News in January 2006
- 31 Jan 2006Shoppers snub Dixons and PowerhouseElectrical giants Dixons and Powerhouse are among British shoppers' least favourite stores, a new Which? survey has found.
- 31 Jan 2006Healthcare change plansHealth Secretary Patricia Hewitt unveiled the plans in a White Paper which she said would bring healthcare 'closer to people's homes'.
- 31 Jan 2006Shopper satisfaction surveyShoppers say Marks & Spencer (M&S;) and Next are Britain's leading clothes stores when it comes to keeping customers happy, a Which? survey reveals.
- 31 Jan 2006Waitrose tops the shopsA Which? survey on customer satisfaction revealed Waitrose to be the top high street chain
- 30 Jan 2006New TrustMark logoA new government-backed body launches a logo today to help consumers identify decent builders, electricians, plumbers and other tradespeople.
- 30 Jan 2006Junk food firms exposedMajor food manufacturers are coming up with increasingly novel ways to target kids
- 28 Jan 2006Massive confusion on cashpoint feesAlmost half of bank customers are confused about whether they can use the Big Four banks' cashpoints for free.
- 27 Jan 2006Eating fruit and vegetables cuts stroke riskEating more than the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables per pay dramatically cuts the risk of suffering a stroke, a new report claims today.
- 26 Jan 2006Soft drink giants relentLeading fizzy drinks manufacturers have agreed to stop targeting kids
- 26 Jan 2006OFT stops Swiss 'clairvoyant'The OFT clamped down on a scam by a Swiss 'clairvoyant'
- 26 Jan 2006Super watchdog plannedThe government is planning ot create a new super watchdog which will unite many leading consumer bodies
- 25 Jan 2006Reverse call ad bannedA TV advert for reverse-charge calls featuring pop star Holly Valance has been banned for failing to give call costs
- 25 Jan 2006Michelin recalls tyresTyre manufacturer Michelin is recalling 10,000 tyres which may have a dangerous defect.
- 25 Jan 2006GPs to prescribe more statinsMillions of patients at risk of heart disease will be offered cholesterol-lowering drugs in a bid to save thousands of lives.
- 25 Jan 2006Ofcom site helps cut cost of calls from abroadHolidaymakers should consider switching their mobile phone tariff before they leave the UK - or face rip-off charges when calling home.
- 24 Jan 2006Citizens Advice says banks fail poor peopleBanks are failing people on low incomes by blocking access to accounts or lumbering them with high charges, according to a damning Citizens Advice report.
- 24 Jan 2006Company threatens customerA midlands company has been fined for threatening a customer who queried an invoice
- 23 Jan 2006Asda's budget bridal range
- 20 Jan 2006OFT slammedThe competition watchdog has been slammed by MPs
- 20 Jan 2006Mobile phone link deniedA four year survey has fialed to identify a linki between brain tumours and mobile phones
- 19 Jan 2006Alfa 159 gets top ratingThe new Alfa Romeo 159 large family car has been awarded the maximum five stars for occupant safety from Euro NCAP, the crash-test organisation co-founded by Which?.
- 19 Jan 2006Tesco launches internet phoneSupermarket giant Tesco has launched an internet phone service for broadband users which it claims with slash the cost of the average phone bill.
- 19 Jan 2006A better deal from lawyersAs ministers today discuss a radical overhaul of the legal profession, Which? reveals that most clients don't trust lawyers to investigate complaints about their own profession.
- 18 Jan 2006Cheap petrol websiteMotorists can now sign up to a website which claims to show the cheapest places to buy petrol.
- 18 Jan 2006Hospital call charges probeThe Department of Health (DoH) has been told to carry out a review into sky-high charges for calling hospital patients.
- 18 Jan 2006Bill disputes top energy-complaints listGas and electricity bill disputes are the chief source of consumer complaints about energy companies, figures announced today show.
- 17 Jan 2006Insecticides leukaemia riskRegularly exposing children to household insecticides may double their risk of developing acute childhood leukaemia, a new French study suggests.
- 17 Jan 2006Nationwide account pays high interestNationwide Building Societyhas thrown down the gauntlet to high street banks by announcing a current account that pays 4.25 per cent interest.
- 16 Jan 2006Billing blunder at Carphone WarehouseCarphone Warehousehas admitted to a billing mistake that left customers fuming over 'lost' free minutes.
- 16 Jan 2006Cosmetic surgery increaseFigures released today show a dramatic increase in the number of people using cosmetic surgery to try to improve their looks.
- 13 Jan 2006Firm fined for mishandling complaintsGuardian Assurancehas been fined GBP 750,000 by the City watchdog for mishandling endowment mortgage complaints.
- 13 Jan 2006Food shoppers sceptical of marketingShoppers are sceptical when companies use marketing terms such as 'quality', 'home made' and 'real' to describe food products, according to a new survey.
- 11 Jan 2006Court rules airlines must pay for delaysAirlines have been told they can't wriggle out of paying compensation to passengers whose flights are cancelled or delayed.
- 11 Jan 2006Apple launches faster laptopComputer giant Apple has unveiled a new laptop which it says is four to five times faster than its predecessor.
- 11 Jan 2006Sky launches movie download serviceSky customers can now download and watch hundreds of films and thousands of sports clips on their home computers.
- 10 Jan 2006Safety fears over World Cup stadiumsTests on the 12 stadiums hosting this year's World Cup have revealed that four have serious safety problems with fans' escape routes.
- 09 Jan 2006Cancer Research says obese people 'in denial'More than a quarter of overweight or obese people don't want to lose weight and many are 'in denial' about their size, a survey has found.
- 06 Jan 2006Equity release schemes cost homeowners dearOlder people who try to raise money by releasing the equity on their homes could be plunged into a financial nightmare, according to a new Which? study.
- 05 Jan 2006Scams have hit five million peopleFive million people across the UK have been duped into responding to scams, Which? reveals today.
- 04 Jan 2006ASA slams Colgate and GSK for dentist claimsWatchdogs have criticised toothpaste adverts for implying that dentists had recommended products for sensitive teeth.
- 04 Jan 2006Wi-Fi sky to cover nine citiesA UK company has announced a major initiative to bring wireless broadband blanket coverage to nine British cities.
- 04 Jan 2006AA refuses help to grieving relativesA grieving family has condemned the AA after it refused to move the car of an AA member who had died at the wheel.
- 04 Jan 2006DVLA launches tax renewal onlineThe DVLA has launched a service which allows motorists to renew their tax discs over the internet.
- 03 Jan 2006Former Which? Chairman diesTributes have been paid to former Which? Chairman Phillip Whitehead MEP who died over the weekend.
- 03 Jan 2006Russia pledges to restore gas suppliesThe threat to British gas supplies from the spat between Russia and Ukraine seems to be lessening but more price hikes are making it a miserable winter for energy customers anyway.
