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Consumer Alert weekly UK web news articles, information & tips: Monday July 26th 2010.

Mon, 2010-07-26

1.  Rail passengers are shunning confusing ticket machines - watchdog calls for simplification.

Rail firms are being asked by Consumer Focus to simplify ticket machines after a study said passengers are being "defeated" by the "bewildering jargon" they face. The Customer watchdog said some travellers preferred to queue to speak to ticket office staff, despite ticket machines standing empty.It said this meant waiting times at ticket offices often exceeded the five-minute guideline in peak hours. Passenger Focus chief executive Anthony Smith said ticket machines were particularly daunting for passengers catching a train for the first time, or those "buying a different type of ticket from their normal ones".  There is also the worry that as a result customers are not always being sold the best value ticket.  The rail companies dispute the survey findings.   FULL STORY (bbc.co.uk)

2.  Ofcom cracks the whip over consumer complaints.

Millions of unhappy broadband and phone customers have had to wait months for providers to deal with their complaints says Ofcom. But new dispute-handling regulations are on the way. Last year, around three million people failed to resolve their problems with operators within 12 weeks. In addition, three-quarters of those people did not know that they can use free Ofcom backed services to help them to resolve their dispute.  Under the new rules, ISPs and phone companies will have to provide clear information about the relevant dispute resolution service on all paper bills, Ofcom said. They will also have to write to people whose problems have not been resolved within eight weeks, informing them of their right to go to a resolution service. FULL STORY (zdnet.co.uk)

3.  OFT outlines plan to protect online shoppers.

UK consumers still need to be educated about online shopping to prevent them falling victim to scams and problems, consumer protection regulator the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has said. The OFT has published plans to improve the protections available for consumers when they are shopping online. It does not recommend the creation of new laws or regulations, but has said that consumers must be better educated, that government guidance for companies must be improved, and that companies and enforcement agencies should work more closely together.  The OFT has published a document setting out its approach to e-consumer protection at the request of the government. It wants its Strategy to come into force by the end of 2010 and responses to the consultation are due before 13 October.  FULL STORY (channelregister.co.uk)

4.  These are the biggest consumer fraud risks, says Walletpop.

New research by the National Fraud Authority says we're most likely to be conned by online shopping and auction sites, followed by advance fee frauds (where you pay for a service in advance and never actually get anything in return). Other common frauds include boiler room sales tactics, which flog worthless shares to unwitting investors, and romance frauds, where scammers target dating sites to persuade people to part with cash during new long distance romances.  It says the amount each person loses can range from £6 to a staggering £1 million. The report also suggests ways you can protect yourself.  FULL STORY (walletpop.co.uk)

5.  Water charges exposed by Which?

A Which? investigation has found some water companies could be capitalising on their monopoly positions by charging over the odds for work that no other company is allowed to do. Following complaints from Which? members, the investigation found big differences in what companies charge for replacing a lead pipe and granting permission for a homeowner to build an extension over a public sewer. These differences matter because, unlike gas and electricity, water company customers can't switch their supplier. Southern Water was found to charge £812 for a so-called 'build-over application'. Northumbrian Water (£831 for the same work) and Northern Ireland Water (£606) also stood out for their high charges. Most companies charge between £300 and £400, but Yorkshire Water has a fee of just £30, while United Utilities, South West Water, and Scottish Water charge nothing at all.  FULL STORY (which.co.uk)

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