How to give your garden an A-list makeover with six helpful tips for BBQ season

EVERY Saturday, The Consumer Crew are here to solve your problems.

Mel Hunter will take on readers’ consumer issues, Amanda Cable will give you the best advice for buying your dream home, Maddy Tooke rounds up the best coupons to save you money and Judge Rinder will tackle your legal woes.

Jane Hamilton, property expert

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IT is the home trend that’s cooking up a storm on Instagram and Pinterest.

Loved by the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, the Clooneys and John Legend, the outdoor kitchen is sure to impress your guests.

But garden cooking areas can cost more than £10,000 to install and, when done badly, can mean your house loses value rather than gain.

Next week is National BBQ Week. If you love outdoor cooking, there are ways to get the A-list look on a Z-list budget. Here’s how...

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1. Think small: There is no need to build a full-size eating area like a Hollywood star. All you really need is a grill, storage cabinet, serving trolley and garden seating.
2. Choose your worktop carefully: It is worth investing in quality to be ready for that dodgy British weather. Avoid wood and go for stainless steel or concrete. Also, make sure you leave enough room to move around the worktop.
3. Best bar none: Factor in a small drinks area so you do not have to run back to the house for booze. It can be as simple as a stylish bucket filled with ice to hold drinks –  or if budget allows, install an outdoor fridge or wine cooler.
4. Go under cover: Installing a shelter or small roof means you can use your kitchen whatever the weather. Ensure your grill is properly ventilated.
5. Hack a budget kitchen: Ikea offers affordable outdoor cabinet and storage options. Or search eBay for barbecue bargains. There are lots of free “how to build” kitchen guides on YouTube.
6. One last hot tip: A fire pit is a cheap but stylish option. Dunelm has a black metal pit for £35.

Buy of the week

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YOU could spend the next bank holiday weekend admiring the views from this stunning Cornish cottage.

With four bedrooms, two cosy woodburners and easy access to the coast, it is the perfect family pad.

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Yours for £220,000.

Find it at .

Deal of the week

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BRIGHTEN up your kitchen a little with Le Creuset’s on-trend teal 800ml storage jar.

The RRP is £28 but it costs just £12.99 at .

SAVE: £15.01

Judge Rinder

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Q) BOUGHT my flat 12 years ago as part of a freehold. The block has some garages and a communal car park.

I didn’t buy a garage, deciding to use the car park instead. Spaces are limited to residents of the block and we agreed it is OK to park in front of the garages. The owners only use them for storage.

We had a problem with other people using our car park, so hired a parking warden – paying £3,500 a year – to make sure only permit holders park there.

But I have been given a ticket for parking in front of a garage when there were no other spaces available. I contacted the warden’s firm to raise it but they refused to cancel the charge.

I’m paying this company but they are not listening. I refused to pay and they have sent it to a debt collector. Miranda, London

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A) Technically this firm was entitled to issue a ticket – it sounds like you breached the T&Cs for use of the car park, which (oddly, in this case) they seem to have set on your behalf. This is especially galling for you, as you pay them.

The good news is that although they might have been legally entitled to fine you, you probably have a defence in law.

If you have evidence the other long-term lease-holders gave you consent to park in front of any garage (an email or minutes from a residents’ association meeting, say), the rules drafted by the company should have taken this agreement into account.

Write again to the parking firm and the relevant parking association that governs it, making clear what happened.

Also notify the debt collection agency that you are in dispute with the parking company.

And email the company, setting out the agreement you have with your neighbours, to get its rules amended.

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Q) I TOOK out a loan to pay for a funeral on behalf of a friend of mine whose wife had died. He signed a promissory note saying he would pay me back.
But each month he had a new excuse for not coming up with the money.

Finally, he moved away – and never sent me his address. He won’t reply to texts or answer calls.

He still owes me just over £1,400. The county court money-claims service said it can’t serve my claim without his address. I’ve paid off the loan in full, as I don’t want a default notice.

But how can I get the money back from him? Gill, Ipswich

A) You did a sensible thing getting this agreement with your friend in writing.

The promissory note is perfectly adequate proof you have a legally enforceable debt.

Without it, you would have no legal action at all.
Unless he has disappeared off the face of the earth, I doubt he will be difficult to find.

