50 word Moneyfesto - Small changes for a big difference 2013

sevenstar

Those trading with consumers should legally be obliged to stop using 08 numbers (at least 0870, 0845 etc.) for customer service lines OR to display with equal prominence a UK geographical area code number. Using mobiles and getting charged 40p+ /minute to tell a company it has messed up stinks.

gavingovinden

I for one am sick of estimated bills. We live in a world of instant information and wireless data transfer. Could we not have, as standard, a meter system that transfers the data automatically to the energy company so we only pay for exactly what we use? This would avoid the uncertainty that comes with every quarterly statement. Am I going to be in credit? Am I going to be paying a massive bill off this year? We don't estimate telephone usage or Internet use so why do we have to have this nonsense for energy bills? :mad:

gavingovinden

The supermarkets take most of our money each week. If they put an item on offer, it should actually constitute a saving! If they price by weight, it should be priced by weight on EVERY item. There is a distinct feeling in supermarkets today that they are intentionally preying on the inability of customers to make quick mathematical calculations. It's a cheap trick and it should be put to an abrupt end.

theREV_2

Make it not legal to impose credit & debit card charges for paying for things on the net.
If I can pay for something value only £5 locally with no charge why do we have to be charged when paying much larger sums online?

mrke

We should be able to pay our council tax bills equally divided into 12 monthly payments rather than 10; this would greatly help with monthly household budgeting.

Almost a nil cost change that would help millions.

Mark

Complain-to-top.

Penalty clauses for normal consumer’s purchases outlawed.

If, in some circumstances deemed necessary*, penalty clauses/payments should be boldy highlighted, BEFOREHAND, within headline price (this alone would make most reputable companies abandon them) &, again later, where penalty becomes relevant; also be ‘fair’* &, no more than 5% of part, of directly ,relevant price paid.

* as designated by consumer protection agencies.

catwoman73

Ban tipping and service charges. Restaurant staff, taxi drivers, hairdressers etc should be paid an appropriate salary by their employers and the charge displayed should include service.

People who work in shops do a very similar job to waiting staff and they don't get tips.

Complain-to-top.

Any adverts, purposely designed* to mislead, entrap, by omission, complication &/or designed to fleece the young/gullible made illegal. eg TV show, so called ‘competitions’.
Note; illegal would mean statutory punishment already enshrined without the young or poor/ill/ignorant victims needing to pursue perpetrators through courts; automatic refunds also enshrined in law.

*as designated by consumer protection agencies/Help the Aged/mental health charities etc

dipso

Make Child Care Vouchers available to all employees.
At present you can only have them if your employer wants to offer them. This is not fair - they should be offered to all employees.

suchgreatheights

They should be enforced, but the number of them should also be reduced. How many times have I struggled to find a parking space, sat in a gridlocked car park only to pass row after row of empty disabled spaces. How many disabled people are they expecting to turn up at once?!

serendipity2706 wrote: »

Disabled parking spaces in supermarkets should be enforced. Many spaces are used by drivers with big SUV's as the spaces are wider. Although physically disabled I have to walk through snow and rain while SUV drivers are parked at the door. Could there be a barrier where you need a token, obtained by showing the disabled badge in store, to exit?