The Chief Executive

Southern Electric - We Have Frozen Our Prices

2012-01-31T13:59:00.007Z

The big freeze turns into a 4.5% thaw
Southern Electric - Did they mislead customers into a choosing a price fix?

I've been a Southern Electric customer for quite a few years. They score very highly in customer service polls and when I phone them they answer my calls quickly and deal with my account without problems.

I was offered a price plan called Go Direct 5 which saved me about 19% on gas last year, but like all good things it came to an end in December. So they wrote to me and suggested I could call them about fixing my energy prices for 2 years until December 2013.

The letter they sent me also said 'we're the only energy supplier to have frozen our prices until at least August 2012' (now extended until October).

So bearing in mind Southern Electric had 'Frozen' their prices until August - and prices tend to drop in spring and increase in Autumn, I chose to 'fix' at the December 2011 price for 2 years until December 2013.

So I wasn't too thrilled when in early January 2012 Southern Electric announced that they would decrease their Gas price by 4.5% from the end of March. Funny kind of price 'freeze' guys.

Even worse on 26th January a letter dated 5th December arrived saying 'You've made a great choice fixing your prices with Southern Electric'.

No - not such a great choice actually - you've dropped your price by 4.5%, and I'm stuck on the old price.

So on Saturday I phoned Southern Electric to complain they promised prices were 'Frozen' so I fixed, but now they have dropped the price. Their letter misled me into making a choice I may not have made if they'd given me all the facts.

Now remember I wrote at the outset that I stay a Southern Electric customer because of their customer service? Well they didn't disappoint. The manager I spoke to agreed I could end my fix without exit penalty if I wished, and that she would investigate the letters I received.

Today she called me back, exactly as she promised. She's reviewed all the letters and listened to the phone calls I had with them in December and spoken with the Customer Services Manager whose name appears on the letters. I can be assured Southern Electric value my feedback about their marketing.

She also confirmed I can end my fix without penalty, it is entirely my choice.

I point out that their website still promises 'Our Prices Won't Budge' and perhaps the marketing department should choose their words more carefully - 'Won't Budge' doesn't leave much room for ambiguity - especially if prices may come down as well as go up.

The word 'Frozen' didn't suggest prices may also come down.

I'm very happy with the way Southern Electric has investigated my complaint. But I agree with the regulator Ofgen that energy suppliers overly complicate the market by offering so many different tariffs which are difficult to choose between. Many consumers end up doing nothing and remain on uncompetitive plans with the same supplier they've had for years. That limits competition in the market and keeps prices artificially high.

In reply the energy companies have agreed to simplify tariffs, and make consumer choice clearer. Southern Electric has said that in future it will have just 4 tariffs. British Gas has pledged simpler tariffs 'to win back trust'.

Southern Electric are selling their tariffs using words we all understand - 'frozen' 'won't budge' - now all they need to do is stick to them.

I've decided (despite my complaint) to stick with my price fix. Prices rose 19% last year, so far they've only dropped 4.5%. Averaged over the last 2 years energy prices have only gone in one direction - up.

Beware! Churchcastle and The Sun - Wordsearch Competition ends in huge phone bill

2011-12-23T17:51:00.016Z

Churchcastle run adverts like this in The Sun newspaper. If you enter they'll start writing to you inviting you to enter some competitions which could cost you very dearly.

Recently a 90 year old relative got into a spot of bother. She racked up a phone bill for £120 phoning a premium rate word search competition line. She became very frustrated when she didn't win - even though the letters she received promised she was just a step away from a big cash prize. What she didn't realise was that each phone call she made was costing her almost £10. Money she could ill afford to lose. I've been helping put things right.

She likes entering word search competitions. She's also an avid reader of The Sun. On 26th October The Sun carried a full page advertisement feature on P26. It promised readers that for an 18p phone call (from a BT landline) lasting less than 1 minute they could win £7,000 if they could identify the words hiding in the published grid of letters.

The small print carries all the Terms and Conditions and call charge information. PhonePayPlus (the premium rate telephony regulator) rules say these charges should be shown prominently with the telephone number. Apparently this ad doesn't break their rules. Can you believe it!

18p isn't much, even to a pensioner, and it's much less than the price of a stamp, or a lottery ticket. She phoned the number and correctly identified the words and left her address so they could send her the prize if she won. Soon afterwards she received a series of letters congratulating her on her word search skills. 'Only 2% of the newspaper's readers had identified the words' (note the clever choice of words - not readers who entered, but all the readers).

The highly personalised letters urged her to make another phone call - as an even bigger cash prize was now within her grasp.

Another Churchcastle promotion which ran in the Sun 24th September 2011. Word search fans could enter a competition to win an 'Emerald' Pendant complete with 'Gold tone' chain. Read the very small print and you'll discover how much the prize will really cost you.

The 'Emerald Pendant' Sun readers received - complete with 'Gold tone chain' and its certificate of authenticity signed by an un-named 'gemologist'. Impressive...er no. The telephone call to 'win' this cost Sun readers who ressponded to Churchcstle's advert £9.18 - after a call lasting 5 minutes 55 seconds at £1.53 a minute and an extra £4.59 if they stayed on the line to receive matching earrings - 2 minutes 55 seconds also at £1.53 per minute.

These letters praising her word search skill may also have started because of another advert in The Sun she responded to in September. This full page ad also contained a word puzzle - but there was a prize for every reader who got the correct answer - an emerald pendant on 'gold tone' chain. A cheaper prize you have never seen. In fact one may also be lurking inside cheap Christmas Crackers.

But whichever 'bait' lured her in, both advertisements were run by the same company. Churchcastle are based in St Leonards on Sea, Sussex. I searched for some information about them online. I discovered Churchcastle were taken to the High Court by the Office of Fair Trading in 2006 (click to read) for running similar competitions. In the sample case presented to the court over 446000 mailings had encouraged 56,000 recipients to phone a number costing £1.50 a minute - £7.50 in total - believing they had won a major prize including £10,000 in cash, a fitted kitchen, or a widescreen TV. In fact they received a low value voucher booklet. The court instructed Neil Frogley the promoter behind Churchcastle to clean up its act, or they would be back in court.

An example of one of the letters Churchcastle send to Sun readers who respond to the competitions advertised in the newspaper. This letter appears to suggest that the recipient is eligible for a £7000 prize - all they have to do is phone (I can confirm the call costs £9.60 - thanks to using a magnifying glass on the small print). The letter says 'Cash prize delivered by secure DHL Express Couriers immediately after winner announced' and advises 'we would also like to ask that you condsider our using your initials and home town for future publicity purposes'. Nice work. Snake oil salesmen would be envious of copy this enticing.

Since 2006 it appears Churchcastle have continued to promote competitions which manage to stay within the letter of the various rules on advertising and premium rate telephony but at the same time extract large amounts of cash from gullible entrants.

I telephoned Consumer Direct and a very helpful woman from Trading Standards (at the Council where my relative lives) called me. She knew all about Churchcastle. Then I phoned PhonePayPlus who regulate the use of Premium Rate telephone lines. They also knew about Churchcastle. In fact they have had a string of complaints about the company and its very expensive competition lines. But apparently none of the letters or adverts break their rules.

Then I phoned The Sun, where I was put through to parent company News International readers advertising department. A very helpful woman assured me Churchcastle was a reputable company, and they were always sending in letters proving how many prizes they had awarded. However she understood that my elderly relative had not meant to spend so much money entering their competitions and immediately agreed that she would ask Churchcastle to refund the money.

Shortly afterwards a cheque for £120 arrived made payable to my relative and cleared without problem. She continued to receive the letters telling her she was within a call of winning a big cash prize, and then they stopped. She still took some convincing that she wouldn't win if she dialled the number.

My elderly relative was embarrassed about the money she lost.
I wonder how many other people have unwittingly run up a huge phone bill thanks to Churchcastle?

I also complained to BT about the original 18p call advertised in the Sun - which was charged at 21p on the phone bill. BT said it was the phone service provider's mistake. PhonePayPlus told me the call should have cost 18p. I couldn't get to the bottom of it, but BT promised to refund £10 as a goodwill gesture for all the trouble. Why is everyone offering money not to take this complaint more seriously? Is it such a profitable enterprise for The Sun, BT and Churchcastle?

Finally I considered complaining to the Advertising Standards Authority about the ad in The Sun, and the 18p call which cost 21p and resulted in such expensive letters. But as all the ASA do is instruct companies not to run offending advertisements again I decided I might as well shout out of the window as write the email.

Has this happened to you, or someone you know?
The Office of Fair Trading and the High Court are the only way to stop what looks like, and feels like a 'scam'.

Remember if something looks like a scam, and feels like a scam it probably is a scam.

Sainsbury's Brand Match - Crikey it's Complicated

2011-11-04T19:07:00.010Z

Casillero del Diabo Cabernet Sauvignon
Sainsbury's £5.79
Tesco £5.79
ASDA £5.00
But I 'saved' £34.75 buying 24 bottles at Sainsbury's. How?

The UK's Supermarkets are all trying to claim they are the cheapest. They are fighting a price war, but most shoppers know it is a phony war. The supermarkets can't all be 'the cheapest'.

Tesco has 'Price Drop', ASDA guarantees it is 10% cheaper than it's rivals, Waitrose matches Tesco on leading branded products and Sainsbury's has launched 'Brand Match'.

Many people have noticed Tesco prices actually went up shortly before the 'Price Drop' launched, when they came back down again - but Tesco could justifiably claim a 'drop'. ASDA is adamant it is cheapest - and guarantees it with it's 10% cheaper online comparison. But ASDA makes it's customers work for any refund by laboriously entering their details on the store's website.

Now Sainsbury's believes it has come up with the most appealing promise because it says it makes all the comparisons with it's competitors prices for you instantly at the check-out with it's 'Brand Match'. If the brands you buy at Sainsbury's are more expensive than their rivals you receive a voucher. If it is cheaper they give you a print out showing how much you have saved.

To an economist the Sainsbury's offer is really price fixing. They are saying to their rivals - it doesn't matter how low you go we're going to match you. To shoppers it gives the impression of value (just like John Lewis's 'Never Knowingly Undersold' promise - which also has cunning exlusions). So it's no surprise that the Sainsbury's Brand Match promotion has loads of small print too.

But how do Sainsbury's calculate those 'savings' printed out on the slips?

At the danger of coming across like an alcoholic (Christmas is coming, hic) I bought 2 full cases of wine at Sainsbury's on Monday in their Wine Festival promotion. Buy 4 bottles save 10%, buy any 6 bottles save 25%. I like the Chillean Casillero del Diablo. It usually retails somewhere between £5 - £8. It is frequently on offer - but rarely under £5.

Sainsbury's non-discount price was £5.79. I already knew it was £5 in ASDA because I bought some last week. Tesco were selling at £5.79 too. But buy 24 bottles (2 full cases) and the Sainsbury Wine Festival promo knocks 25% off - so £4.34 is the final per bottle price.

The cashier handed me a coupon with my receipt and said 'look after this carefully, you've got a voucher for £34.75 off your next shop'.

'No' I replied, it says I have 'saved' £34.75 with your Brand Match.

Sainsbury's 'Brand Match' is so complicated even Sainsbury's staff don't understand it.

Here are a few of the small print terms and conditions.

1. You must spend at least £20.
2. It's only the big Sainsbury's (not the local ones) doing the 'Brand Match'.
3. You get a voucher off your next shop (not cash back) if a rival store is cheaper.
4. Morrison's is excluded from the comparison.
5. £10 is the maximum voucher value you can 'get back'.
6. No more that 10x credits on the same item. So purchases like mine (24 bottles) have an upper limit of credits.
7. Batteries, tobacco, ink cartridges, plastic kitchenware and some other peculiar exclusions apply.
8. Vouchers expire after 2 weeks.
9. If the systems fail they use data from previous days up to 3 days then abandon the scheme.
10. Blah, blah, blah. There are 40 different Q and A's on their website http://www.sainsburys-live-well-for-less.co.uk/brand-match/frequently-asked-questions/ and they're not even the actual Terms and Conditions.

Still with me? Well done, I'd be surprised if many shoppers are.....

So how had I 'saved' £34.75 buying 24 bottles of wine at Sainsbury's when ASDA is actually cheaper?

To be fair to Sainsbury's you can phone their Customer Careline (free on 0800 63 62 62) and they will explain. So tonight I did. They track your receipt number in their system and retrieve all the information.

The friendly operator explains if I had bought 24 x £5 bottles of wine at ASDA it would cost £120.00. At Tesco it would cost £138.96 (although actually Tesco would give a 5% discount for buying more than 6 bottles of wine of £6.95 making the bill £132.01). The Sainsbury's price was £104.21.

So to calculate what I have 'saved' Sainsbury's takes the highest price I could have paid at a rival - Tesco £138.96 (even though they've got the tesco price after discounts wrong) and subtracts their price £104.21 to show a 'saving' of £34.75. Of course I know the real saving is the price I would have saved at it's cheapest rival - ASDA £120.00 (24 x 5) so the actual saving is £15.79.

The supermarkets make up their own rules to try and make sure their prices appear lowest. Sainsbury's really was the cheapest on this occasion - and I understood that - which is why I spent so absurdly.

So, I ask the telephone operator, if I had bought just 3 bottles at £5.79 (failing to qualify for the wine Festival multibuy) and tipped my basket over the £20 minimum spend with some other stuff (you must have one comparable brand in your basket) would Sainsbury's have given me 3x79p credit off my next shop (because ASDA at £5 is 79p cheaper per bottle)? 'Yes' she replied.

I'll never know, because I didn't put it to the test.

Please note the Sainsbury's Wine Festival promotion has now ended.

Tesco - Price Drop. Don't Buy It!

2011-10-13T21:57:00.004+01:00

Tesco - Chocolate Chaos

I've largely given up shopping at Tesco. They are losing customers fast, even their own trading report to the City reveals customers are spending less with them. Tesco customers know a con when they see one, and they know the Price Drop campaign is a fraud.

When I do visit Tesco I find their shelf edge prices rarely match the price charged at the checkout. This is illegal. Tonight I bought a bar of Galaxy chocolate. On special offer at £1.00 but charged at £1.31 at the checkout.

Today the website hotukdeals was awash with excitement that Tesco had mispriced Terry's Chocolate Oranges. Customers who bought 6 were given a double multiby discount due to a computer glitch. Instead of £2.75 they were charged just 29p. Tesco made a big loss selling Terry's Chocolate Orange today, but if my experience is anything to go by up and down the country they were stealing 31p - or 31% from every customer who boought a bar of Galaxy chocolate.

Price Drop?
You need your wits about you everytime you enter a branch of Tesco.

First Class Reward flight with British Airways for same price as Economy

2011-10-02T20:31:00.009+01:00

The 'New First' cabin on British Airways

It's possible for 2 people to fly First Class with British Airways for less than the price of an economy ticket. It's not easy, but it is possible.
Here's how.

It's 3 years since I last managed to qualify for a First Class Reward Flight with British Airways. The intervening years have been spent accumulating sufficient BA miles in our household BA Executive Club account, and qualifying for a BA companion voucher by spending £20k on a British Airways American Express credit card.

Finally last month we flew return from Glasgow via London Heathrow to Vancouver and back from Toronto to Glasgow via London. We also managed to secure Star Alliance Reward flights with Air Canada in Executive First (in reality business class) between Vancouver and Toronto. The taxes for the BA flights were around £430 each and the taxes and charges for The Star Alliance Reward around £120 each. So First Class travel for less than the price of a round trip in economy.

BA is about to make some changes to the way it runs The Executive Club, which allows members to claim Reward Flights. They have already said BA miles will change name to Avios points. They have decreased the number of points required for some free flights, but increased the number on other routes. The main routes with reduced points are some US East Coast cities (down from 150,000 in First to 120,000) and Tokyo (down from 210,000 to 180,000 in First). Members have to wait until November to hear about all the changes. The BA forum on flyertalk.com is rife with rumours about how bad any changes might be, which makes you wonder why BA don't just go ahead and announce now.

There are a lot of rules you already need to learn to earn this once (or twice) in a lifetime type opportunity. First you have to spend everything you can possibly manage on the BA American Express card, because you must spend £20k in 12 months to earn the Companion Voucher. The voucher gives you a flight of equal value to the main passenger for no miles, just the taxes and charges.

Next you need a lot of BA miles - 150,000 for First to North America. You also need to find availability. We booked in March for travel in August and September and there was very little availability which is why we travelled out to Vancouver and back from Toronto. Starting and ending the trip in Glasgow suited our arrangements and cost no more in taxes or miles than starting from London, however it nearly caused us to miss the Vancouver flight because our BA flight was 90 minutes arriving at Heathrow.

In fact we were a bit jinxed in this respect because our flight to London from Toronto was also delayed by 90 minutes which would have caused us to miss the Glasgow flight, but that was also 90 minutes late. BA say you can connect at Terminal 5 in 90 minutes, but I wouldn't try it again. We missed out on the chance to visit the First Class Concorde Lounge on both outward and inward journeys and running through Terminal 5 on both trips may have kept us fit but it was very stressful and slightly took the edge off all that First Class Travel.

But there is no doubt travel in BA's New First cabin should be experienced if you ever get the chance. Seats 1A and 1K at the very front are my favourite. Gold card holders get first chance to reserve these, but if they are vacant 72 hours before departure mere mortals holding tickets can grab them. The New First cabin feels slightly less spacious than the 'Old First' cabin layout (still in operation on some aircraft) but it has a very nice overall feel, and a lovely big TV screen and comfy flat bed seat with luxurious bedding. The footrest still converts to a seat so your companion can dine with you at 38,000 feet but it is more cramped than in the previous layout. Still, dining like this is very memorable.

Here is my checklist for how you might just manage to travel First Class for the price of economy (without actually buying a £5k ticket). Do check this info isn't outdated in November 2011 when the Avios scheme rules are announced. No one seems to think they should change significantly - the BA Amex card is currently on a special offer, it is unlikely BA would do this if the benefit was about to disappear.

1. Apply for a BA Amex card. The Blue card has no annual fee. You must spend £20K in a year to earn a Companion Voucher, the voucher expires after 12 months. The Premium card has a £150 annual fee, but you 'only' have to spend £10k. This voucher expires after 24 months.
2. Apply for a second card for your partner or spouse. This will help you reach the spend target. There is no fee for additional cards. Spend every penny you can on Amex - even a couple of pounds in Tesco. Use Amex everywhere they accept it. You will need to do as much of your spending on Amex as possible.
3. Set up a direct debit to clear the entire Amex balance every month. If you cannot afford to do this do not attempt to try this scheme. The interest charges will eat up any benefit. Do not spend money you do not have. First Class travel is not something to get into debt for.
4. If you and your partner / spouse / other family members qualify pool your BA miles in a Household Account. If you open this account only members of it can travel on the Companion Voucher.
5. Earn as many BA miles as you can - by flying BA, getting 1 BA mile for every £ spent on the Amex card, swapping Tesco Clubcard points, Shell Drivers points and so on. American Express Preferred Rewards points can also be transferred to BA miles / Avois points.
6. Executive Club members can also buy up to 19,000 points per calendar year. All members of a Household account can do this. 19,000 points cost £319. From time to time BA offers 20% extra points. BA experts caution against using these purchases as a way of saving miles, better to use them to make up a specific shortfall.
7. Look out for signing up offers and referral bonuses for the BA Amex and other Amex cards. Last year we earned over 50,000 BA miles by taking out Amex Gold charge cards and then cancelling them. The BA forum on Flyertalk.com has loads of clever postings about this type of wheeze. One regular posting under the name 'Raffles' has some ingenious schemes for collecting points which he generously shares.
8. Start planning where you hope to go as soon as you are about to qualify for your Companion Voucher. Try and book as soon as you receive it. You can book online and flights can be cancelled later for a £30 fee - you get your miles back. Don't expect to find First class reward flight to Sydney (300,000 points) you won't, you are more likely to get tickets to North America and South Africa than Mauritius.
9. If there are sign up bonuses for BA AMex (as there is currently Oct 2011) I can refer you. Please email me at adventuresinconsumerland(at)gmail.com. If you do this I will get some bonus miles and so will you.

Thames Water Update - Still No Meter Fitted

2011-09-22T23:45:00.008+01:00

Image from Thames Water website. Thames now sub-contract water meter installation to Vennsys

It's over a month since I wrote about the problems I've had getting Thames Water to install a water meter at my property. Thames Water thinks it's so well run it paid it's Chief Executive £1.6m last year.

Thames Water's Director of Customer Services Mike Tempest did email to apologise that 5 months have passed since I requested a meter. Thames will pay me £90 compensation for their failure to keep their Guaranteed Standards and to say how sorry they are. They also promised to fit a meter between 10 and 12 on Saturday 10th September.

The plumber (from a subcontractor H2O) arrived at 8.30 and then skulked away after waking me up. He returned on the dot of 10am and apologised he'd rung my bell so early - he hadn't read the job sheet properly. This is the first time Thames have ever done anything for me ahead of their schedule.

But the plumber didn't fit a meter as promised by Thames, he advised it would be better fitted at the outside stop-cock in the front garden, so a crew would have to come and do that on another day.

A week later a company called Vennsy's called to tell me they would call on Tuesday 20th September at 8.30 to fit the meter. I told them I wouldn't be in, but gave them permission to access my front garden. They called me at lunchtime on the agreed day to say they hadn't been able to fit a meter. They couldn't park their van in my street. I wish I'd been there, parking isn't a common problem where I live. They promised to phone the next day and re-arrange the appointment. I didn't hear from them again until two days later.

Today Vennsy's finally phoned back. They'll try and do the job next Wednesday between 8 and 10am. I don't mind, Thames Water promise a £50 compensation payment when they don't keep an appointment. I reckon I'm £50 up already.

Vennsys were awarded a 10 year contract in January 2011 to carry out all Thames Water's meter installations. Thames said as they announced the deal 'Ten year contracts are unusual in the water sector' but it 'demonstrates the importance of metering'.

Well done Thames and Vennsys, your partnership is a triumph. I presume this must be the same contractor who turned up at my property in March, and didn't fit a meter or bother to contact me, or let Thames know they hadn't done the job.

