My son, a stonemason, had an accident and has been unable to work, so he cannot contribute to our household bills.

I am three years into repayments on an HSBC personal loan, with nearly five years to go. My payment protection policy does not cover injury to family members, so I contacted the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) and was accepted on a debt management plan. I earn £12,000 a year and have worked out a budget with the CCCS, which offered HSBC £133 a month. The bank accepted.

I also asked HSBC to switch my current account to one that does not charge interest. It not only declined my request, but also took a loan payment at the previous rate of £289, so I am now £275 over my overdraft limit and being charged. Incurring more costs is unhelpful in my genuine attempt to regain financial control.

P. STANLEY, Conwy, North Wales

Banks now have an obligation, written into the Banking Code, to help customers in financial difficulty. But banks are clever and can appear to be helpful, even when they are not.

HSBC told Troubleshooter that it had offered you a managed loan - the type of deal it offers to borrowers struggling to meet repayments. This would bring your repayments down to £137 a month. However, it had already agreed to accept £133 as part of your plan with the CCCS. So why did it make the second offer?

The reason is that its managed loan charges interest at 1 per cent above the Bank of England base rate, payable at the end of the term. Over many years, this amounts to a nasty sting in the tail. On the CCCS plan, however, the interest is frozen, so HSBC makes nothing from it.

A spokeswoman for the CCCS says that it advises debtors to refuse managed loan offers, which are standard practice, and continue with the debt management plan, as you have done.

HSBC has now refunded the £25 charge for exceeding your overdraft limit, as well as the extra interest.

On April 7 I made a transfer of £3,000 from my Egg savings account to my Egg cash Isa. The money disappeared from my account instantly but did not arrive in the Isa. I have made similar transfers in the past and they are always instant. I waited four days and then contacted Egg. It said that it was aware of a problem and would sort it soon. SInce then it has called me twice to report that there was still a problem. Normally, I would close my account and switch banks, but as this is an Isa

I cannot do that. Egg says that this problem has affected at least 20 others. Where has my money gone?

SIMON BAKER,

Portishead, Somerset

It went into a holding account. You were annoyed because, even after repeated requests, Egg did not specify why. It told Troubleshooter that your Isa had been subject to a phishing scam attack last year. Egg then blocked access until you had reset your security details. It says that you did not do this, which is why the money did not go in.

This sounds plausible, except that Egg cannot explain why you did not know about this, why no one told you what had gone wrong and why the money was not credited sooner. It said that staff told you that other customers had been affected because it had mixed up your problem with another that was being experienced more widely. Apparently, several customers experienced delays around the April 5 tax deadline while Egg tried to clarify which tax year they were investing in. Either way, the money is now, miraculously, in your Isa, as well as an extra £15 for your troubles.

In March last year Smith of Derby updated our church clock with a new motor. In November the village suffered three power cuts on successive evenings. In December the clock stopped. An engineer's report from the company blamed “a series of power cuts”. EDF Energy's failure to ensure continuous supply has landed the church with a bill for £235 to rectify the problem with the clock. A letter to EDF has failed to elicit a response and we have no great hopes of receiving any compensation soon.

RICHARD CHANNON, Stoke-by-Nayland,

Colchester, Essex

Troubleshooter tried to extract payment from EDF, your electricity provider, but this was always going to be difficult given that it is not liable for the debt.

Although the power cuts were to blame, such mishaps should be covered by your insurance policy. Unfortunately, the policy covering Stoke-by-Nayland church has a £500 excess, which means that you will have to pay. Perhaps a save-the-clock bring-and-buy sale is in order.

To tell us your problems, visit timesonline.co.uk/troubleshooter or write to Troubleshooter, Times Money, Times House, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1TB

READERS TO THE RESCUE: CREDIT HISTORY

My son has been trying to get a mortgage, but because we have brought him up never to owe anything and to buy something only when he can afford it, he has no credit history and banks and building societies refuse even to discuss it. It seems that if you owe money, you get a credit rating, but if you keep your nose clean, you are penalised. I would welcome any comments.

PHILIP MATHEWS,

Salisbury, Wiltshire

Our readers are a savvy bunch, as this week's suggestions demonstrate.

Stephen Nixon, of Glossop, Derbyshire, advised your son to apply for a credit card that charges 0 per cent on purchases and set up a direct debit to cover the minimum payment. Your son should then invest an amount equivalent to his monthly card spend in an Isa or Premium Bonds and then pay off the card. “His credit score will rise, he will gain interest and perhaps some rewards from the card,” Mr Nixon says.

This ingenious plan wins Mr Nixon a £25 voucher, but there were other, less complicated, suggestions. Chris Ford, an employee with the Co-operative Bank, said that your son should be able to get a mortgage with the Co-op because part of its ethical standpoint is that even borrowers without a credit history should be able to obtain a loan.

Steve Bullen, a mortgage adviser from Chesterfield, said that he could find your son a mortgage: “The key criteria is what deposit he has, what his earnings are, what he spends and whether he can afford it.”

Rod Smith, meanwhile, advised you to act as a guarantor for your son.

Can you help? E-mail troubleshooter@thetimes.co.uk with your answers to the following problem for a chance to win a £25 gift voucher.

“In 1996 I put £2,000 in a CIS Pep. In the first three years I made £900 interest. Since then it has been up and down. Over 12 years the fund value has reached £4,000. I was told not to move it, but is this a fair return and should I move it?

MR P.G. BROOKE,

Evesham, Worcestershire