforce. Others argue the flexibility of working when and where you want works perfectly for those who don't want a 9-5 job. Adam Shaw hears the good, the bad and the ugly tales from those working within the industry and he finds out how people can make the gig economy work for them.Email moneybox@bbc.co.uk with your experiences or questions for the panel.Guests: Nye Cominetti, economic analyst at the Resolution Foundation Max Dewhurst, courier and IWGB unionist Andy Chamberlain, Deputy Director of Policy and External Affairs at the IPSE.Producer: Ben Carter Editor: Emma Rippon

Four students studying at Durham University received a surprise bill for Council Tax. They were billed hundreds of pounds for a period when no-one was living in the property over the summer. After Money Box got in touch, the council looked again at it and concluded that the request for payment was made in error. The charge has now been cancelled. It also reviewed their council tax records for 2019/20 and found no other cases of students being asked to pay. We speak to the editor of the Council Tax Handbook.Police forces across the UK have seen a recent spike in cases of what is called courier fraud. Criminals persuade older people to take cash out of the bank and then give it to a courier to keep it safe. What can potential victims do to avoid being scammed?Earlier this year we looked at the history of financial mistakes. We asked listeners to get in touch with their biggest financial mistakes. A number of people told us theirs was buying a flat with Grenfell-style cladding and then being billed tens of thousands of pounds for its removal. We hear from people in this position.Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Emma Rippon