I'll be writing to The Consumer Council for Water and regulator Ofwat to advise them just how committed Thames Water has been to fitting a water meter at my property. I'll also email this blog to Mike Tempest so he can see how well the partnership with Vennsys is working.

Update: Shortly after receiving this blog Thames Water's Head of Customer Services telephoned me. Apparently the Chief Executive and Director of Services met on Friday morning to discuss the handling of my complaint. Their contractor Vennsy's is also being summoned to head offfice to account for their service standards. My meter will be fitted on Wednesday - and Thames Water will send a field supervisor to ensure the job is completed.
Further Update: At 11:15am on Wednesday 28 September 6 months after I requested one Thames Water finally fitted a water meter at my property. I emailed them 3 times, phoned them once, and wrote to the Chief Executive twice. They visited my property 5 times before they successfully met their statutory obligation. They have agreed to pay me £90 compensation under the Government imposed Guaranteed Service Standards scheme. I would of course cease to be a Thames Water customer if I had any choice but I don't.

Thames Water - Nice Work If You Can Get It

2011-08-18T20:40:00.016+01:00

Image from Thames Water Website

A woman from the Directors Office at Thames Water finally calls today (see post Thames Water - Overcharging Customers). She says Martin Baggs the Chief Executive has asked her to investigate my complaint and she will call me back when she has more information.

I express my surprise it has taken 4 days for Thames Water to respond to a complaint sent to their CEO, an executive who earned £1.67m last year. She immediately denies this figure is correct.

I have written to complain that Thames Water has fitted a water meter at my home, but is still charging me as if it hadn't. Also they have ignored all the attempts I have made to contact them since March.

Anyway it turns out I was wrong.

No not wrong about the CEO's pay - more on that later.

I was wrong to think Thames Water had fitted a water meter. They haven't.

It turns out Thames Water (who remember run a monopoly business, if you live in their area you must pay them for water) didn't actually fit a water meter at my home. They said they were going to, they came out and did a survey. They even dug up the pavement, laid a new paving slab, and fitted a new inspection cover. But they didn't actually fit a water meter.

No. apparently there were too many tree roots, telephone cables, and cable TV cables to fit a meter underground. So the men packed up their van and went on their way.

60 days later I emailed to ask why Thames Water hadn't lowered my direct debit to reflect the reduced use measured on my new water meter. Did they take the chance to say 'Oh no sorry we didn't fit a meter?' No.

Did they take the next opportunity - when I asked for compensation for failing to meet their service guarantee? No, they didn't say 'sorry we didn't fit a meter' then either.

That's because Thames Water was helping themselves to £57 a month from my bank account. Imagine I had stopped paying my monthly direct debit - would they have taken more notice of me then?

So the woman from Thames says she will send out an engineer - at my convenience, to have another go at fitting a meter. They will make £40 payment for failing their service pledge by ignoring my query in June. They will also stop my direct debit. If they cannot fit a meter they will move me onto the single occupant household tariff. I have looked this up online it is £187 per year. No wonder they've forgotten to fit a meter for me - Thames Water are charging me £570 a year! I squeeze another £40 out of her as they have failed to fit a meter within their 60 day service guarantee, but they won't repay any interest on my over-payments.

And when would all this have happened if I hadn't emailed
the Chief Executive Martin Baggs?

Er, never. Yes that's right Thames Water would have carried on collecting £57 a month until I complained.

I ask about the systems they must have in place when they are unable to fit a meter. Surely a whole set of processes kick in? I was just unlucky apparently, they didn't.

But surely when I emailed in June enquiring about my account, then a whole set of processes must kick in. No apparently not in my case.

So maybe when I asked for compensation under the Thames Water service guarantee? No no systems kicking in there either.

Apparently where I went wrong was I didn't make a formal complaint in June. I see it's my fault. The woman continues, If I had made a formal complaint Thames Water do have some systems in place which kick in. Otherwise It would appear there are no procedures in place which actually work.

Naturally I will be writing to Ofwat, their regulator, about this.

Written complaints to Thames Water in 2009/10 = 32,809*
(*source Thames Water website)

This is surprising, because Thames Water is very proud of the way it is run. So proud it paid its top directors almost £2m in bonuses last year. The woman I am dealing with denies that the CEO earned £1.67m last year when we first spoke. So I read the Thames Water Annual Report and Accounts (as a company this is a legal document).

Martin Baggs, CEO In numbers
Bonus 2010 - £179,297
Long Term Incentive Scheme Bonus 2010 (payable from 2013) - £479,400
Total bonuses - £658,697
Daily bonus rate - £2,533.44

Thames Water Profit in 2010 £208m

Martin Baggs, CEO, is on holiday at the moment (nice work if you can get it - he's earning £2,533.44 in bonus payments alone every day he's on holiday) so apparently he's asked Mike Tempest the Customer Services Director to write to me and apologise for the service I have received. As I have published Martin Baggs salary here previously I have asked for Mr Tempest to correct me if I have falsely reported Thames Water's CEO's salary - because I cannot find it listed in the Annual Report and Accounts.

Thames Water is a monopoly. I cannot take my business elsewhere - even when they fail to live up to their guarantees. I must take my £40 compensation and shut up.

Thames Water's vision is 'If they had a choice customers would choose Thames Water'

To put it another way - Thames Water, nice work if you can get it.

UPDATE
Thames Water called to say a press officer would answer my question about salaries and bonuses. The press officer seems a little bewildered as to why I would link my complaint to the pay of their CEO. I answer that his pay is for running a utility we have to use and the Directors have been handsomely rewarded, so if the service falls very short their pay is important. I explain it is important the information I have published is correct, so I am giving them an opportunity to correct it - one of their staff has told me I am mistaken that the CEO's pay in 2010 was £1.67m .

I say I have found the bonus payments listed in their 92 page Report and Accounts but not the CEO's salary and bonuses. The press officer responds - 'have I been in touch with you to correct the information?' No he hasn't. So can he confirm the figure? 'No' he can't.

He says I have obviously read the Report and Accounts, the information I want is in it. Can he tell me what it says? 'No'. I put it to him that the figure I have seen reported must be correct. I have since re-read the Report and Accounts on page 47 it states the salary of the highest paid director is £1,168,425 with additional bonuses of £500,753. This adds up to £1,669,178 - or to put it another way £822 less than £1.67m.

So I stand corrected the CEO didn't earn £1.67m he earned £822 less than that.

I say that as he has not corrected me, or offered any information to suggest my article is incorrect I won't be changing anything. He has no problem with that.

Thames Water - Overcharging

2011-08-13T13:34:00.010+01:00

Tescco kept overcharging me - I shop elsewhere
British Gas overcharged me - I changed supplier
Santander messed up my savings - I moved to another bank

Thames Water has a Monopoly
Thames Water in numbers
Profit 2010 £208m
Highest Paid Director 2010 (CEO Martin Baggs) £1.67m
£1.67m pay = £6,153 per day

If you live in Thames Water's area you must pay them for your water.

In the UK, unless a meter is fitted, water is charged based on the the rateable value of the property. Rateable values were last reviewed in 1991 - 20 years ago, and have no relation to the amount of water a home uses.

So when Thames water increased their charges for my home to £570 a year I applied for a water meter. The USwitch website calculated I would pay around £280 a year for my single occupant home - a saving of £300 a year - more than 50%.

Paying for more water than I use helps Thames Water make £208m profit and allowed them to pay their Chief Executive Martin Baggs £1.67m last year - that's £6,153 a day!
I'm sure he's worth it, but the service Thames Water provide is appalling.

I applied for a meter on 22 March 2011. Thames Water aim to complete the process in 14 days, but allow themselves 60 days. My meter was fitted within around 3 weeks.

However instead of changing my billing Thames Water continue to help themselves to £57 from my bank account each month. The billing year starts in April, so to date they have collected £285 - more than the projected charge for a whole year!

When the 60 day deadline passed I emailed Thames Water on 22 June to query my billing arrangement. They replied that I would receive a response in 20 working days. I heard nothing.

Thames Water minimum service guarantee promises to pay me £30 for failure to respond to my query. So I applied for that compensation on 6 August. They promise to respond within 10 working days. I have heard nothing.

Today, 13 August, I phoned them. Thames Water agree they have failed to meet their service standards. I speak to a manager Sarah who tells me they allow 60 days to change my billing from rateable value to metered and this deadline expired on 22 June. I explain that I emailed on 22 June when the 60 days expired, but apart from a holding letter on 29th June I have heard nothing.

The manager says she can only escalate my complaint and I will receive an answer in 5 days. I ask her for the name of her Chief Executive - which she has to look up - obviously she hasn't seen him around her office any time recently.

Thames Water work fast for their £208m profit

60 days - To fit a meter

20 working days - To respond to a billing enquiry

10 working days - To respond to a compensation claim

5working days - To respond to a complaint

7 years - In 2010 TW told Ofwat it had just found 4,000 unanswered emails from 2003

I can't leave Thames Water, I can only complain to Ofwat - the regulator. In 2008 Ofwat fined Thames Water £9.7m for among other things failing to own up about the number of customer complaints.

Update: I emailed this post to Martin Baggs The Chief Executive. I received a standard reply the last line of which reads:

Our Vision: If customers had a choice they would choose Thames Water.

Hilarious. There's no humility inside a monopoly.

Tesco - Still Stealing from Shoppers

2011-04-06T20:24:00.006+01:00

Tesco Salmon fillets 2 for £6.....or £7 if you don't check your receipt.
Isn't that stealing?

Last week I wrote about my recent correspondence with Tesco about the huge number of errors between the prices shown on shelf edge labels and the actual price scanned at the checkout.

Every Tesco has a security guard at the door - but who's stopping Tesco stealing from the customers?

Fed up with Tesco stealing from me I've been doing my shopping elesewhere - until tonight. Tesco are not much bothered about the accuracy of their shelf edge labels, so why should they worry about whether the price stickers on the actual packs are right either?

One pack of salmon is £3.50 , but the pack sticker says 'Any 2 for £6' a one pound saving.

But Tesco charged me £7, £3.50 for each identical pack.

Thanks Tesco, why not help yourself to my loose change too, or maybe some notes out of my wallet? Hey, how many more customers did you mug today?

The mannager explains the stickers are put on at the distribution centre, but the offer isn't always on in all the stores.

Doh! Silly me, I should have realised when I bought 2 packs, this offer is only on in OTHER Tesco stores....

She refunds me the pound, and I insist she gives me 'Double the Difference' as per Tesco's 'Really sorry we stole from you' policy.

See the question at the top of the receipt?

'How did we do?'

Tesco - you got caught red-handed, with your hand in my wallet.

Tesco Price Check Rip Off

2011-03-25T16:21:00.006Z

Tesco Price Check Guarantee Backfires Spectacularly

Recently I wrote to Tesco's Chief Executive to complain about the large number of mis-priced items in my Tesco Metro store. The shelf edge label said one price, but when I took it to the checkout I was charged a different price. This happened more and more frequently, even though at first Tesco denied there was a problem with the accuracy of their prices. When I bought 9 items and 6 were mis-priced that was the end for me.

Eventually (after I emailed a series of receipts and photos) the store manager telephoned me to confess there was a problem, and his staff were conducting a storewide 'price integrity' process. Woo, fancy. So this Tesco Metro is actually going to charge customers the displayed price. That's real integrity for you (and the law actually).

But now Tesco are in trouble with their prices nationally.

Recently Tesco launched the Price Check Guarantee - promising to refund double the difference if their customers could find any of the items in their shopping on sale cheaper in arch rival ASDA. In fact thousands of customers found ASDA cheaper and reclaimed over £100 in vouchers under the terms of the Price Check guarantee.

Now Tesco has responded by introducing a £20 maximum refund cap per shop. Tesco has also removed the section of their website that allowed customers to compare prices with ASDA before making their purchase.

Of course Tesco could have just decided to reduce their prices to match ASDA (as the Price Check Guarantee would suggest) but as an ASDA spokesperson said;

'if you claim to be the cheapest, call me old fashioned, but it helps to really be the cheapest'.

Since Tesco failed their price pledge failed with me I have switched nearly all my shopping to Sainsbury's - who have cleverly rewarded me with a special series of extra coupons when their systems clocked my Nectar card going back through their tills after a period of absence. They've just mailed me some £3 off a £30 shop coupons to, so it seems Tesco's inability to control their prices may be actually costing them customers. They seem too big to care.

Curry's HDMI price trick

2010-12-17T11:37:00.003Z

HDMI cable ordered from PlayTrade for £1.98 connects your digital TV to DVD player etc.

Outside of major sporting events the thing that encourages most people to buy a new TV is Christmas. Finally I have cast aside my old 28" Sony Triniton CRT for a shiny 42" Panasonic TXP42G20 Plasma and Blu-Ray home cinema from John Lewis, best price and a 5 year warranty on the TV. It arrived just when they said and I was eager to set it up. The TV and home cinema require a number of leads to connect it all up, but it comes with just 1, a video connector.

You also need 1 x HDMI, 1 x phono to phono audio lead, and a digital optical audio lead, but none of these are in the boxes.

The price of these boring, but essential, TV cables is stunning - you can pay pennies, or tens of pounds.

I bought the HDMI lead for £1.98 from Play Trade (you can buy 50p cheaper but I chose a seller - MHP computer services - who dispatched quickly) The optical audio lead I bought from Poundland, for yes, £1. I had the phono leads, but they were also in Poundland. Apparently Poundland sells HDMI leads too, but they are rarely in stock. There's a reason for that.

Curry's will also sell you a fancy HDMI lead - for £59. Ok it's got some snazzy packaging, but it does exactly the same job as the £1.98 version.

To put it another way, you could buy a gold plated lead for your kettle, but it would still only boil water.

I happened to be in Curry's just as a young mum with 2 tearaway kids was completing her choice of LCD TV for hubby's Christmas.

'Do you have an HDMI lead?' the salesman asked.
'What's that for?' she sounded bewildered.
He explained it was to connect the TV to the DVD, the computer, the games console.
She sensibly declined. But the salesman persisted.
'If you buy it now I can give you £25 discount'.
'How much is it?' she asked incredulously.
'Normally it's £59' he replied.
'No I don't think I need it, my husband has loads of that stuff'.

Thank goodness she is standing her ground I thought. But the salesman wasn't finished (wonder how much commission he gets on the HDMI cable?).

'If your husband has the cable, you can return it for a refund'

The customer's kids were running amok by now.

'Ok I'll take it' she surrenders.

He comes back from the display shelf. 'That cable is out of stock, but we have the £55 one, but I can only give you £15 off that.'

By now she is in full surrender mode and has just spent 40 quid on a bit of cable which she has no idea what it's purpose is.

This is the same trick Ryannair use when they charge you £1 for a plane ride, but then add all the extras, the card fee, the bag fee, the check in fee, etc, etc. It's also at work on the high street - so be very careful what extras you end up agreeing to this Christmas.

Wouldn't it be so much simpler if Panasonic threw into the box the £4 of leads you need with the £600 TV? Maybe that's their present to their dealers, look at all the extra sales you can make. It's the same trick suit salesman use to sell a shirt, and hairdressers use to sell shampoo. After you've parted with a large amount of cash a few more pounds don't seem so bad.

Should I have stepped in to tell Curry's customer she didn't need their over-price cable? I was sorely tempted, but the salesman did tell her she could return it for a refund. Hopefully hubby has one, or shops at Poundland too.

Uexpected item in bagging area!

2010-12-04T16:29:00.005Z

Another reason no one likes self-scanning - Unexpected change

No one likes self-scanning at the Supermarket. It's doubtful it's even quicker. Here's just one more reason to add to the lengthy list of annoyances (Unexpected item in bagging area, etc, etc). I thought I'd won the jackpot when I inserted a pound coin to pay for 42p of shopping. the coins came tumbling out, kerching, kerching, like a fruit machine payout.

Can anyone beat the number of coins a Sainsbuy's automated checkout gave me as 58p change for a £1?

4 is the minimum number of coins (50p, 5p, 2p, 1p) to make change for this 42p purchase.

Sainsburys gave me 17 coins (9 x 5p, 6 x 2p, 2 x 1p). Is this a record?

Waitrose Tesco Price Match only Half True

2010-11-29T19:53:00.004Z

Upmarket Waitrose (part of the John Lewis Partnership) has a Price Match campaign with the UK's biggest supermarket Tesco. Shelf edge labels show they are the same price as Tesco on thousands of everyday branded products.

But Waitrose shoppers who rarely venture into downmarket Tesco may not be getting the full picture. This weekend I visited both supermarkets. Waitrose is Price Matching Tesco on 2 leading brands of cheese.

Catherdral City Mature 200g is £2.15 in both stores. But in Tesco you get 2 packs for £2. Barmy I know, but that is better than buy one get one free. The Waitrose shelf edge sticker makes no mention that you could not only save 15p but get another pack free if you bought the cheese at Tesco.

The other cheese offer is Saint Agur. Waitrose Price Match Tesco at £1.99. But Tesco currently offers buy one get one free, so for £1.99 you get not 1, but 2 packs - the equivalent of 99p a pack.

So, yes Waitrose is technically Price Matching Tesco, but they're only giving customers half the picture.

Waitrose do actually tell their customers this - if they bother to read the terms and conditions of the offer.

http://www.waitrose.com/offers/brandpricematch_terms.aspx

The terms state: "If Tesco has an item on a multi-buy promotion (for example 'buy one get one free') we will still match the single unit selling price of the item but not offer the free product".

Wow. That's a great offer Waitrose, half the value on Tesco's special offers. Of course Waitrose customers will never know - because they don't often venture inside Tesco. Well done Waitrose - a marketing triumph!

Independent Inspections - they are not Independent!

2010-01-17T12:49:00.006Z

The brochure which lists Independent Inspections' approved network of retailers.
Approved retailers have to pay Independent Inspections 15% commission on the value of your claim.

I have discovered some sinister goings on in the insurance industry which I want to share with the online world, the Financial Ombudsman who regulates the insurance industry and the Office of Fair Trading.

Recently a building contractor spilled paint on the communal hall and stair carpet of the large converted Victorian house where my partner lives. I have been helping her and the other co-owners get the carpet replaced under the contractor's Public Liability insurance.

The contractor and their insurance company admit they are responsible for replacing the carpet, but so far they have only offered half the cost.

Why should the co-owners of the property have to meet the other half of the cost for the contractor's accident? The contractor has insurance with Zurich Insurance for £5,000,000 public liability insurance but so far the insurers seem reluctant to pay up.

Fortunately our claim isn't with the contractor's insurers, we are not the policy holders. Our claim is with them, and we can of course simply take them to court and insist they make good our loss. But I have discovered some sinister goings on in the insurance industry which I want to share with the online world, the Financial Ombudsman who regulates insurers and the Office of Fair Trading.

If you have home contents insurance with many of the major insurers, inlcuding Direct Line, Zurich and Churchill, and you make a claim for damage to flooring or soft furnishings there is a good chance you will find yourself dealing with a company called Independent Inspections.

The Preston based company has built a big business working for insurance companies - coming out to your home and assessing the value of your insurance claim.

The Independent Inspections assessor will tell you that they act independently of the insurance company and they make a realistic assessment of the cost of putting right your damage.

What you need to know is the one thing Independent Inspections are not is independent.

They are appointed by the insurance company, and their responsibility lies with the insurance company. The insurance company is their client, not you.

If Independent Inspections agree you have a valid claim for replacement carpet they do not award you cash. No, they issue you with a mandate, a kind of gift voucher, which you must spend at one of their appointed network of suppliers. What they won't tell you - unless you ask directly - is that the approved retailer has to make a commission payment to Independent Inspections of 15% of the value of the gift voucher.

Independent Inspections told me that this 15% commission needn't concern the customer 'it goes on behind the scenes and doesn't cost the customer anything'. The customer services operator 'Peter' (they don't give out second names) said the 15% is given to the insurance company. Mmm.

But when I asked a branch of the UK's biggest carpet retailer Carpet Right to quote to replace a damaged carpet they told me they charge £2.50 a square metre for fitting, unless it is an insurance claim when they charge £3.50. That's where the commission comes from, so it does affect the customer because you'll get less value for your gift voucher than if you paid cash.

Independent Inspections were appointed by Zurich to assess the paint damage to our hall and stair carpet. They advised Zurich that it could not be cleaned and must be replaced. Independent Inspections then issued one of their mandates for £2,225.68 based on replacing an 80/20 mix wool carpet at 40 oz weight at £16.74 a square metre with £3.50 fitting, but allowing zero for lifting and disposing of the damaged carpet or delivery of the new. They also included VAT at 15% even though it has just returned to 17.5%. They won't give you any of these figures unless you ask, they say it would be too time consuming to tell policy holders how they work out the value of the loss. Or to look at it another way policy holders might be furious to discover how much they are not being awarded to cover the costs of their loss.

I also asked Zurich about the 15% commission the retailer has to pay to Independent Inspections. the claims handler I spoke to said it was the first time she had heard about it.

I quickly discovered £16.74 wouldn't buy a similar quality replacement carpet. Not only that but the Independent Inspections assessor appeared to have got the measurements wrong. I also found that the other costs - like carpet uplift and disposal are considerable.

The 3 estimators who I appointed to assess the job all shook their heads when I mentioned Independent Inspections. Apparently it's not unknown for their inspectors to get the measurements wrong, and one even told me of little old ladies turning up at his store with a gift voucher for £200 when the real cost is £600.

Zurich has since reduced its offer of settlement to £1530, to allow for 25% wear and tear, even though they agree that the carpet has 17 years wear left in it.

The lawyer I consulted said it would be impossible to buy a previously used fitted stair carpet so our claim with the building contractor should be for the full cost of replacement.

Independent Inspections told me their £16.74 figure already allowed for wear and tear. Insurance companies love collecting premiums, their zeal for settlement is somewhat less enthusiastic.

So my strategy has been to obtain 3 quotes for replacement from 3 separate respected carpet retailers. I will present these quotes to the building contractor, with the promise to sue if they do not meet their liability. How the contractor proceeds with Zurich Insurance is up to them. I hope they get their money back - as they must have hoped when they paid their Public Liability Insurance premiums.

