Mobile Phone Companies Told To Clean Up Their Act

-bluetooth-technology.jpgThere is something inherently uncool about a bluetooth headset. While the wearer may feel that they are the star of some futuristic James Bond movie, they look like either: a) a care-in-the-community enthusiast or b) an utter utter idiot.

Anyway, whether you prefer the futuristic ear-piece to the old-skool handset, there is a fair chance that you have been “slammed” by a phone company. “Slammed” is the term that the Guardian uses (in an apparent ‘street stylee’) to describe how phone companies sneakily lock customers in to expensive contracts or switchyou to a new supplier without your consent.


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Posted by Alan Duffy on August 9, 2007 2:38 PM in Financial News| Utilities
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The Mobile Phone Mountain

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Marketing and advertising people – don’t you just love them? Well, if you’re in a relationship with one then you may well do.

But for many of us, their talent for making us buy things we really don’t need simply to keep up with whatever faux-fashion movement they have cynically created is somewhat annoying.

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Posted by Alan Duffy on August 8, 2007 12:48 PM in Financial News| Money Tips| Utilities
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Smexting Is The New Texting For Mobile Phone Users

cigarette_lg.jpgIt's not only the nation’s lungs that are enjoying the smoking ban, according to mobile giant Orange. It seems that phone companies are also reaping the benefits of the ash-free pubs.

As smokers are forced outside to enjoy their guilty pleasure, they are also using their time-outs to text before heading back in for another pint.

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Posted by Alan Duffy on August 8, 2007 8:34 AM in Financial News| Utilities
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£34 A Second British Gas Profits

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Are we being burned?

News is that British Gas is now making profits of £34 a second. The answer, not surprisingly, is a rather big yes, particularly when the bosses of the company have insisted that the huge profits wouldn’t trigger a new price cut for customers.

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Posted by Paul Sorene on August 7, 2007 12:21 PM in Financial News| Utilities
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Energy Customers In For The Long Haul

humanpoweredgyms.jpgThere is something rather annoying about the way health clubs tie you in to long-term contracts. You’re paying for the use of their facilities, so surely you should be able to quit whenever you like - usually when you realise that you can only be bothered to go once a fortnight.

Same with mobile phone and those ‘free minutes”. Buy a home gym. Sign up to noodle.

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Posted by Alan Duffy on August 6, 2007 10:32 AM in Financial News| Utilities
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Broadband Customers Go Slow

We all tend to exaggerate a little, don’t we? From adding the odd 20 grand onto our salary to multiplying by 20 the number of sexual partners we’ve had.

But being liberal with the facts is normal and nothing to be ashamed of, particularly when it increases the number of people you’ve slept with to, erm, 20.

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Posted by Paul Sorene on August 3, 2007 1:55 PM in Financial News| Utilities
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British Gas Go Green

grnwatch.jpgThey may have come under rather a lot of fire for their poor eco-friendly electricity tariffs, but now British Gas are to launch what it claims is the “greenest” energy tariff on the market.

The company hopes to attract customers who are prepared to fork out an extra 10 per cent or £84 a year for gas and electricity produced in a more environmentally friendly way.

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Posted by Alan Duffy on August 3, 2007 11:35 AM in Financial News| Utilities
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GPs Profit From Patient Calls

WD%20patientline.JPGFirst it was Richard and Judy, then Blue Peter and now we find that even the most trusted member of society, the family doctor, has been making money out of our phone calls.

According to the Mail, doctors are being accused of switching local surgeries to more expensive 0844 phone numbers in an attempt to boost their profits. The switch means that millions of patients face paying at least 40 per cent more to book an appointment with their GP.

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Posted by Alan Duffy on July 27, 2007 12:55 PM in Financial News| Utilities
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Pre-Pay Energy Meters Add To Debt

hamster.jpgAnother day, another report. This time it’s uSwitch doing the work for us, with the comparison website claiming that the 333,000 pre-pay energy meters installed in homes last year are actually costing customers more than paying by direct debit.

The meters were introduced to help those of us are struggling to pay their bills. But, according to the report, they are costing customers an average of £120 more per year than paying for energy on receipt of a bill.

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Posted by Paul Sorene on July 20, 2007 8:08 AM in Financial News| Utilities
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Government To Introduce Smart Meters

Windmill.jpgAround 40,000 homes across the country are set to receive clever new energy meters which will tell the householders just how energy they are using, in a real-time display.


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Posted by Alan Duffy on July 16, 2007 6:12 AM in Financial News| Utilities
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Martin Lewis Misses Noodle: Cheap Holiday Mobile Calls

front.gifJUST been reading the article on Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis’s “Mobile Roaming - Cheapest calls when you’re abroad.”

It’s an interesting article, very well researched. But is didn’t pick up on noodle. Which for a man so in tune with the best deals around is surprising and, dare I say, remiss.

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Posted by Paul Sorene on July 6, 2007 3:33 PM in Financial News| Money Tips| Utilities
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Householders Missing Millions Of Bills

doing%20debt.jpgThe recent postal strike may have caused rather inconvenienced the nation, but for householders, at least it meant that for that one day, no dreaded bills would drop through the letterbox.

According to a new study by the price comparison website MoneyExpert.com, many householders are now struggling to pay basic utility bills, as the recent spate of interest rate rises kick in.

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Posted by Paul Sorene on July 5, 2007 2:55 PM in Financial News| Utilities
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