Pricewatch
Conor Pope's Pricewatch column
100 Irish websites for Christmas presents, from painted chocolates to ‘panoramic socks’
Our pick of all-Irish places to shop online for Christmas 2026 gifts including toys, jewellery, books, beauty products, arty stuff and more
Almost as soon as this new fridge freezer arrived from Ikea, things started to get weird
In line with WEEE regulations, companies are obligated to offer collection of an old freezer if you’re having a new one delivered
‘We are unable to accommodate you’: UK retailer Flannels reluctant to apply Irish vouchers law
Consumer protection legislation stipulates a five-year expiry term for gift cards but the Fraser Group company saw things differently when it came to reader Audrey
Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick: Which are Ireland’s cheapest and dearest cities?
We compare the cost of living in Ireland’s capital with Cork, Galway and Limerick. The result is not what you might expect
The best and worst companies in Ireland for customer experience
While Irish companies overall seem to be doing better than counterparts abroad, there are recidivist offenders and a notable debutant on the naughty list
PTSB’s support for 88-year-old widow leaves family unimpressed
Is the bank ‘altogether more human’, as its marketing claims?
Aer Lingus flight cancellations leave readers raging
Airline’s policies create web of confusion and frustration
‘I find it obscene’: Aer Lingus response upsets family dealing with terminal illness
Couple in their 80s booked flights to Algarve before cancer diagnosis, daughter writes
Reader couldn’t believe it when she was charged €13 for ‘free’ Vanity Fair tote
EU fees and knock-on charges have quickly made online shopping much more expensive
Can the AA justify a 300% jump in travel insurance prices in under five years?
It really pays to keep an eye on your auto-renewal documentation. For years I didn’t - and just look at how much it cost me
Man paid about €400 on Booking.com for hotel that turned out to be closed
Reader Mark says the entire experience ‘was and is still extremely stressful’
Visitors arrive ‘almost daily’ at my house expecting to stay in tourist accommodation
My house in Dublin was used as bait in an accommodation scam on booking.com
‘I assumed Complete Savings emails were junk but €18 a month was going out of my account’
More readers have realised they have been paying into the so-called web loyalty scheme
‘At my wits’ end’: Currys customer’s new fridge-freezer stopped working within days
Joanne says her frustration with a faulty fridge-freezer was aggravated by the retailer’s response and a ‘bizarrely botched email’
Reader didn’t realise she had subscribed to Complete Savings until she was down €1,000
Gemma thought monthly fee exiting her account was going to a credit union fund
Knee surgery patient (70s) wakes up to €3,000 bill after change made during procedure
GP son says it is unrealistic to expect an elderly patient without specialist knowledge to understand ‘intricacies’ of health insurance system
Should we expect more interest in attempted fraud from our banks?
Readers express frustration in cases where they have tried to have bank scam calls properly investigated
Two months after receiving half a shed from Homebase, customer’s patience is wearing thin
Eve has been left frustrated in her efforts to bring episode to a conclusion
‘The staff agreed it was ridiculous’: Irish Rail’s inflexible approach to flexible tickets leaves reader at a loss
Company might argue it is covered in its hard line by the terms and conditions, but that doesn’t do much for customer relations
Reader’s attempts to foil fraudsters hit weird banking roadblock
Customer was ‘floored’ by bank’s policy when she tried to protect her account
‘Distress’ for elderly couple with big bills as Flogas fails to implement budget plan
Separately, a Flogas loyalty rep gets the hump when a customer tries to record his sales pitch
Back-to-school costs: the €285 allowance and other ways of savings hundreds of euro
To hard-pressed parents, it can feel as if extra busyness and unnecessary expense are intentionally built into the start of the school year
Booking.com users struggle in the face of phantom bookings and rogue cancellations
Online platform criticised for lack of customer care and basic understanding when things go wrong
A Currys customer’s ‘extremely exhausting and frustrating’ glitchy phone experience
Anna writes that ‘every time I speak to Currys, it’s like there’s no case history’
A ‘cold, spreadsheet-driven’ Aer Lingus response to a young woman’s ‘freak accident’
Woman says rival airline staff ‘visibly shocked’ by Aer Lingus attitude after spinal injury requires urgent trip and repatriation
Here are eight ways to keep the high cost of winter down, but you need to start soon
On The Money: Winter is coming but it doesn’t have to cost the earth
20 things that can go wrong on holiday and how to put them right
How to deal with everything from flight delays and lost luggage to stolen passports and car hire disputes
Woman hit with €1,784 bill after VHI rules Blackrock Clinic stay unnecessary
Reader Mary spent two nights in a clinic after a fall, but her insurer said one of the nights was not medically necessary
Revolut leaves customers without cash and tells them to sling their hook without reason
A reader found himself unable to pay for shopping at Lidl because Revolut blocked him without explanation
Reader ‘met the cold hard corporate face’ of Ryanair during bag check-in experience
Don’t blame our booking system, our app or any ‘confusing correspondence’ for travellers’ experiences, says airline
Ryanair denies its booking system changes names. This video suggests otherwise
Does Ryanair’s booking system change names? The carrier says no but our readers had different yet uncannily similar experiences
‘Out of sheer desperation I contacted the director’: A widow’s distressing experience with Flogas
Widow says she was repeatedly asked to open a new account and recount her husband’s death before issue was resolved following Pricewatch inquiries
First the Vinted app failed. Then came ‘the most infuriating customer service interaction’
Irish seller says app malfunction and poor customer service left her financially worse off despite evidence parcel had been sent
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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