Publications
If you require any of our publications in Braille, large print or on audio CD please contact us.
Time to change the tune – Consumer research briefing on copyright
24 February 2010
Three out of four of us don’t know what we are allowed to copy or record, according to our resarch. We’ve called on the UK Government to reform the UK’s outdated copyright law before the laws lose all credibility.
How was it for you?
4 February 2010
In May 2007, the Government announced that Post Office Ltd (POL) would close 2,500 post offices, and establish 500 new outreach services. The closure programme was part of a wider package designed to restructure the post office network and return it to a stable financial footing. It was clear from the outset that the closure [...]
Opportunity knocks
1 January 2010
The banking crisis has undermined consumer confidence in High Street banks, and prompted a growing interest in the potential of the Post Office network to offer the antidote by acting as a ‘neighbourhood bank’. Low-income consumers in particular are poorly served by the UK’s banking system. The Post Office would be well placed to offer [...]
Consumer Conditions survey 2009
18 December 2009
A total of 5,862 telephone interviews were conducted across the UK in March and April 2009 by Ipsos MORI on behalf of Consumer Focus. The Consumer Conditions Survey is the only piece of research and analysis in the UK which gathers consumer perceptions of market conditions on such an extensive scale and in such a detailed [...]
Evaluating the quality of service and product advice in Crown and privately managed Post Offices
17 December 2009
A Post Office mystery shopping study to investigate the quality of service and product advice given at privately managed and Crown Post Office branches, to track changes over time and to assess the impact the completion of the Network Change Programme has had, particularly on queues. Where possible, there was a requirement to assess whether the [...]
Pocketshopping – International consumer experiences of buying goods and services on their mobile phones
14 December 2009
Mobile commerce has the potential to offer consumers the benefit of reaching goods and services anywhere and at any time, where mobile services are available, using a pocket size handset. However, as our Pocket shopping report shows, it also poses risks that have to be addressed to ensure consumer protection in the new market. The Pocket shopping [...]
Postal omnibus
14 December 2009
This Postal omnibus is beginning of a greater body of research Consumer Focus will undertake in the near future into consumer perceptions of postal services.
Does Directgov deliver?
3 December 2009
With more and more consumers using the internet for services and information, Consumer Focus is calling for a fresh debate on how to put consumers at the heart of Directgov, the Government’s central online portal. With our discussion paper Does Directgov deliver?, we question whether the Government delivers on its promise to ‘provide information and [...]
At the centre, Finding the Plus for unemployed people during the recession
13 November 2009
Consumer Focus undertook research to determine how effectively customers are being served by Jobcentre Plus in the recession. As a consumer watchdog we sought to assess how effectively the service was managing under this pressure and how embedded the consumer experience was in the delivery of the service. Read our full report (see below) or read [...]
Green to the core? How supermarkets can help make greener shopping easier
9 November 2009
Some UK supermarkets are doing more to help customers shop sustainably, but others are lagging well behind according to report by Consumer Focus, called Green to the core? It found that the gap between the best and worst performing supermarkets has got wider since the first survey in 2006. Sainsbury’s and M&S made the biggest leap [...]
