When I got a confirmation email addressed to the wrong name. I suspected an error and cancelled. Then £500 was taken from my account Eight months ago, I booked an Airbnb on my new iPhone. The confirmation congratulated someone called Rachel on the booking. I realised Airbnb tech had somehow logged me in to a stranger’s account using my new work phone number and my Face ID. Airbnb later told me the phone number had been recycled and was previously owned by “Rachel”. No payment had been taken and I immediately cancelled the reservation and booked a different property. Continue reading...

It mistakenly entered all my business details in the search results for ‘How to contact Google in the UK’ Four years ago, Google mistakenly published my restaurant business’s details, including the phone number and address, in the search results for “how to contact Google in the UK”. At first I got just a few calls from people trying to get through to it but now I receive up to 300 a week, including on my personal mobile, as well as messages and letters. I have more than 130 voice messages. Continue reading...

Despite being told there was ‘no crossing to be paid’, a driver received 23 penalty notices In November I had to start using my boss’s car for work. After making my first journey across the Dartford crossing on the M25, I tried to pay the Dart charge. I typed in the car’s details but the website clearly stated there was “no crossing to be paid”. I presumed that this meant my boss had the car on his own Dart account. As a result, I did not add it to my own account. Continue reading...

You have a right to return the product if you think it’s faulty, says policy expert Kat George – but it will take some time and effort to claim your refund * Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email I bought an Apple HomePod mini speaker in February 2023. I want it to reliably play audio via my iPhone and it does not and will not work with our standard wifi network. We’ve followed help documents, forums and Apple Support’s advice: nothing helped, but we learned that thousands around the world have the same issue. We’ve asked Apple for a refund under Australian consumer law, but they have refused. They expect us to make a three-hour round trip to an Apple Store, where they will obviously be unable to replicate our home network. Am I entitled to a refund? – Simone, South Australia Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Continue reading...