Published: 7 February 2012
Audrey Gallacher, Director of Energy at Consumer Focus, said: ‘We welcome the move by E.ON to change its Direct Debit policy. It is a victory for common sense and hopefully the first of many steps the company will take in its Reset Review programme to improve the experience of its customers. ‘With this in mind [...]
Published: 6 January 2012
Responding to Ovo Energy’s dual fuel price cut of 5%, Audrey Gallacher, Director of Energy at Consumer Focus, said: ‘It is good news that Ovo has cut its prices and this will be welcomed by consumers looking to get a cheaper deal. The average customer bill is up by 14% since last summer, leaving many [...]
Published: 3 January 2012
Commenting on the announcement that, from today, the Solicitors Regulation Authority will start to accept licensing applications for alternative business structures, which will allow non-lawyers to own and manage legal services, Mike O’Connor, Chief Executive of Consumer Focus, said: ‘It is good to see this opening up of legal services. The prospect of one-stop-shop legal [...]
Published: 23 December 2011
Responding to the Government’s announcement on banning credit and debit card surcharges, Mike O’Connor, Chief Executive of Consumer Focus said: ‘Charges that reflect actual costs and that are upfront for all to see are legitimate. But, the convenience for consumers of using a debit or credit card online should not be an invitation to firms [...]
Published: 22 December 2011
Responding to the High Court ruling on the Government’s cut to the solar panel subsidy under the Feed-In Tariff Scheme, Liz Lainé, energy expert at Consumer Focus, said: ‘We think cuts in the solar subsidy are necessary. But they should not be made at the speed planned by the Government and the scale of the [...]
Published: 22 December 2011
This month:
• The outcome of our super-complaint on holiday money
• Help us to make a difference in 2012/13
• Positive changes in the energy retail market
• An update on post issues
• A new approach to switching
• What’s new from Consumer Focus – our latest research and reports
Published: 22 December 2011
In response to the report by the Environmental Audit Committee & Energy and Climate Change Committee on changes to solar panel subsidies, Liz Lainé, energy expert at Consumer Focus, said: ‘The Government needs to manage the costs of the Feed-In Tariff scheme as it comes out of consumers’ pockets. But it must also make sure [...]
Published: 20 December 2011
In response to the Payments Council research on the impact of the closure of the Cheque Guarantee Card Scheme, Sarah Brooks, Director of Financial Services at Consumer Focus, said: ‘Although the majority of people surveyed said they have not been affected, there has been an impact for some consumers from the removal of the cheque [...]
Published: 20 December 2011
Sarah Brooks, Director of Financial Services at Consumer Focus said: ‘We welcome much of today’s announcement and agree that more needs to be done to boost competition in retail banking. Nearly three out of four customers never switch their current account and miss out as a result. But the remedies for faster switching are only [...]
Published: 20 December 2011
Consumer Focus welcomes the measures announced today by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to improve the foreign currency market for travellers. These improvements follow a super-complaint issued by the consumer watchdog to the OFT in September. The watchdog argued that a combination of complex charges and poor or misleading information have led to consumers [...]
Published: 15 December 2011
Responding to SSE’s announcement of a sales guarantee, Audrey Gallacher, Director of Energy at Consumer Focus, said: ‘This is a welcome announcement by SSE towards rebuilding its customers’ trust. Ultimately what people want to see is energy firms doing the right thing first time, but when things do go wrong they need to see suppliers taking [...]
Published: 14 December 2011
Commenting on Lloyds Banking Group’s decision to name the Co-operative as its preferred choice to buy the 632 branches it is selling under European competition rules, Sarah Brooks, Director of Financial Services at Consumer Focus said: ‘The sale should be good news for consumers – we need a thriving retail banking sector offering a mix [...]
Published: 14 December 2011
Responding to the Government’s publication of the consultation to implement Professor Hargreaves’ recommendations for updating UK copyright law, Mike O’Connor, Chief Executive of Consumer Focus said: ‘Consumers, business and copyright holders will welcome Government moving rapidly to implement the Hargreaves Review. Currently UK copyright law hampers economic growth and technology has been running ahead of [...]
Published: 14 December 2011
Responding to the Committee on Climate Change’s report on the effect of environmental policies on household energy bills, Audrey Gallacher, Director of Energy at Consumer Focus, said: ‘Consumer Focus agrees with the CCC that increased wholesale prices are the main reason behind recent energy price rises. However measures which are essential to make our energy [...]
Published: 12 December 2011
Commenting on the computer problems experienced in Post Offices today, Andy Burrows, Head of Post Offices & Essential Community Services at Consumer Focus, said: ‘We are extremely concerned that this is the second nationwide computer failure in post offices in less than six months. This will have caused major disruption for consumers at the busiest [...]
