Financial complaints received in the second half of 2023 rose by a fifth The Financial Ombudsman Service published figures today (01/05/24) revealing the number of financial complaints received in the second half of 2023 rose by a fifth. Headline financial complaint figures “In the last six months of 2023 the Financial Ombudsman Service upheld 36% of complaints in the consumers’ favour, compared to 34% in the second half of 2022. The headline figures are: 62,139 new banking and credit complaints in H2 2023, compared to 50,346 in H2 2022 22,845 new general insurance/pure protection complai ..read more

Internet connected devices subject to new law   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Helen Dewdney (@thecomplainingcow) More than half of UK households have a smart TV and more than half now have a smart speaker, such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant [1]. On average, UK households have a staggering nine Internet-connected devices. These include TVs, security cameras, doorbells, toys, and white goods, such as washing machines and fridges. Many of these items can be controlled remotely via Internet-connected apps. New legislation has come into effect today, 29 April 2 ..read more

ABI introduces Financial Principles Insurance is never cheap, and when faced with a choice of paying annually or monthly, many are unable to fork out a large sum, so they pay monthly. However, making monthly payments for insurance is usually more costly than paying once a year. In its new “Financial Inclusion Strategy”, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) have gained commitment from its members to “try and manage the amount that those paying monthly for their motor insurance are charged for the benefit.” Today, 24 April 2024, the ABI announced its “Premium Finance Principles”. It says th ..read more

Helen Tudor entrepreneur and more Helen Tudor (was Pritchard) is a multi award winning entrepreneur who’s built multiple 6 figure businesses since starting in 2016. Most well known for helping entrepreneurs get leads from LinkedIn through her flagship programme The LinkedIn and Business Mastermind, Helen offers insight and knowledge to business owners all over the world through her online communities. She lives in Grappenhall, Cheshire with her husband Stu and their four teenage children, two cats and a sausage dog called Dave Helen Tudor (nee Pritchard) on The Complaining Cow Consumer Show He ..read more

Scottish Power over charging Direct Debit customers Between 2015 and  2023 Scottish Power Energy Retail Ltd overcharged some of their customers. 1699 customers were affected. This overcharge started in 2015 and continued across 11 price cap periods to June 2023. A time when energy prices reached historically high levels. Ofgem has agreed a redress package of £1.5 million. On average customers paid £149 more than they should’ve done. Direct debit customers were mistakenly charged more than the price cap which should have been only applied to those on the standard credit (on receipt of ..read more

Uncancelled subscriptions Have you ever signed up to a free trial for a product or service and then forgotten to cancel the subscription, so that you paid the monthly amount without realising? Did you then have issues cancelling it? The Government estimates that unwanted subscriptions cost British consumers £1.6bn a year. Citizens Advice revealed research last month that showed over 13 million people (26% of UK adults) have accidentally taken out a subscription in the last 12 months.  The charity is warning that the problem of subscription traps is deepening, as it estimates unused subsc ..read more

Bobby Seagull Bobby Seagull is a maths teacher, TV broadcaster, writer and podcaster. After a career as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers & Nomura and qualifying as a PwC Chartered Accountant, Bobby switched trajectories and became a teacher, a passion that started with a Sixth Form scholarship to Eton College. He writes for the Financial Times and The i newspaper as a personal finance columnist and has published two books: Monkman and Seagull Quiz Book* and The Life-Changing Magic of Numbers*. In 2017, Bobby captained the Emmanuel College Cambridge team on University ..read more

Getting tickets for an event How to get in to the event without losing out Whether it’s a favourite sport, music or festivals, most people love an event. But it can be a nightmare buying the tickets that will admit you to that much-anticipated occasion. Being left in a queue for hours only to miss the tickets or paying hugely inflated costs on a secondary ticket seller website will spoil it for everyone. So, what are the issues with trying to buy tickets? When trying to purchase tickets for an event direct from the organiser you may find that you are restricted to being able to buy just 4 tick ..read more

Clare Willets founder of not only pink and blue Clare is CEO and Founder of not only pink and blue which exists to grow generations of equals. not only pink and blue actively and consciously challenges stereotypes from birth by creating parent friendly work cultures with our innovative parental leave programme, by collaborating with leaders where we consult on projects, deliver talks, chair round tables, and by challenging buying behaviour that perpetuates stereotypes with our directory of brands that have all products for all children, to create a world that does not stereotype children ..read more

How to reduce mid contract price hikes In April 2024 most Broadband/TV companies will increase the amount you pay for your services. See Broadband and Mobile – Prices go up again yet service level goes down. What can you do about price rises? Usually, if you threaten to leave a company, you’ll be made an offer on better terms. However, you can possibly get even better deals by negotiating. Be prepared Do your research and work out how much your exit fee would be, should you be charged one, and see what other companies can offer. This would allow you to tell your current provider the price, sho ..read more