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Archives for April 2009

Customer service - have your say

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Rob Unsworth - editor | 18:14 UK time, Monday, 27 April 2009

Comments (119)

Fed up being stuck on hold listening to pan pipes music when you'd rather be speaking to a customer service assistant? Sick of repeating your postcode to a computer that can't understand your voice? Or simply had enough with shop staff who just can't be bothered?

We want to know about the things companies do in the name of customer service that drive you round the bend. Vent your spleen on the comments section below.

The Watchdog customer service questionnaire has now closed, but come back on Monday 4 May to see the results.

Note, we can only publish general comments about companies on this page. If you have a specific complaint about a company, send it in to Got a story? so that our story team can investigate on your behalf. You never know, it might appear on a forthcoming programme.

The rules that favour water companies

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Joe Mather - series producer | 18:05 UK time, Monday, 27 April 2009

Comments (18)

At the beginning of April we revealed how people like Alan Ashmore from Newark had been paying his water company for 25 years for a service he wasn't getting - draining away the surface water from his property into public sewers. It's a service which shows up on most household bills as 'surface water drainage'.

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Tesco's travel money

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Zoe Behagg - web producer | 16:40 UK time, Monday, 27 April 2009

Comments (5)

Last week Tesco announced record annual profits of £3billion, an increase of ten per cent. Not bad going in a recession. Maybe one of the reasons its sales are so high is its aggressive marketing. It doesn't miss a trick when it comes to knocking its rivals.

On its website, on the page about buying travel money, it says: "We won't be beaten on price by M&S, Post Office or Sainsbury's". But is it true?

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DVLA removing licence entitlements

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Zoe Behagg - web producer | 15:17 UK time, Monday, 27 April 2009

Comments (152)

Whether we drive a car or ride a motorcycle, the DVLA keeps records on 43 million of us in the UK. The DVLA know where we live, when we got our licence and most importantly they know what we're entitled to drive - or do they?

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Problems with Gas Safe cards

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Joe Mather - series producer | 14:19 UK time, Monday, 27 April 2009

Comments (17)

Back in March, Watchdog reported that since 1 April 2009, domestic gas engineers in England, Scotland and Wales have had to bin their old Corgi cards and sign on to the Gas Safe Register. Anyone who's carrying out work on a gas appliance will need a Gas Safe registration card. This is to prove your gas engineer is competent and qualified. Unless they're registered with the Gas Safe Register, they're not legally allowed to do any work.

But, since we told you about the new scheme, Watchdog has heard from gas engineers unhappy about how the new cards have been introduced.

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On the programme - Monday 27 April

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Zoe Behagg - web producer | 16:25 UK time, Thursday, 23 April 2009

Comments (1)

In the news this week
Footage of police officers hitting out at the G20 protests has dominated the news for the past fortnight. Will cameras being everywhere change policing?

Increasingly high quality cameras are included in mobile phones, and dedicated cameras are now cheap and compact.
"This has totally changed the landscape in terms of police accountability," says Prof Stenning. "There is nothing they can do which isn't recorded."

Read the full story on BBC News.

Who's watching you?
With millions of CCTV cameras, a growing network of number-plate recognition cameras, one of the largest DNA databases in the world and plans for a super database to log all our phone calls and emails, the UK has become one of the most watched places in the world. In a new series on BBC Two, Who's Watching You?, Richard Bilton explores the hidden world of surveillance to find out why increasingly we are all being watched and why some people think we have already become a surveillance society. What do you think? Read more about the programme and have your say below.

Budget 2009
The Chancellor, Alistair Darling, has delivered his Budget for 2009. From alcohol and fuel to benefits and savings, find out how the Budget will affect your finances.

Whatever you're budget, it's important to always keep a good 'cash cushion'. This is an emergency fund that you keep in an instant access bank or building society account so if you ever need money you can get it straight away. Experts recommend that you keep six to 12 months worth of expenditure in that account.

Download the latest Watchdog factsheet for more financial advice.