I'll keep you posted...

Renewing Aviva Insurance - One of life's little dramas...

2009-11-11T09:21:00.013Z

Newly re branded Aviva may discover their name change won't make their customers any happier - if my experience is typical.

In fact according to www.reviewcentre.com Aviva scores 0.9 out of 5 based on 40 reviews. Common complaints are endless delays, the time it takes to speak to someone and the accuracy of the information they provide.

The sad truth about insurance is you only know if it's any good when you come to make a claim. Fortunately my home hasn't burned to the ground but I've just discovered why I might not want to rely on Aviva to help.

You won't find Aviva on any price comparison websites. Instead they offer existing customers the lure of £20 in M&S vouchers to renew their policy. My mother was excited when she mentioned the free vouchers. 'Good luck with those' I told her, 'mine never arrived'. Instead I showed her how Confused.com offered a Churchill policy which is £160 cheaper. Is that the one with the nice dog on the telly? she asked.

My M&S vouchers failed to arrive when I renewed my Aviva home insurance policy 11 weeks ago in August.

'It's easy to renew'
Aviva's renewal letter

On 18th August I have a long call with Aviva's Mark to try and reduce my premium by a pound to last year's level. Then I paid the premium in a single payment by Mastercard.

So that's the insurance renewed for another year, but where are the M&S vouchers?

On 24th October I telephone Aviva and speak to Ashley to ask what's happened to my £20 M&S vouchers. 'We're sorry, I'll send you a replacement by recorded delivery, you'll have them within 7 days" she reassures me.

By the 4th November, 11 days later, still no vouchers. After a long wait with serious sounding recorded announcements warning me to tell only the truth, I speak to Aviva's Gerard at the Glasgow call centre. He doesn't know why Ashley would have told me replacement vouchers would be sent, they don't do that from Glasgow, but he can send a cheque.

I mention that I don't seem to have the renewed policy document either . No problem he can email it over. 'The policy is definitely in force?' I ask. 'Oh yes, don't worry, it would show as lapsed otherwise.'

Gerard's email doesn't arrive either, so I check my policy on Aviva's website. The premium is showing as charged, but the effective date is showing today's date, 4th November, not the 1st September when it fell due, which worries me.

So 2 hours later I make another call to Aviva's Gerard - in case you're counting that's my 4th telephone call for this policy. 'I did send the email' he says. 'Can you send me a hard copy in the post?' No problem (this hasn't arrived either) 'The policy is definitely in force?' 'Oh yes, don't worry about that'. It says 'charged' not 'paid' I mention. 'Don't worry we've had some issues with our accounts department'. What 'issues' I wonder?

The next day, Friday, good as their word Aviva send me a cheque for £20. But now I'm worried about my policy, and I check my Mastercard statement for August. Aviva have not collected any money from my card.

On Saturday there's another envelope from Aviva.

"Thank you for your telephone call regarding your Aviva home insurance. I can confirm there was an error when taking your renewal payment of £79 when trying to renew your Buildings insurance" "If you could call us back on the number below we can try taking payment again."

Don't you love Aviva's use of language? ''When trying to renew' we can 'try again'. No fewer than 4 times I have been reassured the policy is in force, but now Aviva can 'confirm' that there was an error. And I'm about to discover the policy number is wrong. You wouldn't want to be arguing an insurance claim with these people would you?

Now follows my 5th telephone call to Aviva - the longest at 44 minutes. Almost as long as an episode of ITV's drama mini-series 'Collision' which Aviva is sponsoring this week with the slogan "Aviva - for life's little dramas". Aviva is scripting it's very own little drama in my life.

My 5th telephone call fails at the first hurdle. Aviva uses voice recognition technology to process callers. When I say the policy number on the letter and announce my family name 3 times the system draws a complete blank and I am shuffled onto a long wait being reminded how important it is that I'm accurate with the facts I supply Aviva about my insurance.

While on hold I realise why. Aviva has written to me quoting the WRONG policy number. Accuracy is so important when it comes to insurance isn't it?

Now I'm speaking to Aviva's Charles, also in Glasgow. He's never heard of Mark B who has written to me, and although I ask for my call to be put through to a manager he still spends 15 minutes trying to read the notes himself. I tell him I will be writing to Aviva's Chief Executive, so I suggest he escalates my call.

Now I'm speaking to manager Valerie. I explain to Valerie that all I have tried to do is renew my policy. If I had not called about the missing vouchers Aviva would not have noticed their mistake and I would have been without insurance. 'That's why we record all the telephone calls' she says - 'for your protection'. In that case could you listen to all 5 of my calls and tell me what has gone so seriously wrong?' I ask.

Valerie promises that she will, and while she investigates the policy will remain in force. It's Wednesday and I'm still waiting to hear from Valerie. I'm not holding my breath...

On Monday another letter arrives from Aviva, this time it's headed 'OVERDUE DEBT - NO REMINDER WILL BE ISSUED'.

Now Aviva threaten that if I don't pay the premium by the 12th November they will cancel my policy.

Aviva - they certainly know how to write 'One of life's little dramas'.

So here's the big question - if Aviva can't renew my policy without a glitch, don't notice during 4 separate telephone calls they've made a mistake, get my policy number wrong in correspondence, lie about sending out vouchers and then threaten me with cancellation would you trust Aviva to look after your home?

Now I'm emailing the script from my 'little drama' to Andrew Moss, Aviva's Chief Executive...perhaps he knows how this one ends?

Nothing 'Instant' about Abbey Santander

2009-10-18T18:10:00.014+01:00

Spanish bank Santander has announced that it is merging all its UK banks - Abbey, Alliance and Leicester and Bradford and Bingley under the Santander brand. Chaos should surely follow, as I can reveal here.

Recently I opened an online Instant Access savings account with Alliance and Leicester. I already have a similar telephone Instant Access savings account with Abbey paying 2.5% but A&L pays 3.15%.

I can transfer funds from my Abbey bank account to the A&L savings account at the click of a mouse. But to transfer funds from my Abbey bank account to my Abbey savings account I must phone or visit a branch. I hate phoning Abbey, for the reasons I'm about to describe.

Three weeks ago I wanted to transfer the bulk of my savings from Abbey to A&L to benefit from the higher interest rate. I called Abbey. My savings account number did not figure in the automated menu so my call was cycled through the options a couple of times while I tried to work out how to actually speak to someone (that option isn't offered either).

After a couple of minutes I'm connected to the call centre in India. My call is being handled by a charming lady working to a script. I explain that my savings account is not offered in the personalised menu, and that I want to transfer my savings to my bank account.

She asks why I want to do this (it's my money, is it any of her business?) but I give her the benefit of the doubt in these fraudulent times and assume this might be some oblique security check.

So I explain I'm moving my money, via my bank account, to my other Santander savings account. In fact, as it's the same bank; Santander, can she make this transfer directly for me?

No, of course she can't. Santander isn't actually joined up at all. Even worse she tells me she has to refer my request to transfer my own money from my savings account to my bank account, to the fraud department for security checks.

I am on hold for what seems like forever. Abbey call this an 'Instant Access' Savings Account. There is nothing 'Instant' about this process.

I'm not asked any questions during the wait, so quite how Abbey verifies my identity during this essential security check is any one's guess. Perhaps they simply note that I have the funds and I'm moving them from one of my Abbey accounts to another of my Abbey accounts?

After 19 minutes my request to transfer my money from my Abbey savings account, to my Abbey bank account is approved.

I explain that there is nothing 'Instant' about this, and I would like to speak to a senior manager about the process. But my request is denied, because it is a Saturday and no one is available. So I ask for a manager to call me on Monday to discuss Santander's service. This request is denied too and I am asked to email in. Here is my email:

Dear Abbey

I have just spent 19 minutes on the telephone transferring my instant access savings account to my Abbey bank account.

There is nothing instant about your ‘Instant Access Savings Account.’

The above account is not offered as part of the automated banking menu, there is no offer to speak to an advisor, customers are simply cycled through unhelpful menus.

Finally when I do speak to an advisor I am asked why I want to transfer such a large sum to my own bank account and then put on hold for a lengthy period while my request is referred to the fraud department for security checks.

In case the absurdity of this is lost on you, and before you cite the importance of security, let me remind you I am transferring money from one Abbey account in my name to another Abbey account in my name.

I am doing this in order to transfer the money to another Santander savings account which pays a significantly higher interest rate. This account will transfer cash from my Abbey bank account at the click of a mouse.

I asked to speak to a senior manager to express my concern that this transaction took so long, and was told no one was available, nor could anyone telephone me on Monday.

I am surprised Abbey cannot look after it’s higher depositing customers with more care. I cannot waste my time because Abbey’s systems are so poorly organised. I am a shareholder and I am concerned that your business is not adequately resourced. This will cost the bank customers and my investment in the bank will suffer.

I will shortly be transferring further funds away from Abbey unless you can assure me that you plan to provide a faster, more efficient service and competitive interest rates between different parts of the Santander group.

I would be grateful for your comments on my experience, the functionality of the Instant Access Savings account and the service provided by your call centre.

Abbey's far from 'Instant' letter

'We are serious about your complaint'
Abbey leaflet enclosed with their letter.

On 13th October Abbey write to say they are sorry, and assure me customer service is of great importance. They agree at 20 minutes this (transaction) seems to have taken a long time. 'We still need to do the relevant security checks, I am sorry that you were not happy with this but hope you can understand our reasons.' Abbey don't feel any need to explain these reasons, so I am none the wiser about what they did during the huge time I was kept waiting. Abbey agree a manager should have called me back as I requested. If I'm unhappy with this response I can also complain to Abbey's Central Complaints Team. Great, perhaps they'll fob me off again?

Abbey also point out that while this savings account doesn't offer Internet banking I can use it in any branch. So I plan to put Abbey to the test - will a transfer take less than 20 minutes in a branch?

The race is on can Abbey make an 'Instant transfer' in under 20 minutes?
The answer is No.

Update: On Saturday 24th October. at 15:50 hours I walk into the local Abbey branch armed with no more details than when I telephoned Abbey to make the previous transfer. Amazingly there is no queue and I walk straight up to the cashier. There is a sign advising he is a trainee. I ask to make a large transfer from my Instant Access Savings account to my bank account. He can't find the account and asks about taking money from my Cash Isa account. This would be a very costly and irreversible error. Finally he has the account, but he wants to see my passport or drivers licence. Just as when I telephoned Abbey I have neither. Without ID there can be no transaction.

I ask to speak to the duty manager sitting behind him, who he has twice had to go and ask questions. She accepts a UK credit card as ID but asks me to move across to the other cashier, because my guy is only a trainee. The second cashier also has problems, and the manager talks him through the transaction.

Transfer over, I look at my watch. It is 16.11. the branch has closed. The transaction has taken 21 minutes. One minute longer than the telephone call duration I originally complained about!

Based on my experience Abbey is far from committed to Customer Service.

Update 11 November. I have since moved most of my Instant Access savings from Abbey to A&L - OK, so it's another branch of Santander, but shortly I will be moving again. Next time my money is going to NS&I who pay a hefty 3.95% on a 1 year bond which can be cancelled at any time with loss of 90 days interest. Hopefully NS&I are even more committed to their customers than Santander?

VW Driver's Seat Burn Alert! - Update

2009-09-26T11:11:00.006+01:00

The story so far: The heated driver's seat of my VW Golf MkIV malfunctioned and burned through the upholstery, scorching my thigh. VW UK told me this was simply a sign of the vehicle's age (8 years) rather than a safety issue - even though there was a recall of some VW Golf Mk IVs because of a safety issue affecting the driver's heated seat. They completely failed to investigate whether there was a link. so I emailed a link of my last blog post 'Driver's Seat Burn Alert!' to the President of VW in Germany.

I guessed that while the UK distributor may be too arrogant to investigate customer safety alerts the Germans would be much more concerned. My instincts were correct. A week or so after emailing the most senior man in Volkswagen I received an email advising me they were looking into the matter. The German parent replied:

We refer to your e-mail dated September 3rd 2009, addressed to our Chairman Prof. Dr. Winterkorn. As you will have noted from our interim reply, our department has been requested to reply and we were sorry indeed to read about the disturbing experiences you have made, which prompted you to write. In view of these, we like to liaise with our importer Volkswagen UK in order to look for an appropriate and satisfactory solution. Either our importer or we will get back to you then.

Three days later VW UK's safety liaison officer phoned me to apologise and explain that correct procedures had not been followed.

He understood that I had been quoted for a new seat, when I was actually concerned about safety.

A safety report should have been completed by the servicing retailer, and this would have come to his attention.

By way of apology and as a gesture of goodwill VW would like me to take the vehicle to any dealership - where they would carry out the report and at the same time replace the seat at no cost to myself.

I've found emailing my blog posts to the relevant company Chief Executive produces a remarkably swift result.

My 2001 Golf Mk IV- Driver's seat 'Burn Alert!'

2009-09-02T21:42:00.014+01:00

My 2001 VW Golf Mk IV Gti

How many other Golf Mk IV drivers may be at risk of being burned by their seat while driving, or even worse have the seat catch fire?

They're funny things the design features which we love about the products we buy. I wouldn't have specified it, but I grew to love the driver's heated seat which my VW Golf came fitted with.

But recently I was driving along at 50mph when I felt an intense hot, burning sensation in my right thigh. Shocked, I pulled the car over and found that the heated seat had become exceptionally hot. The burning pain in my thigh faded after a few hours, but the small hole which the heating element burned straight through the fabric car seat is permanent and the heater no longer works.

Last week when I took the vehicle into the main VW agent for servicing I asked them to investigate. They simply quoted £251.09 to replace the burned seat pad and heater element.

Looking online later that night at various VW owner forums I discovered that VW had recalled 2002 Golf MK IVs because of a safety issue with the driver's heated seat.

I ask the garage to check with VW if this affects my model. No, apparently the recall doesn't cover my chassis number - even though I do appear to have a fault with the driver's heated seat. They suggest I speak to VW Customer Service.

Today I telephone VW and explain how I have been burned while driving. The operator tries to fob me off. 'Your vehicle registration isn't the subject of any recalls', she states and goes on to explain;

'VW cannot assist with any repairs because of the age of your vehicle'.

So much for VW's concern for their customer's safety.

I give her Volkswagen's own recall reference number 74B4 - can she tell me the exact nature of the safety issue the recall covered? No she can't, because she doesn't have those details.

I request my call be escalated to a more senior manager. Nick agrees that I may be alerting VW to a safety issue. Drivers shouldn't receive an unexpected burn from their seat while driving at speed. He promises a response within 24-48 hours.

Within 2 hours a bad tempered man called Brian phones me. 'Your vehicle's chassis number isn't covered by the recall' he announces. 'I know, I didn't say it was.' I reply. 'So what can I do for you?' he demands brusquely.

I explain that I'm concerned that although VW didn't identify my model as having this safety fault, it may be that other Golf owners are at risk of burn, or even vehicle fire. Sadly Brian has learned his craft from the 'Just Say No' manual, so he's unlikely to uncover any safety issues by talking to customers.

Funny that, because the VW website says 'Contact Us - we're always happy to talk to our customers'.

Brian dismisses my concerns and says VW monitor all safety issues very closely and regrettably my heated seat sounds like 'Just a routine failure of the heating element. There is no proof that the heater burned the seat fabric.'

I ask how VW can monitor customer feedback so carefully when the first customer service operator dismissed my safety concerns.

I ask if Brian can tell me exactly what the safety fault is which led to the VW recall reference 74B4?

His response is staggering. He doesn't know what the safety recall covered. He hasn't even checked.

So how can Brian possibly claim that VW take safety feedback from customers seriously? He hasn't even checked to see if the safety fault I'm alerting VW to is the same as the recall fault.

Then just as unexpectedly as my driver's seat malfunction, Brian's call to my mobile is cut off. Surprisingly he didn't phone back...

I googled 'seat heating element failure golf'

The first result to come up is VW's website for New Zealand. It helpfully lists full details of the recall reference 74B4 for all their Golf Model Year 2002 - 2003 customers to check.

"On vehicles of the affected chassis number ranges the cable for the seat heating mat of the driver seat may break because of a not optimal cable routing. This can lead to sporadic overload and failure of the heating mat.

For safety reasons a check of your vehicle is necessary. The check and repair are free of charge to you. "

I searched further online, many VW Golf Mk IV owners report failed driver heated seats. There does appear to be a common fault - but is the failure part of a wider safety issue facing other VW Golf Mk IV owners?

I looked at VW's Annual Report. "2009 will be a very difficult year for the Volkswagen Group" writes CEO Professor Martin Winterkorn. Interestingly the document details the 'cost intensive provision' VW makes for cases where US customers assert claims for vehicle defects individually or by way of a class action.

It's reassuring to know - VW does care about being sued when its cars have defects.

Well, unfortunately VW won't find out about a safety issue as a result of my alert. Let's hope it's not you driving at 50mph when your seat fabric catches fire, or VW's friendly customer service agent Brian, or even CEO Prof Winterkorn.

M&S Wine Watch - New Promotion

2009-09-02T20:50:00.006+01:00

A colleague who has been following my M&S misleading wine promotion saga tells me that M&S have completely replaced the old 'Save 10%' promotion with a new 'Save 25%' offer.

He's right, they have.

Does that mean M&S shoppers save more when they buy wine?

Unlikely because they have also increased the price of many of the bottles (by removing other discounts).

But more importantly has M&S made the terms of their offer clearer to their customers?

Previously not even the staff could exlain how the discount operated.

M&S has now added their terms 'Discount applies to multiples of 6' and they've gone even further.

They have added tags round the necks of many of the display bottles (pictured) which also clearly state the terms of the offer.

While I was on holiday M&S's Head of Food Operations also emailed to say that he hopes I'll find that the new wine discount is 'clear and up to our usual standard'.

Could my email to M&S Chairman Stuart Rose really have prompted a nationwide rethink of M&S signage?

Yes, It seems so.

M&S Wine Watch Day 9

2009-08-09T22:00:00.011+01:00

4 of the misleading '10%' signs still on Display in M&S Stirling.
Note the different wording and type-face.'Save 10%' and '10% off'

The story so far: When I pointed out the above signage was misleading at the M&S Glasgow store, the staff turned hostile. I wrote to Chairman Stuart Rose to complain. M&S's Director of Food said he agreed the ticket was misleading and they would 'immediately... remove and destroy' the above tickets from all stores. That was 10 days ago.

M&S has 600 stores. So there is a good chance some of these misleading signs may have been missed when they were 'immediately' removed. But what are the chances of my visiting the only store in the whole of the UK that still has 4 of them on display?

Let's also assume that that if this was a food safety recall (rather than just misleading the customers into buying lots of wine) that M&S would be less sloppy in implementing its 'immediate remove and destroy' policy.

Now let's look at why the 'Save 10%' sign I saw in Glasgow was misleading.

The Director of Food wrote; 'unfortunately it appears that in this instance the terms and conditions of the case discount were missed off when printed.'

Have another look at the signs I photographed in the Stirling Store on Sunday. Exhibit 1 and 2 appear to be from the same batch as I first saw. Exhibits 3 and 4 are each entirely different. They look as though they pre-date the version where the 'T&C of the case discount were missed off'. The word 'buy' is absent and 'off' replaces 'save'. Exhibit 4 also has a wine glass line drawing not shown on any of the other versions. But crucially none of these earlier versions carries any terms and conditions describing how the offer is applied.

The Director of Food continues 'I would like to personally reassure you that we have not intentionally tried to mislead anybody and that we go to great lengths to ensure this situation does not arise.'

It's going to be a bad week in the M&S promotions copy-checking department. This situation appears to have happened not once, not twice, but on three separate printings. Oh dear.

I was amazed to discover I am not the only UK consumer who has had a spot of bother recently trying to get a leading food retailer to honour it's advertised promotion. A contributor to the Flyertalk British Airways forum reports how his local Tesco tried to tell him an 800 clubcard points promotion had never existed on Champagne. When he removed the shelf ticket and said he would send it to head office as proof, staff had him surrounded by security and said police would be on the way and arrest him for theft. When he took a photograph of the label he was told photography isn't allowed.Why are high street retailers so reluctant to be held accountable? They are more than happy to follow customers around the store with CCTV and security guards.

M&S have now written to me to reassure me that surrounding unhappy customers with security guards isn't in the staff training manual. Apparently what should have happened was if staff are unable to give the correct information they should refer the query to Head Office and promise a response later. M&S say I remain a valued customer and do hope I will be happy shopping with them in future.

But, despite two separate requests M&S have remained completely silent on their policy towards customers taking photos of promotions and products in store. So I can at least assure readers there has been NO attempt to ban the above photos (unlike the first one)

So if you see the misleading 'Save 10%' sign still on display at your local store feel free to send me a photograph. Mr Dixon at M&S might appreciate a copy too. They're probably proof-reading the 'No Photography Allowed' signs now.

Tesco - 'Not Real' Baskets TV Ad 'Misleading'

2009-08-02T11:10:00.009+01:00

Tesco's 'Real Baskets' TV and Newspaper Ad campaign.
The Advertising Standards Authority rules it did mislead shoppers.

Since successfully complaining to M&S about their misleading 'Save 10%' wine discount, I'm reminded about another food retailer's advertising.

I've highlighted Tesco's nonsense price comparison ads before. They are so desperate to claim they are the cheapest supermarket they will use almost any daft data to try and prove it. In their 'Britain's Biggest Discounter' campaign (a claim also criticised as 'ambiguous' by the ASA) they compared £100 worth of weekly shopping against Asda prices. £10 of the comparison was spent on hair dye. Please, how stupid do Tesco think we are!

Anyway it didn't stop Tesco dreaming up the 'Real Baskets' ad. You might think, looking at the reproduction above, that 1,124,000 real baskets were cheaper at Tesco than the same 705,000 baskets at Asda. In fact, in the tiny print you can't easily read, it says they actually only counted a sample of baskets and then projected the rest. There are plenty of other opaque technical exclusions too (read them from Tesco here)

This week the Advertising Standards Authority ruled the ads were misleading. They said if Tesco says 'Real Baskets' and shows a huge number piled up that's what people will expect they counted, not the tiny number hidden in the text underneath. The ASA also said the exclusion of a number of items in the baskets made it impossible for shoppers to calculate whether it was really cheaper to shop at Tesco as claimed.

