A week in the life of a consumer advocate
As I have a portfolio career currently working with six organisations, my schedule is very varied and some weeks are fuller than others in terms of meetings and events. This past week has been especially busy, with meetings every day, and three occasions in which I have chaired events.
On Monday, I chaired the Customer Panel of South East Water. The company provides water to 2.1 million customers in the south east of England and the panel monitors how well the company is performing against tough performance standards agreed with the regulator Ofwat.
On Wednesday, I chaired a conference organised by the UK Council on Deafness. This addressed the telecommunications needs of the deaf and hard of hearing and looked especially at BT’s Next Generation Text Relay and various video relay services.
On Friday, I chaired the Post Offices Advisory Group of Citizens Advice. Post Office Limited is currently refurbishing or relocating almost all the 11,500 post offices in the country but faces tough competition for most of the services it provides.
All companies and regulators claim that they put the interests of consumers at the heart of their operations, but the consumer voice is often weak in discussions about service and regulation. Together with many able colleagues, I work to strengthen that voice.