Pricewatch

Your consumer queries answered. Have you a problem, a gripe or a tip-off? Contact us on 01-6758000 or mail pricewatch@irishtimes.com or via twitter @conor_pope

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The food bill adds up to almost €8,000 a year for the average Irish household spending €150 a week – not including Christmas dinner.

Pricewatch: Irish families need about €50,000 a year to survive

Figure for a family of four does not include going on holidays

Pricewatch reader queries: Car key insurance, Tesco Clubcard vouchers and sterling rip-off

Unlocking the confusion about car key insurance

In terms of flavour, Java Republic tea bags are perfectly fine – but, at €6.50, they’re far too dear

Pricewatch: Value for money

Contactless cards are growing in popularity, but they have a way to go before Irish consumers fully embrace them. Photograph: iStock

Money walks: Ireland readies to go cashless, eventually

Other countries are much further down the road to a hard cash-free existence

The Nutri Ninja is very similar to the Nutribullet but, at €114.99, it’s too expensive.

Pricewatch: Value for money in juicers and blenders

From top end to budget, products that will make a difference in your kitchen

Giving us lip: an all-new, slightly smaller Terry’s Chocolate Orange segment

Shrinkflation alert: This time it’s Terry’s Chocolate Orange

More say it isn’t so: ‘Incidentally, Yorkies are now much smaller as well’

Smokey and the Bandit was one of those 1970s films that dragged CB Radio into the mainstream

From CB radio to SodaStreams: the technology that time forgot

Charting the rise and fall of products and prices

Presenting Herself with a state-of-the-art electric fireplace.

In the Brand New Retro exhibit, everything old is naff again

‘Most of the ads are so terrible, it’s like Don Draper was never born’

An issue arose for reader Liz after a five-day stay in Holles Street hospital. Photograph: Cyril Byrne

Health insurance cover conundrum

The doctor’s fee came to €1,528, which was covered in total by her insurer, but hospital costs came to €4,000 and this is where the issue arises

Virgin: customer paid off arrears and planned to switch but Virgin offered her a better deal so she stayed. Then she was disconnected and told she owed them money. Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

Virgin Media and customer in communication breakdown

Plus: broadband not as fast as promised and a company takes money from surprised reader

The Waldorf Barber in Dublin’s Westmorland Street. Photograph: Aidan Crawley

Ireland's barbershop boom: ‘Men are a lot more savvy now’

Both family businesses and apprentices benefiting from rebirth of red and white poles

Biona

Pricewatch: Value for Money

Tinned tomatoes

Shoppers from the South loading their car after a trip to The Quays shopping mall in Newry in 2008. Photograph: Paul McErlane/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Big savings or exchange-rate rip-offs? What the sterling slide means for Irish shoppers

Ireland and sterling have had a rocky relationship since 1460 – good news for some, bad news for others

Michael Noonan: The Minister for Finance might be surprised to hear that some tax increases would be welcome. Photograph: Alan Betson

Dear Michael: Conor Pope’s open letter to the Minister for Finance

This plea to Michael Noonan looks at hits and misses as Budget 2017 approaches

Sensiohome Steama

The best way to steam your vegetables

Four methods put to the test

The AA “obviously deal with new versus existing customers in very different ways”. Photograph: iStock

AA hikes one driver’s insurance 76% in a year

Plus: when can a shop refuse to give a refund?

Pensions adviser Laura Doyle wants to get the message across to young people that the sooner they start saving for retirement the better. Photograph: Eric Luke

Pricewatch: Pensions are not just for old people

Think of a pension as ‘a flexible, tax-efficient savings vehicle’, says one adviser, who wants to change how young people see them

Bosch PSR Select

Cordless wonders: Four screwdrivers put to the test

Spoiler alert: Ikea wins

Experience of Carphone Warehouse has left one client wary of dealing with them again. Photograph: iStock

A battle to get credit where it’s due at Carphone Warehouse

But all’s well that ends with a goodwill gesture of six months’ free credit

After accepting payment for an all-inclusive landline, mobile and broadband package, Eir never delivered. Photograph: Maxwells

Eir customers fed up with broadband and bills that never arrive

Two customers complain of the customer service they have received from the company

We know we’re generalising here, but men tend to spend a lot more on gadgets than women.

Gender spender: the rising costs of being a man

How to be a Man: Women pay more for products aimed at them, but men are fast catching up

It is always better to come across as a reasonable person who has been wronged, instead of an unreasonable person who is wrong. Photograph: iStock

How to complain about goods and services in Ireland

And if you don’t like it, then don’t come complaining to us . . .

