News in April 2008
- 30 Apr 2008 Competition watchdog unveils shake-up The UK's competition watchdog today unveiled a planning shake-up in a bid to boost competition in the £95 billion grocery market.
- 30 Apr 2008 Bank slashes mortgage rates Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is today slashing its fixed-rate and tracker mortgages by up to 0.3% in a bid to boost its market share.
- 30 Apr 2008 Record number of ads draw complaints A record 14,080 adverts drew complaints last year, according to new figures which show objections about environmental claims have doubled.
- 30 Apr 2008 British Airways hikes surcharges again British Airways is to increase its fuel surcharges with passengers on the most-distant long-haul routes paying £30 more for a return flight.
- 30 Apr 2008 Savings rates break through 7% rate Savings rates broke through the 7% barrier today with the launch of a new bond from Icelandic bank Icesave.
- 30 Apr 2008 OFT contacts top brands in probe Office of Fair Trading (OFT) investigators have contacted manufacturers of leading household brands as part of an inquiry into alleged price fixing.
- 29 Apr 2008 Tesco launches carbon footprint labels Tesco launched a labelling system today showing the carbon footprint of grocery items.
- 29 Apr 2008 Which? Holiday reveals hire car extras Holidaymakers can be driven to distraction when trying to hire a car abroad, Which? Holiday says today.
- 29 Apr 2008 Cash warning as people live longer People in the UK are leaving themselves open to financial hardship in the future because they 'massively' under-estimate how long they will live, a new survey says.
- 28 Apr 2008 Supermarkets confirm OFT probe Major supermarket chains have confirmed that they had received visits from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), which is said to be investigating allegations of price fixing.
- 28 Apr 2008 Anticipation growing over Freesat launch Speculation is growing about the imminent launch of Freesat, the free-to-air satellite service jointly provided by the BBC and ITV.
- 26 Apr 2008 One in 10 would keep cash under the mattress The number of people who think the best place to keep their money is under their mattress has nearly trebled during the past year, figures showed today.
- 26 Apr 2008 Bid to restrict junk food ads blocked A bid to tackle growing obesity by tougher controls on advertising junk food to children has been blocked by Tory backbench critics in the Commons.
- 25 Apr 2008 New cars and hot deals, 25 April 2008 For your weekly fix of car news and reviews, sign up to our NEW Which? Car email. We'll drop you a line every Friday with what's hot in the world of motoring - and some very tempting deals, too…
- 25 Apr 2008 New all-in-one printer from Kodak Kodak has announced the latest addition to its family of inkjet printers – the ESP5.
- 25 Apr 2008 Mobiles for a fiver from Asda Supermarket chain Asda says it's launching Britain's lowest ever priced pay-as-you-go (PAYG) mobile phone.
- 25 Apr 2008 Rail fares shake-up announced The first part of a major shake-up of the rail fares system designed to make it easier for passengers to buy train tickets is to be introduced next month, it was announced yesterday.
- 25 Apr 2008 News quiz How much do you know about the latest consumer news stories? Find out with our monthly quiz.
- 24 Apr 2008 Banks lose overdraft charges court case Consumers are closer to reclaiming millions of pounds worth of bank charges following a historic High Court judgement today.
- 24 Apr 2008 Safety watchdog wants sunbed ban for kids The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has called for a ban on under-18s using sunbeds.
- 24 Apr 2008 Food fraud costing shoppers £7bn a year As much as 10% of the food we buy is not what it seems, a Which? report reveals today.
- 24 Apr 2008 Hidden faults cost homebuyers dear Not viewing a property thoroughly could cost buyers up to £10,000, according to new Which? research.
- 24 Apr 2008 Bank charges test case decision due The continuing furore over bank charges will move a step closer to being resolved today with a landmark judgement by the High Court.
- 24 Apr 2008 Vodafone and Orange bottom of Which? survey Britain’s mobile phone networks fared so poorly in a Which? Online customer satisfaction poll that not one has achieved Best Buy status.
