Analysis Topic: Consumer Watch
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Friday, July 27, 2007
OFT Launches Test Case On Unauthorised Bank Overdraft Charges / ConsumerWatch / UK Banking
By: Submissions
The OFT will today commence proceedings in the High Court for a declaration on the application of the law in respect of unauthorised overdraft charges.Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Using Your Credit and Debit Cards Abroad Could Cost You a Small Fortune… / ConsumerWatch / Credit Cards & Scoring
By: MoneyFacts
Lisa Taylor, analyst at Moneyfacts.co.uk – the money search engine, comments: “With travellers cheques becoming less popular more of us are opting for the convenience of using our plastic when we jet off on our holidays. However many travellers are unaware of the level of costs associated with using debit and credit cards whilst abroad.
“We take it for granted that using our debit cards is free of charge whilst on home soil, so it’s not surprising that some consumers are shocked when they see how the charges stack up after using their card on holiday. With terms such as retail conversion charge, and foreign usage charge, it can be confusing for travellers to know exactly what types of fees they will be liable for, and how much it’s likely to add to the cost of their trip.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
BBC Catalog of Phone Competition Deception's as Director General Demands "We must put our house in order" / ConsumerWatch / Scams
By: Sarah_Jones
BBC Director-General Mark Thompson today announced a package of tough measures to address the discovery of further serious breaches of editorial standards across some areas of BBC programmes and content.
The further emerging breaches, revealed following a BBC-wide search of around one million hours of output since January 2005, were reported today by Mr Thompson to the BBC Trust, and the Director-General announced the new measures in response to demands for action from the Trust.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) Price Rises adding Insult to Injury / ConsumerWatch / Insurance
By: MoneyFacts
Michelle Slade, personal finance analyst at Moneyfacts.co.uk – the money search engine, comments: “With PPI currently under the OFT microscope and being seen as an ‘overpriced, inflexible’ product, you may have thought lenders would be reluctant to rock the boat further. However as the moneyfacts.co.uk survey shows, for many providers the price has continued to climb over the last year.Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Farepak Victim Puts her Trust in Park / ConsumerWatch / Social Issues
By: Submissions
On 15th October 2006, Suzy Hall's world turned upside down.The 36 year-old single mum of two from Edinburgh had just realised that Farepak Hampers, the company she and her four customers had saved almost £1000 with for Christmas 2006, had collapsed.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Office of Fair Trading launches Interactive Scams Guides / ConsumerWatch / Scams
By: Submissions
The OFT is today launching a series of interactive scams guides designed to help people avoid being tricked into losing money. The guides expose the clever tactics used by scammers and are the OFT's latest tool in the fight against the scams that cost UK consumers £3.5 billion every year.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Huge Credit Card Chip n Pin Scam linked to Tamil Tigers / ConsumerWatch / Scams
By: Shahla_Walayat
Motorists across the UK have fallen victim to a huge oraganised credit card skimming scam, that allegedly aims to fund the activities of the separatist Tamil Tiger group in Sri lanka.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Don't Get Trapped by Your Mobile Phone Contracts / ConsumerWatch / Telecoms
By: Submissions
Flip phones, inbuilt cameras, prepaid or contract … with so many different deals on offer its easy to become confused by all the options when you're in the market for a new mobile phone.Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, April 08, 2007
4/10 life insurance customers ripped-off by ratings / ConsumerWatch / Insurance
By: Submissions
Shocking research from specialist insurance website BestDealInsurance.co.uk reveals how greedy life insurers are making huge profits from loading up customers' life insurance premiums for what are sometimes only minor ailments.David Thomson, Chief Executive from the company says: “It is scandalous just how many consumers are getting hammered by their life insurer for so-called health risks. For example, if you want insurance and a family member has multiple sclerosis some companies will impose a limitation on to what you are covered for.
Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Whistleblower reveals car giant Renault's cover-up to Watchdog / ConsumerWatch / Corporate News
By: Sarah_Jones
Car manufacturer Renault is tonight, accused by one of its own staff of deliberately downplaying a serious design fault that causes the bonnet of some cars to open while they're on the road.
In an interview for BBC One 's Watchdog – to be broadcast tonight at 7.30pm – the company's former PR manager Graeme Holt reveals he left Renault because of their handling of the issue.
"I think it's been disgraceful quite frankly," he told the programme. "It doesn't get more serious than putting your customers' lives in danger."
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Consumers reveal the truth about UK Inflation / ConsumerWatch / UK Economy
By: Fool.co.uk
The Government grossly underestimates inflation figures according to new findings of an online survey* by independent personal finance website Fool.co.uk
Consumers say inflation is 7.4% not 2.7%
- Inflation hurts older people most
- Men and women feel the affects of inflation differently
- Yorkshire experiences the lowest rate of inflation
Friday, March 09, 2007
UK Households Save Money on Gas & Electric Energy Bills by Switching suppliers - How to Switch Guide / ConsumerWatch / Utility Bills
By: Shahla_Walayat
After excessive hikes in gas & electric bills by energy suppliers during the past 2 years, many energy suppliers had failed to pass on the lower costs due to specifically the fall in the market price for gas, which has gone from a high of $16 to below $6.