Published: 12 December 2011
A new Consumer Focus report1 – entitled ‘Keeping FiT’ – published today highlights the high overall level of satisfaction among consumers who have taken up the Feed-In Tariff (FiT) scheme. However it also shows some concerns about misleading sales practices, a lack of adequate information from some solar panel installers, and difficulties with the registration and [...]
Published: 2 February 2012
Responding to Ofcom’s new research on UK broadband speeds, Annie McGovern, Digital Expert at Consumer Focus Scotland, said: ‘It’s good news that the Ofcom research shows customers are getting faster broadband speeds but many people across Scotland will take some convincing. There is still a digital divide in Scotland between the speeds people can get [...]
Published: 31 January 2012
Annie McGovern, digital expert at Consumer Focus Scotland said: “Consumers in Scotland want fast and reliable broadband services and to be able to keep pace with all the new fantastic technology developments the 21st century will offer. Having the right infrastructure in place is absolutely critical to doing this. “These commitments by the Scottish [...]
Published: 25 January 2012
More work needed to make Green Deal right for consumers The success of the UK government’s Green Deal – the new scheme intended to transform the energy efficiency of homes and businesses and lower fuel bills – needs more work for consumers in Scotland to be convinced. In response to the UK government’s ‘Green Deal [...]
Published: 24 January 2012
Consumer watchdog response to post office deal Responding to the UK government’s announcement that Royal Mail and Post Office Limited (POL) have agreed a commercial arrangement that will provide a significant amount of security for the network over the next ten years, Sarah O’Neill, Director of Policy at Consumer Focus Scotland said: “This ten year [...]
Published: 24 January 2012
Trisha McAuley, Deputy Director at Consumer Focus Scotland said: “It is good news that water charges are not going up. Households budgets are under a lot of pressure with the high cost of basic items such as energy and food so consumers need to see value for money from their public services and will expect [...]
Published: 6 February 2012
In a report Staying Local: the Future of the Post Office Network, the consumer watchdog found that while there are clear benefits for customers in PO Locals, consumers also have concerns.
Published: 2 February 2012
Consumer Focus Wales is calling on consumers to back their campaign to make changes to food law in Wales.
Published: 31 January 2012
Consumer Focus Wales has asked AMs to support action to protect people who live in park homes from financial abuse by rogue site owners.
Published: 18 January 2012
“More than two in every five Welsh consumers have never switched their energy supplier. Many of those who have switched have done so just once, switching from separate gas and electricity suppliers to a dual fuel deal. That means as many as eight out of ten households in Wales could be paying more than they need to heat their homes." - Lindsey Kearton, Consumer Focus Wales.
Published: 9 January 2012
We believe that these goals, which have been drawn from our major consultation exercise with consumers in all corners of Wales – will provide a fitting legacy for all the hard work undertaken by Consumer Focus Wales.
Published: 5 February 2012
A new report published today by Consumer Focus Post – called ‘Consumer Friendly Post Offices?’1 – examines how well the Post Office network is meeting the needs of Northern Ireland consumers. The new findings show that post offices are well-used and valued, with four in 10 consumers visiting the post office once a week, increasing [...]
Published: 24 January 2012
Responding to the news that Royal Mail and Post Office Limited (POL) have agreed a commercial arrangement that will provide a significant amount of security for the network over the next ten years, Kellin McCloskey, Head of Postal Policy at Consumer Focus Post said: ‘We welcome this announcement by Edward Davey – a ten year [...]
Published: 5 December 2011
Consumer Focus Post is calling for people to think about posting cards and presents and ordering online Christmas shopping earlier this year. Many people may be risking Christmas disappointment by posting their Christmas mail and doing their online Christmas shopping at the last minute. Kellin McCloskey, Head of Postal Policy at Consumer Focus Post said: [...]
Published: 24 October 2011
Responding to Simon Hamilton MLA’s call today for drivers in Northern Ireland to be allowed to renew their car tax online, Kellin McCloskey, Head of Postal Policy at Consumer Focus Post, ‘Consumers in Northern Ireland need a range of options for renewing their car tax, or indeed accessing any government service. Access both online and [...]
Published: 20 October 2011
Responding to Ofcom proposals on regulation of the postal service, Kellin McCloskey, Head of Postal Policy, Consumer Focus Post, said: ‘The proposals made by Ofcom today suggest major change for the future of Northern Ireland’s postal service. We must ensure the right balance between putting Royal Mail on a stable footing and ensuring value and [...]