There are around 1.7 million households in the Republic and at least half have remained (foolishly) loyal to their electricity and gas suppliers over the last five years. Photograph: iStockphoto

Pull the plug: the cost of not switching energy provider

People who change energy providers can make annual savings of up to €360. So why are we so slow to switch to better gas and electricity rates?

Colin the Caterpillar Fruit Sours

Pricewatch product review: A guide to jellies

Value for money: From Colin the Caterpillar to Haribo Spaghetti

Countless hours of communication: reader has to use an internet cafe. Photograph: iStock

Readers’ queries: Left hanging in the Eir by internet provider

One reader has had internet connection problems for three months; another has her head scrambled by a pricing anomaly

Bus Éireann introduced a seat-reservation trial on some routes in July. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill

A one-way ticket to frustration on Bus Éireann

The company’s trial seat-reservation system caused one customer heartache

Keep mealtimes as relaxed as possible and always eat at the table, away from TV and screens – that goes for parents too. Photograph: iStock

Processed food: bad for the heart and the wallet

Food purchasing isn’t just about cost. If you don’t consider health factors also, you could end up paying the ultimate price

“The only way to get in contact with Aer Lingus about this issue is through an online feedback form.” Photograph: iStock

Aer Lingus loses a bag and the customer loses his patience

Plus: The buyer of a faulty printer is not automatically entitled to a replacement

People queuing on Poolbeg Street in Dublin waiting for the Garda National Immigration Bureau to open on Burgh Quay: since November 2015, an online appointment booking system for re-entry visas has reduced queues, but it can still be time-consuming. Photograph: Cyril Byrne

How bad is Ireland's bureaucracy?

Just how difficult is it to get visas, passports, driver’s licences and public-service cards?

Photograph: iStock

The hidden costs of drinking bottled water

Bottled water sales are growing at a much faster rate than soft drinks. This might be better for your health, but it is terrible for the environment – and your pocket

From left, Minions Water Bottle; Frozen Sports Bottle; Mega Value Super Grip; Sistema Twist ’n’ Sip

Don’t leak now: four water bottles put to the test

It’s almost back-to-school time – which of these four vessels will last the distance?

Our reader was told that items containing batteries can be posted into Ireland, but couldn’t be posted out of Ireland. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien

An Post worker says battery ban is down to ‘our history’

Plus: can debt collectors pursue a late debtor’s offspring?

Photograph: Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Ryanair’s ‘visa’ stamp requirement leaves Americans in a rage and out of pocket

Ryanair defends policy by saying it can’t afford to take the risk of a £4,000-per-passenger fine

Photograph: iStock

You want two children? That’ll be €500,000 please

Irish parents of two children will have to spend an estimated half a million euro over 25 years as a direct consequence of their offspring

Photograph: iStock

Consumer queries: Driven to distraction by motor tax unfairness

Plus: Beware the extended warranty

Old El Paso

The battle of the tortilla chips

Four easily available options put to the test

Illustration: iStock

The very high price of being single

Rent is the big one, but there are several fiscal advantages to being in a couple

Minster for Education Richard Bruton. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Dear Minister, why is school so expensive? Love Pricewatch

Since free education was introduced in the 1960s, Irish parents have spent more than €20 billion putting their children through school

Reader feels Ryanair has not responded adequately. Photograph: Chris Radburn/PA

Consumer queries: Ryanair unapologetic about boarding pass predicament

Plus: Knock-on effects of Low Cost Holidays going bust

DIY option

Four kinds of pesto put to the testo

Three shop-bought jars and a DIY option: which is the tastiest?

A food bank in the UK. Photograph: iStock

Downwardly mobile: the plunge in standards of living

Growing income inequality combined with austerity, precarious jobs and an eating-away of middle-class security are all having a negative effect on social and economic mobility

The EU announces cuts to roaming rates. Photograph: Getty

Consumer queries: New EU roaming caps cause confusion

Plus: High praise for Amazon’s helpdesk

At least 100 people were scammed into buying fake tickets for Ed Sheeran’s concerts in Croke Park last year summer. Photograph: Cyril Byrne

How to avoid a scam that preys on big-ticket events

Don’t be fooled into buying fake tickets online. Here’s what to watch out for

Reader had “an unnecessarily stressful end to an otherwise really enjoyable holiday”