- 24 Apr 2008 Two in three lenders have failed to pass on cut Nearly two-thirds of mortgage lenders have so far failed to pass on April's interest rate reduction to borrowers, two weeks after the Bank of England base rate was cut.
- 24 Apr 2008 Best age to pass driving test 'is 25' The best age to pass the driving test is 25, according to research figures out today.
- 24 Apr 2008 Sandwich shop fruit prices can send you bananas The price of fruit at a national sandwich chain can cost you 20% more than if you shop at their local rivals, a Which? study has found.
- 23 Apr 2008 ITV puts classic shows on iTunes ITV is the latest broadcaster to announce it’s making programmes available to download via Apple’s online store.
- 23 Apr 2008 Families spend £15 a week more on food The average family is spending £15 a week more on food than they were a year ago, new figures revealed today.
- 23 Apr 2008 Morrisons gets apology over milk price claim The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has apologised to Bradford-based Morrisons and agreed £100,000 damages after the retailer was wrongly identified in a price-fixing probe.
- 23 Apr 2008 Credit crunch worry for four in ten People can save thousands of pounds and reduce the impact of the credit crunch by dodging poor value mortgage deals, says Which? Money.
- 23 Apr 2008 Volkswagen unveils car that parks itself Volkswagen has unveiled a new system which will allow cars in the future to park themselves.
- 23 Apr 2008 Adnams launches 'carbon-neutral' beer A brewer has launched what it claims is the UK's first carbon-neutral beer.
- 22 Apr 2008 Skype offers 'unlimited' landline calls deal Web phone calls firm Skype has unveiled three new packages which allow you to make internet calls to landlines all over the world for a set monthly fee.
- 22 Apr 2008 PayPal to block 'unsafe' browsers Internet payment company PayPal is to block people accessing its site through ‘unsafe browsers’ as part of a clampdown on phishing.
- 22 Apr 2008 Lenders 'will curb mortgages' despite Bank help Homeowners faced with dearer mortgage deals and first-time buyers struggling to gain a foothold on the property ladder can only hope that yesterday's £50 billion initiative will ease a squeeze on lending among banks.
- 22 Apr 2008 Two in three drivers 'want drink drive limit cut' Two in three motorists support a lowering of the legal drink-drive limit, according to a poll of more than 17,000 drivers.
- 22 Apr 2008 Ford takes action over Focus issue Carmaker Ford has promised to take action after some Focus drivers complained of faulty instrument displays.
- 22 Apr 2008 BAA airport ownership criticised A new report has said that BAA's ownership of seven UK airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick, ‘may not be serving well the interests of either airlines or passengers’.
- 21 Apr 2008 Paying by cash is 'making a comeback' Cash is making a comeback as a method of payment because customers fear spending money they haven't got, according to a new report.
- 21 Apr 2008 US politicians want ban on in-flight calls The prospect of mobile phone use on European flights is moving closer but the backlash against in-flight calls has already begun in the United States.
- 21 Apr 2008 London resturants vie for top food award The Good Food Guide today reveals the top contenders for its London Restaurant of the Year award.
- 19 Apr 2008 New guides to 'eco-friendly' compost Two new guides have been launched to help inform gardeners who want to use composts and soil conditioners containing recycled garden materials.
- 19 Apr 2008 Pound goes further on long-haul holidays As the pound plunges against the euro, a new report says British holidaymakers will get more value for money travelling to far-flung destinations.
- 18 Apr 2008 Britons want tougher rogue trader laws Almost all Britons want tougher laws governing aggressive and unfair sales practices, according to research.
- 18 Apr 2008 Rise in dangerous product recalls The number of dangerous products taken off European markets rose by 53% last year, a new consumer safety report revealed today.
- 18 Apr 2008 Wii Fit already selling out Nintendo's much anticipated virtual fitness centre, the Wii Fit, is already selling out in the UK - a week before it's even launched.
- 18 Apr 2008 Thames Water fined £9.7 million Thames Water has been fined £9.7 million for poor service and misreporting information to the regulator.