Looking at some online comments (the Daily Mail ran the report this week) shoppers said they weren't fooled by Tesco's nonsense. But can this really be true? Would Tesco spend hundreds of thousands of pounds trying to create an impression no one would believe? Tesco must hope their campaigns do build belief - even if only among their own customers, who might be tempted to go and find out if Asda really is cheaper.

TV advertisers do have to jump considerable approval (Clearcast clearance) and legal hurdles (defamation etc) before they can run a TV ad. But if they do manage to get a nonsense ad like Tesco's on the air there is no punishment when it is later ruled misleading. By then the campaign is over and the message is out there.

Perhaps advertisers should be fined a proportion of their ad spend when their ads are ruled misleading, instead of simply banned from re-running them?

M&S Wine Watch Day 1

2009-08-01T16:53:00.009+01:00

"As a result of your email we have immediately instructed all stores to remove and destroy the ticketand issued a revised version clearly stating our terms" John Dixon, Director of Food, M&S

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding M&S's use of the term 'immediately' now?

I went into M&S Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow this Saturday afternoon (the busiest trading day of the week). The wine tickets are still prominently on display.

But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Afterall, last Saturday the management there could see no problem with their tickets.

Go on Mr Dixon, get Glasgow into line.

M&S Photo Ban - Update

2009-07-31T19:21:00.009+01:00

The Photo M&S tried to ban.
As a result of this photo M&S says it has removed and destroyed all the misleading signs

The Story so far: M&S staff reacted with hostility when I queried the terms of their 'Save 10%' wine discount promotion. I believed the offer was misleading. None of the staff was able to explain how the discount worked.

If M&S staff didn't understand the offer how could they expect customers to?

In a satisfying blow to the M&S section manager who told me the Legal Department 'never get it wrong' M&S has "immediately instructed all stores to remove and destroy" the above sign.

See my previous post: The photo Marks & Spencer Tried to Ban.After writing about my experience I emailed the blog to Sir Stuart Rose, M&S Chairman and Chief Executive.

This afternoon M&S Director of Food, John Dixon emailed to offer his sincere apologies that 'the terms and conditions... were missed off when printed'.

As a result M&S has 'immediately instructed all stores to remove and destroy the promotional ticket'.

John Dixon sits on M&S Board, so I appreciate his personal response. He explains in detail how the case discount applies.

"In future we will ensure all ticketing for this type of deal clearly states that the discount is applicable to multiples of 6 bottles only."

However his email is strangely silent on M&S policy towards customers taking photos of products on mobile phones. Two store security guards intercepted me when I took this photo and asked me to delete it. I have requested that Mr Dixon clarify M&S policy and since he concedes a mistake was made with the ticketing, I have requested an apology for the hostility with which I was treated in store when I pointed out M&S' error.

The Photo Marks & Spencer tried to Ban

2009-07-25T16:05:00.011+01:00

The photo Marks & Spencer tried to Ban

I just brought 8 bottles of wine from M&S Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. The total was £36.56. Reading the above sign displayed on all the wine shelves in store you might expect a discount of £3.65. But not if you're working in the M&S Legal Department.

The discount given was just £2.79. I asked at customer services how the discount was calculated. The first 2 customer service assistants were unable to explain, so the section manager 'Kenny' was called.

Kenny was unable to arrive at the £2.79 discount either, even after re-entering all the prices into the till.

Finally he announced, 'The discount only applies to six bottles.'

'Which 6 bottles?' I asked Kenny. 'The cheapest 6 bottles - £25.92' He pointed at the receipt. I had bought 6 bottles of Australian Shiraz at £4.32 a bottle, total £25.92.

'So why is the discount £2.79 not £2.59?' I queried. You bought 2 more more expensive bottles, so it's giving you a bit extra for the others.

If it's giving a 'bit extra' then the discount applies to more than 6 bottles I pointed out.

At this point I said I would go back and check the signage on the display, as I had not understood the offer to apply to '6 bottles only'.

I came back and explained that the sign does not carry the exclusion 'discount applies to cheapest bottles'. To prove it, I had taken a photo of the sign on my phone. Now Kenny got a bit upset and said that I wasn't allowed to take photos in M&S and I would have to delete it.

Un-distracted by Kenny's peculiar reaction to my evidence, it was at this moment I realised how the 10% discount on 6 bottles works.

M&S take 6 bottles in decreasing order of cost and apply a 10% discount to the average price of these 6. The 10% discount only applies to multiples of 6.

I wrote down the calculation based on this realisation and the discount on the total of my 6 most expensive bottles came to £2.79. The discount shown on the receipt.

Fair enough you might say.

Except, 3 members of M&S customer services were unable to calculate the discount.

So is the offer misleading. Is it legal?

Kenny says the sign has been approved by the Legal Department. I point out that this doesn't necessarily make it legal, but I will write to Stuart Rose (The Chairman and Chief Executive) with my photo and query it.

Now Kenny gets upset again. You'll have to delete that photo I'm afraid.

I point to another assistant wearing a suit (Kenny isn't wearing a suit) and ask if he is the store manager? He isn't. By now, I see no point in continuing my discussion with Kenny when I can write to the Management.

As I walk back through the store I see rows and rows of the offending 'Save 10%' signs and decide to take another photo. No sooner than I have my phone out and I'm approached by 2 security guards and Kenny arrives. It's almost as if they've been waiting for me.

I ask to see the store manager. Kenny says he is the most senior manager in the store. We have another brief discussion, in which I explain that I made a perfectly reasonable query which has offended him. I finish by saying that M&S displays no signage forbidding the taking of photographs, so they cannot reasonably object.

The security man smugly replies they don't have any signs forbidding stealing either. (In fact on the main store doors M&S advises that it operates the Civil Recovery Scheme, which is broadly the same as warning 'no stealing').

I ask if I am being detained by the 2 security guards for taking a photo? They say I am not. I ask if I am free to leave the store? They agree I am. So I leave.

It seems to me an entirely disproportionate response to a perfectly simple customer query. Why antagonise a customer who has just spent £39.08?

I am sorry if Kenny felt embarrassed that neither he or any of his M&S colleagues were able to calculate how the store's 10% wine discount is applied. To my mind it proves the offer is misleading.

Any right thinking customer should be able to understand how the discount applies.
Or - any right thinking member of M&S customer service.

The difference between 10% discount on my 8 bottles and 10% on the most expensive 6 is 86p.

86p = A silly amount to drive away a loyal customer during the worst trading conditions for a decade.

American Express - Customer Service?

2009-05-23T14:54:00.007+01:00

British Airways American Express Card

British Airways has just posted its biggest loss, £401m. It makes some extra revenue through its partnership with Amex. Spending on the BA Amex card is rewarded with BA miles.

To encourage existing card holders to recommend their friends Amex offers 2,000 BA miles to both the proposer and joiner. On 31 Jan I proposed a friend. I'm still waiting for the promised BA miles, and so is she.

2 weeks ago I telephoned Amex to find out what had gone wrong. They promised to call me back within 7 days and explain. They didn't.

Today I telephoned again. They said they had called me back two days ago and left a message. I said they hadn't. Could they tell me what number they left me a message on? No, because of data protection rules they couldn't. So far as I am aware there is nothing in the Data Protection Act which prevents Amex telling me what telephone number they have listed on my account.

When I asked for a manager to telephone me and explain their service failure I was told I would have to write in. It's a while since I wrote a letter of complaint, but if they insist.

I've taken the opportunity to remind Amex the credit card and their promotional advertising are both regulated products.

I'm surprised Amex were unable to resolve my complaint more helpfully.

I'll remember that next time I'm sifting through a wallet full of plastic.

Flipping Hazel Blears

2009-05-16T21:03:00.005+01:00

Hazel Blears, The Communities Secretary - On Yer Bike Love

18 months ago I wrote to Hazel Blears, The Commumities Secretary to complain about the Deposit Protection Service which her Government department licenses. She never did reply.

I had taken a short term let while working away from home. The landlord failed to lodge my deposit with an intermediary as the law requires. When a dispute arose I asked for my deposit back. The landlord refused and when I threatened the Small Claims Court the Deposit Protection Service retrospectively accepted my deposit from the landlord - even though they shouldn't have.

I wrote to Hazel Blears in her role as the Communities Secretay to ask whether the new system was really protecting tenants as it had been deisgned to do. She never did write back. I lost my £500 deposit.

This week I learned from The Daily Telegraph that Hazel Blears was probably too pre-occupied with her own property portfolio. She has been busy enriching herself at the expense of UK taxpayers. It turns out Hazel 'flipped' her second home not once but twice, claiming her moving costs, and her mortgage interest expenses while pocketing a £45,000 profit on the property purchases taxpayers helped fund.

Now Hazel Blears has decided to pay back the Capital Gains tax which would have been due 'if any had been due'. MPs don't pay capital gains tax on their second homes which taxpayers help pay for, but they are allowed to keep the profit when they come to sell.

Hazel Blears greed looks set to cost her her place in the Cabinet next month when the PM reshuffles his team. I hope her own voters decide her duplicity should also cost her seat in Parliament next time they have the opportunity to vote.

Thanks for nothing Hazel. Voters have a long memory.

Intercontinental Hotels Priority Club

2009-04-29T08:46:00.003+01:00

I've been working away over the last month (which is why my posts have been silent). My temporary home was the Holiday Inn near Ipswich. It felt like a long time and clearly it was, because yesterday the parent group Intercontinental Hotels upgraded me to Gold Elite Status - which you earn after 15 nights as a member of their loyalty programme.

'Have a Free Night on Us' announced one of the too many flyers scattered around the room. 'Stay 2 nights and have the third on us'. I never had time to read the small print or discover exactly how many free nights I might have earned to my account.

I did get a free night though, in fact not just 1, but 8.

On Easter Monday, at 10.45pm just as my team was heading for bed, we were perturbed to see a coach load of guests arrive for a party in the bar. By 3am there was a considerable disturbance in the hotel among some of the more drunken guests, kicking bedroom doors. I telephoned the duty manager and explained that if he didn't quieten things down I would call the police. He begged me not to do this and in return he agreed that the manager would meet me in the morning.

At 07.30 I met the duty manager and explained that we had checked in on the holiday so as to be rested for an early start. I pointed out that the hotel had made a commercial decision that they preferred to take the bar revenue from a coach load of revellers than the room revenue for 8 paying guests. At what time did they imagine a bar party which only began at 10.45 might end?

Later that morning the manager's PA telephoned me to offer my party dinner by way of apology. I politely but firmly declined. I explained that it was a good night's sleep which we paid for, and as the hotel failed to provide it nothing less than a full refund for all 8 of our group would satisfy. To their credit the Holiday Inn agreed.

I hope the previous night's bar profit outstripped the £450 loss to their room revenue account.

On The Buses

2009-04-28T08:56:00.003+01:00

The First 757 from Glasgow airport - promotional picture.
No the service doesn't actually depart direct from the plane stand...

Public transport is much maligned and certainly there is a lot wrong with it. The bus network in Glasgow, where I'm working at the moment, is especially unfathomable.

But First Buses surprised me today with their customer service. Yesterday morning I took the airport 757 service to the Scottish Exhibition Centre (SECC). The driver was unable to reach the final destination because of newly erected long-term roadworks. Instead, apologising as he did so, he dropped me some distance away.

Taking their customer service number from the bus shelter I phoned First and reported the problem. They said they were unaware of it and would investigate. When I told my colleagues I had complained to First buses they raised their eyes in some astonishment that I might expect anything to happen. In truth I must say I didn't really expect to hear from First again.

Early this morning First phoned to thank me, to explain that the driver had also reported the problem, and describe how the diversion around the roadworks has been altered to accommodate their turning buses.

So well done First, you have silenced the cynics.

Google Street View Goes Live in UK

2009-03-19T19:59:00.006Z

Back in July I wrote about the controversy surrounding Google Street View. I supported the facility, which allows users to get a street level view via Google Maps.

Today the service went live in the UK with photographs at street level for 25 cities across the UK from Southampton to Glasgow.

The moment I saw the service had gone live I mentioned it to the people I'm working with. Within minutes we were all looking at street level views of our homes, previous homes, parents homes etc, as though we'd never seen them before.

I don't know why we experienced such a compelling fascination to stare at our own homes, as captured by Google, but we did.

How has Google managed to make everywhere look so sunny and bright? It doesn't seem to be raining anywhere - not even Glasgow! It's summer in all the streets I visited, which makes the world look nicer. Nicer than the bare winter trees we have now at any rate.

Not only that but Google, after requests from the Information Commissioner has blurred all the pedestrians' faces and car number plates to allay privacy concerns.

It's not only me, Channel 4 News has been busy searching too. C4 News has just reported that it has found faces which have not been blurred. They show someone leaving a sex shop whose face has been missed (although subsequently blobbed by C4). A google spokesperson says anyone can ask to have their face blurred, or even their image removed if they've been missed.

No one is quite sure how google stands to pay for their work - other than increased traffic to their site, which they certainly got among my team tonight. Mind you we use google many times a day anyway.

Email and the Royal Mail

2009-03-18T08:15:00.004Z

A week ago I received one of those red 'Sorry You Were Out' cards from the Royal Mail. The packet they attempted to deliver was 'too big for your letterbox'.

At home I usually nip along to the sorting office and collect these items, but I'm staying in Glasgow and the sorting office is difficult to get to.

The Royal Mail is often in the news for its failure to modernise, so I was surprised to see I could rearrange delivery via the Royal Mail website, which I did.

Re-delivery was set for last Friday, 13th March. An ominous choice as it turns out. The Packet didn't reappear.

Last night I emailed the Royal Mail to enquire what had gone wrong. According to their automated reply I can expect a response within 5 days.

Was my mistake emailing the Royal Mail to arrange redelivery?
Perhaps I should simply have posted their card back?

No Water Saving in Scotland

2009-03-17T08:38:00.004Z

I'm visiting my partner in Glasgow. She's just received the Council Tax bill for 2009-10. There has been no increase in Glasgow's Council Tax for 4 years.

Scottish Water haven't done so well. Their increase is over 3% this year.

What's that got to do with the Council Tax?

Well in Scotland, unlike England, the water is a publicly owned utility and payment is collected along with the Council Tax.

Just as in England water use is billed according to the ratable value of the property - what it would have been worth in 1991. Let's not go into the absurdity of the rating system now.

In England if you have a valuable property, but use little water you can elect to have a water meter installed and you are rewarded for your 'green' initiative with smaller water bills.

My partner uses little water, but her property is rated third highest - band F. This puts her well outside Scottish Water's boast that the average household pays just £1 a day.

I look at the U Switch website to see if installing a meter in Scotland would make sense. The questionnaire reveals that her water use is LOW compared to the national average.

But here's a surprise, the saving is shown as a negative. Fitting a water meter will result in a an increased bill of an extra £75!

How can installing a meter, and paying only for the small amount of water used produce a negative saving?

U Switch helpfully explain that in Scotland, where the water is a publicly owned utility, metered charges are set such that a meter is unlikely to produce a saving.

So, in Scotland there is no reward, or incentive to save water.

My partner, who grew up here, says 'that's because it rains all the time'.

'It certainly does I agree' (while London basked in 17C sunshine yesterday Glasgow was 10C and wet) 'but recycling and cleaning water uses energy and costs money.'

Even if the Scots don't want to save water, I'm sure they'd like to save money?'

Tesco Value Range - Prices are Nuts

2009-02-28T17:55:00.011Z

Tesco Value Roasted Salted Peanuts - back to 21p Feb 28 2009

Tesco Value Roasted Salted Peanuts - 37p as priced December 2008

Tesco Value Peanut Price Watch ...June 2008 - February 2009
20p, 21p (Up), 30p (Up), 32p (Up), 37p (Up), 35p (Down), 21p (Down)

Regular readers will remember that I emailed Tesco CEO Terry Leahy in December to ask why Tesco Value Roasted Salted Peanuts had jumped in price from 21p to 37p (Tesco Shelling Out More For Nuts)

Tesco replied blaming the rising cost of nuts (105%) and changes in currency exchange rates (40%).

Since December Sterling's value against most other currencies has continued to slide.

Today I was literally stunned to see that the price of Tesco Value Roasted Salted Peanuts has come crashing back to 21p. So much then, Tesco, for your previous 105% nut price rise and 40% currency crash explanation for the price almost doubling.

You might draw the conclusion that Tesco simply makes up the prices of its Value range based on what they think shoppers will pay, rather than what they cost to source.

You might draw that conclusion. I know I do.

Sky - Finally it's Bye Bye

2009-02-08T17:03:00.006Z

Sky - They make it as difficult as possible to cancel

This week Sky is 20 years old. Their half year results show that subscriber numbers are up over the last three months by a net 171,000. But Sky suffers from a 9.9% churn. 'Churn' is the term used to describe the percentage of their customers cancelling.

Almost 1 in 10 Sky customers cancels.

That's why Sky make leaving as difficult as possible.

We cancelled Sky two weeks ago. This week Sky wrote to us to say ''Phew'' 'we were thrilled to hear you'd changed your mind.'

Except of course we hadn't. As you would know if you read my previous post here.

Sky had invented the whole thing, reactivated the account and generated a new bill - which even included advance charges for a Broadband service we had already successfully migrated to o2.

I emailed Jeremy Darroch the CEO of Sky to complain.

This week Jeremy Darroch, SKY CEO said in interview:
"What binds us is focus on the customer, because we are accountable to paying subscribers who have a course of action they can take if they are not happy with the service. That sharpens the mind believe me."

Jeremy Darroch ignored my email.

So did Sky customer service.

That's why Sky has a 9.9% churn. They don't focus on the 1 in 10 customers who are dissatisfied with their service.

So today I had to phone Sky again, despite my pledge never to call them again.

I wasn't disappointed. The first customer services operator 'Darryl' hung up on me. I've read in several Internet forums that Sky operators earn £12,000 a year. They don't consider this enough pay to have to listen to irate customers, so they simply hang up on them. I later discover Darryl hasn't left a 'footprint' on the account' so can't be traced. I think operators avoid disciplinary action by not taking your account number even when you offer it. Instead they ask what you want. If they don't like the sound of your enquiry, or can't be bothered to deal with it they hang up. Other companies avoid this by recording all their incoming calls.

At the second attempt I bypass Sky's front line customer service by asking to speak to a manager. Peter was unable to explain why the account had been reactivated, but he could cancel it - with another 31 days notice.

I pointed out this would be completely unacceptable as Sky had already had 14 days notice.

He suggested crediting the account with £9.70 to cover this.

I was unhappy with this solution, which would extend our relationship with Sky yet again, so I asked how much compensation Sky would pay for my telephone calls. Faced with a demand for an hour worth of telephone calls, 44 minutes two weeks ago and 19 minutes today he agreed to cancel the service with immediate effect. He said we did appear to have had a 'run of bad luck' with Sky.

Do tell me your Sky 'customer service' and 'cancellation' stories. I bet ours isn't that unusual.

So here's how to cancel Sky - ask them to compensate you for their incompetence.
They can't get you off the subscriber base fast enough!

Easyjet Makes Most of Snow Chaos

2009-02-02T20:03:00.009Z

London's Piccadilly Line severe delays - but a minor miracle

London has the worst snow for almost two decades overnight. Just my luck to be booked on the 08:40 BMI flight from Heathrow to Glasgow. I trudge off through thick snow at 06.30 to catch the Piccadilly Line. All went well until the almost empty train ground to a halt between stations. Twenty minutes later we were still stuck, rapidly falling snow obscuring the windows. The train ahead had iced up. Eventually our train gingerly edged through red signals to the ever so welcome safety of the platform at Osterley station.

The handful of passengers filed through the carriages to leave by the single door which just reached the platform end. The snow was coming down increasingly thickly now, no wonder the platform manager decided to close the station. Stranded halfway between home and Heathrow I decided to walk to the airport. At least if I turned up BMI would be obliged to rebook me.

Two hours later when I finally marched into Terminal One I was greeted by a dismaying sight. Every single BMI departure on the screen was shown 'Cancelled'. After waiting thirty minutes in a long line to rebook, my two hour walk was rewarded with some more bad news. We should all go home. BMI staff issued frustrated passengers (who thought they'd triumphed by even arriving at the airport) with letters instructing us to phone their call centre. Almost any call to BMI's Indian call centre is worse than a five mile trek through a snowstorm.

Fortunately the all too brief stop at the airport allowed just enough time for a minor miracle to happen on the Piccadilly line. Trains were running back into London and four hours after I'd set off, I was finally home again. With luck now firmly on my side I looked up a non-premium rate number for BMI on the saynoto0870 webiste and after barely a couple of rings I had a new flight booked for the day after tomorrow.

BMI didn't take any passenger details at the airport and so far as I could tell anyone who'd checked in, or maybe even had a reservation could have phoned for a replacement booking.

Contrast my experience with my colleague who booked Easyjet from Gatwick to Glasgow.

When the trains failed to run he didn't make it to Gatwick. Putting it down to bad luck he booked and paid for a new flight later this evening. When Easyjet began cancelling all its flights and with more snow forecast he paid another £20 to move it to the day after tomorrow. Why? I wondered. Because, he explained, he had discovered that Easyjet only ever cancel within the hour of scheduled departure, so if you don't turn up no refund. He didn't fancy trekking to Gatwick to save twenty quid.

Well fair enough, that's what you get with a budget airline I expect you're thinking. True - except his Easyjet flight cost £80 + £20 and mine with BMI cost £44.50.

As I write BBC News reports chaos for Easyjet customers at Stansted. Cancelled flights, five hour queues to rebook and planes diverted to the wrong airports. The news says the weather has cost the airlines millions. Easyjet seems determined to hang on to as many fares as it can. The next news item reports that Ryanair has made a loss. The report speculates that passengers are growing tired of extra charges to book a seat, check in a bag, pay with any type of bank card, etc, etc. Ryaniar's imagination when it comes to 'extras' knows no limit.

The budget airlines are looking the most vulnerable in the economic squeeze - regardless of how they behave during the big freeze.