E-book readers

One small way some people are saving money is by buying an e-book reader. A paper book can store precisely one book, whereas an e-book can potentially store hundreds.

Use the guide on BBC Click to find out some of the benefits of using an e-book reader and what to look out for when buying one.

Your comments
Our report that some Minis that could catch fire while you're driving has caused a heated debate.

Comment 11 - longybel says: "This exact same thing happened to my 51 plate mini, and even worse was that my insurance company wouldn't cover me! I had to fork out £1,500 for a new steering pump and to replace all the wiring and parts destroyed by the fire!"

While comment 12 - blackminniemouse wrote: "My 2002 mini one (petrol) caught fire last May as a result of the power steering pump. The only warning I got was that the steering became light as I turned. Fortunately I was collecting my daughter from dancing and was able to park. There were no warning indicator lights on, I only realised there was a serious problem when I got out and seen flames coming from underneath the car and smoke coming from the bonnet."

But the most commented on report this week is Property management fees.
Comment 8 - JonEvang says: "It is an outrage that we pay these companies and receive nothing in return!"

There's some positive advice from comment 16 - LynSDel:
"Our management company was useless and charged us a huge amount of money for doing nothing? I did some research into Right to Manage and phoned a company in Guildford (Leasehold Advice Centre) who helped us go through the process. It was painless, not that difficult, cost each flat approx £300 and just required everyone to communicate. We were a small block and everyone participated, but the result was amazing. We now have a local couple to clean and do the garden. We solved the rat problem. We decided to pay for double-glazing, and the flats look a thousand times better. I would encourage anyone to go through this as the results are well worth the cost."

Coming up on the programme
The wishy-washy regulations that allow the water companies to clean up at our expense. How the DVLA is removing people's right to ride motorbikes and drive cars for no reason - forcing them to retake their test. Plus, the woman who despite having breast cancer and ten operations isn't, according to her insurers, critically ill.

£14,000 refund for wedding disaster

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Joe Mather - series producer | 15:28 UK time, Tuesday, 21 April 2009

Comments (1)

In March we told you about newlyweds Caroline and Ed Whiffin whose Thomas Cook honeymoon was ruined by noisy drilling. They were staying at the Riu Tropical bay resort in Jamaica. Read the story here.

After we featured the story, Watchdog was contacted by another couple who'd stayed at the same hotel. Julie and Douglas Dixon hadn't just gone to the Riu Tropical bay Resort for their honeymoon - they got married there.

350_thomson_wedding.jpg

Julie and Douglas paid over £14,000 for their wedding ceremony, honeymoon and for 11 of their loved ones to join them for the special occasion. They'd booked with Thomson.

The couple were only informed of the building work when they arrived at the hotel and Thomson weren't able to relocate the wedding party.

Read the rest of this entry

Property management fees

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Zoe Behagg - web producer | 19:18 UK time, Monday, 20 April 2009

Comments (63)

If you're one of the 1.6 million people who currently own leasehold property, then chances are you're also paying a management company to make sure it stays in good condition.

In March, Watchdog looked into the story of Carrie Murray, a leaseholder who was paying her management company every year to maintain the block of flats she lives in. But the company wasn't keeping its side of the bargain. Anita Rani investigated and discovered the block was riddled with mould, which the management company refused to sort out.

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Flower delivery that's bloomin' awful

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Rob Unsworth - editor | 17:13 UK time, Monday, 20 April 2009

Comments (33)

We must love flowers in the UK - we spend £2 billion a year on them. For Valentine's Day, Mother's Day or even just a birthday - a surprise bouquet is the perfect way to show you're thinking of someone.

But Watchdog has received complaints about an online florist called Bloomin Delightful that's failing to deliver flowers on time or even at all.

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Number One Pig Consortium disappoints

These days more and more of us want to know exactly where our meat comes from and that the animals we eat have had a happy life. So what could be better for a carnivorous foodie who wants to go the whole hog than - a whole hog?