- 18 Apr 2008 New cars and hot deals, 18 April 2008 For your weekly fix of car news and reviews, sign up to our NEW Which? Car email. We'll drop you a line every Friday with what's hot in the world of motoring - and some very tempting deals, too…
- 18 Apr 2008 Marketing makes it hard to get kids to eat well Irresponsible marketing makes it hard to encourage children to eat a healthy diet, according to a Which? survey.
- 18 Apr 2008 Third of meat products wrongly labelled A third of meat products on the shelves in supermarkets and shops could be misleadingly labelled, a new survey has found.
- 17 Apr 2008 Broadband speeds still fall short of claims Broadband customers are still receiving less than half the download speed they pay for, according to new research.
- 17 Apr 2008 Good Food Guide offers tips for bargain deals The Good Food Guide London has revealed the bargain deals to be enjoyed at London's top restaurants.
- 17 Apr 2008 Delays hit holiday flights Passengers on holiday flights had to put up with less-punctual services in the last part of 2007, new figures show.
- 17 Apr 2008 Sainsbury's announces plans to cut bag use Sainsbury's does not believe that charging for...bags is the only answer
- 16 Apr 2008 Price of iPhone slashed by £100 Retailers will today slash the price of the Apple iPhone by £100 for the next month.
- 16 Apr 2008 Two BA bosses pay price for T5 chaos Two top British Airways (BA) executives have paid the price for the Heathrow Terminal 5 (T5) fiasco.
- 16 Apr 2008 Tesco Digital to take on iTunes Britain’s biggest supermarket is going head-to head-with Apple's iTunes site by launching a music and film digital download service.
- 16 Apr 2008 New Fords check tyre pressure on the move Motorists buying some of the latest Fords can opt for a system that will check tyre pressure while they drive.
- 16 Apr 2008 Online shopping continues to boom Online shopping is continuing to boom, with analysts predicting a 32% growth in web sales this year.
- 16 Apr 2008 AA wants traffic lights rephased to cut queues Amount that AA says would be saved by cutting car queues
- 15 Apr 2008 Bad products and services cost public £6.6 billion Problems with shoddy goods and services cost UK consumers around £6.6 billion last year - but over third of people didn't bother to complain.
- 15 Apr 2008 New study links pneumonia deaths with pollution Thousands of people have died in recent years from pneumonia caused by pollution, a study out today suggests.
- 15 Apr 2008 Protection to be boosted for company pensions The government has set out plans to increase protection for people whose company pension schemes are involved in a buyout.
- 15 Apr 2008 Green fuel demand is 'threat to wildlife' Demand for 'green' fuels which aim to cut emissions from transport is contributing to climate change, destroying habitats and pushing wildlife towards extinction, conservationists claimed today.
- 15 Apr 2008 Bank silent on rate as PM urges cuts Recently nationalised bank Northern Rock has yet to announce whether it is passing on last week's interest rate cut to borrowers despite calls from the Prime Minister for lenders to reduce their rates.
- 14 Apr 2008 One in three drivers admit to radio distraction More than a third of motorists are unaware of changes to the Highway Code, according to a new poll.
- 12 Apr 2008 Extra cash to help with fuel bills Up to 100,000 households are to be helped with their fuel bills under a deal with power companies brokered by the government.
- 12 Apr 2008 Food watchdog wants E numbers ban Children's campaigners have welcomed a recommendation by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to ban six artificial food colourings.
- 12 Apr 2008 New borrowers unlikely to benefit from rate cut New borrowers are unlikely to see much benefit from yesterday's interest rate cut, commentators have warned.
- 12 Apr 2008 BA delays Terminal 5 long-haul switch British Airways has announced it’s postponing moving most of its long-haul flights to Heathrow Terminal 5 (T5).
- 11 Apr 2008 Internet users must 'opt in' to advertising system Internet users must give their consent if a service provider wants to send them targeted adverts, the Information Commissioner (ICO) has ruled.
- 11 Apr 2008 New cars and hot deals, 11 April 2008 For your weekly fix of car news and reviews, sign up to our NEW Which? Car email. We'll drop you a line every Friday with what's hot in the world of motoring - and some very tempting deals, too…
- 11 Apr 2008 Half of us suffer from back pain More than half the British population now suffers from back pain, according to a report out today.
