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
Pricewatch: We asked readers to share their positive customer service experiences
Customer experience in Ireland: The best and worst companies
‘Too many companies don’t understand their customers and don’t care about them’
The worst phrases of the pandemic: From ‘meaningful’ to ‘maskne’
Remember the world before ‘non-essential retail’ and ‘pivot’ came into everyday usage?
Aer Lingus vouchers fail to take off for pandemic-hit consumers
Pricewatch: Airlines need not give cash refunds if consumers initially agree to vouchers
2020 was the year we all went wild in our gardens
Pricewatch: Since Covid hit, we have splashed out more on our gardens than ever before
Pricewatch: Many saving on commuting, food and coffee costs, but utilities are up
Pricewatch: Indigenous online sites aim to help Irish consumers to shop local
The ethical shopper: Buy local, read labels, think before you shop
From clothes to food, taking the time to inform yourself can make a difference
Missing white-knuckle stress? Try the postal service
Pricewatch: Getting a letter from England to Ireland can take a stressfully long time
Pricewatch’s 12 fun facts of Christmas explores the origins of our modern traditions
Shielding, comfort cooking, stocking up... How consumers cope with Covid
Top thing Irish people have missed is time spent with friends, research finds
Cyber Monday: Beware of bogus deals and preying scammers
Pricewatch: Consumers need their wits about them amid relentless coverage of ‘bargains’
Supermarkets bombard customers with all manner of psychological devices and tricks
Consumers pay high price for not pulling the plug on energy suppliers
Pricewatch: People who change energy providers can make annual savings of €400
How to be a better consumer: 20 commandments
Keep your wits about you as a shopper – that way you get the best value
Pricewatch: Overcharging and disconnecting as the price of bacon goes through the roof
‘This is simply disgusting’: Holidaymakers struggle amid mixed messages
Pricewatch: More complaints than ever as some travel operators let themselves down
Twenty ways Covid-19 has changed our daily lives
Pricewatch: Will consumers return to normal or will some new habits endure?
The lockdown has encouraged Irish consumers to buy locally-sourced goods
Pricewatch: Meal kits and takeaway pints have become the new camping holiday
Pricewatch: Left on the shelf - what we are no longer buying
Bread and male grooming products among things consumers decided they can do without
The changing face of retail during and after Covid-19
What can we expect? Limits on time spent in shops, staggered queues and plexiglass at tills
One reader ‘mugged’ by an ATM, another is told to visit branch for ‘golden years’ account
Avoca: it’s all about the food now
The multimillion euro retail chain has had to reinvent itself since the Covid-19 lockdown
Pricewatch: ‘Shielding’, ‘stocking-in’ and ‘comfort cooking’ are among the new trends
Pricewatch: Retail has undergone a swift and bleak transformation under crisis guidelines
Are the travel industry and airlines playing fair in coronavirus crisis?
Pricewatch: Hundreds of people could lose thousands of euro as their travel plans lie in tatters
Coronavirus confinement: Thirteen tips to make self-isolating easier
Pricewatch: Help cope with confinement by adding to your interests and activities
Pricewatch: There are several reasons for the apparent rip-off but the main one is tax
Cashless world: Will we be richer or poorer for it?
Ireland is gradually becoming cashless. Is the convenience worth the loss of privacy?
Less than 20% of Irish people describe themselves as regular users
Cover or no cover: ‘I know mistakes happen . . . but it really is a mess’
Pricewatch: Reader shares her experience of conflicting phone calls with Laya Healthcare
The health insurance market is packed with hundreds of plans from three key players
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