Wow!!

[daniel_r_clarke]

I really like the look of the new forum! A lot 'Flashier'. I was worried that the site was down for good because the banks had deemed it as unlawful!! Keep up the good work!

[dave]

Thanks! I did put an announcement up about the change, but only for about 30 mins before I took it down.

 

It's taken quite a bit of preparation and work to get it up and running.

 

Watch this space, as soon we will open forums for other consumer issues too.

[alanfromderby]

"Wow" is the word!

 

Great look...but why the change to "Consumer"?

[dave]

Watch this space, as soon we will open forums for other consumer issues too.

 

 

There will be things like Utility forums, retail forums etc... for people who've been ripped off, and want to get their money back but dont know their rights (yet) or just to get even

[Bovvered]

Good job!! Nice and clean looking

 

...yeah, why the new name? Cool though....

[dave]

Originally Posted by dave

Watch this space, as soon we will open forums for other consumer issues too.

 

 

There will be things like Utility forums, retail forums etc... for people who've been ripped off, and want to get their money back but dont know their rights (yet) or just to get even

[alanfromderby]

A "Newspaper Promotion" forum would be most welcome. Don't get me started on the subject of "Cheap Flight" offers!!!

[dave]

What do you mean by "Newspaper Promotion" ?

[alanfromderby]

All newspapers run promotions in a bid to win the circulation war. They range from offers for commemorative plates, first day covers, DVD's etc. These may be initially free, or token collect, but the aim is that you might consider buying more from the supplier afterwards. These are generally fine, so the worst thing that happens is you are put on a mailing list.

 

However, the big problem comes with the promotions for cheap holidays (that are never quite as cheap as they claim on the front page), or flights (which are never to the place you ask for - and usually require the payment of huge fees, or require you to take out their insurance).

 

Last year the Daily Express ran an offer that promised a £15 cruise for every reader. This featured several times on BBC's Watchdog, but even now it would seem that many people never did actually get their promised cruise.

[gothicf0rm]

the daily express cruise thing is amusing as it was hit by so many sign-ups. there were even internet campaigns encouraging people to sign up so that richard desmond could be bankrupted by it - see the hoover decision on what he was faced with.

ive always thought though that consumers who sign up for these stupid free offers are stupid too, if it's too good to be true then it is. businesses take advantage of the avarice of the general public all the time, in this case the people who are screwed were because they were so damn greedy.

what is more disturbing is the general lack of knowlege about consumer rights in this country. most people dont realise how much power they actually have so shops get away with murder - note how their t+c always says "this does not affect your statutory rights". in otherwords, their t+c is not worth the paper its written on but the smoke and mirrors make the consumer think otherwise.

this site should be out to educate people about their legal rights as consumers, that way maybe businesses will respect the law too and we wont have any more cases of dixons trying to sell secondhand goods as new or utility companies charging penalty charges.

[dave]

...and that is exactly the very thing we intend to do.

[Bovvered]

...

ive always thought though that consumers who sign up for these stupid free offers are stupid too, if it's too good to be true then it is. businesses take advantage of the avarice of the general public all the time, in this case the people who are screwed were because they were so damn greedy.

Not always the case though...my then 18 year old son and a couple of his friends signed up because as students they couldn't afford a proper holiday and thought this would be a good way of getting one, however not so street-wise as to realise they would not be able to get a cruise together as the deal was you could get allocated any date between this month and that month. whatever they decided and you couldn't go with someone else unless they paid like over a grand for their cruise...they all lost their money in the end as they didn't go - maybe a lesson learned...

[gothicf0rm]

good. big businesses get away with murder. i hope you have a planning forum too because the public need to know about this and there is such incredible ignorance at how the planning system works and is unlawfully manipulated by big companies - take tesco and their supermarket building that then collapses into a railway tunnel for being 40% bigger than the plans allow.

whilst consumer law affects people's wallets planning law affects people's actual environment.

 

i remember seeing that offer in a newspaper at the time, and reading it. it was painfully clear to me from reading it applied to the first person only, not to whoever they were going with. perhaps they should have read the small print properly. as you say a lesson learned. it wasnt a particularly moral thing for the express group to do but it was legal (unlike the banks charging which is not).

[jolufawo]

Does that mean that Utility companies are not allowed to charge penalties?

I got charged £120 for a so-called visit to discuss my arrears, though it was not a visit but someone threatening to cut off the gas?

[Bovvered]

You are right about that, but sometimes kids only see what they want to see...never mind, at least I know he won't do that again

[ethank]

Love the new look. Well done!

[dave]

Does that mean that Utility companies are not allowed to charge penalties?

I got charged £120 for a so-called visit to discuss my arrears, though it was not a visit but someone threatening to cut off the gas?

 

NO-ONE is allowed to charge penalties for breach of contract.

[Seminole]

Funnily enough that is exactly what we are going to do!

[Spiceskull]

Funnily enough that is exactly what we are going to do!

What are we going to do? Charge penalties?

[Seminole]

Sorry I meant to quote. I'm still getting used to the new forum!

 

What I meant was that the scope of the issues covered here is going to widen considerably.

[Spiceskull]

Okay...you had me worried for a minute.

[daniel_r_clarke]

This topic was closed on 03/07/19.

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