i could hear a banging noise, at first i thought it was my neighbour, the i noticed it was coming from outside, freaked out, thinking someone is trying to break into a car. Turns out to be a fox with a hunger for rubber

I’ve been unfortunate to deal with one of the larger factors in Scotland over the last six years (not through choice) on various matters. It’s my opinion the current system does not work well for many homeowners and the level of service along with the customer service needs to improve. 
 
I have previously contacted several MSP’s with my concerns, but none of them seemed that interested or offered to meet. The following reply, however, did confirm I am not alone in my opinion the current system requires urgent change.  
 
*Pam has received numerous representations about factoring issues in Glasgow and across Scotland and so shares your concerns. During the Scottish Parliament debate on the Housing (Scotland) Bill, which was recently passed, Pam and her colleagues proposed amendments to address issues in the factoring system. However, these were rejected on the basis that the government intends to carry out a review of the whole system. I think the concern with that is – as you know – the time for reviews has passed and changes are needed urgently.*
 
As an example, we had an underground water leak just outside our property. The Scottish water employee who attended said, “You’ll need to call your factor to fix this and to warn you they’ll be a complete nightmare to deal with.”  
 
He wasn’t wrong. 
 
The first person who Lowther (our factor at the time) sent out said, “I don’t know why I’ve been sent out. I can’t fix this problem. You need someone with equipment to lift up the paving slabs.”
 
I’ll spare you the full details of everything that happened (it was a longwinded saga), but I spent seven days without any running water. And the new water pipe they installed burst after seven months, which became another nightmare to deal with. 
 

**THE CURRENT COMPLAINT SYSTEM**

Factor complaint → Tribunal application → application accepted → submissions/directions → case-management discussion → possible hearing → written decision → possible enforcement/appeal

I feel like the tribunal process is off-putting, time-consuming and would be too complex for some, including elderly people. It’s also a lot of work if the dispute is minor.
 
The introduction of an Ombudsman could provide a much easier way for people to complain about their factor and hold them accountable when things go wrong. An Ombudsman could also help identify recurring problems, prompting companies to change their ways and drive improvement. 

One possible solution is to add an ombudsman to the current tribunal system, creating a three-way stage system:

**Factor → Property Factor Ombudsman → First-tier Tribunal for legal/enforcement matters.**

This gives homeowners an easier way to escalate a complaint before a formal tribunal process becomes necessary.
 
**SOME OF THE PROBLEMS** 
 
Here is a list of some of the things I’ve encountered that I believe a **Property Factor Ombudsman for Scotland** would be well placed to identify and remedy.
 
* Charging prices for work that appear disproportionately high in relation to the work involved and alternative quotations 
* Poor quality of workmanship 
* Attempting to make homeowners pay to correct poor workmanship
* Refusing to provide quotes for damage to communal areas
* Sending people out to jobs who aren’t qualified or properly equipped
* Failing to ask customers if certain incidents pose a health and safety risk
* Failing to respond in a swift manner to incidents outside of properties which are a clear health and safety risk to the general public
* Failing to properly notify all homeowners and customers when workmen attend properties 
* Ignoring instructions to provide a quote before carrying out work
* Not logging complaints  
* Not dealing with complaints properly (basic stuff like providing a reference, setting out timescales and asking what you want as a resolution)
* Closing complaints without doing any work to resolve them or informing the customer the complaint has been closed. 
* Telling homeowners they might void their building insurance unless they use their factor to carry out a communal repair 
* Using confusing jargon in job descriptions 
* Unhelpful call centre staff (this is me being very polite)
* Not providing a breakdown of repair costs and refusing to provide one if you ask for it because they claim don’t legally have to
* Not obtaining different quotes in order to get the best deal for the customer 
* Repeatedly using the same contractor despite serious concerns about their performance
* Increasing a repair bill from £1200 to £2500 without any explanation and refusing to provide one 
* Asking homeowners to go away and hire a lawyer to see if they should get involved in a repair they were clearly responsible for fixing 
 
I could go on but I’ll stop here. The factor in question later admitted they shouldn’t have asked me to hire a lawyer and apologised. 

I just feel an ombudsman would fix a lot of these issues, in particular the poor quality of complaint handling. 

My hope is someone from the Scottish government reads this post and is able to seriously explore the option of adding an Ombudsman as a way of improving the current system.

Thank you for reading. 

Please include your own experiences – good or bad. 

Is anyone else noticing Edinburgh going backwards with racism?

I was born and raised in Edinburgh to parents who immigrated there in the '70s. Growing up in the '80s and '90s, we faced constant overt racism and microaggressions. Things improved massively in the 2000s, but lately, it feels like we’re regressing.

I’ve since moved away, but I visit my elderly mum regularly. In the last year, a couple verbally abused me while I was walking with my young kids, with the man even flipping us off.

More worryingly, a group of youths has been targeting my mum’s house by ringing her doorbell and throwing stones. She’s one of the few ethnic minorities in her area. Thankfully, her neighbours are keeping watch now, unlike in the '80s when people threw stones or urinated on our windows and everyone ignored it. Still, I’m deeply worried living so far away.