Cancelling Sky

2009-01-26T20:22:00.006Z

The story so far...Sky decides to charge £5 a month for its previously free base broadband. It's a very slow, capped service, so we call Sky and ask for a MAC. The customer services operator decides to cancel the broadband instead. When asked to transfer the call to a manager he hangs up. Now we'll have to wait until Sky remove their service before any new provider can get onto our line. Under regulator OFCOM's rules Sky must provide a MAC to all customers who ask.

After a brief discussion about this fiasco my partner decides dealing with Sky's off-shore call centre is a hassle she can live without, so decides to cancel her entire subscription.

I telephone and ask about the status of the broadband.

'Cancelled' is Barry's reply. This time I'm speaking to a UK based customer services operator. 'Can you provide a MAC?'
'Unfortunately no, not if the cancellation process has started'.
In that case can you cancel our entire contract.
'I'll have to transfer your call to another department'.

I've researched this scenario and I know I'll be put through to 'customer retentions'. It's their job to dissuade customers from leaving. Call handlers have set options they can offer, including upgraded packages and credits. We plan to cancel whatever they offer, but I'm interested to see what Sky think their mistake - a breach of the OFCOM rules - is worth.

Laura says she'll see what she can do to help. She announces that she can order a MAC and we'll have it in 72 hours, she gives me a case reference. She apologises for the errors made yesterday and says my call appears to have been handled by an 'outsourced' agent. She'll report this because, yes, it is a breach of the Ofcom code. Its an isolated incident, all staff know the procedure.

'Er, except Barry doesn't. I just spoke to him and he said nothing could be done to rectify the error. But you've just done it.'
'I'm sorry about that, but we'd like to make amends to you. I see you have the standard box and family pack.'

In December Sky was offering new customers a free Sky+ box, free installation and £50 in M&S vouchers to join. So I calculate it costs Sky almost £200 to win a new subscriber.

Laura continued 'How about Sky+?'

Sky also offers free or reduced cost Sky+ boxes to people who threaten to leave. Accepting their offer usually ties you into a new 12 month minimum term contract.

'We can't get Sky+ here, we share a dish.'
'Oh. Do you have a BT telephone line?'

I've also read Sky is giving free line rental worth £10 a month to some customers who agree to switch their phone service to Sky.

'We don't want to buy any more services from Sky after our experience with your call centre yesterday and today I'm afraid.'
'Well to make amends I can credit your account with £10.'
'Did you say £10?'
'Yes'

Sky has broken OFCOM's rules. Their apology is worth a tenner.

'We'd like to cancel please.'
'I might be able to do a bit better, what would you like?'
'You'll have to do a lot better than £10. Six months free subscription might make amends.'
'I can't do that, but I can credit your account £30.'
'In which case will you cancel our subscription please.'

By now I've been on the phone to Sky trying to cancel for 33 minutes. By the time Laura has verified all this again with my partner (the account holder) we've spent 44 minutes on the phone to Sky. At last its over. We've given 30 days notice. Bye Bye Sky. Hooray no more irritating calls to off-shore call centres and poorly trained staff who don't know what they're talking about.

When I posted last week about Sky remotely reprogramming our set-top box to switch off, cancelling Sky didn't even occur to us. But after a 23% price increase, 40 minutes to a call centre in India and 2 terminated calls we just couldn't take any more. Funny thing is we used to pay £21.50 a month to be treated like this.

Let's hope that MAC comes through...

Price Rises Cost Customer Loyalty

2009-01-25T12:02:00.008Z

Sky TV - have they picked the wrong time to test customer loyalty?

As the news about the economy gets worse, companies are struggling to maintain customer spending. Some of the big boys act as though they hope to keep our business how ever much they test our loyalty.

Three examples of companies testing our loyalty this week.

They all lost...

British Airways has cancelled my partner's Silver Executive Club membership. For the first time since 2002 she can no longer use the BA lounge during her weekly business flights. Last year she switched to flying BMI during the terminal 5 fiasco when many domestic BA flights were cancelled, so she didn't earn sufficient loyalty points. BA has saved the cost of providing free coffee and newspapers while she waits to board, but lost her loyalty and their share of an annual four figure sum spent on business travel because now she'll prefer to fly BMI - where she can use the Silver lounge.

Norwich Union upped our annual home insurance quotes by a few more pounds this month and lost both our polices. My quote from Churchill is over £120 less, my partner's £80 lower. We're £200 better off, Norwich Union has lost £550 worth of business because it made the mistake of believing we'd keep stumping up for their annual price hikes. When my partner called to cancel NU immediately offered a 15% reduction. If they could do that when the business was heading out the door why didn't they hold the price increase when they quoted - which may have saved a customer?

Sky Television. Just over a year ago Sky feared its customers might jump to a rival TV and Broadband Phone package so it decided to give existing customers their basic broadband package free. This year it has decided to start charging £5 a month. Customers can avoid the price increase if they opt to take Sky Talk. We don't want to buy phone calls from sky - or pay to use 1471. To get this and other BT type services free we need to switch to Sky telephone line rental. Dealing with Sky is troublesome enough, without giving them more of our money.

So we decide to switch my partner's Sky basic broadband to o2. It's faster, gives unlimited downloads, free wireless router, no connection fee, free UK based customer service and its only £2.34 a month more than Sky's new charge (£7.34 to O2 customers). Even better sign up via a cashback site like Topcashback and you get paid £25 to buy which is effectively 3 months free.

Phoning Sky for a MAC - the code you need to transfer the line from one broadband supplier to another is less easy. Sky seems to have moved some of its call handling off-shore. After 22 minutes the call is put through to an officious customer services representative who decides to cancel the broadband rather than issue a MAC. When asked why he has done this he becomes defensive, and then quite hostile. When I ask him to transfer my call he terminates it. Again we call back and then after 20 more minutes on hold the call is terminated.

My partner and I have a quick chat about how much we hate phoning Sky. Then we hit on an idea. What if we only ever have to phone Sky once more? Let's cancel the subscription. How good would that feel? This would not have crossed our mind if Sky hadn't decided to start charging £60 a year (12 x £5) for its slow, rubbish broadband, had spent some more money training its staff and decided not to outsource its call centre. Sky is going to discover the true cost of these three cost-cutting actions - because they're about to lose £258 of existing annual subscriptions and £60 of future broadband fees.

Norwich Union loss = £550

Sky loss = £318.

Savings to annual budget.
Sky £318 (less o2 broadband £63.56 after cashback) = £254.44
Norwich Union £550 (less Churchill policies £335) = £215.00

Total saving = £469.44

Of course wherever there are losers there are winners. BMI for its punctuality, o2 Broadband for its UK call centres, uncapped service and customer discount and Churchill Insurance for its introductory discounts and market leading rates.

When companies test our loyalty make sure to add up the real cost.

E.ON - Power Crazy

2009-01-21T20:15:00.010Z

E.ON - Power Crazy

I'm staying with my partner. She lives in one of 4 flats converted from former offices. This morning 2 letters arrived addressed to 'the occupier' at Number 2. No flat number, no name. The E.ON logo on both envelopes.

Last time I was here a representative from E.ON turned up to disconnect the electricity. E.ON are not the suppliers and had no authority to enter so I turned them away. Intrigued to discover the latest E.ON error I opened both envelopes. The first letter reads:

'We are sorry you are leaving us - your account is £221.48 in credit'

The next letter is less pleasant:

'We have estimated your reading - please pay £8,105.87.'

I thought I better telephone E.ON before the bailiffs arrived.

E.ON are less than friendly. I eliminated the first line of customer dis-service by phoning their complaints number. I explain they are writing to and billing 'nobody' at No.2 as the building is divided into 4 flats each with its own separate number.

I thought E.ON might be grateful for my call, pointing out their mistake. But I'm in for a surprise, as I expect you know if you're an E.ON customer.

After 20 minutes I manage to get E.ON to reveal that they have visited the property again in December and on 6th January to cut off the electricity. On 6th January E.ON finally discovered the meter they were billing against was no longer installed at the property.

In fact E.ON have now discovered the meter they have been issuing huge bills against since at least 2005 (and even claim to have taken a reading from on 29th November 2005!) was removed from the property when it was converted into flats way back in 2001 - 8 years ago.

"So if you knew on the 6th January that the meter no longer existed, and that you aren't the energy supplier to the property, why have issued a bill for over £8,000 on the 10th of January?

'That's just systems generated'

"Do you have any idea how distressing it is, having E.ON call at the door threatening to disconnect the electricity, or to receive letters claiming you owe £8,000?"

'We had to find out about the supply'

"Your bill arrived today - the 21st of January - you had plenty of opportunity to write and admit your mistake, cancel the bills, and apologise for your intimidating behaviour."

'We don't write those sorts of letters.'

"What about the account that is in credit. Do you plan to refund that?"

'I can't discuss it, you aren't the account holder'

"Don't hide behind Data Protection. As you've admitted no one is the account holder."

'Exactly'

"Who could you discuss the account with? There's no one who could possibly telephone who you can discuss it with. You don't even have a meter at the property. You couldn't even discuss the billing with Gordon Brown if he called!'

This wouldn't be fun if E.ON really had forced entry, cut off the power, or sent in the bailiffs.
E.ON is power crazy.

"E.ON is a strictly regulated company, your behaviour has been so serious that I'm going to report your failure to the regulator. You should have been notified by the National Grid when they removed the meter in 2001, but you have been harassing law abiding residents for 8 years without good reason."

'I'll put your call through to my manager'.

After around 5 minutes on hold a manager comes on the line. I explain again that E.ON has had plenty of opportunity to correct its mistake - which it has known about since at least 6th January. I have gone out of my way to contact them today, but they have been unhelpful, rude and obstructive. Their errors have caused distress, cost money and time and we require compensation. I insist the manager reviews the way my first telephone call has been handled this morning and calls me back to explain whether this is an acceptable standard of service. She says she will. I also explain I will write about and publish an account of my experience with E.ON today.

The manager is about to end the call when I ask 'would you like my contact details?'

You'll be surprised to learn I haven't heard back from E.ON. They are possibly too busy over-billing and harassing other innocent non-customers. In 2005 UK customers made 11,780 complaints to Energywatch about E.ON's billing mistakes, a huge number. Complaints are falling now but in 2007 still numbered 1,741 - almost 5 complaints for every single day of the year. That's not 5 complaints to E.ON, that's 5 complaints which E.ON has failed to resolve to the customer's satisfaction and were escalated to the energy regulator.

Let's see what E.ON has to say when they investigate further. Watch this space...

Sky TV Turns Subscribers Green

2009-01-18T21:31:00.006Z

Sky TV controls it's subscribers remotely

I'm reading a book called 'Nudge' at the moment, which describes how citizens can be 'nudged' rather than instructed or legislated over to make the right choices and actions.

Coincidentally I simultaneously encountered the theory in action this week. The Sky TV set-top box keeps turning itself off. It's annoying, it's an older box and it takes a while to reboot and pick up the listings and when it's default position is 'off' it doesn't send a signal to the second room it's linked to.

My partner thinks the Sky box may be broken. I google 'Sky box keeps switching off' and discover we are not alone in our problem.

According to numerous posts all over various forums on the web (including digitalspy) every one's Sky box has developed a mind of its own.

Sky, it seems, has automatically downloaded a software update onto its subscribers' equipment to turn off their receivers when not in use in a bid to save electricity and boost the company's green credentials. Customers are puzzled because they haven't been told.

Subscribers can over-ride the 'auto-standby' feature by going into the settings menu and selecting option 5 - as we've now done.

There is much debate online about how much electricity Sky's action is really saving and how green it really makes Sky TV.

Some say the box on standby consumers 0.1 amps of electricity per hour. Multiply by 9m subscribers and you save enough electricity to power 57,000 homes.

Others moan that Sky should have given them the option to select the auto-off option. Green advocates ask how many subscribers would have enabled such a feature.

This is what the Nudge book is all about. Should our boxes be automatically turned off without our co-operation - in a Big Brother kind of way - or should we be nudged into action in a more self selecting way? Perhaps if we'd been 'nudged' into the benefit we would have complied, rather than simply disabling the annoying feature once we'd worked it out.

Hot UK Deals tip damages Viking Direct

2009-01-07T13:17:00.006Z

The £399 Medion 13.1 MD96698 Notebook - Viking Direct cleared at £229

Christmas Day set a new record for online shopping and I have to admit I was among those buying stuff, or at least attempting to.

Recently I've been browsing hotUKdeals.com. There, eagle eyed users post the best of the sales bargains, saving a lot of browsing. On Christmas morning I spotted a user's post for a clearance laptop from online office suppliers Viking Direct.

AT just £229 It looked like a steal for the spec. I wasn't the only one who thought so, the forum was alive with excitement. Users could barely contain themselves as they discovered all manner of ways to add to the deal - buying via cashback site Quidco, creating a new account with Viking Direct and so qualifying for a free Christmas hamper, or even adding a free watch. There was much debate about whether to create a business or personal account - and which users would be most likely to secure this clearance special.

I was caught up in this buying frenzy, but it was was 16.37 before I got around to finally completing my order. By that time I received an email saying my request was on 'back order'. I guessed that this was while Viking Direct reconciled their stock with the large number of orders they had undoubtedly received and that perhaps I'd be lucky, perhaps not. By this stage the HotUKdeals forum was jumping with anticipation about how Viking Direct would deal with the clamour.

Viking Direct was understandably shut so I had to wait until Monday 29th December to phone their customer service centre. My call was answered after 2 rings and a helpful operator explained the laptops had all been sold; 'someone posted the deal on some kind of forum', so she would cancel my back order as no more would be available. Oh well some you win, some you lose.

Unfortunately for Viking Direct their special offer didn't quite go according to plan and over the last few days their company's reputation has taken quite a hammering on HotUKdeals.com. Some of the bargain hunters who were advised their order had been successful and whose accounts were debited were then advised the laptop was sold out. Others received their free gifts, but not the laptop they were so anxious for. Yet more had cashback credited to their Quidco accounts but unfulfilled orders.

A huge mess for Viking Direct and a lot of unhappy customers - many who were buying from them for the first time. I would have been cross if they had taken my cash, but they didn't, nor did I apply for any of the free offers.

But what happened next is surprising, and has taken aback many of the users at HotUKdeals.com. The General Manager of Viking Direct, Richard Carvell has personally intervened on the forum to apologise to customers and explain what went wrong with the deal. He has also sent series of personal emails to all customers, including me.

Apparently Viking Direct posted the clearance on their site a few days before Christmas. They had 200 in stock. When the rush began these quickly sold out. Unfortunately for Viking they use a computerised system which fulfilled the personal orders over the business customers and carried on debiting accounts when the stock had all been dispatched. Normally this glitch would have been prevented, but the company had only a skeleton staff during the holidays.

Viking Direct's Richard Carvell has provided a full explanation, apologised on the forum and by email, ensured that all customers who've had money taken, but received no laptop receive a refund plus £20. They've set up a special hotline and telephoned customers to explain what is happening. He's even promised to see if he can source an alternative deal to satisfy disappointed buyers. Amazingly these Herculean efforts don't seem enough to satisfy some posters who threaten the small claims court and other nonsense.

I've never shopped with Viking Direct before, but I'm convinced they're doing their utmost to learn from their genuine mistake and will be doing their best to ensure it doesn't happen again.

Extended Warranty Mistake - Domestic and General

2009-01-06T11:18:00.005Z

Domestic and General's Extended Warranty cost twice the price of the washer dryer

To start the year a couple of stories from last year... I hope they encourage you to seek the service you deserve during 2009. Both these stories are about extended warranties. They both have a happy outcome.

Just before Christmas a colleague was having considerable difficulty getting the manufacturer of her Worcester Bosch boiler to source replacement parts covered under warranty. Her family had no heating or hot water for several days. I suggested she email the CEO. She did, and the next day the company swung into action with full force - the regional manager ensured a rapid fix and she was still receiving calls at 11pm that night to check she was happy. It's disappointing when the only way to get service is to complain direct to the top, but it does seem to be increasingly true.

The second complaint took a bit more effort. A close friend was embarrassed to discover a company called Dom & Gen had been helping themselves to money out of her bank account. Upon looking more closely she discovered this had been happening periodically since 2001. Adding up all the payments it came to just shy of £700. She had no idea what the payments were for, but thought they might be life insurance premiums linked to an endowment policy cancelled earlier that year.

I tend to Google everything these days and came up with DomGem.com Britain's largest supplier of extended warranties. So what could she have taken out an extended warranty on? Phoning Domestic and General was of little help. She has moved 4 times in 8 years and there was no policy listed against her current address or any of the previous couple. The customer service agent was not only unhelpful, but obstructive and refused to escalate our call that Saturday afternoon, hiding behind the 'Data Protection Act'.

Of course I took notes of the time of the call, the operator's name, and the duty manager (who he wouldn't let me speak to). Then I phoned again and got someone more helpful.

Through careful questioning I discovered the payments were for an extended warranty on a Zanussi washer dryer purchased in June 2000. At first the payments were taken at twice yearly intervals, then quarterly and now monthly. They added up to £697.68. These sporadic payments were due to continue until July 2009. To request any refund I must phone Customer Accounts - who of course don't work weekends.

The appliance cost around £350 - half the cost of the warranty payments collected by Domestic and General. They claimed to have sent renewal letters - but to a property she had sold in December 2000. My friend gave the appliance away in 2001 when she moved to a new property which already had a washer dryer installed. So she was paying for a very expensive breakdown policy which she could never claim against.

My friend felt so stupid for not noticing the debits from her bank account, or failing to to act earlier that she also felt awkward about complaining. After asking a few questions I persuaded her otherwise. She had arranged with the Post Office to have her mail forwarded for 6 months after moving in December 2000 - which should have caught any renewal notices from Domestic and General. Also she is fastidious about filing paperwork, so after a going through a couple of boxes came up with the errant policy documents and a direct debit agreement. The policy appeared to automatically renew and the payments escalate as the appliance aged.

On the Monday morning I telephoned Domestic and General to make a formal complaint about the first customer service operator. I heard nothing back, so wrote to the Managing Director enclosing a letter of complaint detailing all my phone calls and copies of the paperwork, and mentioning the Financial Ombudsman Service. I noted that the policy had a continuous authority until it was either cancelled or expired in 2009, which I felt was unreasonable. The policy called for a new letter every time the payment schedule changed and this condition had not been fulfilled.

Less than 2 weeks later Domestic and General wrote to refund the entire £697.68 'as a gesture of goodwill' adding 'this is being made without any admission of liability'.

Domestic and General went on to write 'after looking at the paperwork you have provided we have also noted that when you accepted our offer of breakdown protection for this appliance you had also purchased protection with Domestic Insurance Services. This is a separate company to Domestic and General and so there was duplication of cover on your appliance for the initial period of protection. We will also be issuing a refund for this period.'

In fact the policy documents my friend had filed away were two separate policies. One sold by House of Fraser at point of purchase and then a second sold via post from Zanussi when returning the guarantee card. Even I missed the difference between a policy headed Domestic Insurance Services and another letter headed Domestic and General Group PLC.

The law doesn't allow for two insurance policies to be in force and so the first policy takes precedence. Domestic and General were ineligible to sell their policy and therefore all the subsequent automatic renewals were void too. My friend is £697.68 better off - although of course they shouldn't have taken the money from her in the first place, so it is rightfully retunred.

Keep your paperwork, keep notes and if you have a legitimate complaint about the service you receive don't hesitate to make it. As consumers we're well protected by legislation and regulation. Regulated companies will usually always honour their obligations - eventually.

HSBC - We'll phone you back... and other non-events

2008-12-18T21:04:00.013Z

Like millions of former Abbey National customers I own shares in Spanish Bank Santander. I was disappointed by Santander's decision to exclude UK shareholders from its recent Rights Issue - which offered the opportunity to buy more shares at the lowest price for years. But Santander did write and explain why, sold our rights for a reasonable return and sent out a cheque, waiving all their fees.

I also hold Santander shares inside an ISA administered by HSBC. HSBC didn't inform me about the Santander Rights Issue, managed to sell my rights for half as much money as Santander, and hasn't even had the courtesy to write and tell its customers what a terrible return they'll be receiving.

Last Friday I phoned HSBC Invest Direct to find out how much money had been credited to my ISA for the sale of my Santander Rights Issue option.

The clueless HSBC customer services representative took 29 minutes to work out, first that I had forfeited the rights because I hadn't responded to their letter (which I didn't receive) and when I asked for my call to be escalated to someone who understood my enquiry, that my account had in fact been credited with £106 on 6th December for the sale of the rights I'd spent 29 minutes asking him about.

I couldn't fathom why HSBC had sold its Santander customers' share rights half price, so would they look into it and call me back? Yes, Monday promised HSBC.

You know what's coming don't you? You must be an HSBC customer...

Late Monday and not a peep from HSBC. So far they say they sent me a letter (which I didn't receive) and now they promise to phone (and then they don't).

I call HSBC again - this time they promise to call back within 24 hours.

You're already ahead of me aren't you?

Deathly silence from The World's local bank...

36 hours later and I phone HSBC a third time. Finally a senior customer services manager takes ownership of my complaint.

I ask about the missing letter - which apparently offered me the chance to buy shares at the once in a lifetime price.
Were letters really sent out on 15th and 16th November by Royal Mail 1st class post?
HSBC: Yes.
Even though the 16th of November was a Sunday?
HSBC: The Royal Mail collect from us daily.
What about the promised return phone calls?
HSBC: We'll investigate that.
What about the terrible price you sold your Customer's share rights for?
HSBC: We'll speak to our brokers - but it's probably the deteriorating exchange rate.
Why did HSBC decide to try and offer the shares to its clients - even though Santander decided there was insufficient time to contact shareholders?
HSBC: Our T&C require us to use 'reasonable endeavors' to contact clients.
Santander wrote to me twice and sent me a cheque. HSBC failed to contact me not once but three times, sold my rights for peanuts, and didn't bother to tell me. When I phoned for details it took HSBC 29 mintes to work out what they'd done and still can't explain fully what's happened.
Who would you rather hold shares with; Santander or HSBC?
HSBC:I understand the point you're making.

