Homeowners to get new insulation money from government
£30m in vouchers to be released under Green Deal Home Improvement Fund but huge demand expectedHomeowners will be able to claim up to £5,600 from the government towards home improvements such as a new...
View ArticleMarks and Spencer customers hit by delays to online shopping orders
Problems at Castle Donington distribution centre forces retailer to extend delivery times at busiest shopping time of the yearMarks & Spencer has had to delay deliveries of online orders by up to...
View ArticleNuisance calls face crackdown after 100,000 complaints in a year
Taskforce will set out recommendations including trying to block lead generators from selling on customer telephone detailsCompanies could be fined up to £500,000 and board directors held responsible...
View ArticleDo we need to pay an extra delivery charge? Argos says yes and no
I just wanted to add an extra item to an existing order but was charged £8.95 for delivery againI recently placed an online home delivery only order with Argos and was charged £8.95 for delivery. I...
View ArticleGo Compare founder to bank £44m after selling remaining stake to esure
Hayley Parsons started the price comparison website at her kitchen table. Turnover in 2013 was reported at £110mHayley Parsons, the entrepreneur who founded the opera-singer-fronted price comparison...
View ArticleScreaming obscenities at robot cold calls helps calm the rage of modern life
A new government task force aims to tackle nuisance cold calls. My own tip for dealing with them? Screaming blue murder back down the phone – but only at the automated onesAt last the regulators are...
View ArticleLaura Ashley’s ‘pre-Christmas delivery’ is 9 January
How can retailer advertise one thing when its terms and conditions say it cannot guarantee it?In mid-November I received an unsolicited promotional email from Laura Ashley which advertised...
View ArticleHow do I become … a toy inventor
Debbie Sterling realised most construction toys were aimed at boys, not girls. That’s when she designed GoldieBloxDebbie Sterling’s multi-million dollar idea for GoldieBlox, a construction toy for...
View ArticleGo Compare: can anyone compare to founder Hayley Parsons?
The comparison website chief will bank £44m in a takeover deal. What’s the secret to her success?Age: Go compare!Appearance: GO COMPARE!Continue reading...
View ArticleOnline dating scams: Australians lost $23m to fraudsters this year
Consumer watchdog says romance cons are the ‘chief culprit’ of online frauds, accounting for 74% of reports made to it Unlucky-in-love Aussies have forked out more than $23m to fraudsters running...
View ArticleIt’s a safe bet you won’t get through to William Hill Casino Club
I tried to contact online casino’s customer services to withdraw cash but just get endless excuses and rudenessI am a customer of William Hill Casino Club (an online casino) and have a cash withdrawal...
View ArticleEquifax’s muddle over my address could cost me my house
Credit rating company unable to get my details right, while others seem to have no problemI recently discovered that Equifax holds incorrect details for me, resulting in a very poor credit score which...
View ArticleCustomers urged to reclaim funds held by big six energy suppliers
Energy UK launches campaign to encourage people to check whether they are owed moneyHouseholders are being urged to reclaim money that may be owed to them by their former energy supplier through a...
View ArticleOfcom fines two companies for nuisance calls
Regulator says £20,000 fines show that companies face ‘consequences for operating outside the law’Two companies have each been fined £20,000 by Ofcom for making abandoned and silent calls after...
View ArticleNorthern Rock will have to compensate ‘no-loss’ borrowers – high court
Taxpayer must pick up £260m bill for state-owned bank’s error, despite no one being out of pocketChristmas has come early for more than 40,000 people who had a personal loan with Northern Rock after...
View ArticleThousands of demonstrators surround Irish Dáil in protest over water charges
Missiles thrown at police lines as up to 100,000 protesters bring Dublin to a standstill over imposition of water chargesTens of thousands of demonstrators opposed to the introduction of water charges...
View ArticleStagecoach boss: free bus travel comes at a cost
Chief executive Martin Griffiths rails against Labour’s transport plans and says bus perk for pensioners puts services at riskThe government is putting bus services at risk by concealing the cost of...
View ArticleIt’s the cheap oil, stupid: how petrol prices could decide the 2015 election
Squeezed household finances should spell political trouble for the chancellor. But tumbling oil prices have changed the sumsFalling oil prices could be a decider in the coming general election, lifting...
View ArticleAir fares set to fall in 2015
Savings made on plummeting oil prices will be passed on to passengers, say carriersFlying could get cheaper next year as airlines say they will finally start passing on some of the savings made on...
View ArticleOur luggage was damaged for being too secure for US security
We got our suitcases back taped up and with a note saying the department did not intend to compensate usWhen we arrived at Heathrow on a flight from New York we found three of our cases had been ruined...
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