Climate change: ‘Right to repair’ gathers force – BBC News

‘It is frustrating: you buy a new appliance then just after the warranty runs out, it gives up the ghost.’

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BBC News, 9th January 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Energy suppliers to face tighter rules, says Ofgem – BBC News

Posted January 9th, 2019 in consumer protection, energy, licensing, news by sally

‘Energy regulator Ofgem is to tighten up the rules for new suppliers of gas and electricity after nine new entrants ceased trading.’

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BBC News, 9th January 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Nuisance call bosses face £500,000 fines – BBC News

Posted December 17th, 2018 in bankruptcy, consumer protection, fines, news, nuisance, statistics, telecommunications by sally

‘Directors of firms that cold-call consumers can now be fined up to £500,000 under new rules that have come into force.’

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BBC News, 17th December 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Watchdog plans purge of rip-off rates for loyal broadband customers – The Guardian

Posted December 14th, 2018 in consumer protection, internet, news by tracey

‘The UK media regulator, Ofcom, is to crack down on broadband providers who rip off loyal customers by offering better deals to new subscribers.’

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The Guardian, 14th December 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Oxbridge applicants misled by personal statements company, Advertising Standards Authority rules – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 12th, 2018 in advertising, complaints, consumer protection, news, universities by sally

‘Oxbridge applicants purchasing £150 pre-written personal statement were misled after believing they could pass them off as their own work, the Advertising Standards Authority has ruled.’

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Daily Telegraph, 12th December 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Watchdog hangs up on excessive directory inquiries charges – The Guardian

Posted November 28th, 2018 in consumer protection, news, telecommunications by tracey

‘The price of directory inquiries calls will be capped from April to protect consumers from excessively high charges, with some firms currently charging almost £20 for a 90-second call.’

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The Guardian, 28th November 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

City watchdog steps up its inquiries into ‘crypto’ firms – Daily Telegraph

‘As the price of the controversial “cryptocurrency” Bitcoin plunges, new figures show that the City watchdog is stepping up its investigations into the murky sector.’

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Daily Telegraph, 25th November 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Price cap plan to clamp down on high rent-to-own fees – The Guardian

Posted November 22nd, 2018 in consumer credit, consumer protection, fees, financial regulation, interest, news by tracey

‘The City watchdog has proposed a price cap on rent-to-own companies in a clampdown on “excessive charges” expected to save 300,000 vulnerable customers up to £22.7m a year.’

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The Guardian, 22nd November 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

EE and Virgin Media fined £13.3m for overcharging customers – The Guardian

Posted November 16th, 2018 in consumer protection, contracts, fines, internet, news, telecommunications by tracey

‘Virgin Media and EE have been fined a combined £13.3m by the regulator Ofcom for overcharging nearly 500,000 phone and broadband customers who wanted to leave their contracts early.@

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The Guardian, 16th November 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Legal Services Board approves new SRA Handbook in full – Legal Futures

Posted November 7th, 2018 in consumer protection, legal services, news, social services by sally

‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) has approved the new SRA Handbook, including the controversial proposal to allow solicitors to provide unreserved services to the public from unregulated businesses.’

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Legal Futures, 6th November 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Watchdog investigates firms over hidden fees – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 9th, 2018 in consumer protection, fees, financial regulation, news by tracey

‘A number of financial services firms that have failed to transparently declare what they charge their customers are being investigated by the industry watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).’

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Daily Telegraph, 8th October 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Consumer loyalty ‘rip off’ faces probe – BBC News

Posted September 28th, 2018 in competition, consumer protection, insurance, mortgages, news, telecommunications by tracey

‘The accusation that loyal customers are being “ripped off” for mobile, broadband, savings, home insurance and mortgage deals is to be investigated by the competition body.’

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BBC News, 28th September 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Pensions Ombudsman revamps approach to ‘distress and inconvenience’ awards – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 18th, 2018 in compensation, complaints, consumer protection, maladministration, news, pensions by sally

‘The UK’s Pensions Ombudsman has introduced a fixed-amount award to compensate individuals who have suffered “distress and inconvenience” as a result of the maladministration of a pensions scheme.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 17th September 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

Trust in solicitors a key issue when consumers choose barristers – Legal Futures

Posted September 17th, 2018 in barristers, consumer protection, legal services, news, solicitors by sally

‘Consumers tend to shop around or use a public access barrister and ignore their solicitor’s recommendation when trust had broken down, according to Bar Standards Board-commissioned (BSB) research.

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Legal Futures, 17th September 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Firm to pay indemnity costs after “premature” GLO application – Litigation Futures

Posted September 5th, 2018 in class actions, consumer protection, costs, law firms, news by sally

‘A law firm which “prematurely” issued a group litigation order (GLO) application to bring VW emissions claims ahead of other firms has been hit with an indemnity costs order by the High Court.’

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Litigation Futures, 5th September 2018

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Consumer panel will tell government “uncomfortable truths” over legal aid – Legal Futures

Posted September 4th, 2018 in consumer protection, legal aid, Legal Services Board, news by sally

‘The Legal Services Consumer Panel is ready to tell the government some “uncomfortable truths” about legal aid, its new chair has said.’

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Legal Futures, 4th September 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Pensions Ombudsman to overhaul dispute resolution – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 28th, 2018 in complaints, consumer protection, dispute resolution, news, pensions by sally

‘The Pensions Ombudsman is planning to overhaul the way it handles pensions disputes over the coming year, it has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 24th August 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

Celebrities and social media stars under the spotlight for hidden endorsements – Technology Law Update

Posted August 21st, 2018 in advertising, competition, consumer protection, news by sally

‘UK enforcement watchdog the Competition and Markets Authority is opening an investigation into whether social media stars are being open about paid-for endorsements.’

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Technology Law Update, 20th August 2018

Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk

New body outlines plans to strengthen UK product safety regime – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 16th, 2018 in codes of practice, consumer protection, health & safety, news, reports by sally

‘The recently-launched UK body charged with overseeing product safety has unveiled plans to strengthen the regulatory regime for product safety and standards, including proposals to set up a national incident management team capable of coordinating large scale product recall and repair programmes.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 15th August 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

Amazon told to clarify ‘misleading’ one-day delivery claim – Daily Telegraph

Posted August 15th, 2018 in advertising, consumer protection, electronic commerce, news by sally

‘Companies must provide easy access to compensation if they fail to deliver shopping on time, a consumer group has urged, after Amazon was ordered to clarify its “misleading” one-day delivery claim for Prime customers.’

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Daily Telegraph, 15th August 2018

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk