In an age of identity theft, credit card fraud and debt, I was stunned when Abbey refused to reduce my £10,000 credit card limit. I was told that once a limit was set, there was no facility to reduce it. I have got into difficulty with credit cards in the past, when I have found it difficult to resist the temptation to use them and my debts have spiralled. I thought that it would be prudent to reduce the limit. Obviously, I could destroy the card, but I do not feel that Abbey's actions should go unchallenged.

KEVIN WARD, Kirkham, Lancashire

The recent spate of credit card limit cuts because the banks are worried about bad debt makes your experience rather ironic. After Troubleshooter contacted Abbey, it apologised and reduced your credit limit from £10,000 to £2,500.

Meanwhile, the British Bankers' Association says that anyone who wants to cut his or her credit card limit should be able to do so. Section 10.10 of the Banking Code reads: “We may increase your credit limit on your credit card. You can contact us at any time if you want to reduce your credit limit or opt out of receiving credit limit increases.”

I recently repaid my £100,000 mortgage with Alliance & Leicester and was charged a £295 administration fee. I asked what it did for the money, but received no reply. Apparently, all that it has to do is click a button that says “paid” and then inform the Land Registry. This smacks of applying an excessive charge where little or no work is done. How many times do lenders get away with this each month and how much extra money flows in without being earned?

MIKE LOCK, Swindon

Mortgage lenders have made billions of pounds from these exit fees for some time. However, rules introduced last year by the Financial Services Authority mean that you are entitled to compensation.

Alliance & Leicester refused your request initially, although a cheque for a refund of £295 soon appeared after you contacted Troubleshooter. Mortgage borrowers who think that they have overpaid so-called exit

fees in the past can claim a refund. For a step-by-step guide on how to claim a refund, go to timesonline.co.uk/money and type in “how to claim mortgage exit fees”.

I had a Debenhams credit card through GE Money until 2005, when I paid off the balance and closed the account. I confirmed this a year later. I have now received an invoice, which includes a premium for payment protection insurance and interest. There is no online recourse: letters are ignored and phone calls are transferred until I am told that the “relevant department is closed for the day”. I am at my wits' end as to how I can stop these charges on a non-existent card.

DANA SILCOX, Northampton

When you opened your account with GE Money in September 2004, you also bought payment protection insurance, valid for three years. When you cleared your balance in 2005, the card was officially still active, GE says, although your zero balance meant that you did not receive statements. Three years later the insurer renewed your policy automatically and the payment of £113 was applied to your card, hence the sudden bill.

The problem arose because you thought you had cancelled the card, but GE did not. It has now done this and refunded you the £113 charged by the insurer.

My brother died without a will at the age of 40, leaving a £28,000 pension. He had four children: one is nearly 18 and the rest are under 16. When the first child reaches 18, can he claim some of the pension? Also, what happens to all the money that people pay into pensions that never get claimed?

CHERYL GREER, Stockport

Your story is a reminder that it makes sense not only to write a will, but also to leave details of assets, liabilities and life assurance arrangements with a close relative. If you have children under 18, it is important to include details of who your preferred guardian would be, says Jason Witcombe, of Evolve Financial Planning.

Mr Witcombe says: “When someone dies without making a valid will, the laws of intestacy apply. Where there is no spouse, the estate is divided equally among children, and where children are minors, this needs to be held in trust for them until age 18. After this time they can access their share of the trust fund, including the pension.”

There should be no reason why pensions would go missing unless those dealing with the estate are unaware of them. This is why it pays to keep a list of assets.

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

Our mobile phone was stolen last year. I reported the loss to Vodafone and asked if it would refund the credit that I thought we had left, about £20, on our pay-as-you-go arrangement. I have received no response. We switched to an Alcatel service with Tesco recently. How can we recover the lost credit?

MR L.J. NEWMAN, Axminster

Mr Newman's query is an example of how difficult it can be to resolve a problem with a company once you are no longer a customer and have lost your bargaining power.

The way to regain bargaining power is to suggest that you will renew business with the company if it resolves the problem. Srikanth Lusena, of East Sussex, said that anyone whose pay-as-you-go mobile phone is lost or stolen should ask the provider to transfer any remaining balance to a new Sim card. This works only if you stick with the same provider, so it is less likely to meet with resistance than Mr Newman's pleas.

Mr Lusena, who will receive a £25 John Lewis voucher for his answer, says: “When I contacted O2, my supplier, it agreed to transfer the balance on my lost pay-as-you-go Sim card to a new O2 Sim card if I bought one within three months. The transaction was completed smoothly, with one phone call and a couple of e-mails.”

After Troubleshooter contacted Vodafone, it immediately paid Mr Newman the £20 it owed him and apologised for the delay.

Can you help? Email troubleshooter@thetimes.co.uk with your answers to the following problem for a chance to win a £25 John Lewis voucher.

“After completing an internet form expressing an interest in stock market investments with an online broker, I have been persuaded to part with about £12,000 for shares in three companies on the Alternative Investment Market. These shares have plummeted in value and are now worth about £3,500. Are there any grounds on which I can complain about these stocks being mis-sold?”

Patrick Tribe, Swansea

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

Can a company be given credit for doing something it really should have been doing already? BT thinks so. It has made it free to call BT from any landline by switching to 0800 numbers.

Not only has BT removed charges for calling customer services, it is also calling for other phone companies to do the same. “The industry makes £70 million a year from these charges,” BT says.

Its campaign to shame competitors into following suit may sound a little like a case of “if we can't have them, no one will”, but at least it will be of benefit to everyone if BT does get its way.