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Thousands of people who bought solar panels have complained to a financial watchdog that they are not bringing them the returns they were promised.

Many people took out loans to pay for panels on the promise they would save thousands of pounds in electricity costs and make money generating power.

They say they have not had the expected savings, and the Financial Services Ombudsman has had 2,000 complaints.

Barclays Bank has put aside £38m to deal with potential claims.

Brian Thompson from Rowlands Gill, Gateshead, told BBC Inside Out he was contacted by a salesman for PV Solar UK but told him he did not want to take a loan on as he was preparing for retirement.

He said he was told the move would provide money towards his pension, which persuaded him, and he took out a loan with Barclays of more than £10,000 over 10 years.

Mr Thompson said the payments he was getting back from the power his solar panels sent to the National Grid did not correspond with what he was told.

“I had to dip into my savings which I was putting away for retirement to pay the loan off. To me it was lies,” he said.

An independent survey of Mr Thompson’s system showed even after 20 years the income from the panels would not cover the cost of the loan.

Barclays offered him some compensation but Mr Thompson said it was not enough.

PV Solar UK went into liquidation in 2017.

Robert Skillen, who was the director of the firm when Mr Thompson bought his system, said Mr Thompson’s panels would make him money.

Mr Skillen is now in business claiming to help people who have been missold solar panels. He did not want to be interviewed.

Tony Walch, from Bolton, was told he would be better off by £30,000 over 20 years when he bought solar panels from MyPlanet.

He said: “They were very, very persuasive. Everything they said was plausible. It was a no-brainer.”

He took out a loan of £15,000 but he said the panels did not generate the amount of electricity he was promised. They also overheated, damaging the equipment, and he believed they had cost him more than £500 a year.

MyPlanet went into liquidation in 2016.

Former director Mark Bonifacio said all calculations had been made using strict methodology, and the performance of the systems was impossible to predict because of different factors affecting performance.

He said MyPlanet installed more than 15,000 systems, and customers would be getting free electricity.

Debbie Enever, from the Financial Ombudsman Service, said: “We have got about 2,000 complaints about solar panels at the moment and more coming through every week.”

Loans for solar panels were taken out through Barclays Bank, which said: “We always seek to ensure customers are satisfied with our financial products. Where customers have cause to complain we will review each case individually.”

You can see more on this story on Inside Out North East & Cumbria on Monday 9 September at 19:30 BST.

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PUBG Mobile is gearing up to introduce a new season of the battle royale sensation. PUBG Mobile Royale Pass Season 9 is due out on September 13 after Season 8 ends on September 11.

Season 8 of Royale Pass brought ocean-themed outfits and in-game items to the playing field via PUBG Mobile 0.13.5 update. Now, the new season is expected to have a warrior theme along with complimenting skins and items.

With Royals Pass Season 8 drawing to a close, that can only mean Season 9 is almost here! Are you ready to battle it out, starting September 13? pic.twitter.com/4PdW0NvQ7xSeptember 8, 2019

The 0.14.0 update of PUBG Mobile introduced a new Infection Mode, character systems in addition to some performance improvements. The next update will bring the game up to version 0.14.5. 

PUBG Mobile Season 9 Royale Pass is likely to bring new player, vehicles and weapons skins. It could also add newly designed avatar frames, parachutes, bags and helmets to the list.

As far as new weapons are considered, there are rumours about a new submachine gun, the MP5K which will spawn on the Vikendi map. It uses 9mm ammo, has a magazine size of 30 rounds and three firing modes– Single, Burst and Auto. We’ll know more as we near the official announcement of PUBG Mobile 0.14.5 Royale Pass Season 9.

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Have you ever considered if you prefer the glory of pedalling over sitting on an electric bicycle that thrusts you up a hill? Do you want to pop a GPS computer or basket on the handlebars? In short: what matters to you with cycling?

Well, here’s the great thing for you – whether you cycle only in fair weather at the weekend, suit up for the commute on Monday morning, or spend your winters in a virtual world on your indoor trainer, we want to hear from you.

The world of cycling is changing more quickly than ever before, and here at Future Publishing (TechRadar’s parent company) we want to help you stay on top of everything – and to do that, we want you to tell us your views.

As most people know, cycling can be an expensive hobby for some, with a range of kit to make your ride more enjoyable, and gadgets to improve fitness and keep you at the top of your game. 

In contrast, some people will use the same tried and trusted bike they’ve had for years, never wanting to let a good pal go or wanting to have to throw money at their bicycle.

The rise of the robots… sort of

Perhaps you’ve also been overwhelmed by the rise of electric bikes, not knowing what they’re for or not knowing whether they’re worth the cost.

We’d love to hear what you really think about the top brands and what makes a brilliant bike, or quite simply good value for money.

This cycling survey takes around six to eight minutes to complete and, to say thanks for your time, your entry will be placed into a prize draw for a chance to win an Amazon voucher worth £250 or $300 (depending on where you live). 

Be quick, because this survey closes 26 September 2019. Good luck!

Take part here here

Terms and conditions apply https://www.futureplc.com/competition-rules/

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Just like smartphones, it is becoming more and more difficult to choose a laptop these days as the number of options available from different companies make it difficult to select the best one. If you are in the market for a laptop priced under Rs 40,000 and wish to get one without compromising on any features, there are many options to choose from.

The sub-Rs 40,000 segment is also the most asked price segment when it comes to notebooks. From students to office-goers, everyone can easily get a laptop that does basic day to day tasks with ease in this range.

If it’s about the add-ons, many of them offer a dedicated graphics card or multimedia features, but that’s certainly not enough power to suffice the needs of a video editor or a graphic designer. There are many configurations available, some with newer processors and some with older ones. 