Belatedly energy suppliers have started to cut into their excessive profits, as customers were still being billed as if there has been no fall in the price of gas. Already cuts have followed ranging from 15% for gas and 10% for electricity bills, with more to follow due to the fact that customers are able to switch suppliers and get much better deals.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Microsoft Vista goes on Sale Today 30th Jan 07 - But NO Mad Rush to Buy / ConsumerWatch / Strategic News
By: Certman
The big day for Microsoft finally came, when consumers could buy one of the 5 versions of Vista as it went on general release. Yes that's FIVE versions, you are probably only aware of the 4 consumer versions, but there is also a developers edition which makes the total 5.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Upgrade options for Microsoft XP to Vista / ConsumerWatch / Strategic News
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Less than 2 weeks to go before Microsoft Vista goes on general release.
The favoured install option is to perform a clean install, however if you do need to upgrade your current version of XP to Vista then please see the table below to determine which version of XP can upgrade to which version of Vista.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Microsoft Vista - More security flaws revealed in the new operating system / ConsumerWatch / Strategic News
By: Nadeem_Walayat
More security flaws discovered in Microsoft's Vista operating system, weeks prior to going on general release to the public next month by a Silicon Valley security firm Determina and a russian programmer.
Serious security breaches include :
- A flaw in Internet Explorer 7, that could allow hackers to take over any computers that visit a rogue website set-up to exploit the flaw in the browser software.
- Another flaw allows users upgrade their privileges on a computer, potentially allowing them to change system settings and to install software as well as access the wider corporate network.
- Another flaw found in Microsoft Exchange lets anyone shut down the mail server by sending an infected e-mail to the server
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Nigerian email 419 scams / ConsumerWatch / Scams
By: Nadeem_Walayat
The Nigerian scam is alive and kicking, and now targetting the emerging middle classes of India as well as continuing to hit the developed western world. In total the scam defrauds some $500 millions per year and is Nigerias fifth biggest industry.
The way the scam works is by an email sent out originating from Nigeria or another African country to a large mailing list. The emails promise a % share of millions of dollars, for helping officials of a government (or bank, or quasi-government agency or sometimes just members of a particularly rich family) out of an legal problem.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Sony releases Playstation 3 (PS3), after giving Microsoft Xbox360 a 12 month head start / ConsumerWatch / Strategic News
By: Nadeem_Walayat
Sony finally releases Play Station 3 in the US and Japan, though other parts of the world will have to wait a while. This might sound like good news for US & Japanese game players, but Sony is not expected to be able to satisfy the demand until well into 2007, so most game players wanting the Sony 3 will still have to wait a while longer. The official price for the PS3's is between $549 and $659 (depending on extras), but some of the PS3s are being offered on eBay for up to five times their retail price i.e. $2,500.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Dispute between Biscit CSP (V21 V Two One) and Netservices leaves thousands of internet users disconnected and in limbo / ConsumerWatch / Strategic News
By: Nadeem_Walayat
As of 15th November, thousands of internet users across the UK, woke up to find their internet service with V21 has been disabled with a message on screen informing them that due to a legal dispute V21, which has recently been acquired by Biscit, would no longer be supplying their broadband service. Instead, customers had the option of moving their account to a company called ezeeDSL, or waiting until 24 November to have their service terminated so they could get broadband from a different provider. Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
First Direct to end Free Banking for some by charging 10 pounds per month, which can easily be avoided / ConsumerWatch / Strategic News
By: Phillipa_Green
First Direct (HSBC's online banking arm) is to charge Current Account customers a fee of £10 per month if they do not deposit £1,500 per month or maintain an average balance of £1,500. Other banks could follow suit to recoup money lost as regulators clamped down on fees in other areas.
The £10 fee will be charged from the 1 February 2007, if the only product held with First Direct is a Bank Account or Cheque Account and if paying in less than £1,500 per month or maintaining an average monthly balance of £1,500 or less. The banking fee will be charged monthly in arrears, so the first charges will be debiting accounts during the month of March 2007.
How to Avoid paying the £10 monthly fee Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Microsoft Vista operating system to be released on 30th January 2007 / ConsumerWatch / Strategic News
By: Nadeem_Walayat
The release of Microsoft's new operating 'Vista' has been scheduled for 30th January 2007. It was originally expected to be released in Mid 2006, but the launch date has repeatedly been postponed. Microsoft had to agree to make changes to Vista in order to avoid antitrust actions and to prevent a delay in releasing the product in Europe. The EU threatened in March to ban Vista over concerns that software included in the operating system violated antitrust laws.
Microsoft has scheduled a press conference for November 30th, to announce the new operating system, along with Office 2007. The releases, mark major updates to Microsoft's two key money makers. Vista's debut has been a long time in the making. Microsoft announced detailed plans for a new Windows release, code-named Longhorn, in October 2003.