HSBC promise to call again in 24 hours.

To pass the time I look at the Royal Mail corporate collection website. The Royal Mail offer their largest customers a 6 days a week collection service - There is no Sunday collection. I read the HSBC terms and conditions leaflet. There is no reference anywhere to 'best endeavours'.

HSBC make bold claims, but they're not supported by the facts. I wonder where the letter they allegedly posted really is?

When HSBC call back they concede that the letters were actually collected by Royal Mail on Monday 17th November - not Saturday the 15th or Sunday the 16th, but some customers did receive them. I have to take HSBC's word for this, but do you see a pattern emerging? HSBC claim one thing and then when caught out they claim another.

I explain I'm surprised HSBC relies on posting letters on the 17th to arrive on the 18th for an offer which must be taken up (or lost) by the 19th.

We agree to disagree about the pathetic price HSBC's broker achieved for the sale.

HSBC do agree their customer service has been 'bad'. Some further training will take place a result.

HSBC offer £30 to 'more than cover the cost of my phone calls'.

I tell them it's a derisory offer - a single letter to an overdrawn HSBC customer would be charged at £35. I expected at least £100 - the difference between the price Santander and HSBC sold my share rights for.

Many times over the course of several return telephone calls I am reminded that 'some of our customers deal in millions of shares and have frequent successful contact with HSBC's call centre'.

I am also reminded why arrogant banks like HSBC are on their knees.

Tesco - Shelling Out More for Nuts

2008-12-17T20:50:00.010Z

Yesterday Tesco customer services responded by email to the blog entry I sent Chief Executive Terry Leahy 'Tesco - Relentless Price Rises Not Peanuts'

Further to my previous email, I have received information from our Buyer regarding the recent price increase for our Tesco Value Salted Peanuts.

Unfortunately, the price increases are due to the cost of the raw materials as well as currency issues. The cost of raw materials have increased by 105% since May 2007 and the currency change has had a negative impact of 40%.

These increases were passed on to us from our supplier in April 2008 but we have tried to hold the price as long as possible, which is why the price increase has been applied recently.

So the cost of peanuts - presumably peanuts are the raw material in a pack of roasted salted peanuts - has increased by 105%. Is this true?

I was immediately frustrated by my attempts to verify this statement. When I typed 'peanut price rises' into Google my own blog 'Relentless Peanut Price Rises' came back as the top search result...

Further searches revealed that the price of peanuts in China - one of the main producers - rose by 13% in the first three quarters of 2007, apparently because profits from oil plants in recent years have been lower and so farmers have grown less - widening the gap between supply and demand. The last price I could find for peanuts is March 2007 - $363 per ton.

I'm unable to tell you the provenance of Tesco Value Roasted Salted Peanuts - because the packaging simply says 'produced in either The Netherlands or Poland.'EU labelling laws produce some curios anomalies - as we discovered recently with the contamination of Irish Pork. Meat grown in Ireland but baked into a pie in England means the pie can be labelled British.

So not much luck with the peanut price rise, but what about the 'negative impact of the currency change'?

Like many commodities peanuts are traded in dollars. If Tesco's peanuts are processed in the EU they are presumably bought in dollars and sold in euros. Sterling has sunk 25% against the dollar in the last 12 months and almost 20% against the Euro this year, so combining the 25% dollar surge and 20% euro rise, Tesco's 40% currency change is conservative.

Stand by for further price rises - if the underlying price rise is 105% for the nuts and 40% for the currency. So far customers have escaped with a mere 85% price rise. 145% peanut inflation will produce a new price in 2009 of 49p for a 200g pack of 'Value' peanuts. Watch this space.

The Woolwich and Barclays - Keeping Customers' Cash

2008-12-13T12:14:00.007Z

Gordon Brown has instructed the banks to pass on the interest rate cuts to their struggling customers - but now the banks are coming up with other sneaky ways of keeping customers' cash.

Just spent 37 minutes on hold to The Woolwich - owned by Barclays Bank - to find out why the recent interest cuts don't appear to have been applied to a Lifetime Tracker mortgage.

Apparently Woolwich do pass on the interest rate cut - but they leave your monthly payments the same - so customers start overpaying the loan.

However for those struggling to meet monthly payments the spare cash is completely lost to them now when they need it most.

Secondly the interest savings don't go back into the economy - as the Government hoped when it pumped in billions of pounds of taxpayers money to save the banks.

Gordon Brown has told the banks to pass on the Bank of England interest cuts - I don't think what he had in mind was 'but feel free to hang onto the spare cash' do you?

If you're a Woolwich customer with a base rate tracker mortgage you'll have to telephone them if you want to have your monthly payments reduced to reflect the new interest rate.

Don't phone them now. At 12.22 p.m today there are 90 calls queuing and a waiting time on hold of over 30 minutes.

Customers are only just waking up to the realisation that their monthly payments haven't dropped and are phoning to find out why.

Has Woolwich drafted in extra staff or written to customers to explain the options? What do you think...In fact they close at 2pm on Saturdays.

At least it's free to call them on 0800 316 5500.

British Gas - The Priority Response Experience

2008-12-12T11:42:00.016Z

British Gas - Daily Saturation Newspaper Advertising for Priority Response

Yesterday I spent 8 hours in the company of a British Gas heating engineer. Neither of us expected to spend so much time together. Keith explained that BG allows 45 minutes for each job. Each engineer must do 7 or 8 jobs a day.

BG Priority Response scheme offers a fixed price repair of £99 (including parts and labour) in exchange for a monthly subscription of £2 for 12 months. So whether your central heating requires a new pump or a new fuse the repair costs the same. It's a good offer and British Gas is advertising it heavily. So heavily in fact that the engineers in London can barely cope.

If 2 engineers phone in sick 16 jobs go into the backlog - except of course this scheme promises 'same or next day response if you have no heat or hot water', so the remaining engineers must cover the extra jobs.

The engineers who are working, work hard but apparently many are finding the pressure tough going and moving to postings outside London. There are fewer engineers available in the Capital but BG goes on advertising.

Note BG doesn't promise to fix the fault the same or next day. Keith first called on Sunday morning following our Saturday call out, but the job required new parts - a pump, an expansion vessel and valve - and he was scheduled for 2 days off so it was Thursday before the repair could be scheduled.

It proved to be a tricky job when he returned yesterday at 8.45 a.m. testing Keith's 5 years on the job since retraining as a BG engineer. If anyone thought becoming a plumber is easy Keith will testify otherwise 'my knees have gone already' he explained. Unsurprising - he spent 5 hours crouched down trying to fit the new parts inside the bottom of a small cupboard.

Eventually, having drained and re-assembled the system 3 separate times Keith was ready to admit defeat. The valve refused to register the pressure and he had no idea where all the water he had pumped back into the system had gone.

I'm a practical person and I've found myself in more challenging situations than this, especially when it comes to working in teams. Useful as it happens, because I realised Keith needed some extra back-up, which I found a tactful way of suggesting.

British Gas - Team Work

Half an hour later there were 2 more BG engineers in the small kitchen. After almost 7 hours on the job Keith and I were both relieved to see them. The new team sprung into action like a Formula One pitstop crew and had the boiler dismantled, rebuilt and the valve up to pressure within 30 minutes. Crucially they also had heat and hot water pumping round the freezing cold property.

The parts required cost around £360, that's not counting the 10 hours labour provided by a total of 3 engineers but the fee payable was a single fixed price (in this particular case £160).

Of course the price would have been the same for any one of the other repairs Keith had scheduled yesterday - including replacing a timer and fitting 2 insulation panels - much simpler, quicker tasks requiring cheaper parts. Some you win, some you lose. I'd rather this job hadn't taken 8 hours, but I was glad I didn't have to pay for each and every one of them.

British Gas gets a lot of bad press and I've certainly had problems with them in the past. I tried 5 other plumbers before BG on Saturday without success. In the end the fixed price gamble and the expertise of 3 experienced engineers got the heating system fixed. As long as it remains almost impossible to hire skilled trades at short notice British Gas will find customers. All they have to do is find a way of continuing to deliver the service they promise.

Tesco - "Sir Terry Is Out of The Business"

2008-12-08T22:32:00.004Z

Alarming news about Sir Terry via email from Tesco Customer Services

Last week I emailed my post about extortionate price rises on Tesco Value Roasted Salted Peanuts to Tesco Chief Executive Terry Leahy.

Today, a full 7 days later I received an alarming reply from Yvonne Edmonds Tesco Customer Service Executive:

Thank you for your email addressed to Sir Terry Leahy. As Sir Terry is out of the business, I have been asked to reply on his behalf.

Let's just review that second sentence again;

As Sir Terry is OUT OF the business...

Does the City know about this shock exclusive mistakenly revealed to the author of Adventures in Consumerland? What on earth will the impact on the share price be when it emerges that the CEO who has steered Tesco to become the most successful retailer in Britain (taking one pound in every eight spent on the high street) has left the business?

The email from Britain's Biggest Discounter continues even less promisingly;

I am currently investigating the details of your complaint and will contact you as soon as I have a response.

Could it really be a 'standard' holding email in which Tesco announces that Sir Terry is OUT OF THE BUSINESS?

Sir Terry, if you're reading, I'm sure you'll want to investigate....

VAT Savings My Arse

2008-12-07T18:42:00.012Z

The new 15% VAT rate = a 4p VAT saving on a £1.89 6 pack of toilet rolls

The Government said this month's surprise cut in the rate of VAT from 17.5% to 15% was designed to encourage us to spend money.

The price changes have been a nightmare for retailers - with Christmas prices prepared weeks ago. Many shops are having to make the adjustment at the checkouts - because they've been unable to alter shelf-edge tickets.

However some retailers - especially those selling everyday items - seem to be exploiting a general ignorance about which products attract VAT to simply pocket the difference.

VAT rules are complicated. Buy chocolate biscuits and you'll pay VAT, buy a cake and you won't. Drink bottled water - and tax applies. Want to wipe your bum with toilet paper? You'll have to pay 15% tax too (although you can wipe it with newspaper tax free - there's no VAT on newspapers).

I bought 18 Velvet Triple toilet rolls (3 packs of 6) at high street chain Savers today. The sign above the display showed the price as £1.89. Another ticket had been added showing £1.87. If you thought this was the VAT reduction you'd be wrong. Deduct 2.13% from £1.89 and the saving is 4p not 2p. Multiply my purchase x3 and Savers has pocketed 6p from the original price it won't be passing on to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs in tax.

Savers is owned by the same group as Superdrug (A.S. Watson Group).

Next door at Superdrug I brought some Nivea balm on promotion with a 33% reduction over the usual selling price of £4.45. 33% discount is £1.47 producing an offer price of £2.98. The VAT saving to me on this purchase price would have been a further 6p if Superdrug had passed this on in addition to their third off saving promotion - giving a final price of £2.92.

Superdrug's website says 'We are a challenging brand on behalf of our customers'. Superdrug has campaigned for VAT reductions on condoms and sun care products. It is less noisy about the latest VAT cut.

Superdrug aren't the only retailer who have received a 2.5% fiscal boost to their profits. Poundland hasn't reduced it's prices to become 98pLand and 99p Stores haven't rushed to re brand as 97p stores. These chains will simply keep the money they would have handed over in tax.

Many have criticised the VAT cut, pointing out not all the savings will be passed on. Superdrug's saving equals a loss of tax revenue for the Government which we'll all have to repay later through increased taxes.

The Daily Mail reads Advenures in Consumerland

2008-12-03T19:04:00.008Z

Today The Daily Mail reported the high cost of tinned food - after I emailed my recent blog to their consumer affairs editor. Their report failed to identify exactly why the price of Sainsbury's Basic Tinned Chopped tomatoes has increased from 21p in September to 33p.
Encouraged by the Daily Mail's interest in my price monitoring I emailed my previous post - Tesco Relentless Price Rises - not Peanuts, to Tesco's Chief Executive Terry Leahy.

"Dear Mr Leahy, I have sent you a link to my blog Adventures in Consumerland. I welcome Tesco's comment on the recent excessive price rise of your Value range of Roasted Salted Peanuts. A price hike from 20p to 37p isn't really peanuts is it?"

I've received a standard holding reply, let's see what explanation Tesco has. Yesterday Tesco reported it's lowest quarterly growth figures (2%) for a decade. Commentators are noting that value seeking customers are turning to Asda and Morrisons as well as the German discounters Aldi and Lidl.

Tesco - Relentless Price Rises Not Peanuts

2008-11-30T13:47:00.007Z

Tesco Value range - relentless price rises aren't peanuts

The story so far: Last week I wrote that Sainsbury's was taking shoppers for a ride with steady price hikes on its 'Basics' range - rapidly narrowing the price gap between budget and premium brands. I noted Tesco was at it too with their 'Value Range'.

Tesco has almost doubled the price of its Value Roasted Salted Peanuts since August - when they were 20p for a 200g bag. By October the price jumped to 30p, then 32p and this week another 15% to 37p. Perhaps Tesco is building up to a Christmas 'half price offer' i.e. back to the original price before they doubled it...

The Daily Mail phoned me this week to ask about my Sainsbury's Basics Tinned Chopped Tomatoes story. The paper is investigating recent price rises on tinned food - the journalist told me one reader had discovered a tinned salmon price rise of 130%.

Supermarkets seem to be under the illusion that if the price is peanuts to start with no one will notice when it increases a few pennies more. Wrong! We do. We don't like it and we start shopping around.

Dixons - Close to Death

2008-11-27T15:21:00.007Z

DSG International, owner of Currys, Dixons and PC World announced a pre-tax loss of £61m for the 24 weeks to 18th October. It is their first loss in 20 years.

Last time I wrote about the terrible service at DSG one of their Tech Guys posted me to complain. Sorry, here comes more bad news about why the company is going down the toilet.

Yesterday I was in the Glasgow aiport branch of Dixons Tax Free (its a very small branch, with very few items, less than a handful of computers) looking at an Advent web notebook 4213. The sales sticker claimed 'mobile broadband without the dongle'. I'm in the market for such a thing, so I asked the assistant if 'without the dongle' meant the device was tied to a particular mobile network - if so whose mobile service would it provide? (Vodafone, 3, etc)

He looked blankly at the machine and then the ticket. Then he phoned a friend in the branch at the other terminal building. You do need a dongle he said when he came off the phone (after having an entirely irrelevant friendly chat with his mate). 'Why does it say 'without the dongle' then?' I asked - pointing back at the ticket. 'Perhaps mobile means you can carry it round' he suggested helpfully. No honestly, he really did say that. Numpty. Or was I the numpty for asking about a technology thing in a DSG shop?

Chief executive, John Browett (he emailed me, remember) said he was going to change the 'very DNA' of Dixons group. Mmm.

Back at home I looked at the Advent 4213 on Amazon. Amazon explains you insert the mobile broadband sim card inside the machine, you don't need a dongle. Amazon doesn't have sales staff, just useful information and competitive prices.

DSG International looks like it may soon join MFI and Woolworths by vacating the high street. Permanently.

Virgin Active - but only at CEO level

2008-11-21T09:28:00.008Z

Inside every Virgin Active Membership pack is a Service Promise
Is it worth the card its printed on?

Gyms famously make most of their profit from members who don't use the club, not those who do. Members who sign up, but visit rarely, get caught in a 'guilt inertia'. If they cancel they'll never fulfill their desired level of fitness, so they keep paying their monthly fees for a service they don't use.

Virgin Active is unusual for a health club - its still growing and profit is increasing. Impressively, unlike many others, it allows members to cancel at a month's notice - no annual contracts. For a modest fee members can also 'freeze' their membership when they go on holiday. These are attractive benefits. Virgin Active is very customer focused. Members know this because inside every Membership Pack is a Service Promise. The Service Promise is very important to the owners and senior management, but it appears to be treated with contempt at Club level.

My partner joined Virgin Active in June. In August she emailed and telephoned her VA club (Glasgow) to 'freeze' her membership during her holiday. They didn't do this, they didn't reply either, but they did debit her bank account the monthly fee of £44. When her bank statement arrived she followed this up with the club by email. Their reply, left on her voicemail was that the member of staff responsible for membership services had left the company and they had failed to check her email or voicemail, but they would now refund the money, albeit 2 months after she'd contacted them.

Which should be the end of the story. Except then I started reading the membership pack. The boastful Service Promise makes two claims which caught my eye. Firstly 'We will promise a response to your questions, suggestions or complaints within 24 hours', and secondly 'We promise that we will call you within 30 days of joining to ensure our Service Promise is being delivered'. Virgin Active had failed to fulfill both these promises, but the failure to ensure delivery of the promise invokes the final promise; 'If we do not deliver on our Promise in the first 30 days we will refund your joining fee.'

So I drafted my partner an email requesting the refund of her £10 joining fee. This request was declined - because apparently the Club had tried to telephone her mobile in June to ensure their Service Promise was being delivered, but there was no answer. So come on be reasonable I hear you say, they left her a message didn't they? Er... no actually. But because this is such an important Service Promise they must have called again? No, that was it, one quick phone call, no reply. Tick, member 'ensured' satisfied. Anyway, their reply continued, they couldn't refund the joining fee because she had used the club. If she didn't like this response she could email via the website.

I looked at Virgin Active's press release for last year's Annual Report. It boasts of their 'relentless focus on Customer Service'. So I waited until Saturday, when I guessed VA's Chief Executive would be looking after his own email via his Blackberry and emailed him. Did Chief Executive Matthew Bucknall wait 24 hours before replying? No he was back within an hour, promising to investigate. Impressive.

On Tuesday Virgin refunded the £10 Joining Fee. However they were a bit weaselly about the detail. So I dispatched a further email suggesting that as their service had fallen so far short of their Service Promise and that we had provided invaluable feedback about the way the Promise is implemented at club level that VA now refund all the monthly fees. I didn't expect them to, nor did they, but another month was refunded as good will. So £54 in return for emailing the Chief Executive.

It's a shame members have to email the CEO to get such paltry sums refunded. Proper training at Club level would free up valuable time at senior level to grow the business. My partner won't be going back to Virgin Active. Not because it isn't a nice facility, it is. But because they made her a Promise and didn't really care whether they kept it. Like many members who deliver monthly payments she didn't use the Club as much as she hoped, but when they abused her loyalty she withdrew hers - permanently.

Update 3rd December: My partner received an email from a colleague asking if she had benefitted from Virgin Active's £9 cut in monthly subscriptions available to employees of the company. Needless to say Virgin Active hadn't notified her. After a further exchange of emails with the UK MD and CEO she is £18 better off. Ironically if the Glasgow branch had simply refunded the £10 service promise VA would be £62 better off. Since raising the matter directly with CEO Matthew Bucknall refunds to date are: £10 Service Promise refund, £44 monthly subscription good will refund, £18 for 2 months of over-charging. Total refunds = £72. Not bad for a few emails...

Sainsbury's Basics Chopped Tomatoes = Huge Profits

2008-11-15T18:02:00.021Z

Sainsbury's Basics Chopped Tomatoes
Sales leap = Price Soars

As food prices have skyrocketed we've all begun experimenting with the supermarket budget labels. The supermarkets have reassured us they're on our side, their budget brands offer excellent value and quality. But buyer beware - you can't trust the supermarkets, because now they've converted us they're already ripping us off.

Until September Sainsbury's charged 21p for a tin of 'Basics' chopped tomatoes. I know it was 21p becuause in October the Richmond store still displayed a shelf label showing 21p but scanned them at 30p. I kept my receipt because the store manager refunded the mis-price after checking himself. In fact the computer was right, the shelf was wrong - the price had dramatically increased to 30p - a staggering 43% increase.

October 2008 was the month The Telegraph ran a report in which Sainsbury's boasted Basics Chopped Tomatoes was now their best selling line - shifting 2 million tins a month as shoppers turned to store cupboard staples to cook their own credit crunch chilli. No wonder Sainsbury's was full of glee - A 9p price hike on a tin of tomatoes multiplied by 2m units equals an extra £180,000 a month profit.

This week, in the teeth of recession, Sainsbury's reported a rise in first half year profits. Sales of the Basics range have increased by 30%. This week the price of chopped tomatoes has increased another 10% to 33p. Or to put it another way, if monthly sales are still 2m cans the extra profit (over the old 21p price) is £240,000. Yes £240,000 That's just short of quarter a million pounds extra profit - on a single item. Just one item in over 40,000 lines of inventory.

Sainsbury's aren't the only Supermarket who've comforted the cash strapped customer but are now taking them for a ride. Tesco has rebranded as Britain's Biggest Discounter. In the summer I discovered Tesco Value Roasted Salted Peanuts were very good value at 20p (200g). Recently the price jumped to 30p and by this week the price has climbed to 32p - a 60% increase over the price in June.

Tonight I checked the price of budget brand chopped tomatoes on the price checking site
MySupermarket . Suddenly, for the first time the big 3 (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda) are all charging 33p a can for a tin of chopped tomatoes.

What's going on? Do all the supermarkets share the same chopped tomatoes supplier? Has the supplier upped the price? Or, as the Competition Commission has failed to prove despite several inquiries (3 in the last 8 years) are the supermarkets mirroring each other's prices in a cartel? Earlier this year The Office of Fair Trading raided supermarkets for evidence of collusion on prices. In September the OFT said they believed prices are being shared between supermarkets via their suppliers. If the case is proven (as it was in 2002 with sportswear retailers and England shirts) the supermarkets face fines running into millions - which will quickly consume the chopped tomatoes profits. Watch this space.

Sainsbury's shouts about helping stricken shoppers feed their families for a fiver. Meanwhile it lines its own pockets to the tune of a quarter of a million pounds every month, on chopped tomatoes alone.

Every Home Should Have One

2008-11-08T21:18:00.004Z

The Electrisave - this much information can really change your electricity use

A couple of weeks ago I was loaned an Electrisave, also known as The Owl. An Australian invention, you can buy them for around £30. The sat nav equivalent for home electricity consumption, it shows you minute by minute how much of the expensive stuff you're using.