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Minis that could catch fire

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Zoe Behagg - web producer | 15:09 UK time, Monday, 20 April 2009

Comments

The Mini is one famous car, with one small part which has two big problems. In February 2009, we revealed the first. A fault with the power steering pump in many petrol Minis made between 2001 and 2007 was leaving some drivers fighting to control their cars. The manufacturers BMW insisted the issue didn't make them unsafe to drive but on a test track, Paul Heiney saw how difficult the Mini was to steer after we replicated a power steering pump failure.

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On the programme - Monday 20 April

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Zoe Behagg - web producer | 11:17 UK time, Sunday, 19 April 2009

Comments

In the news this week
According to the Mental Health Foundation, Britons are more fearful than they were ten years ago and suggest that media fixations with bad news, the credit crunch and the thought of looming global depression could be to blame. So it's good to see that many things are looking up for UK consumers this week - the pound rises to a three-month high, mortgage lending 'rises slightly' and motorists could get up to £5,000 in subsidies if they buy an electric car. Is this enough to make you change the car you drive? Watch an electric car in action and tell us what you think.

Plus, the best news of all, Julia Bradbury is to return to Watchdog this week after being cleared by an inquiry into ''suspicious'' Virgin Atlantic air miles activity. Read Julia's statement.
 
Your comments
Last week Watchdog asked are you paying too much for water? Lots of you think you are but have solved the problem.

Comment 5 - Engeeacm says: "I faced this problem with Southern Water where the whole estate were being charged for rainwater collection where the water went to soakaways? I wrote to them to say they'd be charging me for this service since I bought the property and the outcome of this situation is that I did receive a full rebate for my ten years of ownership."

Comment 12 - Koala girl wrote: "I used to pay [for service water] and it showed as a separate charge. I provided proof that I had disconnected myself from the surface drain and now the charge is not shown on the bill. Simple."

However, Comment 14 - mad_raver says: "Even though the water from my roof does not enter the main foul sewer it would appear that if any water from your drive enters the gutters in the street and is drained away via this method then you are still eligible to pay the surface water charges. I am unsure if to pursue this or not and think the programme was a little misleading in how easy is was to reclaim this charge and obtain a reduction on your bill, any comments on this would be useful."

Watch the full report and have your say.

Coming up on the programme
Next week on Watchdog we're looking at property management and ask if it's time to change the law. If you own a flat and live on a private estate the chances are you're paying an annual fee to a management company. We've heard from hundreds of owners who are stuck paying for services they're not getting and are fed up that they can't seem to do anything about it. Isn't it time for a change in the law? We invite a spokesperson from the Association of Residential Managing Agents into the Watchdog studio to ask how a change in the law may help people.

And after the Watchdog report about minis that had problems with power steering, lots of you wrote in with more complaints about more frightening faults with the car.

Watch the programme on Monday 7.30pm on BBC One, then come back to this Watchdog reports section and join in the discussions.

Cancer excluded from critical illness insurance

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Joe Mather - series producer | 14:18 UK time, Thursday, 16 April 2009

Comments

Taking out critical illness insurance might not be the most pleasing thing to go shopping for, but at least it's practical - especially if your mortgage or business depends on you being fit enough to work.

The premise is that you'll receive a pay out from your insurer, depending on how much you pay them, for a diagnosis of a critical illnesses within seven core areas; heart attack, kidney failure, major organ transplants, multiple sclerosis, stroke - and cancer.

So imagine how you'd feel if you did get cancer, but your insurer said it didn't count?

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Are electric cars the future?

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Zoe Behagg - web producer | 14:13 UK time, Thursday, 16 April 2009

Comments

Motorists will be offered subsidies of up to £5,000 to encourage them to buy electric or plug-in hybrid cars under plans announced by the Government. Would this motivate you to buy one?

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Behind the scenes of the Watchdog roadshow

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Zoe Behagg - web producer | 15:21 UK time, Sunday, 12 April 2009

Comments

Nicky Campbell, Anita Rani and Paul Heiney present the Easter 2009 special Watchdog roadshow from the Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham.