In this post, we have listed some of the best laptops available under Rs 40,000 in India.

(Image credit: Asus)

Asus X509

CPU: Intel Core i3-7020U | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 620 | RAM: 4GB DDR4 | Screen: 15.6-inch FHD (1,920 x 1080 pixels) | Storage: 1TB HDD + 256GB/512GB SSD

With the unveiling of the Xbox One X, the Xbox One S has seen some impressive price drops and bundle deals with Microsoft going all out to pump up the pressure on its rivals. It was already often the cheapest console of the current generation, but with some of these savings on bundles and even Xbox One Controllers, the price seems right. 

At this point it’s probably wiser to buy a bundle and score some wicked Xbox One games along with the unit, as some of them can come in cheaper than the standalone consoles themselves.

Looking to buy in the US or UK? You’ll want to head on over to our US page or UK page.

Xbox One S deals

At once more elegant and more powerful, the slimmed-down design of the Xbox One S ditches the external power brick and chunky looks of the original Xbox One. More importantly, it comes kitted out with 4K visual support meaning you’ll be able to watch specialised Blu-Ray and Netflix content in 4K.

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At E3 2017, Microsoft officially unveiled what was formerly known as Project Scorpio — the Xbox One X. This is the full 4K HDR upgrade from Microsoft that fans of the original Xbox One consoles have been waiting for, not to mention newcomers to the platform.

This is the place where we answer any questions you may have about what exactly the new Xbox One X is capable of – its specs, price, and release date have all been covered here – and ultimately, whether or not you should buy it.

Often, the best place to order your console is from the Microsoft store directly for $649, as most retailers are offering it for that same RRP, but aren’t likely to have as much stock as the company’s own store.

We’ll also be keeping track of any deals and bundles that pop up, so be sure to come back and visit every now and then if you’re waiting for a bargain — we’re sure to have one if there is one to be had. 

And, of course, if you’re wondering what to play on this new beast, we’ve had a thorough look at the best Xbox One X games available, and which ones will really shine with Microsoft’s latest powerhouse.

The best Xbox One X bundles:

Xbox One X prices are constantly changing from store to store, making it hard to keep up at times. To take the pain out of scoping out the best Xbox One X prices, you should be able to find the best real-time deals listed below, updated live, along with some hand-picked options. 

Why should I buy an Xbox One X?

While not technically a ‘next-gen’ console, the Xbox One X is still a powerful upgrade over the current Xbox One lineup. To simplify things, it’s more aligned with Sony’s PS4 Pro than it is anything else. The target audience of both consoles are gamers with a 4K HDR TV who want to squeeze the best graphical performance possible out of their favoured console. For those gamers without a 4K TV, there will be modest performance boosts although it’s likely not worth the upgrade if you don’t have a 4K HDR TV.

We’re told that the Xbox One X won’t necessarily have any exclusive games released for it, and as far as we know all Xbox One titles will still work with it, so exclusivity and compatbility and reason enough alone to ditch your Xbox One S.

The Xbox One X is making bold claims about true native 4K gaming though with its upcoming titles and if you have a 4K TV with High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology, the Xbox One X is ready to seriously impress with the likes of Forza Motorsport 7, Metro: Exodus and Anthem set to be true jaw-droppers in the graphics department.

What is the Xbox One X price?

Although it’s steep, the price conversion from the US didn’t hit us nearly as hard as it normally would. The Xbox One X will cost $649 in Australia while the US will pay $499. 

Where can I order an Xbox One X?

As is to be expected, all the usual suspects in the gaming retail business have the console in stock, although each and every one is offering the new Xbox One X for the same price.

With that in mind, you may as well order your console from The Microsoft Store for $649 as there’s a better chance they’ll have a bigger stock allocation, given it’s the company’s own store.

What if I don’t care about 4K or want to save money?

Well, the good news is that the standard Xbox One S is a fantastic games console and you’ll likely be able to get one with a few games for less than $300 over at our Xbox One deals page.

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Directly following the terror attacks in Christchurch earlier in 2019, the Australian Government introduced “The Sharing of Abhorrent Violent Material” bill, which included hastily crafted legislation to penalise offending websites and social media platforms that failed to take down abhorrent violent material within a “reasonable” timeframe.

Since then, Australian Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have diligently blocked a total of 43 websites that hosted or shared the abhorrent content relating to the Christchurch attack, although the aforementioned bill – at the time – didn’t necessarily give them the legal clearance to do so.

As such, these ISPs called for laws and guidelines to be put in place to protect them from any repercussions they may encounter from blocking these sites, and for them to have clear government backing in doing so.

The government steps in

Now, six months after the attack itself, the Australian eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant has given the appropriate government backing in the form of a direct order to continue blocking eight of these sites – the remainder of the initial sites that refused requests to take down the material.

This is the first example of clear legal backing for the ISPs to be blocking sites on these grounds, however it isn’t 

Commissioner Inman Grant’s office will be responsible for monitoring the eight blocked sites – all of which are hosted outside of Australia – over the course of the six-month ban in order to determine whether they have complied with the removal request and can thus have the block lifted.

The eight websites that have been blocked have not been named, likely to avoid drawing any further attention to them. Following the six-month ban and monitoring period, the sites will face a full review and likely receive a further ban if they haven’t complied.

Legislation in action

Speaking with ABC Radio’s AM program,Commissioner Inman Grant stated that her eSafety office had received 413 reports of malicious content online since the aforementioned Abhorrent Violent Material bill had been put in place.

“About 93% of it is child sexual abuse material that we have taken down through other regulatory powers that we have”, she said. 

But for the remaining 7% that does fit the nature of content covered by the bill, five takedown notices have been issued so far, three of which have been complied with, but no prosecutions have taken place thus far.

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