For years electricity was relatively cheap, but with 30%+ price rises we all know fuel really does cost dearly these days. Since I connected the transmitter (not pictured) round the power cable leaving my electricity meter I've acquired a compelling urge to see how much electricity I'm burning my way through. The receiver (pictured) is programmed with the price of each KwH of power (17.2p on my tariff) and displays the real time cost. These devices aren't 100% accurate - but they give a realistic guide.

I can't get the background count below 2.1p - probably all the clocks, modem etc ticking away hour after hour. But put the oven on and the cost jumps to 48p an hour, the kettle 39p an hour, the shower pump 12p an hour microwave 25p or the iron 38p.

I've always been one for turning the lights off... mainly. Each 60w bulb appears to cost around 1p an hour to burn. I used to leave the kitchen lights on all evening, but no longer. Recently I've taken to switching the oven off a few minutes before the end of the cooking time and boiling less water in the kettle.

In a year long study currently underway monitored by the Institute of Public Policy Research, 8 homes in 8 streets in 8 cities across the UK have been seeing how much energy they can save (Green Streets). Changing behaviour has proved as significant when it comes to cutting fuel costs as fitting loft insulation or energy saving light bulbs.

I've changed my energy behaviour since monitoring the electrisave. Perhaps every home should have one?

Westfield White City - What Recession?

2008-11-07T18:27:00.006Z

Last Thursday (just across from the BBC - which was deeply embroiled in the Jonathan Ross / Russell Brand phone call scandal) the giant new Westfield Mall opened. After ten years of construction and planning and a billion pounds spent it is a cathedral to consumerism. Of course, as many newspapers pointed out, the timing of its completion could not be more calamitous. Or could it?

On the opening evening I went along to have a look. I had to shuffle along the pavement outside in Wood Lane, while marshalls controlled the crowds. We filed inside and could barely believe the scale of the place. Shiny and new it is the most impressive mall I have ever seen in the UK, and it's certainly World Class when it comes to planning and design.

I've recently returned from San Francisco where Westfield operate another prestige mall. I was wowed by the curved escalators (I've never seen curved escalators before) and the delicious food from around the world on offer in the basement food court. Spotlessly clean the communal dining areas were always packed - day and night. I still miss the Vietnamese shrimp Spring Rolls - well I did until Westfield opened in White City. The dining option looks equally enticing and yes they even have Vietnamese Spring Rolls with fresh shrimp.

Last weekend White City and Shepherds Bush ground to a halt as shoppers and sightseers travelled for miles to wonder at the new mall. As we dip into recession it makes you wonder if Londoners really do plan to spend their way out - as Mayor Boris urged when he cut the opening tape.

Another bad day for Taxpayers

2008-10-08T22:56:00.004+01:00

The 7 bedroom Ealing house which costs taxpayers £12,500 a month
Photo Copyright: News Group Newspapers

Today British taxpayers bailed out the banks to the tune of £50 billion. Inconceivable. Taxpayers also stumped up £4bn to compensate the savers of the Icelandic bank Icesave.

Even closer to my home BBC news reports that an Afghan mother and her 7 children has been housed at taxpayers expense in a 7 bedroom house in Ealing. The council has agreed a rent of £12,500 a month with the private landlord. Other homes in the upmarket street command rents less than half this. Ealing Council's website boasts its immediate priority is 'Value for Money'. What on earth has gone wrong - is it open season on taxpayer's cash?

At 8.45 tonight I emailed the Leader of Ealing Council Jason Stacey to express my dismay. Surprisingly and impressively he emailed back within the hour. He agrees this is 'not an acceptable situation' and forwards a copy of the Council's statement, issued after the Sun Newspaper broke the story.

It appears that changes in legislation mean that private landlords can now discover how much rent the Department of Work and Pensions will re-imburse and charge accordingly. With no other 7 bed properties available Ealing Council had no alternative but to pay the landlord's demand - £12,500 a month - or as the Sun puts it £170,000 a year in benefits for this one family. As Jason Stacey sums up 'the system in place does not reflect well on the Council, The Government and of course the taxpayer.'

It's been another bad day for taxpayers.

The Banking Crisis Gets Real

2008-10-07T19:37:00.004+01:00

Icesave - the Internet only bank closes its virtual doors.
Will UK savers get their money back?

UPDATE 8.20am 8th October - The UK Chancellor Alistair Darling, speaking on BBC R4's Today programme, has just reassured UK savers they will get their money back - not from Iceland as they don't have the money, but from the UK.

I've been watching the financial crisis with increasing disbelief. Only this morning I told my partner that recent developments were so dramatic that perhaps now was the time to do something rather than simply watch. I'm working with some people who, like many, still think the meltdown is about city types, not you and me. Yesterday I tried to explain how it mattered.

That was then. Late this morning I noticed that Icesave had closed its Internet site down, so UK savers, of whom there are 300,000 can't get their cash. The Icelandic parent bank has gone into government receivership. One of my colleagues looked up from his work, his face pale. 'You're kidding' he said. His ISA is with Icesave. He'd previously researched how his savings were protected, but now he felt pretty insecure. Finally, for one of the most sceptical people among our team watching close by, the banking meltdown took on a human dimension.

Martin Lewis, the website moneysavingexpert has regularly tipped Icesave as a top interest payer. I was looking at his website this morning. Tonight C4's Jon Snow grilled him on his 'irresponsible' role. Unfair, but with 15,000 worried comments on his forum many of his readers must feel mugged. Elsewhere Martin makes the point that many of these accounts were ISAs. ISAs were set up by the Government to encourage people to save. The Government cannot afford to let them lose that money - whether the bank is in Iceland or the UK.

UK customers of Northern Rock and Bradford & Bingley had their savings safeguarded. This is the first time the banking guarantees have kicked in. If they don't work we'll all start wondering where to put our money. No government can afford a run on the banks - which is what happens when we lose faith in the banks and start stashing our cash under the mattress.

Tesco - Britain's Biggest Discounter

2008-10-06T20:50:00.004+01:00

Tesco's latest shot at Asda - Full page Sun advert on Friday

Supermarkets are increasingly desperate to show their price-cutting credentials. Tesco has re-styled itself 'Britain's Biggest Discounter' in a swipe at the likes of Aldi and Lidl and I've noticed its begun to dedicate some of its instore shelf-edge price comparisons to showing how it matches or beats prices at its down-market rivals.

But last Friday's double page spread in the Sun newspaper defies any credit crunch logic. Attempting to prove Tesco is cheaper than Asda (and you get Clubcard points too) it reproduces two till receipts showing the weekly shop. Tesco's trolley of 62 items at £101.31 is £1.78 cheaper than the identical items at Asda.

But Tesco must be off their trolley if this is their idea of a recession sized shop. The imagined shopper has spent more than 10% of the weekly food budget on hair dye, one for him, one for her. I suppose it must be the worrying times...

Just for Men hair colourant (£5.47)
Nice n' easy extra light beige blonde 97 (£4.67)

Tesco beats Asda on 12 of its self-selected comparisons. The biggest single difference is 35p for a bottle of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce, followed by 26p for a Soft and Gentle roll-on deodorant, right down to a 1p difference on Wash & Go shampoo (they love hair care at Tesco).

Of course Tesco aren't really expecting us to digest the entire list of curious items (8 litres of Coca Cola £4.77 - almost 5% of the weekly shop) they just want us to go away with the impression shopping that with them is cheaper than at Asda, oh and you get Clubcard points too - one pound and a penny worth in future savings. Many of these comparison ads prompt complaints from rivals to the Advertising Standards Authority who investigate and tell the supermarkets not to run them in that form again, by then the ad is long gone.

As the very small print at the bottom of P2 of the double page ad discloses Tesco only issues Clubcard Vouchers once the quarterly reward equals £1.50. So this single trip to Britain's Biggest Discounter would not produce the promised £1.01 saving unless followed by further spend. There you are Asda, perhaps some grounds for complaint...

Apologies for the recent break in posts following my US trip. Be assured my Adventures in Consumerland have continued. Shortly I'll post some surprising news about an extended warranty complaint...

Luxury for Less - Book Ahead

2008-08-26T16:52:00.003+01:00

The Prescott Hotel, Post Street, San Francisco

When I first started planning this trip to Northern California back in June one of the first offers I spotted was for the 4 star Prescott Hotel. Travelzoo was offering a rate of just $119 plus taxes for a Deluxe Queen room. Unlike most offers like this the room could be cancelled at 24 hours notice without penalty, and it booked directly through the Kimpton chain's own website, so I went ahead and booked the two blocks of nights I needed. In 8 subsequent weeks of research I never found a deal to come close, the standard rate for the Prescott is usually between $229 and $269. The tip is definitely if you see a good deal, grab it. The hotel is located within minutes of Union Square and while the rooms are not enormous I knew that thanks to reading all the reviews posted on Tripadvisor.

I also joined Kimpton's In Touch loyalty programme ahead of checking-in and emailed the hotel with my membership number. Some reviewers had commented that they had been slipped passes for the club level lounge which offers complimentary breakfast and snacks. When we arrived the clerk's first comment was that they had added my membership to the reservation. As she issued the plastic keys I asked which floor we were on - the third. I asked if there was a higher floor (other Tripadvisor reviewers noted it was quieter higher above the street) and she moved us to a corner room on the sixth. I don't know for sure whether joining the Kimpton loyalty scheme helped, but it sure didn't hurt. So thanks for the wisdom of all the previous Prescott guests and for sharing their views with me.

Today we're picking up a car from the Dollar office around the corner. I didn't book with Dollar, checking their website yesterday the rate for my 11 days was $485. I booked through autoeurope.com. They are an online broker, so you don't know who your reservation is with until you complete the booking (but you can cancel without penalty). Autoeurope's rate yesterday for the intermediate size car I've booked, with a tank of fuel and 3 additional drivers, full insurance and zero excess was $516. Logging in as though I was in the UK the rate shown in pounds was £243. I booked back at the beginning of the month, while still in the UK, when the rate was just £189. But before I finalised the booking I discovered that by clicking through from the Travelsupermarket site it was £5 less (bizarre given that Autoeurope has a best rate guarantee). I can cancel the booking up to 24 hours ahead without penalty. So by planning ahead the saving is at least £58. Of course if the rate had dropped I could have cancelled the booking and made a new one.

The tip for the trip so far is that planning ahead is paying off, and shared tips are invaluable.

First Class Reward Flight with British Airways

2008-08-25T15:11:00.006+01:00

British Airways First Class Cabin from seat 1A

On Saturday we flew First Class British Airways from London's new Terminal 5 to San Francisco. The return flight cost the same as an economy round trip, but this wasn't some fluke upgrade.

I wrote about how I was collecting BA Miles and a Companion Voucher on their Amex card.

Spend £20,000 in a single year on BA's Amex card and they give you another flight for you companion when you redeem your miles. You just pay the taxes and charges on both flights.

I have to point out at this stage that you do really need to have accumulated some BA miles by flying with BA to travel First Class. However you could in theory collect miles on the Amex card forever and then only use the voucher when you had collected sufficient miles (spending £20,000 a year this would take 7.5 years. You could alternatively under the rules buy a maximum of 19,000 BA miles each year at just over £300, which would reduce this to 4 years).

We didn't actually have sufficient miles for a First Class ticket to the US - 150,000 BA Miles. But we did have 112,000. This would pay for a seat in business - but there were none available. BA allows Executive Club members to buy 19,000 miles each year. This costs just over £300. By each buying our full allocation and pooling them in our household account we made the 150,000 mile target. The taxes and charges were £242 each so each seat cost a little under £550. The day I booked an economy fare was £545.

So was it worth it? OK so we had to spend £20,000 on an Amex card. But we divided this in 2 as well, by getting a second card on my account and using the card instead of cash every time we could (even a couple of quid spent in Tesco went onto the card).

But was the hassle worth it? The flight was wonderful. We got to eat breakfast in the brand new Concorde lounge dining booths, the cabin was only half full, the food was delicious, the flat bed and duvet sumptuous, and the flight well... (excuse me) flew by.

But come on, was it worth it? Well each First Class fare was on sale for £2449 the day I booked them. An economy fare was £545 - virtually the same as we paid. So less the charges the reward was worth £2000 each (£4,000 reward for spending every penny possible on Amex). A couple of weeks before we travelled the fare had risen to just under £10,000 each. Today, checking the BA website for the return leg of the fare a single First Class ticket is available for £5243 (the fare must be sold in dollars - it's $9771).

Of course there are more rewarding things in life than First Class air travel. But this has got to be one of the most satisfying loyalty rewards around - if you have the patience to learn all the rules.

The rules you need to qualify for this reward.
To benefit you'll need to:
1. Become a BA executive club member (do this for free by applying for the Amex card).
2. Preferably work with your partner - by creating a BA Household account to pool your miles (all family members at the same address can do this).
3. Spending every penny you can on Amex (ensure you set up a direct debit to repay the full balance every month, or this 'free' reward will cost you a fortune in interest).
4. When you have enough miles for your destination make sure you qualify for the companion voucher by spending £20,000 in 12 months on the card (there is also a premium card available with an annual fee which has a lower threshold).
5. Plan your reward flight a long way advance and pick routes with regular flights (I couldn't find any available reward flights in First to glamorous destinations like Mauritius).

Sneaky Debenhams

2008-08-22T23:36:00.004+01:00

Debenhams eyecatching reductions - the lesson today - don't change your mind

I was with my partner today when she returned a dress she'd brought her mother from Debenhams. It was reduced by 70% but still cost £22.50. At the desk the assistant puzzlingly pointed out the discount shown on the sales tag. Then her explanation became clear. 'We can't give refunds on items reduced by more than 50%' she announced 'only an exchange'.

I intervened and pointed out that on the front of the receipt was printed the legend:

Please note your last day for a full refund is 07 September 2008.
Exclusions apply.

Of course as with so much in modern life it was the words 'exclusions apply' not 'full refund' which carried most meaning. The assistant turned the receipt over and pointed to a box headed 'About Returns' then followed a whole host of minuscule print - which even now I can't read with the naked eye.

On items reduced by 50% or more we offer an exchange only for product or onto a giftcard.

So unreadable and not great English either. Unable to read this at the time, and taking the assistant's word, my partner began to ask about a credit note instead of an exchange. 'No we can't do that'.

You'd better call your manager I said. 'It's too sneaky for words to disqualify the big print - individual to this transaction - with teeny weeny print on the back'. The manager was summoned - and agreed to issue a gift card. Which, now I have my reading glasses, I can see was a valid option from the outset.

Shops are getting less and less generous with discretionary refunds. Clearly more and more of us are taking back the purchases we later regret. It's not only shoppers feeling the squeeze. But trying to mislead shoppers won't win Debenhams repeat business - especially at sale time when they're anxious to shift all that unsold stock.

Not a Penny Less...

2008-08-18T21:04:00.005+01:00

When saving a Penny costs dearly...

My trip to Scotland ended with a visit to Edinburgh's World Famous Fringe Festival. Every type of act performing in any kind of venue. Choosing a worthwhile show is a challenge but we finally pinned our comedy hopes on stand-up Stephen Grant. Reviewers mentioned his obsession with the efficiency of second class post – which definitely sounds like my kind of show. Stephen's routine recounting his own consumer adventures didn't disappoint.

Stephen Grant has spent the last couple of years taking his consumerist frustrations to levels even I wouldn't dare. He once inadvertently wrote a cheque payment for 1p less than the actual bill. Amazed by the tenacity and escalation of threats to collect the outstanding penny (bailiffs sent to collect goods to the value of...) Stephen concocted an elaborate experiment to see just how much money utility companies would spend to pursue a debt of 1p . Purely for comedic value you understand. He wrote all his bill payment cheques out for the full amount – less one penny. Much hilarity ensued as his essential utility providers failed to see the funny side of his comic genius.

Unfortunately for Stephen his comedy cheque capers ended in fiscal failure. When he went to the bank to apply for a mortgage he discovered to his horror that his credit score was in tatters. After a frenzied day dispatching numerous cheques for 1p – all sent by second class post 'I'm not stupid' he hoped his retarded reputation would be repaired. It wasn't. As the bank manager was at pains to point out, a credit score indicates not only wealth, but financial responsibility. While he may have the former, he had proved himself completely lacking in the latter. A lesson to us all when we fool with the Big Boys.

The Royal Mail was the subject of Stephen's second experiment. He'd noticed that there didn't seem to be any discernible difference between the speed of arrival for letters carrying first class stamps and those displaying second class stamps. So he mailed himself a series of letters to test his theory. In fact he discovered that the use of the correct post code had more impact on the speed of delivery than the money spent on the stamp.

Finally he decided to see what happened when he mailed letters without a postage stamp. Instead of payment he drew a little apology in the top left of the envelope declaring 'sorry no stamp'. On the back he wrote the senders address – which as his test involved sending letters to himself was the same as the address on the front of the envelope. The Royal Mail failed to see the funny side of his 'Sorry no stamp' plea and promptly returned the letter to the sender. Of course the brilliance of Stephen's ploy was that the sender's address was the same as the addressee.

While great sketch material, Stephen's thrifty postage tip may prove less than profitable in real life. In his act, Stephen boasts that this priceless postage advice is worth the ticket price alone. At £12 the trick has to successfully work almost three dozen times to recoup the admission price. Don't worry Stephen the show was worth the money – even just as a salutatory warning never to underwrite cheques to utility companies!

Megabus / Megatrain Runs Off The Rails

2008-08-18T20:26:00.010+01:00

Glasgow by Megatrain for £1. But is it standing room only?

Last time I wrote about my Megatrain journey of discovery. I wondered why Virgin Trains was unloading cheap tickets to the consolidator Megatrain for as little as a pound when the trains were full to bursting. Today I took the return leg of my Glasgow to Birmingham bargain fare. There were plenty of Megabus bargain hunters aboard. I saw the train manager's print-out of reference numbers and she even made an announcement especially for us. Apparently today's train (where I'm typing this - thanks at least for the onboard electrical outlet Mr Branson) has no carriage for customers without a seat reservation. 'Please find a seat where you can' announced the Train Manager. Fortunately I'm one of the first aboard and eventually locate one of the precious few unreserved seats. So is Megabus designed to equal 'standing'? Perhaps that's why the seats, sorry aisles, are so cheap.

To compound matters the train is running 51 minutes late. I know this because I've just asked the train manager to validate my fixed price connecting ticket so that I'm not forced to pay again for my non-flexible Birmingham – London Euston leg. After a 60 minute delay passengers can usually reclaim their fare. It's unlikely even I will bother to submit a claim for £1. As it is we arrive in Birmingham just 22 minutes late – but 2 minutes after my connecting train departed. So I reach London 30 minutes late. I don't think I'll be in any hurry to repeat my Megatrain experience – especially when an advance single airfare from BMI Glasgow to London Heathrow starts from as little as £41. The off-peak standard return rail fare is £101.90. Oh the absurdities of Britain's public transport.

The Train to Glasgow for Just £1

2008-08-15T20:14:00.008+01:00

Virgin Trains before departure at London Euston

Yesterday I made my cheapest ever journey from London to Glasgow. Actually my headline tells a lie. It didn't quite cost a pound, but there's nothing straightforward about rail ticket prices in the UK, as I'm about to find out.

A month ago I noticed an offer on Travelzoo co.uk for the Megabus. Confusingly the Megabus also sells tickets for the train. There was an offer to travel by rail from Birmingham to Glasgow for just a pound.

The British train booking system is incomprehensible. A scandal actually. The government wants more travellers to use public transport - but the cost of long distance peak time rail travel is usually outlandishly expensive. Booking a ticket for immediate travel is a mugs game. So booking a 300 mile journey for just £1 was simply too good to miss.

Of course I still had to get from London to Birmingham. I checked thetrainline.co.uk and a single fare booked a month ahead was available for just £10.50. It slightly took the gloss off my £1 fare to Glasgow, but the total was still only £11.50.

When I arrived at London Euston the Virgin Trains 08.46 service direct to Glasgow was due to depart. There are 12 different types of single advance tickets available for this train. The cheapest (The Standard Single Advance) costs £40.50 it arrives 1 hour 39 minutes earlier than going via Birmingham. Turn up on the day and buy a single ticket for this train and it costs £101.90 (single saver).

If you make the mistake of buying a single when you want to come back as well, your mistake will cost dear. A return fare costs just £1 more -£102.90. so if you didn't know this and make the mistake of buying 2 walk up single tickets your return journey will set you back £203.80. No wonder travellers find the train service bewildering and prefer to get in their cars and drive.

So I was slightly nervous my roundabout trip via Birmingham might go wrong and I would be charged a full fare at some point. My tickets were all only applicable for specific times. In fact I didn't even have a ticket for the £1 journey - just a reference number.

The first leg was uneventful. I got a table seat and made use of the handy plug-point provided for laptops. The connecting train was already sitting at the adjacent platform when I arrived on time in Birmingham, so I was able to bag another prime seat. This was the most satisfying leg of the trip - it was the longest ride, yet cost just £1.

As we headed North the train rapidly filled up, until passengers were standing in what the train manager announced to be 'the vestibules'. Left standing for 4 and a half hours on a £101.90 ticket you might feel like you'd been landed one in the vestibules too. Painful. Quite why Virgin had offloaded tickets for a £1 when passengers were standing is a mystery to me - unless we were all enjoying their generosity (which I very much doubt).

The train arrived in Glasgow just 4 minutes behind schedule - not bad for a 438 mile journey via Birmingham - costing a total of just £11.50. But as I've discovered there's nothing straightforward about low cost train travel on Britain's railways.

The journey in numbers:
The tube from West London to Euston cost £2.50 (10 miles = 25p per mile)
The Train from Euston to Birmingham cost £10.50 (116 miles = 9p per mile)
The train from Birmingham to Glasgow cost £1 (290 miles = 0.35p per mile)
The taxi from Glasgow Central station to my meeting cost £5 (2.5 miles = £2 per mile)

Taking My Own Insurance Advice

2008-08-11T08:57:00.004+01:00

Even worse than the Admiral Insurance logo - the Columbus Direct Dog

After writing my last post about insurance company inertia - the fear of changing policy, or at least the time it takes to source new quotes - I realised that I was guilty of not heeding my own advice on one of my policies.

