News in September 2006
- 29 Sep 2006 DIY store to sell wind turbines A DIY chain is launching a new range of budget-priced wind turbines and solar panels from next month to help householders generate their own energy.
- 29 Sep 2006 Mattresses spring into new life Furniture giant Habitat is launching a recycling service for old and unwanted mattresses and divans in ten of its stores from October.
- 28 Sep 2006 NTL launches '4 for £40' package Cable giant NTL Telewest has launched a package which bundles together digital TV, unlimited broadband, home and mobile phone services.
- 28 Sep 2006 Painkiller probe over heart attack risk European health chiefs are to investigate the safety of common painkillers such as ibuprofen.
- 28 Sep 2006 Billions wasted on unused gadgets British consumers are wasting almost £2 billion a year on gadgets that are rarely used, a new survey says.
- 28 Sep 2006 New MPVs score well in crash tests All five cars have scored well overall, but there are a few areas to watch out for on specific models, as our round-up shows.
- 28 Sep 2006 Credit card companies raise rates Credit card companies are hiking up their interest rates after the government forced them to cut to cut other charges.
- 28 Sep 2006 Airline liquid ban to be lifted Air passengers will be able to take small amounts of liquids and gels on board planes in hand luggage from November.
- 27 Sep 2006 Britons branded poor shoppers Britons are among the least savvy shoppers in Europe, a survey shows today.
- 27 Sep 2006 New orange Sainsbury's bags are greener Supermarket giant Sainsbury's has stepped up efforts to prove its green credentials by ditching its white carrier bags for orange versions which are a third recycled material.
- 27 Sep 2006 US relaxes airline liquid ban US authorities have relaxed the total ban on carrying liquids and gels on to aircraft flying from the States.
- 27 Sep 2006 Stay clear of bank charge refund firms Customers trying to recoup unfair bank charges should stay clear of firms which offer to do the work for you - but take a cut of any refund.
- 26 Sep 2006 Fruit and veg pesticide warning Consumers who eat a lot of fruit and vegetables are in danger of being exposed to unsafe levels of pesticides, campaigners claim.
- 26 Sep 2006 Parents back junk food ad ban Parents and health campaigners have overwhelmingly backed a pre-watershed ban on junk food adverts.
- 26 Sep 2006 BT payphone price rise BThas announced that the minimum cost of making a call from a payphone will rise to 40p from November.
- 26 Sep 2006 Anti-junk mail postman keeps job A postman suspended after telling residents how to stop junk mail being delivered to their homes has kept his job.
- 25 Sep 2006 Public 'complacent' over online security Consumers are still not doing enough to protect themselves from online crooks despite a massive increase in ‘phishing', a banking industry body has revealed.
- 25 Sep 2006 Orange offers 'Unique' service Orange has announced a new service which will allow customers to use their mobile as a home phone.
- 22 Sep 2006 Health chiefs name 'stolen bone' hospitals Twenty-five UK hospitals may have received contaminated human body parts allegedly stolen in America, healthcare watchdogs have revealed.
- 22 Sep 2006 Packet-a-day crisp warning Eating a packet of crisps a day is the equivalent of drinking almost five litres of cooking oil every year, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has warned.
- 22 Sep 2006 MFI sells stores in £1 deal Furniture chain MFI has today agreed to sell its loss-making retail arm to a private equity group for £1.
- 21 Sep 2006 Kids to be taught internet safety Schoolchildren are being taught how to stay safe online and avoid internet predators as part of a new government-backed initiative.
- 21 Sep 2006 Drivers warned over dodgy insurance Drivers who were duped into buying dodgy car insurance through a bogus company have been warned they could be driving illegally.
- 21 Sep 2006 Sugar substitute may offer sweet relief A sugar substitute goes on sale today which is claimed to be sweeter and healthier than real thing.
- 21 Sep 2006 New airport parking map A new service from airport parking comparison website simplyparking.co.uk displays a map with available car parks marked on it to help you find a convenient spot.
- 21 Sep 2006 Organic milk 'no healthier' A call by a group of scientists to declare organic milk healthier than standard milk has been rejected by the government’s food watchdog.
- 21 Sep 2006 Airline hand luggage restrictions eased Restrictions on hand luggage imposed at airports in the wake of an alleged terrorist bomb plot are to be relaxed.