They brought with them a team of experts to provide free advice to members of the public on all matters financial, from savings and pensions to money-saving tips and advice.

Watch the video to see what happens behind the scenes, including the Watchdog Roadshow producer Rowland Stone's view of the day.

For those who couldn't make it on the day, you can read financial advice from the experts in the Watchdog roadshow factsheet.

Paying too much for water?

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Zoe Behagg - web producer | 13:43 UK time, Sunday, 12 April 2009

Comments

Most of us pay a charge to our water company for draining away the rain and other water which comes off our roofs and driveways. It's called surface water.

But every year tens of thousands of people pay too much on their water bill because they don't realise they don't have to pay it.

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Hemmings Leisure leaves stars out of pocket

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Zoe Behagg - web producer | 12:20 UK time, Sunday, 12 April 2009

Comments

Working in showbiz is full of uncertainty. Will you get another booking? Where's the next cheque coming from? It's the same whether you're a magician, a part-time tribute band, or even an old school comic legend. But if you do get a gig and have signed a contract, you'd like to think you'll get paid. But that could all depend on the man who's booked you.

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Clamping down on clampers

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Zoe Behagg - web producer | 17:57 UK time, Thursday, 9 April 2009

Comments

They're not always the easiest people to deal with and somehow clampers always seem to have the upper hand. Once they've put their clamp on your car, there's only one way to get it off - pay up.

Clamping is a big issue and not just in Birmingham. The reason that many of us seem to be getting frustrated is because some clampers seem to be able to do whatever they like to get their hands on our money.

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A fish called river cobbler

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Rob Unsworth - editor | 15:56 UK time, Tuesday, 7 April 2009

Comments

Watchdog has had several emails about a fish called river cobbler which is on sale at Asda and Tesco. It's also on sale at Sainsbury's where it's called basa. It comes from Vietnam and its proper name is pangasius.

Some of you looked it up on the internet because you'd never heard of it before, and came across all sorts of horror stories claiming it's fill of toxins, such as arsenic, toxic metals and harmful pesticides.

Lauren Antony from Lanarkshire emailed us to see if we could investigate this further and enlighten the nation, so we had a go.

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Better news for scratched Xbox games

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Rob Unsworth - editor | 14:59 UK time, Tuesday, 7 April 2009

Comments

After our report on the scratched games discs for Microsoft Xbox 360s, we heard of all sorts of ways to get the scratches off the discs - from nail polish remover to toothpaste. None worked - but then we got a tip off about another solution.

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Do detox products work?

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Zoe Behagg - web producer | 18:39 UK time, Monday, 6 April 2009

Comments

It's amazing the lengths some people will go to, thinking that they can cleanse their bodies of all the bad stuff in them. When we spoke to members of the public they told us about various ways they 'detox', including one lady who drank a combination of maple syrup and Cayenne pepper and another person who drank a mixture of fine clay with water. It's no wonder detox is such big business.

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XL holidaymakers' refunds

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Zoe Behagg - web producer | 18:03 UK time, Monday, 6 April 2009

Comments

Last September XL Leisure went bust. It was regarded as one of the worst crises ever to hit the travel industry. 85,000 passengers were left stranded abroad and 250,000 of their customers who'd paid for holidays were stuck with useless bookings worth tens of millions of pounds.

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HIPS company fails to deliver

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Joe Mather - series producer | 17:48 UK time, Monday, 6 April 2009

Comments

Watchdog investigated the issue of Home Information Packs (HIPS) and a company that failed to deliver three times over. HIPs are the government's big idea to make buying and selling your home quicker and easier. It's a brand new business, with an age old problem. People who'll make all sorts of promises to get hold of your cash but fail to deliver on their promised service.

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Watchdog reports get a new look

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Zoe Behagg - web producer | 12:10 UK time, Monday, 6 April 2009

Comments

Watchdog gets a new look
All the BBC blogs and Watchdog report pages have had a redesign. This is so that they look consistent with each other, which should make them easier and familiar to use if you post messages on more than one BBC blog.

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Explore the BBC

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