Dear Claudienne

I am asking you to help me to get the rest of my money from either the National Housing Trust or the National Land Agency (NLA). My father and I owned a piece of land in Denham Town in joint tenancy. The NHT bought the lot and paid me a half of the money ($200,000). I have shown the NLA the title for the land which shows that I owned it jointly with my father. However, even though I told them that my father died in the Eventide home in the 1970s and I cannot get a death certificate from the Registrar General’s Department, the NLA said that I will not be paid the rest of the money until I provide them with proof of his death.

For over a month now I have written to the NLA to find out when I can get the rest of money but they have not replied. The last person I dealt with was the manager of the Legal Service for the Commissioner of Lands.

I am asking you to find out which of the agencies should pay me the remaining $200,000. Is it the NHT or the NLA? I think that I should be paid by the NHT because they are the agency that purchased the land.

Please find out all you can about this matter for me.

BS

Dear BS

We asked the NHT to clarify the matter. The NHT has advised Tell Claudienne that the acquisition of lands for the Inner City Housing Project (ICHP) was handled by the Commissioner of Lands. The NHT said that their payment for the land was conditional on instructions they received from the Commissioner of Lands and in effect made the transaction an arrangement between the Commissioner of Lands and the landowner(s). You therefore must meet the conditions of the NLA so that on the instruction of the Commissioner of Lands, the $200,000 still owing on the land can be paid to you by the NHT.

We also spoke to a lawyer at the NLA. She said that the death of your father must be established. We told her that you said that when your father died you and your other siblings were living in the United States. On being questioned by Tell Claudienne you explained that a telephone call from a lady living in Tivoli Gardens in the 1970s, notified one of your sisters of his death. The lawyer said that a declaration from this woman, witnessed by a Justice of the Peace that she knew your father and explaining how she knew that he died, would adequately establish his death. We note that you went to Tivoli to find this lady and learned that she had died.

We have now learnt that you are in touch with a dentist who knew when your father died and could do the declaration. Please go to see the NLA lawyer when she returns to the island after June 19, and she will guide you in the preparation of the declaration by the dentist.

Good luck

Dear Claudienne

As I write this e-mail I am without internet and cable service. I moved to Red Hills on April 1, 2011, and from the first day here I have been having problems with the internet service provided by Logic One Limited. I can get up and wait on the internet service to go every single day. One year plus and the same problems have continued. The internet works for 20 minutes then it breaks down for 20 minutes every single day of the year I have been here.

I have made numerous complaints and even reported the company to the Consumer Affairs Commission and still the problem continues.

I really need some help as being a first year student at the University of Technology, I use the internet a lot for research.

CG

Dear CG

We spoke with the manager of Logic One Limited. The manager told Tell Claudienne that she investigated the complaint and established that there was a problem. She said that the problem has been addressed and when she spoke to you on Saturday June 3, the internet was working. You have confirmed that the service is now satisfactory.

Good luck.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 936-9436 or write to: Tell Claudienne c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com. Please include a contact phone number.