- 20 Sep 2006 Bulldog rapped over broadband speed claim Advertising watchdogs have rapped a leading broadband company for misleading consumers over the speed of its service.
- 20 Sep 2006 Boots criticised over 'misleading' sun cream ad High-street chemist Boots has been slammed over a 'misleading' TV advert which suggested its sun cream offered children complete protection from the harmful effects of the sun.
- 19 Sep 2006 Toshiba recalls laptop batteries Electronics giant Toshiba has announced it’s recalling 340,000 Sony-made laptop batteries – the third such recall in two months.
- 19 Sep 2006 Royal Mail launches online post service A new service has been launched which allows people to beat post offices queues by buying their stamps online.
- 19 Sep 2006 Hewitt says NHS reforms must continue Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt has vowed to press ahead with controversial NHS reforms despite fears that services across the UK are under threat.
- 18 Sep 2006 Parents in dark over new car seat rules Many parents may break the law today because they don't know about new rules which make child car seats compulsory for older kids.
- 18 Sep 2006 Food watchdog facing legal action over GM rice Britain's food safety watchdog is facing a legal challenge over claims it's not doing enough to keep genetically modified (GM) rice off supermarket shelves.
- 18 Sep 2006 Nintendo Wii in stores by Christmas Nintendo has announced its 'next generation' games console will hit British shops just in time for Christmas.
- 16 Sep 2006 Saga says sorry over policy blunder A major insurance company has said sorry for a mistake in wording which almost cost a Which? reader thousands of pounds.
- 15 Sep 2006 Bebo website boosts safety for children Social networking site Bebo has beefed up its safety measures to help youngsters stay clear of 'cyber bullies'.
- 15 Sep 2006 New child car seat laws New laws come into force on Monday which will dramatically change how children travel in cars.
- 14 Sep 2006 Apple tops computer survey Apple, Dell and Sony are the brands of desktop computer people are most likely to recommend to a friend, says this month's Computing Which?.
- 14 Sep 2006 Sinister side of networking sites Kids and teenagers using popular social networking sites such as Bebo and MySpace are in danger of being exposed to pornography and bullying, warns Computing Which?
- 14 Sep 2006 Pensioners hit by travel insurers Tourists over the age of 70 are often lumbered with steep hikes in the cost of travel insurance, says the latest Holiday Which?.
- 14 Sep 2006 School uniform prices taxing parents The practice of selling school uniforms only through designated retailers creates a £45 million a year ‘tax' on parents, the competition watchdog has concluded.
- 14 Sep 2006 Supermarkets 'need to be greener' Britain’s leading supermarkets must do more to help shoppers make greener choices, a consumer organisation said today.
- 14 Sep 2006 Parents warned over dangerous yo-yo Parents have been warned to look out for an inflatable yo-yo that could maim or even kill a child.
- 14 Sep 2006 Music MP3 rival for Apple A new music download service has been launched in the UK to rival Apple's iTunes.
- 13 Sep 2006 Look before you leap into letting Anyone thinking of buying property to let should think carefully - they may be better off putting their money in the bank.
- 13 Sep 2006 Boots considers cheque ban High-street chemist Boots is looking at banning the use of cheque payments at its 1,500 stores.
- 13 Sep 2006 Apple unveils movie downloads Computer giant Apple has unveiled a new film download service alongside a device which will allow you to watch the movies on your TV.
- 13 Sep 2006 Patients missing crucial bowel cancer tests More people in England may die from bowel cancer than in Scotland and Wales because the NHS screening programme for England has a lower age limit.
- 12 Sep 2006 Investigation finds watersports safety lapses Dodgy watersports operators in popular European resorts are endangering holidaymakers with unsafe equipment, warns Holiday Which? today.
- 12 Sep 2006 Travel tips for parents Holiday Which?has drawn up some handy survival tips to make it easier for parents travelling with a young family.
- 12 Sep 2006 Nationwide announces Portman merger Britain’s biggest building society has announced plans for a £150 billion merger with one of its main rivals.
- 12 Sep 2006 Dangerous cigarette lighters to be banned Moves to ban the dangerous novelty lighters have been welcomed by child safety campaigners.
- 12 Sep 2006 Climate change 'will hit gardens' Britain’s 27 million gardening enthusiasts are at the ‘front line’ of climate change, according to the government.
