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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By taking meaningful steps towards making education genuinely free, a future education minister would almost guarantee that his or her name would be remembered for decades

Plenty of politicians’ promises, but what about these ideas to help consumers?

Pricewatch: Fancy a consumer watchdog with more bite, free off-peak public transport or safer cycling?

More than 2.2 million people in the Republic now have health insurance policies, according to the Health Insurance Authority.

Navigating the health insurance maze and finding the best deal

The health insurance market is packed with hundreds of plans from three key players

Clamped car. Photograph: iStock

My car was clamped in error. Should I get compensation?

Pricewatch: Posh frock horror in Wexford, BA’s no-show policy proves costly for reader

Selfie

Things we take for granted that hardly existed in 2010

Selfies, contactless payments, storm names and Netflix - what have the 2010s given us?

Niall Wynn, owner of Proper Order Coffee Cafe Haymarket, Smithfield, Dublin with one of his compostable coffee cups. In November Minister for Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton launches a public consultation on levies on single-use coffee cups. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times

Pricewatch: 2019 was eventful for hard-pressed consumers

Food scares, Brexit fears, rising costs, and how to cut a pineapple

We have said this before and we will say it again, something is only ever worth buying in the sales if you actually need it and will get real use out of it

Conor Pope's ultimate guide to the Christmas sales - tips, deals and your rights

Many shops have lost the ability to retail, and have replaced it with deep discounting

'Maybe look for reusable alternatives to wrapping papers this year. Whatever you do, avoid the stuff with glitter on it, it is hideous for the environment.'

From Advent to zeds: Your ultimate A-Z guide to Christmas

Is it Kris Kindle or Kris Kringle? And what exactly is egg nog?

Some websites we were familiar with, but many more were completely new to us.

Here are 30 Irish websites to get this year’s Christmas presents from

Why not enable more cash to circulate in the local economy . . . where delivery is free?

‘Quietly emerging trend: the dream of a green Christmas and the notion of making the season more sustainable.’ Photorgraph: iStock

Have a green Christmas – gift ideas for the sustainable shopper

Not everyone can make gifts but happily there are talented craftspeole who can

Readers have reported ticket machines registering wrong information when registration numbers are being inputted.

Clamping at Luas stations: more readers who’ve been taken for a ride

Pricewatch: Park-and-ride system proves costly but it is user error or faulty machines?

According to Repak, Ireland will generate almost 90,000 tonnes of packaging waste this Christmas.

Christmas shows our approach to climate change is crackers

Pricewatch: About 15m crackers will be pulled in Ireland over festive season

‘I’m happy that I put in an X and that the ticket shows that.’ Photograph: David Sleator

Pricewatch: Be careful of clampers if your car is from Wexford

One unhappily clamped driver complains that the NCPS cannot tell its Xs from its Zs

The Angry Birds themed Advent calendar from the people at Cadbury looks impressive and we can imagine that most children will receive it with delight

Advent calendars: the good, the bad and the cheesy

What’s the point of an advent calendar if you have to keep it in the fridge?

Reader found out that the e-tickets she’d booked were actually flying Dublin to Heathrow and then from Gatwick to Seville. Photograph: iStock

Ticket mix-up on British Airways flight leaves customer at ‘wit’s end’

Pricewatch: Eir leaves customer without phone service and another without a modem

Many of us still find ourselves looking disconsolately at drained bank accounts towards the end of the month

Why are so many of us skint despite talk of ‘recovery’?

Pricewatch: Many of us are still scrabbling around back of couch looking for change

People queue outside the newly opened Krispy Kreme outlet at Blanchardstown Shopping Centre last year. File photograph: Aidan Crawley

Atkins, avocados and pulled pork: Some of the worst foody fads

Pricewatch: Trendy gadgets and superfoods all have one thing in common. They cost a bomb

KBC Bank does not accept cash lodgements. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien

KBC Bank’s ‘intolerable’ lodgement delay buried in fine print

Pricewatch: Cadbury reduces sugar and value for money in new Dairy Milk

Some airlines now charge more for your bag to travel than you

Now you pay for it, now you don’t: The rollercoaster of everyday charges

Pricewatch: We may not pay library fines anymore, but banking fees have gone up

In her interactions with Eir, a reader, Fidelma, dealt with “many rude reps and two nice ones”. Photograph: Alan Betson

Customers at their wits’ end over Eir

Pricewatch: Attempt to get broadband service leads to ‘nightmare’ experience

Toblerone made the gap between the chunks in some of its chocolate bar wider while keeping the size of its packaging

The growing trend of shrinkflation means you could be paying more for less

Pricewatch: It is common in markets where profit margins can be tighter than Rod Stewart’s trousers

One reader went to great effort to acquire the public services card to renew his truck driving licence, only to discover truck licence renewals are not permitted online. File photograph: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Trucker is driven spare by frustrated licence renewal attempt

Pricewatch: Our reader offers a ‘salutary tale’ on the vagaries of the driving licence system

Initial signs were good for Jamie’s garlic press, but it didn’t deliver

Which garlic presses crushed our hopes and not our cloves?

