Archive for the ‘Consumer matters’ Category
A new money advice service
April 7th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
If you live in the UK and ever need help with financial matters, you will be interested to hear that this week a new Money Advice Service opened with the backing of the Financial Services Authority. You can access the web site here.
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A fair account? Don’t bank on it
December 15th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
As a member of the Board of Consumer Focus, earlier this week I was invited to attend an event sponsored by the organisation and blog about it. Here is what I wrote: Who would have thought that one could persuade some 100 people to gather on a cold December evening to discuss the future of […]
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The lessons of behavioural economics
December 9th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
New research into behavioural economics published by the Communications Consumer Panel today shows that vulnerable consumers, particularly low income consumers and to a lesser degree older consumers, are more likely to display the biases identified by behavioural economics. This can put them at particular disadvantage in complex markets such as communications. You can check out […]
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The cull of the quangos (4)
October 14th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
Today the Coalition Government announced the abolition of 192 public bodies – so-called quangos – and the merger of a further 118. You can check out the full list here. Both the statutory bodies on which I sit – Consumer Focus and the Communications Consumer Panel – are to be abolished. This will not happen […]
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The cull of the quangos (3)
October 11th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
Ed Mayo was the last Chief Executive of the National Consumer Council and the first Chief Executive of Consumer Focus as well as a lifelong advocate of the consumer interest. So he is understandably shocked – as I am – if bodies like Consumer Focus are to be closed down by the Coalition Government. You […]
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The cull of the quangos (2)
October 10th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
I’ve spent three years on the Board of Consumer Focus, helping to create a new and powerful voice for consumers which has now been in operation for just two years. But, according to this story in today’s “Observer, all this is to end.
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The cull of the quangos (1)
October 9th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
On the grounds of so-called cost-savings and efficiencies, the Coalition Government is planning to abolish hundreds of public bodies or quangos and merge many others. The lists will be announced by the Cabinet Office on Thursday but already speculation is rife. It’s not looking good for Consumer Focus, the consumer body on whose Board I […]
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Happy birthday Consumer Focus
October 1st, 2010 by Roger Darlington
Consumer Focus – the economy-wide consumer voice with particular responsibility in respect of postal and energy consumers – is two years old today. I am proud to be a member of the Board of this organisation which started work almost three years ago, prior to the merger of the National Consumer Council, Energywatch and Postwatch […]
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Why is customer service rubbish?
September 25th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
Most of my professional time is spent sitting on statutory bodies representing the consumer, notably the Communications Consumer Panel and the Board of Consumer Focus. It’s a truism that so much customer service is terrible. It seems that so many companies spent lots of money and time seeking to win you as a customer and […]
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The future of post offices
September 22nd, 2010 by Roger Darlington
As a former Head of Research at the Communication Workers Union and a former member of the Council of Postwatch plus a current member of the Board of Consumer Focus and the Chair of the organisation’s Post Offices Advisory Group, I have a long and deep interest in the UK’s post office network. At its […]
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