Consumer queries: When a €15 bag check-in service costs €50

Plus: never pay off-site for accommodation listed on Airbnb

The prawns fight it out for supremacy

Prepacked supermarket prawns put to the test

Customs outside Newry, Co Down, in 1981. Photograph: Pacemaker

The pros and cons of Brexit for your pocket

Cheaper British imports and tumbling pension values are among potential repercussions

Photograph: iStock

Consumer advice: a gutter practice to watch out for

A reader in Dublin 8 was lied to by a pushy man claiming to be from a gutter-cleaning service

None of the three options Vodafone gave to our reader were acceptable to her. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

Consumer dilemma: a phone contract at home and a new job abroad

Plus: Ryanair reveals its softer side. Again

Sacla

Product reviews: The quest for the best pasta sauce

Three processed products and the DIY option are put to the test

Photograph: iStock

Twenty-seven ways to see the world on a budget

Experienced travellers share tips, from going vegetarian to how the cheapest fares can cost you more

Conor Pope with his children Molly (9) and Juliette (7), with Alfredo Dona of Gino’s Gelato at Bloom earlier this month. Photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons

Pricewatch: Gelato is more than a fancy word for ice cream

On a day out with Gino’s Gelato at Bloom, we learn not to confuse fat-laden, air-filled ice cream with the lighter, softer Italian variety – and also that making it is harder than it looks

Photograph: Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images

Pricewatch queries: A misunderstanding over a broken iPhone camera

Plus: Mortgage matters for potential buyers

Trespass four-man, two-room tunnel tent €176.99

Pricewatch product reviews: four tents put to the test

We’ve got these tents pegged. So which is best?

The largest number of accommodation-related complaints – 30 per cent – are from customers who say that the property has the wrong star classification. Photograph: iStockphoto

The fault in their stars: the perils of booking a hotel room

Misleading star ratings, overbooking and below-standard rooms are just some of the pitfalls people face when booking holiday accommodation

Consumer News

Online shoppers warned over tax liability on imported goods

In 2016 Revenue applied charges to more than 70,000 packages adding an average €33 in tax per parcel

Low prices help lift shadow of Priory Hall’s past

Apartment sales have been swift but do not come close to covering cost of repairing complex

New sales reach €7 million at revamped Priory Hall

Former fire-trap apartments sell in days for half of what they cost in the boom

‘Knowledge test’ for taxi drivers under review

NTA seeks public’s input as it looks at regulations following 42 per cent fall in drivers

Taxi review to follow over 40% drop in licensed drivers

NTA says review is to ensure legitimate and competent operators are rewarded fairly

Dublin Bikes scheme to be expanded to ‘urban villages’

New advertising screens to fund expansion to be on main access routes into city

Wetherspoon to open in former Dublin homeless hostel

Dublin City Council approved hotel and bar complex on Camden Street site

Some public transport fares to rise by up to 18%, NTA says

Authority announces savings of 50% for commuters from some Kildare towns

Number of UK tourists coming to Ireland rises despite Brexit fears

Trips to Ireland increased by 10.5 per cent between July and September 2016

Craft shortage blamed for Aer Lingus cancellations

Airline has cancelled more than 20 flights from Shannon over past fortnight

Q&A: Does this spell the end of Airbnb in Dublin?

While Bord Pleanála ruling is site-specific, it is likely to focus minds and yield guidelines

Temple Bar apartment owners can seek Airbnb permission

An Bord Pleanála had ruled the Dublin property cannot be used for short-term lets

Tallaght’s Ly Garden Chinese takeaway voted ‘best in Ireland’

JustEat awards also recognise Bunsen Burger, Subway, Wagamama and Chopped

Dealz recalls Halloween wigs for falling “below standards”

Online retailer in US discontinues Kim Kardashian costume following backlash

Budget 2017: Mixed response in drinks trade as excise static

Licensed Vintners Association: Failure to cut excise rates on alcohol a ‘missed opportunity’

Minimum wage rise of 10 cent a ‘slap in the face’ for low paid

Budget 2017: Labour senator Ged Nash says ‘paltry’ increase will be eroded by inflation next year

Budget 2017: No giveaway but something for everyone in the audience

Double-income household with both adults earning €50,000 will be better off by €500

Bakers rise to the occasion as gluten-free craze takes hold

Bread producers adapt to changing dietary demands in different ways

Pantibar sign to stay because of its ‘cultural significance’

An Bord Pleanála rules sign will remain because of ‘exceptional circumstances’

Airlines report 17 percent rise in unruly passengers

Travellers being verbally abusive or refusing to obey cabin crew occur one out of every 1,205 flights,

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