MY car was stolen and I got a payout from the insurance company. The car has now been recovered. Can I get it back? I would pay back the insurance claim money to the insurer for it.

ALMOST certainly not, as you will have signed a form on settlement of your claim that the insurance company has the right to your car, indeed it will be so stated in your policy which is a binding contract.

But by all means do ask them – they may be prepared to sell the car to you, though not necessarily at the amount of your settlement.

I BOOKED a bus for a trip over the phone and paid £100 deposit. Later I gave bus company notice to cancel but they advised me my deposit won’t be refunded.

The transport manager has openly admitted he didn’t tell me the deposit was non-refundable as they rarely get cancellations. Nothing on their web site stated their terms and conditions even though booking was made over the phone.

The owner has told me the normal refund policy is seven days (I gave them eight!) and the terms and conditions are in the office but I made the booking over the phone and took the first stage of the enquiry from their website booking form which again doesn’t state their T&Cs or non refundable policy.

THIS is a veritable exam question about contract law, Roman law, consumer protection legislation, evidence and the status of verbal undertakings.

I am assuming it was not stated clearly by you that you were intending only to make a provisional booking - if you had this would have probably got you the right to deposit back if you had no way to see the terms and conditions.

But the company may say that they took from the conversation it was a firm booking, and thus your cancellation was in effect a breach of contract and meant forfeiture of the deposit.

You should go through the whole thing with a solicitor in detail, but it may cost you much more to try (successfully or otherwise) to sue for repayment of a modest amount.

I READ a recent answer about the lady whose mother in law had died and no-one knew if she had a will. I am also in this position regarding my son. I would like to know how can I find out more regarding whether there is a will?

YOU can check with local solicitors to see if any firm has a will for your son.

You can also advertise through the Journal of the Law Society of Scotland www.journalonline.co.uk, and also check with the sheriff court for the area your son lived in before he died in case some has applied for confirmation (probate).

But if no-one has done that, there is no central register of wills such as there is for title deeds, so you can’t be certain of finding it.

IF a man remarries after the death of his first wife what rights has the second wife got on his estate? Can he leave her out and will the entire estate to the children of his first marriage?

YES, up to a point. If there is no will, second wife gets the house, contents and a sum of money before the kids get anything.