News in February 2006
- 28 Feb 2006 Duty totals rise The value of goods that you can bring into the country from outside the EU without having to pay duty may rise, thanks to a new proposal.
- 28 Feb 2006 Child obesity Today's children risk dying younger than their parents if the government doesn't do more to tackle the problem of obesity in youngsters, a new report warns.
- 27 Feb 2006 Post Office plan would leave pensioners 'stranded' MPs have warned that pensioners will be 'stranded' by government plans to remove support for the Post Office card account.
- 27 Feb 2006 Pure launches Evoke-3 Pure's Evoke-3, which costs about GBP 200, allows listeners to pause and rewind live DAB digital radio for up to 30 minutes and record multiple tracks or complete radio programmes to a memory card.
- 27 Feb 2006 4x4 drivers tax warning Motorists drive gas-guzzling 4x4 cars may be hit with higher taxes because of the environmental damage caused by the cars' high emmissions.
- 27 Feb 2006 Consumers mistrust over pensions Only one in nine people would trust the financial services industry to look after their pension pot, according to new research from Which?.
- 25 Feb 2006 More fraud protection needed on eBay Internet auction site eBay should be doing more to shield its customers from the growing threat of fraud, according to Computing Which?.
- 24 Feb 2006 Chevrolet and Kia come in for car safety criticism Concerns have been raised over the crash safety of two new cars.
- 24 Feb 2006 Chevrolet safety worries Concerns have been raised over the crash safety of two new cars.
- 23 Feb 2006 Radiotherapy waiting times More than half of cancer patients needing radiotherapy to treat the disease are waiting longer than the recommended four weeks to get it.
- 23 Feb 2006 Charter flight problems More than 10 per cent of holiday charter flights using UK airports were at least an hour late last summer, according to figures published today.
- 23 Feb 2006 Waiting list for radiotherapy More than half of cancer patients needing radiotherapy to treat the disease are waiting longer than the recommended four weeks to get it.
- 23 Feb 2006 Delayed flights More than 10 per cent of holiday charter flights using UK airports were at least an hour late last summer, according to figures published today.
- 22 Feb 2006 Water bills: big rise in April Water bills across England and Wales are to rise by 5.5 per cent - three times the rate of inflation - from April this year.
- 22 Feb 2006 ASA raps Asda over price comparison An advert which claimed a basket of shopping from Asda was GBP 10 cheaper than a similar basket from Morrisons was misleading, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said today.
- 21 Feb 2006 Warning over satellite navigation Satellite navigation (sat nav) systems can distract drivers and may increase the risk of accidents, according to a new survey.
- 21 Feb 2006 Kids ad deemed 'irresponsible' Which? has reported an 'irresponsible' TV advert for Kellogg's Coco Pops Straws to advertising watchdogs today.
- 21 Feb 2006 Calls to keep superbug at bay About one in ten patients get an infection during their stay in hospital, a new report claims.
- 20 Feb 2006 Pollutants in fish The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is urging consumers to eat more fish after two new surveys revealed that levels of pollutants such as dioxins found in fish are continuing to fall.
- 20 Feb 2006 Flu virus plans A top vet claims that Britain has 'very good' contingency plans to deal with an outbreak of deadly bird flu.
- 20 Feb 2006 Tributes for campaigner Tributes have been paid following the death of a campaigner who worked tirelessly to make products safer for UK consumers.
- 17 Feb 2006 Acupressure treament An alternative therapy appears to be more effective than conventional treatments in reducing lower back pain, according to a new study.
- 17 Feb 2006 Cashpoint charges The government and the banking industry have been accused of 'passing the buck' over cash machine charges.
- 17 Feb 2006 Gas prices rise British Gascustomers have been hit by a 22 per cent increase in their fuel bills on what is being described as the 'bleakest day yet' for energy users.
- 16 Feb 2006 Road sign overload Drivers are in danger of crashing because they're overwhelmed by the increasing number of confusing road signs, according to the RAC Foundation.
- 16 Feb 2006 Mouse curry A heavily pregnant woman tucking into an Asda curry was horrified to find a mouse head staring back up at her, it's reported today.