- 11 Sep 2006 Vodafone to provide home broadband Mobile phone company Vodafone said today it plans to enter the home broadband market by the end of the year.
- 11 Sep 2006 Councils 'should ban' leisure centre sunbeds Councils who put sunbeds in their leisure centres are like hospitals offering cigarettes to patients, an environmental health group complained today.
- 09 Sep 2006 Supermarkets unveil more eco-friendly schemes Tescois launching an organic clothing range designed by Katharine Hamnett.
- 09 Sep 2006 BT unveils mobile TV service BThas unveiled a new service that broadcasts TV and digital radio stations to mobile phones.
- 09 Sep 2006 UK car prices still a rip-off UK motorists are still getting a poor deal on the price of a new car, Which? can reveal.
- 08 Sep 2006 New protection against door-to-door scams The government has stepped up the fight against rogue door-to-door traders by unveiling new protection against dodgy sales tactics.
- 08 Sep 2006 Apple to offer movie downloads? Speculation is growing that Apple is about to start selling feature-length films for viewing on new iPods.
- 08 Sep 2006 Npower reveals more price hikes Npowerhas announced it is increasing fuel prices by up to 17.2 per cent – its third price hike this year.
- 07 Sep 2006 Phone giants lag behind on customer service Phone giants BT and NTL lag behind smaller telephone companies when it comes to customer service, Which? reveals today.
- 07 Sep 2006 'Ban school run' to end traffic jams Almost 70 per cent of Britons want the school run banned in a bid to ease the growing congestion on UK roads, a survey from which.co.uk found.
- 07 Sep 2006 Financial advisers fail Which? test More than 80 per cent of bank and building society financial advisers in a Which? investigation failed to give good financial advice.
- 07 Sep 2006 Sony further delays PS3 launch Electonics giant Sony has delayed the European launch of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) until next spring.
- 07 Sep 2006 Probe launched into rip-off bank fees Britain’s high-street banks are going to have to explain why they rake in billions of pounds a year in unauthorised overdraft charges.
- 06 Sep 2006 ITV begins mobile broadcasts ITV has started broadcasting its programmes direct to mobile phones on the 3 network.
- 06 Sep 2006 Pensioners face Powergen price rise Energy giant Powergen’s latest price rise comes into force today for thousands of its elderly customers.
- 06 Sep 2006 Diners set for easier access to hygiene scores Diners could soon be able to check out the cleanliness of their favourite restaurants under a planned nationwide scheme.
- 05 Sep 2006 Britons pay out billions for botched jobs Shoddy workmen have charged British homeowners more than £8 billion for botch jobs over the past two years, according to new research.
- 05 Sep 2006 Toshiba to launch HD-DVD players Toshiba has announced it will launch two high-definition (HD) DVD players in the UK later this year.
- 04 Sep 2006 Energy suppliers 'penalising poor' Energy suppliers are charging poorer people more for gas and electricity, a coalition of consumer groups and charities has warned.
- 04 Sep 2006 NHS complaints body is sorry for delays Thousands of patients who've complained about treatment in the NHS are being left in limbo because of a huge backlog in cases, it has been reported today.
- 04 Sep 2006 Computer users facing new fraud threat Gangs of criminals are stealing home computer users' personal details and selling them on, according to a computer security expert.
- 04 Sep 2006 M&S branches out into electricals Marks and Spencer (M&S) is to sell electrical goods from almost 100 stores across the UK following a successful trial.
- 04 Sep 2006 Pupils return to healthier menus Pupils in England returned to school today to healthier lunchtime menus as part of the government's drive to tackle childhood obesity.
- 02 Sep 2006 Abta loses seal of approval Abta has lost its government seal of approval after it reduced the amount of financial protection it offers holidaymakers.
- 01 Sep 2006 Top marks for the Porsche Boxster Open top sports car the Porsche Boxster is the UK's most loved car according to a new survey from Which? Car.
- 01 Sep 2006 Turn your garden into a wildlife haven Almost any garden has the potential to become a haven for local wildlife within just a few months, says Gardening Which?
- 01 Sep 2006 Which? reports Rice Krispies TV ad Which? has complained to the advertising watchdog that the current Kellogg’s Rice Krispies TV advert is exaggerating the cereal's healthiness.