Instruct a reasonably priced enquiry agent – there are many decent ones – to obtain his last known address.

With this, you can take him to the small claims court – with a good chance of getting a judgment against him.

Mel Hunter, Reader's champion

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Q) PLEASE could you help sort out my furniture delivery from Harveys?

This saga has been going on since last November, when I was supposed to have two sofas, a table and four chairs delivered.

Since then I have had wrong deliveries made, been sent unacceptable furniture with marks on it and had deliveries cancelled on many occasions. Andrew Yates, Nottingham

A) If we had printed your letter in full, featuring a complete catalogue of all the problems you have faced, we would have pushed Judge Rinder off the page. So I’ve kept it brief.
Suffice to say you were fighting this battle by yourself for months – and I was only too happy to take it off your shoulders.
The good news is Harveys wasn’t denying you were in the right and staff seemed willing to help.
But the company couldn’t get its diabolical stock and delivery service together to actually get the items to you. A fortnight after I highlighted your case, you finally received everything you ordered.
However, two of the chairs were damaged. You then had to wait another six weeks – putting up with another two failed deliveries – before you finally got the furniture you paid for.

This whole situation unravelled over seven testing months.
Harveys gave you £280 compensation for the stress it had put you through.

A spokesman said: “We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience caused to Mr Yates with his product order. We have apologised and have worked with him to agree compensation, which he has accepted.”

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Q) IN October 2018, I booked a holiday to Thailand with my partner for this August. Sadly we have since broken up and I am stuck with the flight booked in her name.
I bought the tickets in good faith from Travelbag but it says it can’t transfer one ticket to another person. That just seems so unfair. George Gebbett, Cambridge

A) Even when it seems so simple to change the name on a ticket, strict rules across different airlines can make it nigh-on impossible to tweak tickets in this way.
But given you weren’t flying for another five months and were also happy to pay a reasonable fee to make the change, I weighed in to trying to help you out. Travelbag explained it was bound by the rules set by the airline, Etihad, so I got on to the Emirates-based carrier.
Fortunately, someone there was having a good day and agreed to refund the unusable flight as a goodwill gesture, although they warned Travelbag might deduct its own fees.
In fact, just £2 was taken off the total, leaving you with a refund of £359.41, which you were then able to use to buy another ticket (albeit one that had gone up in price).
Travelbag told me: “In these circumstances, the airlines set the rules for refunds, rebookings and name changes, not the travel agent.
“We’re glad George was able to get the resolution he hoped for from Etihad and we are sorry we couldn’t assist directly.”

• Do you have a consumer issue? Email [email protected]

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Maddy Tooke, Coupon Queen

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My top five freebies this week

• Free copy of Shares Made Simple
• Free slime from WH Smith for O2 customers. Download the free Priority app and show in store to claim
• Free Always samples at . Request your samples at . While stocks last
•  Sign up to through and get £15 cashback when spending £15-plus at . Until June 20.
• Free YSL 15-minute makeover and foundation sample for you and a pal. Download in-store voucher from

Top 10 deals

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• GET an extra 20 per cent off at Harvey’s with code EXTRA20. Order via to earn eight per cent cashback. Valid until Monday;
• Save ten per cent on Very Home and furniture orders over £49, 15 per cent on orders over £149 or 20 per cent on orders over £299. Use code MAY10, MAY15 or MAY20 at checkout. Ends Thursday; .
• Save ten per cent on orders from Yankee Candle with code DIS10 from . Expires tomorrow;
• Get 25 per cent off full-price New Look orders with online code NLSHOP25 or in store. Expires Monday;
• Get ten per cent off certain orders of £40-plus at Simply Be with code HEY10 from . Ends Friday; .
• Get 20 per cent off Phase Eight and free delivery with code STANVCDEL from . See
• Get £10 off Boohoo orders over £35 with a code from . Offer expires tomorrow;
• Save 30 per cent extra on Forever 21’s sale with code EXCLMSE. Code expires at 11.59pm Wednesday; .
• Treat Dad to a free Toby Carvery for Father’s Day. Valid June 16 only;
• Students get a free £5 Argos voucher when spending £3 or more at KFC;