My annual travel cover is due to expire in a few days and I have a trip at the end of this month. The renewal quote is a not unreasonable £45 for a worldwide multi-trip individual policy. However Travelplan Direct, the provider, annoyed me considerably the year before last when I came to claim - remember you only discover whether your insurer is any good when you make a claim.

A couple of Christmases ago British Airways grounded all flights for several days due to a prolonged spell of fog at London's Heathrow. The chaos was nationwide headline news. My flight to Scotland was repeatedly cancelled but when I claimed £100 for delayed departure the insurer said the policy wording was mistyped. Not my problem I replied - the printed policy is a binding contract. This didn't satisfy them, they wanted a letter of proof from British Airways - even though all they had to do was read a newspaper or watch the news to see the grounded planes. Eventually they coughed up - with the additional £10 due under their customer charter which I insisted on because they had incorrectly denied my claim.

I promised not to renew the policy with them, but last year it slipped through again on an automatic renewal. So after completing my last blog posting I decided to have a look for a new quote. Moneysavingexpert.com is always a good first call. In fact my current insurer was one of the best picks. But the site also links to moneysupermarket.com where I found a special on a Columbus Direct policy for £29. Comparing the 2 policies line by line they were almost identical - with Columbus providing more cover for baggage. As I'm flying from the notoriously careless Terminal 5 luggage cover is important to me.

This morning I called TravelPlan Direct to ask if they could improve their quote. They couldn't, so as they are 50% more expensive than Columbus Direct they lost my business. The only thing I don't like about the new policy is that logo. Quite why insurers are so keen on the guard dog idea I can't imagine. Cynically you might guess it's because insurer's dogs are friendly - until they bite you. Let's hope Columbus Direct's dog's bark is worse than its bite.

Comparing available travel insurance policies saved me 50% of the premium - OK only £15 but it only took 15 minutes, which is equivalent to an hourly labour rate of £60 or £480 a day. So worth comparing quotes - unless your income is £480 a day.

Car Insurance Renewal - Be Cheeky!

2008-08-09T12:21:00.003+01:00

The Admiral Insurance logo
Wasn't it actually Pirates who kept Parrots?

I spend almost a thousand pounds a year insuring my house, car and foreign travel. The law says I must have car insurance. I'd be taking a big risk if I didn't insure my house and in any case mortgage providers insist on it. Foreign Travel without health insurance is idiotic - an air ambulance home costs upwards of £25K.

I haven't claimed on any of these policies for at least 2 years. The only claims I've made in 10 years are for 2 broken windscreens and £100 for delayed travel. So not great value for money then, although I'm not complaining that I haven't had to claim - frankly I'd rather not be involved in car wrecks, burglary, fire or worse.

The only sensible way to limit the insurance burden is to work at minimising premiums - while attempting to ensure your policy is with a provider who won't let you down. Its a sad fact that the only time you discover whether your insurance is any good is when you claim. There's no excuse not to compare premiums - when all you have to do is type your details into an online comparison site - but apparently a lot of people don't bother.

I just received my car insurance renewal quote from Admiral Insurance. Personally I think Admiral's logo is a bit cheesy and their Daytime TV ads even more so. But when RAC Glass let me down when it came to replacing my windscreen Admiral waived the excess and I was impressed with their personal service and apology. So in my book Admiral are going to be tough to beat on service - but what about price? Well the renewal quote has reduced a few pounds, which in itself is a welcome surprise, but then I haven't cost them any money either.

So I checked the comparison sites and Admiral's policy is unbeatable. But their inclusive breakdown cover struck me as expensive, so I phoned them up and asked if they could improve their package - taking into consideration my claims history. They amended the value of my car, reducing it by £2000 (even though cars decrease in value at an alarming rate insurers seem to carry on with the last value you gave them) and the operator went away to ask a manager if my quote could be improved. When she came back my quote had shrunk by £47.94 - just over 10%. Not bad for a 12 minute phone call.

A few years ago I received a house insurance renewal from Norwich Union. I requested a fresh quote online, as though I was a new customer, but using the name and address they already held on file. The new customer quote was £200 cheaper.

Insurance companies operate on the principle of inertia. If you keep renewing they generally keep increasing the premium. Only if you ask, threaten to change provider, or actually change provider is your premium likely to reduce.

I'm Picky about Pens

2008-07-30T15:23:00.005+01:00

My Pick of the Pens - The Uni Ball VISION elite micro 0.5

I always carry a pen. Perhaps it's a hangover from my cub scout days. Every meeting we had to tip out the contents of our shorts pockets for 'inspection'. We had to produce a pencil, some paper or notebook, 2 handkerchiefs (one clean for use as a bandage) a length of string (in case your shoelace broke) and a 2 pence piece for the public payphone. All these items date me but the portable writing habit lives on.

I'm picky about pens (surprise!) I have a Mont Blanc and Tombow in my desk drawer but they haven't been used for years. They're too posh for my trouser pocket and the Mont Blanc fountain pen will leak if I use it on a plane.

My pick of all pens (I've tried many) is the Japanese manufactured Uni Ball Vision Elite 0.5 micro. I don't know why the Japanese make the best pens, but they do. I only ever write in black ink and I never use a biro. These Japanese roller balls are my favourite - they write with rich black, non fade, permanent liquid ink and produce a wonderfully consistent line. This model has the added benefit of being 'Flightsafe' - so it won't leak aboard a plane.

These inexpensive pens (around £2.20) are refillable, so for the last year or so I've been hanging on to each pen when it ran out. They are a beautifully simple retro design and comfortable to hold, so to simply toss them in the bin when the ink runs dry seems sinful.

Of course no one sells the refills in the UK - or so you'd think if you visited any stationers. But online search and shopping changes all the old laws of supply. I've been saving my exhausted pens because a year ago I found a UK based company which sells the refills by post. They boast they are the only distributor supplied by the manufacturer.

Yesterday I made my first order from CultPens.com for a box of 12 Uni Ball refills at £12.38 (12 complete pens cost £22.99). My order was confirmed by email and another message arrived when they were dispatched. The package was delivered by first class post early this morning. I always appreciate a company which actually does what it says - so I emailed Cult Pens to praise their service - promising to spread the word. Michael emailed right back to thank me for the feedback. So here I am spreading the word.

If you're as picky about pens as me I'm sure you'll appreciate Cult Pens' passion for pens

Public Libraries - The Best Free Show I Know

2008-07-29T22:22:00.010+01:00

The Shiny (but deserted) new book stacks in reopened Ealing Central Library

The Central Library in Ealing reopened this morning. It has been closed for almost 2 years for a refit which was plagued by problems. The changes are modest for the length of time the library was shut.

Across the same shopping mall cut price clothing retailer Primark completely reconfigured the old Bentalls department store in a fraction of the time it took Ealing Council to refit the library. A graphic illustration of the difference in efficiency between commercial and public works.

When the library revamp was proposed there was local controversy over plans to reduce the height of the book stacks - and horror at a proposed library cafe. Ealing doesn't lack cafes but it does lack books. The Council persisted so now the book stacks are shorter and a modest cafe has been added. Who knows where the extra shelves worth of books went?

I was one of the first borrowers through the door at 9am this morning. The local press turned out and library staff greeted visitors with balloons. We were promised 20,000 new books on the shelves. The sparse turn-out wasn't disappointed.

When the new branch of Primark opened across the Mall the police were called to control the crowds. Police weren't required for the library opening.
There was no crowd.

The reopened Ealing Central Library -
Empty rows of new computers offer free Internet access

The Primark opening across the Mall -
Crowds queue to pay

I was pleased to see the library shelves are lined with (long overdue, excuse the wordplay) new books and I borrowed 7 of them (borrowers are allowed 13 items). As the books were scanned out on my card I overheard an older man complain 'Who on earth at the Council buys these books?' It is true that the emphasis in fiction is firmly on 'popular' rather than 'literature'.

I'm glad the library is back in action. Its the best free show I know.

Thousands of free books will transport your mind anywhere you desire.

I'm sure word will soon spread that the library doors are open again but sadly I don't think Primark need worry too much about the new competition.

The Council are trying hard to promote their free show - they even provided a free recyclable cotton shopping bag for me to carry away my new books. Welcome back Ealing Library.

DVD Rental - from Tesco Vending Machine

2008-07-27T14:19:00.005+01:00

This week a large shiny new vending machine appeared at the exit of my local Tesco. Surprisingly, given its size and eye-catching location, it seemed to go largely unnoticed for the first few days.

I did pick up a leaflet from the dispenser (empty in this photo, but by the arrow numbered 1) which promised a free rental for first timers, although of course you still had to swipe your credit card. I'm wary of swiping my credit card at machines I'm unfamiliar with, so I resisted - despite the enticing selection of all the latest DVDs - which I guessed were probably also in brand new, pristine condition.

Yesterday evening I picked up the leaflet again and looked up the website for mydvdxpress.co.uk .Here I discovered they are not, as I assumed another Tesco venture, but a US company launching their brand in the UK for the first time. They have very few locations at the moment so perhaps this is a soft trial rather than a huge rollout.

The website is impressive because it gives a real-time stock display for each location. When I noticed that the Oscar winning There Will be Blood was sitting in the machine just up the road and could be mine for the evening for free I decided to try the service out.

Yesterday was a very warm evening but there was a bit of crowd by the previously ignored DVD vending machine. The couple in front of me didn't rent but only it seemed because they couldn't agree on a movie. I followed the instructions, entered the voucher code TRY4FREE, swiped my Amex card (Amex I've found to be very reliable when it comes to sorting out rogue transactions) and the machine slid out the DVD. It even promised to email me a receipt if I typed in my email address (the website promises not to sell your email). When I left the store there was a crowd of people looking to rent DVDs.

Later in the evening I had another look at the live stock inventory and it was much reduced, so clearly the service is taking off. £1.50 is very little for a new release (even Sky box office is £3.99 - although of course it is delivered on demand). The only downside is the open ended agreement on your credit card, adding £1.50 each day the DVD remains out - and a £25 charge if it isn't returned. There is a free telephone number in case there are any problems.

The stock is updated with new release DVDs every Monday, and for $12.99 (which I assume is a US translation typo on the website for £12.99) you can rent an unlimited number of DVDs - no waiting for the post, or long waits for popular selections (as with most postal DVD rental outfits).

I'm surprised to have found a DVD rental vending machine an attractive proposition in the download on demand world, but I did.

As a conclusion to this consumer innovation, I'm reading a new book Predictably Irrational by economist Dan Ariely. He argues that we humans don't act as standard economic models predict we should. Instead we follow our emotions - which often give us the wrong signals. So we make mistakes, but our mistakes are predictable. 'Free', he says, is a very powerful motivator. The downside of free is usually zero. We'll pick up free stuff at a convention - key fobs, binders, t shirts - because they're free, even if we throw them away later. We queue for free admission days at museums and galleries - even though queues are longer than on paid for days. Free is a powerful driver to overcome consumer resistance.

The power of 'Free' may explain the queue at the DVD vending machine - rather than the attractiveness of renting DVDs from a vending machine placed by the exit in Tesco.

In the US DVD Vending is big business. Research shows consumers like the physical contact with the actual product much more than a download.

Incidentally There will Be Blood is an outstanding, if bewildering movie.

Freeganism - Free Food from Supermarkets

2008-07-21T21:20:00.008+01:00

Reduced fresh produce bought from Tesco last Friday - still fresh today

The Telegraph reports the rise of Freeganism (you can watch a video of Freegans in action by clicking on this link). Apparently Freegans are people who don't pay for food, instead they scavenge from supermarket skips eating food thrown away because its reached the 'sell by' date.

'Sell by' dates are listed on fresh food for good reason. The food we buy has to be safe to eat. When we buy fish, poultry, milk and eggs we have to trust supermarkets have got the 'sell by' and 'use by' dates right. Otherwise serious food poisoning could result from digesting harmful bacteria - especially for vulnerable consumers (children and the elderly) who have lower immunity thresholds. Supermarkets don't want to kill their customers. Tragically there have been some fatal mistakes.

I wouldn't eat poultry or fish from a skip, or come to that pretty much anything else. However recently I have become a convert to my local Tesco's 'Reduced' section - especially the fresh produce. Last Friday I bought 3 Honeydew melons reduced from 86p to 24p. They'd reached their 'sell by' date. I ate one on Saturday - honestly it was a bit under-ripe, so I've left the other 2 to ripen. I also bought 250g of Finest brand Tulameen raspberries. These were reduced from £2.49 to just 75p (250g of 'regular' raspberries were available for £1.49). The raspberries were marked 'display until' 18th July 'best before' 19th July - Saturday. Today, Monday, they are in good shape. Of course I'm profiting from Tesco's strict stock control. Farmers may not be.

I've been reading a couple of new books about the food industry 'Eat Your Heart Out' by Felicity Lawrence, who also authored 'Not On The Label' and Raj Patel's 'Stuffed and Starved'. I've been guilty of turning a blind eye to all the horror stories about food processing and the relationship between agriculture and supermarkets. My eyes have been opened. Now I know how little supermarkets pay farmers, I understand how they can afford to operate such generous discounting when the sell by date arrives...and even feed the Freegans scavenging in the skips at the back of the loading bay.

Incredible Shrinking Food - the New Price Hike!

2008-07-19T11:33:00.007+01:00

Dairylea cheese packs have shrunk from 180g to 160g. Packs still contain 8 triangles - but the shrinkage is equivalent to a 10% price hike!

Food price inflation is now so rampant that manufacturers fear pushing the price of their products much higher in case they drive buyers away. Nearly all supermarket shoppers have finally begun to check the prices of items they put in their trolleys. Consumers are trading down, experimenting with supermarket own-brands, 'basics' brands and even sampling budget supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl. They can't afford to continue simply paying more each week.

With food price inflation running close to 10% one manufacturer has come up with an ingenious new solution to raising prices without appearing to raise prices. They've kept the price the same - but shrunk the pack. The famous circular carton of Kraft's Dairylea cheese triangles is still the same diameter and still contains 8 individually wrapped servings, but the pack weight has reduced from 180g to 160g. So each slice is now thinner - but will the customer notice? Is a thinner slice less noticeable than a price hike? The reduction crudely equates to a 10% price increase - almost 10p a pack.

Keep your eyes open for other instances of incredible shrinking food packs - it's a trend which is bound to catch on.

The 4- Hour Work Week - really?

2008-07-17T20:14:00.007+01:00

Passing through Waterstones bookstore tonight I chanced across a book and concept which has previously passed me by - Timothy Ferriss's New York Times bestseller 'The 4-Hour Work Week'. Arriving back at my desk I looked him up - what's his secret to doing less and earning more I wondered - wouldn't we all like to share in that secret?

For £10.99 Timothy Ferris will tell you about e-commerce, outsourcing the chores in your life to a personal PA in India for $5 an hour and how it costs much less than you think to enjoy the luxuries you mistakenly believe only millionaires can afford. The author advocates abandoning the 'deferred life plan' based on the ethic 'slave, save, retire' and proposes regular 'mini retirements' so you can enjoy life now, not later. Readers in the US have apparently just loved his book.

Actually I didn't spend £10.99 finding this out (sorry Mr Ferriss) I simply visited his website read his blog and checked the reviews on Amazon. 'Can you actually make any money out of writing a blog about that stuff?' asked the Chief Executive's partner. As usual she asks a good question.

A blog reference to a typical Timothy Ferriss's working day suggests that he actually works more than 4 hours a day. He explains that some of this stuff isn't work - because he enjoys it. Some of us are lucky enough to enjoy our work, some not. Whichever, I'm not sure that it stops counting as work just because we enjoy doing it. So maybe the title is a misnomer, but the real question for me is how Mr Ferriss really makes his lifestyle pay.

I earn money from my blog - because I email posts to Chief Executives - who when they investigate the complaints I make - decide to make refunds or send me money. This year I've had money from companies including Abbey, o2, BMI, Norwich Union Direct, Direct Line and Sainsbury's. But I couldn't for a minute claim sufficient money to retire to a hammock strung up between two palm trees - as Mr Ferriss's book jacket imagines.

Perhaps if I sold you my Adventures in Consumerland secrets in book form at £10.99 things would be different?

BBC TV Licence - It's all in the Data Base

2008-07-14T20:48:00.012+01:00

2007/08 BBC Annual Report and Accounts

Recently I highlighted just how un-scientific the BBC's TV Licence Fee detection and collection methods are . They simply involve posting increasingly threatening letters to households which don't have a TV Licence. Never mind whether these households own a TV or not. Last week the BBC published its Annual Report and Accounts. The figures reveal that Licence Fee evasion remains steady at 5.1%. In other words the threatening letters aren't working.

Another blogger hilariously reveals that although TV Licensing's increasingly threatening letters are signed by 'John Hales', Mr Hales' changing signature wouldn't pass any bank fraud test - leading to the suspicion that even John Hales isn't even real!

TV Licensing's John Hales - would you accept his signature on a personal cheque?
Thanks to www.bbctvlicence.com for posting the signatures

The BBC recently ran an advertising campaign 'Your Town, Your Street, Your Home - it's all in the Data Base' (see it here) which has been criticised (according to the Telegraph) for employing a menacing soundtrack of helicopters, dogs barking and door knocking. Last year Gary Streeter the Conservative MP for SW Devon tabled a motion signed by 60 MP's complaining about the bully-boy techniques employed by TV licensing - threatening old ladies who don't even own a TV. Last week even former Director General Greg Dyke labelled the Licence as an unfair tax - costing both rich and poor alike. Serves the BBC right for sacking him.

Now the BBC Trust - the newly self appointed BBC Regulator is to investigate the Licence fee collection methods. They say in the Annual Report:

"We have begun a review to ensure the right balance is being struck between the need to raise maximum revenue and the need to avoid heavy handedness, especially with people who do not own a television set and therefore do not need a licence."

It'll be interesting to see what conclusions the BBC Trust arrives at when they report later this year. Recently the BBC Trust gave the BBC a clean bill of health over the amount it pays its presenters - including the £18m it pays Jonathan Ross.

Of course while the TV licensing bully-boy tactics remain in force the BBC could begin production on another of its cheap and ubiquitous documentary series. Tonight at 10.35 BBC One follows the work of the River Police. Last week the BBC's cameras were on the beat with the Benefit fraud Inspectors. What next? BBC One 9pm - Its All in the Data Base - "Watching cheap voyeuristic TV without a £139.50 TV Licence? we've got your number mate, you're nicked."

Perhaps The BBC Trust should investigate the impact of the BBC's decsion to stream its channels live on the internet instead?

This above all else will surely lead to the end of the TV Licence? No one will tolerate having to buy a TV Licence to surf the web - where they'll soon find the BBC's programmes for free (even the ones not already free on the iPlayer).

London Underground's generous ticket refund Charter

2008-07-10T20:08:00.008+01:00

The information screens London tube travellers dread seeing:
Severe Delays or worse Suspended

Like many Londoners I try and avoid going underground in the Summer. The Victorian built 'tube' has no air conditioning and won't be getting it anytime soon. Most Londoners' worst nightmare is being stuck on a train when the service on one of the ageing lines is suspended. Every Summer at least one 'Trapped Underground for 3 hours' story makes the headlines. No wonder London Underground advises passengers to carry bottled water.

Last week my travel plans were disrupted when the Circle, District and Hammersmith and City Lines - which cover much of the same areas of London - were simultaneously suspended. This was due to the failure of the drivers' radio link - a common problem. So common in fact you'd think it would be sorted out.

Most London commuters are used to delays. What many London Underground travellers don't seem to know is that you can reclaim the cost of your ticket if there's a delay of more than 15 minutes (except due to adverse weather, notified changes to service, security alerts). I'm convinced that's why late at night you'll only ever see the next train shown as due in 14 minutes. If you check your watch it will often actually arrive after at least 15 minutes.

Claiming a refund is a simple matter of picking up a Customer Charter form (sometimes prominently on display at stations, usually not) or claiming via the Transport for London website www.tfl.gov.uk

Remembering to claim is the biggest obstacle, but with a single cash fare journey in Zone 1 costing £4 (without a season ticket or pre-paid Oyster Card) I usually try and have a couple of forms handy in my bag. If a 15 minute delay occurs I fill out the form and post it in the first postbox I see after emerging above ground. I'm convined that LU will work harder to minimise problems if it costs them revenue (critics of this view would say depriving LU of revenue makes maintenance even more unlikely).

London Transport actually has one of the most generous travel compensation schemes. Partly I suspect because so few people claim - and mainly because you get a credit for another journey, not real cash. 15 minutes isn't considered a big travel delay these days. Most mainline rail operators won't give you a penny until the delay exceeds an hour and even EU rules don't require airlines to make any amends for the first 2 hours stranded on the ground.

So well done London Transport for your generous compensation scheme.
Shame you don't publicise it.

Google Street View - Privacy Controversy

2008-07-09T18:48:00.008+01:00

Google Street View camera car snapped in London's Golden Square and posted online by altogetherdigital.com

The BBC's 6 o'clock news (and elsewhere) reports on the concern privacy campaigers have about Google's latest mapping tool 'Street View'. Google's camera car has been spotted on the streets of London. It has a large camera stalk mounted on the roof, so its pretty conspicuous. One respondent on the BBC's blog says the vehicle was even pulled over by uniformed police outside Westminster's Parliament building!

How Google Street View works

Privacy campaigners complain that people caught by Google's cameras will be shown for all to see in places they don't want to be seen, or doing things they shouldn't be doing. Google says it blurs faces and car registration plates and it's incorporated a facility for users to report inappropriate views which can be accessed on its site.

I'm planning and researching a forthcoming trip to Northern California at the moment and I've found Google's mapping tools invaluable. I like that I can see all the hotels (and reviews from Tripadvisor) displayed on the graphic map and then click into the satellite view, or even the street level view to see what the area really looks like. So much more reliable than the guide books - and I've discovered a couple of hotels I had on my short list which are right next to the Freeway down ramp! (not something many hotels make a virtue of on their own website photos!).

I'm a strong supporter of personal privacy - but I don't see how Google Street View hurts us. I'd go further and say it helps us. The BBC news report asks how you would feel if your house is shown online? Passers-by see my home everyday. The aerial photo image of my street has been accessible via Google Earth for several years without incident.