Pricewatch: Joseph Joseph’s was pointless, Oxo’s seems reliable but Jamie Oliver’s made us sad

Marks & Spencer has reshaped Irish retail and consumer habits since it first arrived. In the early days Irish people could not get enough of its chicken Kievs, while its Cornish pasties ent down a treat

Marks and Spencer in Ireland says it is ready for anything Brexit can throw at it

Pricewatch: M&S’s operation in the Republic turns 40 next month, and it could not have picked a worse time to celebrate an anniversary

A shopper pushes a trolley in a supermarket. There is a common assumption that we are entitled to get a product at whatever price it is marked at in a shop. File photograph: Neil Hall/Reuters

What can shoppers do when the price is wrong?

Pricewatch: Is a public services card necessary when renewing a driving licence?

Experience the warm glow of saving money. Photograph: iStock

Five ways we spend less money in winter

Pricewatch: We need more heat, food, clothes . . . and then there’s Christmas

Marie received almost 20 text messages from Vodafone either saying her broadband problem had been fixed or promising that it would be soon, but still no joy. “Only for neighbours we would have missed the All-Ireland,” she tells Pricewatch. Photograph: PA/PA Wire

‘Lo and behold the bloody account still hadn’t been cancelled!’

Pricewatch: Two tales of woe from Vodafone customers

Penneys’ Friends Umbrella: cheap and throwaway.

Which umbrellas reign supreme?

Pricewatch: Barbour and Ted Baker demand plenty of lolly for their brollies

‘Armageddon for our nice wardrobe’: Tourists angry at dry-cleaning mix-up

Pricewatch: Eir’s customer service falls short while AIB’s bank charges fail to compete

Situation caused reader “great concern as my son’s mental condition is poor”

‘The monthly bills kept arriving’ - difficulty in cancelling Eir contract

Pricewatch: Problem was resolved within days after we contacted company

’Our whole future has just evaporated, no hope of us coming back to Ireland in any near future’

Couple fear ‘future has just vanished’ over small debt

Pricewatch: ‘€75 of missed payments had me on credit barred list for the next five years’

Aer Lingus flight EI413 was cancelled on August 31st “due to thunderstorms in the Verona region”. Photograph: Frank Grealish

Our Italian wedding was ruined by a cancelled Aer Lingus flight

Pricewatch: Journey home from Italy took members of wedding party 33 hours

The Xtra-Vision store on the corner of Baggot Street and Waterloo Road in Dublin: Try to explain to a child of the 21st century what a video library was and watch confusion cloud their faces. Photograph: Bryan O’Brien

Superquinn, Xtra-Vision and Roches Stores: The shops we loved so much

Pricewatch: They may be gone, but the once household names are certainly not forgotten

Things such as getting free wine at gallery openings and buying nearly gone off food can save you money in college.

How to survive life in college without going completely broke

Pricewatch: Cook your meals, make lists and other tips to help you save money

Some people are starting to seriously look at their investments to make sure they are not contributing to problems such as climate change. Photograph: iStock

Ethical investing: How to fund your pension while staying true to your values

Pricewatch: Options are slim if you want to avoid putting your money into certain industries

‘BA made a huge error in not issuing our ticket, failed to get us to our destination, and left us with no means of contacting them to correct this.’ Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA Wire

British Airways: ‘I was left stranded and abandoned’

Pricewatch: Your consumer queries answered

A motorist who is looking to spend more than €20,000 will make the biggest savings. File photograph: Getty Images

In the market for a low-price high-spec used car? Buy before Brexit

Importing from the UK may become redundant in a no-deal Brexit so consumers must act fast

An AA spokesman said: ‘If you have a second car in the household advising of this can help lower your quote.’ Photograph: Reuters

Man renewing car insurance lost ‘any trust I had in AA as a broker’

An AA spokesman says the difference in two quotes is due to level of cover provided

Laya Healthcare has no travel insurance policies which would offer a safety net to pregnant women once they hit the 26-week mark. Photograph: iStock

Travel bugs: When hunting for insurance delivers a pregnant pause

Pricewatch: Pregnancy cover and cancellation over a bereavement leave travellers fuming

Does a new car really smell good or do you just think it does? Photograph: iStock

That new car smell and other consumer enigmas

Ever wondered how sun cream works or about the curious noise made by an ATM?

Is the low value people in Ireland appear to place on celebrities endorsing particular products a sign of ‘influencer fatigue’. Photograph: iStock

So-called influencers: how much influence do they actually have?

Online interactions can be important for brands – but there are potential pitfalls

‘I was also told I could log into My Eir account at any time but that isn’t feasible.’ Photograph: Maxwells

Is there any comeback when a teen accidentally runs up a big mobile bill?

A woman who signed up to a bill phone for her daughter takes issue with Eir

Schools won’t start back for more than a month but the lead-in time is long

Why is kitting out your children for school so expensive?

Parents have spent over €20bn educating their young, despite free schooling

Around 1.3 million utility customers wasted hundreds of euro each last year or a combined total of half a billion euro by not switching provider. Image: iStock

Would you like to save €400 this year and every year? Here's how...

