News in May 2006
- 31 May 2006Vodafone set to provide broadbandMobile phone giant Vodafone is looking to branch out into providing broadband.
- 31 May 2006National Express errorNational Expresshas been rapped by advertising watchdogs for wrongly boasting on the radio that passengers could take surf boards as luggage.
- 31 May 2006Patient surgery choice extendedPatients are to get more choice of where to have their NHS treatment under plans unveiled by the government today.
- 30 May 2006Disabled badge fraud costing millionsMillions of pounds of parking and congestion fees are being lost in city centres because of motorists abusing the disabled parking scheme, according to a new report.
- 26 May 2006Sharp misleads consumersElectronics giant Sharp has been criticised for wrongly claiming a TV would be 'ideal' for watching high-definition (HD) TV.
- 25 May 2006Warning over 'unnecessary' prostate surgeryMany men with non-aggressive prostate cancer face years of side-effects because they've had to go through unnecessary surgery and radiotherapy
- 24 May 2006Private dental patients get better rightsWhich? has welcomed a new service which will make it easier for patients to complain about private dental care.
- 24 May 2006Lord Chancellor unveils legal shake-upA major shake-up of the way consumers access the law has been announced by the Lord Chancellor today, at the offices of Which?.
- 23 May 2006Call to axe alternative treatment on NHSA group of leading British scientists believes the NHS should stop using complementary medicine and spend the money instead on treatments that are 'based on solid evidence.'
- 20 May 2006Lost luggageBritish Airways loses the luggage of five passengers, on average, on every jumbo jet flight, says a new report.
- 19 May 2006Snacks recalled in toxin scareChocolates and snacks have been pulled from shop shelves after toxins known to cause cancer in animals were found in a batch of rice flour.
- 19 May 2006Healthier school meals on the menuSchool children will no longer be fed 'the rubbish they've been given for decades', the new Education Secretary pledged today.
- 18 May 2006Law Society fined over complaintsThe Law Society has been fined GBP 250,000 for failing to sort out a proper system for dealing with complaints about lawyers.
- 18 May 2006GP surgeries 'bursting', says BMAThree-quarters of GP practices are so packed they are 'bursting at the seams', a new survey warns.
- 18 May 2006Bausch and Lomb recalls lens solutionContact lens wearers have been told to stop using a soft contact lens solution after it was linked to an eye infection which can cause blindness.
- 17 May 2006Landmark victory for patient treated abroadPatients who wait longer than they should for NHS treatment have won the right to be treated abroad and reclaim the cost from the NHS.
- 16 May 2006Fatal skin cancer in men increasesMore than 1,000 men are dying from skin cancer each year, in many cases because they are failing to check for tell-tale signs of the disease.
- 16 May 2006Victory on food claims in EUA landmark ruling by the European Parliament to stop misleading health claims on food follows years of Which? campaigning.
- 15 May 2006Malaria concernsA dramatic increase in the number of holidaymakers visiting exotic destinations means more people are at risk of contracting malaria, travel experts have warned.
- 15 May 2006Patient's phone callsPatients are being 'exploited' by the sky-high charges of hospital phone systems, a survey has revealed today.
- 12 May 2006Call for licencesAll estate agents should have to obtain a licence to show that they are qualified and competent, according to the industry's ombudsman.
- 12 May 2006New concerns over licence proposalsThe price of a driving licence could soar by 80 per cent under proposals being considered by the government.
- 11 May 2006Eco-friendly supermarketSupermarket giant Tesco has unveiled a plan to boost its green credentials and its image with local communities.
- 11 May 2006Patients being let downA quarter of a million patients are admitted to hospital each year after suffering an unexpected reaction to a drug, a report reveals today.
- 11 May 2006Tesco's bid to bag green credentialsSupermarket giant Tesco has unveiled a plan to boost its green credentials and its image with local communities.
- 10 May 2006Hygenic restaurantsEating out in the UK is a 'postcode lottery' because you have no way of knowing how clean a restaurant or take-away is.
- 10 May 2006Untrustworthy plumberA plumber was filmed spitting into a cold water tank in the latest undercover sting of rogue tradesmen set up by Surrey trading standards officers (TSOs).
- 09 May 2006UK beachesHoliday Which? has published its UK top ten favourite beaches in this month's issue, published today.
- 09 May 2006Holiday traumaAbout 2,000 British travellers die abroad each year, Holiday Which? reports this month.
- 09 May 2006PS3 announcementElectronics giant Sony has confirmed its PlayStation3 (PS3) will hit UK shops this November.
- 09 May 2006McDonalds loses dealThe multi-million-dollar deal which saw plastic Disney figures included in McDonald's Happy Meals is to come to an end.
- 09 May 2006Supermarket leverageBritain's competition watchdog is to probe the UK's GBP 95 billion grocery sector over fears big supermarkets could be using their power to dominate the market.
- 08 May 2006Personal pensionsWhich? has written to Financial Services Authority (FSA) demanding an investigation into the latest pension scandal.
- 08 May 2006Chip and pin failureHundreds of Shell petrol stations across the country had to suspend chip and Pin payments over the weekend after fraudsters were able to steal more than GBP 1 million from unwitting customers.
- 05 May 2006Primary care trusts failureMany healthcare trusts can't prove they are offering good quality out-of-hours care to patients, according to a new report.
- 05 May 2006Withdrawals from cash pointsA taskforce has been set up to look into cash-machine charges and how they affect UK consumers.
- 04 May 2006Millions of days lostPeople are spending nearly three days a year waiting for workmen or deliveries to turn up, a new survey from Which? reveals.
- 04 May 2006Unsecured loansTelevision presenter Carol Vorderman has come under fire for promoting companies which offer debt consolidation loans secured against people's homes.
- 03 May 2006Complaints about banks soarFed-up consumers made 3,500 complaints to the banking watchdog last year - 50 per cent more than in 2004.
- 03 May 2006Passport applicationsPlans to interview adult first-time passport applicants face-to-face have come under fire.
- 02 May 2006Help the consumerGovernment and business need to take radical action and get damaging products out of the shops and help consumers adopt greener lifestyles.
- 02 May 2006Increased responsibilityNurses and pharmacists are now able to prescribe a much wider range of drugs in a government move to speed up patient treatment.