- 10 Apr 2008 BBC iPlayer joins forces with Nintendo's Wii Nintendo Wii owners will be able to watch the BBC’s catch up-TV service – the iPlayer- on their TV by streaming programmes through their games console.
- 10 Apr 2008 Ofcom tightens TV phone-in rules Broadcast regulator Ofcom has announced plans for a crackdown on TV phone-ins which could force some programmes to change or disappear.
- 10 Apr 2008 Review calls for financial ombudsman to be open An independent review has called for the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) to become more open.
- 10 Apr 2008 Holidaymakers stranded as airline goes bust Hundreds of British holidaymakers have been left stranded after a low-cost airline operating from Gatwick Airport to Hong Kong went into liquidation.
- 10 Apr 2008 Probe announced into Britain's 'worst road' A former transport boss is to chair an inquiry into 'Britain's worst road' - six months after he and his wife were caught in a traffic jam on the route.
- 10 Apr 2008 Sugar-power cars 'could sort out pollution' Sugar-powered cars could be the sweet solution to traffic pollution, say scientists.
- 09 Apr 2008 HSBC offers to match your fixed rate deal HSBC bucked the squeeze in the mortgage market today by offering to match homeowners' existing fixed-rate deals.
- 09 Apr 2008 Ryanair referred to OFT over ad complaints No-frills airline Ryanair has been referred to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) over accusations it’s continually flouted advertising rules.
- 09 Apr 2008 Bank details are 'being sold online' Criminals are buying and selling bank account details online for as little as £5, according to a new report.
- 09 Apr 2008 Vauxhall revamps its famous Griffin Vauxhall has announced it is to revamp its distinctive Griffin symbol.
- 09 Apr 2008 Households throw away third of food Britons throw away 4.4 million whole apples every day, almost a third of all those bought, according to new figures.
- 09 Apr 2008 Costa coffee to go 'green' High street chain Costa Coffee today announced plans to buy all of its coffee from sustainable sources.
- 09 Apr 2008 Bus passengers to get champion Number of bus journeys each year in UK
- 09 Apr 2008 Police investigating YouTube footage Police have been investigating footage posted on the YouTube website showing a series of clips of children and young people fighting each other.
- 09 Apr 2008 Three million drivers 'at risk of ID theft' Three million motorists are putting themselves at risk of identity theft by leaving bills and statements lying around in their car, according to new research.
- 08 Apr 2008 Water company facing £35.8 million fine Severn Trent Water is facing a £35.8 million fine for deliberately providing false data to industry regulator Ofwat and providing poor customer service.
- 08 Apr 2008 Blaupunkt unveils basic sat nav Blaupunkt has unveiled a stripped-down, ‘back to basics’ satellite navigation (sat nav) system.
- 08 Apr 2008 Retirement 'won't make us happy', says survey The government today advised people to start preparing for the retirement 'cliff edge' after new research showed that some adults felt anxious or sad when they stopped work.
- 08 Apr 2008 Car buyers wary about doing the deal online A new survey has revealed that many motorists are wary of buying a second-hand car on the internet.
- 08 Apr 2008 Bent solicitor jailed over £1.2 million theft A bent solicitor has been jailed for ten years after enjoying a life of 'obscene extravagance' on £1.2 million he stole from a disabled client.
- 07 Apr 2008 Hospitals should learn to say 'sorry' Hospitals should learn to say sorry more often when things go wrong with patient care, the health watchdog said today.
- 07 Apr 2008 Sony unveils 'world's smallest' HD camcorder Sony’s has unveiled a new high definition (HD) camcorder which it claims is the smallest of its kind in the world.
- 07 Apr 2008 New rules to tackle loan sharks The government says that tough new rules will now give consumers greater protection from loan sharks and debt collectors.
- 05 Apr 2008 Terminal 5 chaos costs BA £16 million The Heathrow Terminal 5 opening debacle is expected to cost British Airways about £16m, the airline has announced.
