We know from your emails that many people don't trust banks and are worried about where they're putting their money. So we spoke to Eric Leenders from the British Banker Association to get his thoughts on the banking system.
Owen Roberts head of callcreditcheck.com talks to Paul Heiney about credit checks and what people should do if they have defaults on their credit history that need removing.
These days, we're not just customers of banks, we own some of them. Which is why we're more interested than ever in how they treat us. We know from your emails how worried some of you are about where you're putting your money. And you already suspect that some banks have now got far worse deals... and far more charges. We've been talking to you about banks and you've told us what you think, so we invited Eric Leenders, executive director of retail at the British Bankers' Association, into the studio. Watch the clip above to see why he says we shouldn't be worried about how the banks are looking after our money.
Holidays are usually full of memorable moments and the Dominican Republic is an idyllic background for most people's holiday memories, the sort of place you'd never want to leave. However, two years ago, we featured a story about how a stay at one of the island's newest resorts turned into a holiday some of the guests would rather forget.
When it comes to debt, we've never had it so bad. Personal debt in the UK is at £1.5 trillion. That's the equivalent of everyone in the country owing over £25,000 each. No wonder debt recovery has become such big business.
Debts are now being bought and sold by companies who seem to have no idea why you owed the money in the first place. The result is that many of you are being hounded for money by people you've never heard of for sums that you might not even owe.
We all know the difference between night and day but it seems some people who deal with the readings of a certain type of electricity meter are getting confused. The meter is an Economy 7 meter. Over 6 million homes in the UK have one. They all display two different rates, one for the electricity that you use during the day and a cheaper one for the night. However, if these meters are read the wrong way round you could end up being overcharged by hundreds of pounds.
Financial advice
Many of you have written in this week to request a copy of the Watchdog financial health check factsheet.
Following further comments on this site from Vauxhall owners who've experienced the problems reported on Watchdog, Vauxhall has reiterated how seriously the company is taking this issue - and its commitment to tackling it. It has also made clear it only affects the models named on the programme.
Lots of you are trying to cut back on your spending at the moment. It's not always straightforward but there are simple ways you can cut costs.
We thought it was about time we shared some of these tips with the Watchdog viewers. So, we rounded up some experts in personal finance, mortgages, savings and debt and sent them to Milton Keynes to offer some face-to-face advice.
Last week we highlighted how customers with gift vouchers from the music chain Zavvi were being told that since the company went into administration they weren't allowed to use those vouchers.
Dozens of you contacted us outraged that companies in administration continued to accept cash in their stores but wouldn't accept gift vouchers. Both Zavvi and womenswear chain Viyella are refusing to allow customers to use vouchers, even though they've already accepted money for them.
Hampshire, famous for the New Forest, birthplace of Jane Austen and home to a man called Krzystof Nicpon. He's an elusive man who hides behind closed doors and puts his name to nothing. And so might you, if you were chasing people for thousands of pounds they shouldn't have to pay.
Vauxhall cars
The comments on the Watchdog reports have been coming in thick and fast this week, especially on the Vauxhall report. Huge apologies to those of you who wrote in but haven't had your comment published.
People who got Zavvi vouchers as Christmas presents discovered they weren't being accepted in stores after it went into administration in December last year.
It may not be the most exciting car on the road but the Vauxhall Vectra is one of the most common. Over the past six years more than a quarter of a million of them have been sold in the UK, with the promise of high levels of performance and refinement and the snappy slogan 'Take control'. However, you could have to 'take control' in a way that you wouldn't expect because a number of these cars have a fault. In fact, there could be two, both of which can have the same result. You could be driving along and suddenly your engine could lose power.
We're sorry to say that since the making of this film Brian Green has passed away. When Nicky and the Watchdog team met him, at his house they noted that he was a real gentleman. The main reason he'd wanted to talk to us was to make sure that what happened to him wouldn't happen to anyone else. Hopefully, it's some comfort to his family to know that this is very much the case.
We'll be looking ahead to what 2009 holds in store for consumers. There's better news than you might think.
Back in November 2008, dozens of you got in touch with us about a Lapland-styled theme park which had just opened in Hampshire, Lapland New Forest. Many visitors were tempted by winter wonderland pictures of huskies running through snow-covered landscapes and promises of a nativity scene, Santa Claus and a Christmas market. But in reality this was far from the truth.
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