Consumers wasting hundreds each year by not availing of cheaper rates at different companies

Eir said: “We are working hard to offer our customers the high level of care they should expect.”

Overcharging by Eir leads to loss of broadband for customer

Pricewatch: Six-month wait to have broadband connection restored

How you can take on Ryanair and get your money back

Pricewatch: Refunds are hard to come by at holiday-time, as these experiences show

Passengers often complain that public transport can be expensive, overcrowded, slow and lacking reach. Photograph: iStock

How does Ireland’s public transport compare with other countries’?

We compare our transport network with that of other EU states on price and facilities

Due to weather conditions, the Ryanair flight landed at Dublin Airport instead of Shannon. Photograph: Reuters/Paul Hanna/File Photo

'Ryanair has nothing further to add' - airline refunds hard to come by

Pricewatch: Several readers have trouble getting transfer costs back from the airline

When looking for travel insurance with a cancer diagnosis, most insurers simply say no. Photograph: iStock

Why is it so difficult to get travel insurance with a cancer diagnosis?

Pricewatch: ‘Travel insurers are being violently discriminatory to thousands of Irish citizens’

Don’t leave it until the last minute to get travel insurance - almost 40 per cent of the claims are made before travel with illness and death the most likely reasons for cancelled holidays

Don’t forget to pack travel insurance this summer

By not taking out insurance you leave yourself at mercy of airlines, tour operators

Is there any way to make it to your departure gate without walking through duty free?

Airports are designed to get our cash. Here’s how they do it

Massage chairs, the ‘golden hour’, boarding passes – and why is Toblerone a thing?

16 ways to have family fun around Ireland on a budget

From libraries to walking tours to museums, there is something for everybody

Not only are the pollutants we generate contributing to the climate catastrophe we are hurtling towards, they are also costing us cold hard cash every single day. Photograph: iStock

How to cut your carbon footprint and save cash

It can pay to reduce the amount of carbon we generate, so time to alter our behaviour

Why does car insurance cost more in Longford than it did in Dublin? Photograph: iStock

Change in address leads to increased car insurance premium

Pricewatch: Ryanair and refunds; Bank of Ireland and bank holidays

Hols Pricewatch

Using a travel agent: Peace of mind or needless expense?

Pricewatch: Travel agents have found myriad ways to adapt to the brave new digital age

Consumer News

Clamping on Dublin city streets increased by 8% last year

An average of 127 motorists clamped each day with Mespil Road worst blackspot

Finn’s Corner sports shop to close after 145 years of business

Moss Finn: ‘There is an incredible amount of loyalty to local businesses in Cork’

Dublin’s late-night kebab shop Iskander’s to close after nearly three decades

Aydin family plan to reopen premises in February as more upmarket restaurant

New EU rules to boost consumer protection now in force

Consumer rights advanced via compensation for victims of unfair commercial practices

Central Bank’s ‘jackpot’ of almost €350m for public to claim

Money matters: Negligible amounts of ‘old money’ being exchanged for euro equivalent

Fog falls on busy roads as Christmas wind-down begins

Weather alert in place as major roads out of Dublin and other cities see heavy traffic

Slow growth in retail sector as online shopping levels off

Irish shops are still waiting for a bump in festive trade this weekend

Lean times for turkey producers due to low prices

‘A huge amount of work goes into producing a turkey and it is absolutely ridiculous to see them for sale for as low as €8.99’

Art lovers more likely have longer lives, research finds

Engagement with arts every few months lowers risk of dying by 31 per cent, study finds

Aer Lingus says reusable cups cannot be used during cabin service

Ryanair refuses to comment on policy as Irish Rail criticised for ban on reusables

Gay Byrne and Brexit: What Ireland talked about most on Facebook

Conor McGregor and Maura Higgins the most popular Instagram accounts

Beef prices: Farmers protest at Musgrave centre in Co Kildare

Kilcock picket comes as latest Irish Farmers’ Association protests enter fourth day

Weekend’s €6 million winning Lotto ticket was sold in Mooncoin, Co Kilkenny

Owner of winning ticket, sold in Blanchfield’s Centra, has not yet come forward

Irish passengers face flight disruptions as French workers strike

Aer Lingus, Ryanair announce cancellations as air-traffic controllers join in nationwide strike

Black Friday 2019: Conor Pope’s completely updated guide to the best bargains

Tens of millions of euro being spent today and in the days ahead

Black Friday: Investigation pours cold water on so-called deals

Consumer watchdog tracked 83 products and found them cheaper or same price at other times

Government stalling gift voucher law for Black Friday PR stunt, FF claims

Legislation will force traders to accept gift cards for at least five years after purchase

Advice to Christmas shoppers: Don’t buy gift card this week

Bill due to be enacted that will give a minimum lifespan of five years for vouchers

Two Dublin Bus routes go into 24-hour service for first time

Routes 15 and 41 will operate around the clock from December 1st

Deputation of businesses to seek removal of Grafton Quarter sign

Decision by Dublin Town ‘points to the lack of accountability in the organisation’

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