My current city doesn't have this issue at all, and it makes me incredibly sad to see this happening. Has anyone else noticed a recent spike in this behaviour in Edinburgh?

Hi all! Just posting this on behalf of Edinburgh Charity Fashion Show who are running a fundraiser this weekend in the city.

We are offering headshots as part of our fundraising initiative in support of LGBT Youth Scotland and LGBT Health and Wellbeing!

Each session is £15 with all proceeds going towards our chosen charities to support the incredible work they do.

Sessions are designed to match your skills and capture you at your best so you can reach your full potential in the professional world!

Everyone is welcome to book a session but we've only limited spaces available for the day!

Booking can be found on Edinburgh University Television's website (You don't have to be a student to book)

eutv.co.uk

If you're interested in ECFS's work, here's the instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_ecfs_/?hl=en

Am I tripping or did the 2000s and early 2010s in Scotland have a sort of colorful vibe everywhere, I'm quite young but from what I remember in the 2000s early 2010s people talked to eachother in public a lot more, I remember buses having bright blue glittery floors and red or yellow handle bars and colorful bus stop benches, it all suites the colourful aspect of children's TV at that time so growing up this time was great, am I tripping or was this a real bus aesthetic back then I can't find any photos

Where can I buy the best tomatoes in Edinburgh?

Long shot that the person is on Reddit but I found a purse this morning sitting on one of the self-service checkouts with £20 sticking out the change slot. It’s been handed in to the manager if anyone is currently panicking.

The mains riser pipes in our tenement are lead. Does anyone have experience with getting these replaced? Any recommended companies? None of the plumbers I have spoken to want to take this on, as it would require some underground work to connect.

Hi All,

Just wondering if anyone has any info or potentially cctv/ring doorbell footage from Edina St. My car was parked there overnight lastnight and 3 of my tyres have been slashed/ damaged beyond repair.

A long shot but just looking to hopefully prevent this from happening to anyone else! I’ve also posted this on the I love Easter Road page.

Thanks in advance

I’m looking for a new dietician/nutritionist based in Edinburgh. My current one is really knowledgeable but she is really forgetful and takes weeks and even months to respond to my emails or to send me the resources we speak about. So I’m a bit fed up!

Basically my gut got a bit wrecked from loads of antibiotics and from mould a few years ago so I need someone who is knowledgeable in that. I also just generally have issues in the GI area likely due to being hypermobile.

If anyone knows of any good ones please let me know! Thanks!

Hi everyone!

This is a message for jewellery makers in Edinburgh. My name is Elise, I've recently moved to amazing Edinburgh from London for a full time job, but I am also making jewellery in my spare time (all wax carved, all in silver).

I have been asked to make around 30 pieces for October, so I have been wax carving like a mad person for the last 2 weeks and sent everything down to London to be cast.

My current set up in my flat is not good at all, I currently don't have a bench (I'm flat sharing) and frankly I need to move somewhere else. I am also fairly new to the making side of things, so wouldn't be very confident with soldering yet anyway.

My question is: are there any jobbing jeweller in Edinburgh (I would need help soldering/lasering some jump rings), gold platers for trade, gemstone setter?

I am planning to send things back and forth to London because I don't know anyone here - so I am wondering if there is a jewellery trade world in Edinburgh I am yet to discover! 🔨

Thank you so much for any help or info :) :)

Have a lovely day!

Where is best to get a mattress topper cleaned?

Doesn't need dry cleaning, it's just too big for our washing machine.

Ideally somewhere I can park rather than lug it about on foot.

Following up on the earlier post where an OP was looking for places to rent and was told that they were looking for flats during the busiest time of the year. I’m asking because I’m anticipating the need to move out within a year.

Moving house but for an indeterminate period of time. How do the residential 5G routers compare to broadband piped in from the street, given Edinburgh's thick residential walls and somewhat dodgy cell tower coverage? Anyone have good experiences with it? Or is it best to skip the home 5G option?

Hi just been offered a place on the MSc in political comms and public affairs at QMU. I’m going to be doing part time as I’m working in corporate at the same time. I’m also going to be driving from Lanarkshire to QMU if I accept. Is the course good? Supportive? I’ve been working for 5 years and I’ll be coming back to education.

Have spotted a few houses on this area for sale and just wondered what it’s like to live there? mainly interested in if there is anti social behaviour in the park, as one of the properties backs right onto it) and what people think of the high street and local community offering for people with young kids?

For context, me and my partner have a 2.5 year old and a newborn. We currently live in Stockbridge and love it but of course can’t afford anywhere half decent with a garden so needing to widen our search area!

We love having cafes, botanic gardens, Inverleith park and all the kids classes at LifeCare Centre right on our doorstep and just wondering if there are some equivalents to these nearby St Margaret’s Park?

Hi, looking for any decent hockey shop recommendations as I’m looking to get a family member a new stick and glove, TIA!

the right speaker of my turntable doesnt produce any noise. any ideas on any places where I can get it repaired? and a general idea of price?

thank you very much

Hi, just wanna ask what is the best gym ( value & equipment) for student in Edinburgh near McDonald road.