- 16 Feb 2006 Hospital criticised over parking A hospital highlighted by Which? for its parking charges has earned GBP 1.2 million from such fees since it opened three years ago.
- 16 Feb 2006 Standardised energy comparisons Which? is backing a new code that will help consumers get the best deals on energy prices.
- 15 Feb 2006 Live TV and radio for phones BT, Virgin and Microsoft have joined together to launch Europe's first live TV and radio service for mobile phones.
- 15 Feb 2006 Supermarkets threaten small businesses Predatory supermarkets and large chains could drive many small shops out of business over the next decade, MPs are warning.
- 15 Feb 2006 Homebuyers forced to change ad A property-buying company exposed by Which? for charging over the odds for surveys has been rapped by advertising watchdogs.
- 15 Feb 2006 Family of 'debt suicide' man blames Halifax Ian Beech, 47, is thought to have drunk a bottle of whisky with painkillers before walking into the sea. His body was found on a beach last Wednesday - the same day that bailiffs from Halifax were due to evict the family from their Norfolk home.
- 14 Feb 2006 Hard-to-read labelling Shoppers are having difficulty reading some food labels because the writing is too small, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
- 14 Feb 2006 Currency con for holiday makers Nationwideis warning its customers about sneaky foreign charges that are costing British holidaymakers millions of pounds - just weeks after Which? revealed the underhand practice.
- 14 Feb 2006 Pin day: advice from Which? Nearly half of credit and debit cardholders are playing into the hands of fraudsters by writing down their Pin numbers, a new survey reveals.
- 13 Feb 2006 Record sales online British shoppers spent a record GBP 8.2 billion online last year - with one in four people now buying goods on the internet.
- 13 Feb 2006 Citizens Advice warning over loan scam Steer clear of companies which offer to arrange personal loans but want a fee upfront.
- 10 Feb 2006 Save money on energy People who haven't changed their gas or electricity supplier for ages could be those with most to gain by switching to a cheaper supplier, according to Which?.
- 10 Feb 2006 Royal Mail to pay the penalty Royal Mailis facing GBP 11.7 million worth of fines over problems with lost, damaged and stolen post.
- 09 Feb 2006 Confusing labelling scheme Five of the UK's largest food manufacturers will be 'betraying' consumers if they adopt a labelling scheme that will only bamboozle shoppers.
- 09 Feb 2006 Safer cigarette lighters Cigarette lighters are to be made more child-proof - a move that could potentially save dozens of lives each year.
- 09 Feb 2006 Industry threat to NPSS plans Average earners will lose out on more than GBP 15,000 if the financial services industry is allowed to run the proposed national pensions savings scheme (NPSS), according to Which?.
- 08 Feb 2006 New iPod Nano Applehas unveiled a smaller iPod Nano which is thinner than a pencil and costs GBP 30 less than the larger model.
- 08 Feb 2006 Pin deadline approaching Credit and debit cardholders have been warned that from next week they'll need to know their Pin number to be sure of paying with their chip and Pin cards.
- 07 Feb 2006 Ticket site closed down An online agency which sold concert, sports and theatre tickets at inflated prices has been shut down by the government.
- 06 Feb 2006 Bad customer service Hard-sell marketing, missed appointments, and poor after-sales service have been named as the top gripes among British consumers in a new survey.
- 06 Feb 2006 Cost of drugs hinder sufferers Cancer patients are being denied vital drugs because they cannot afford the cost of the prescription, according to a damning new report.
- 03 Feb 2006 Safe drinking confusion
- 03 Feb 2006 Thomas Cook Airlines pays up for cancelled flight An airline passenger has won GBP840 in the small claims court after he was refused compensation for a cancelled flight.
- 02 Feb 2006 Kids' mobiles porn loophole A Which? investigation has found a loophole in safeguards to stop youngsters using mobile phones to access adult images.
- 02 Feb 2006 Big savings on printer ink Consumers can make huge savings by ditching printer companies' ink cartridges in favour of generic ones, Which? research has found.
- 01 Feb 2006 OFT launches scam campaign In an attempt to reduce the number of scams taking place in the UK, the Office of Fair Trading have launched scams awareness month