- 05 Apr 2008 ISPs may bid for Tiscali BT Group, BSkyB and Carphone Warehouse are said to be considering offers for the UK arm of Tiscali, the Italian telecoms firm.
- 05 Apr 2008 TalkTalk slams web piracy plan One of the UK’s largest internet service providers (ISPs) has said it’s not its job to police the web against music pirates.
- 04 Apr 2008 Three free HD channels to launch Three free high-definition (HD) TV channels are to be launched by the end of next year, it's been announced.
- 04 Apr 2008 Wrong airport bag scales led to overcharging Airline passengers have been left out of pocket by dodgy airport weighing scales.
- 04 Apr 2008 Sweet pea has sweet smell of success The sweet pea has been rated the best scented summer annual in a new study by Gardening Which?.
- 04 Apr 2008 New cars and hot deals, 4 April 2008 For your weekly fix of car news and reviews, sign up to our NEW Which? Car email. We'll drop you a line every Friday with what's hot in the world of motoring - and some very tempting deals, too…
- 04 Apr 2008 Dangerous driver left baby brain damaged A motorist could face up to two years in jail after being convicted of causing a crash which left a baby brain damaged and in need of 24-hour care.
- 03 Apr 2008 AA uses motorbikes to beat traffic The AA is to use electric scooters and motorbikes so its patrols can beat traffic jams in central London.
- 03 Apr 2008 Cruise ship passengers stranded More than 450 passengers on the last leg of a round-the-world cruise spent a second night stranded in Madeira.
- 03 Apr 2008 Third of shoppers won't complain One in three consumers don't think it’s worth complaining if they get lumbered with shoddy goods or services, according to a new poll.
- 03 Apr 2008 VW releases more powerful Tiguan Volkswagen (VW) has released a faster and more powerful version of its compact 4x4, the Tiguan.
- 03 Apr 2008 KidStart scheme helps parents save as they shop A new scheme was launched today to help parents save for their children while spending money.
- 02 Apr 2008 Store card charges to plunge Late and over-limit fees on some store cards will drop by £10 after action by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).
- 02 Apr 2008 Record numbers switch energy supplier A record number of customers switched their energy supplier last year in search of a cheaper deal, according to new figures.
- 02 Apr 2008 Parents 'must monitor kids' on Bebo and Facebook Parents are unaware of the dangers their children face by posting details about themselves on social networking sites and must do more to monitor their use of sites such as Bebo and Facebook, watchdog Ofcom said today.
- 02 Apr 2008 Drivers have to dodge 3 million holes in road Drivers are having to contend with more than 3 million holes in local authority roads in England and Wales, it was revealed today.
- 02 Apr 2008 Welsh hospitals scrap parking fees Free parking at many hospitals in Wales began yesterday.
- 02 Apr 2008 Too may road signs may slow driver's reaction Too many road signs could be making motoring more hazardous instead of safer, a study suggests.
- 02 Apr 2008 Energy Saving Trust gives green tips With more than a quarter of emissions coming from domestic users, tackling climate change starts at home.
- 02 Apr 2008 New health checks could save 2,000 lives a year People aged 40 to 74 will be offered health checks under government plans aimed at saving 2,000 lives a year in England.
- 02 Apr 2008 First Direct closes mortgages to new customers First Direct has announced that it's withdrawing its mortgage range from new customers, while two other lenders have raised their rates for existing ones.
- 01 Apr 2008 Pensioner loses £230,000 in worthless shares A trading standards chief has sent out a warning after a pensioner was tricked into buying £230,000 of worthless shares.
- 01 Apr 2008 Boys find answer to lost keys Four 12-year-old boys have won a top prize for an invention that lets you keep tabs on items that often get lost around the home.
- 01 Apr 2008 More flights cancelled at Terminal 5 The atmosphere in Heathrow's Terminal 5 (T5) yesterday was calm as passengers saw an end to snaking check-in queues and delays at departures.
- 01 Apr 2008 Buses 'not equipped' for free bus passes Cost of bus pass scheme
