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
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
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
Customers at their wits’ end over Eir
Pricewatch: Attempt to get broadband service leads to ‘nightmare’ experience
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
Trucker is driven spare by frustrated licence renewal attempt
Pricewatch: Our reader offers a ‘salutary tale’ on the vagaries of the driving licence system
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
What can shoppers do when the price is wrong?
Pricewatch: Is a public services card necessary when renewing a driving licence?
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
‘The monthly bills kept arriving’ - difficulty in cancelling Eir contract
Pricewatch: Problem was resolved within days after we contacted company
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’
Our Italian wedding was ruined by a cancelled Aer Lingus flight
Pricewatch: Journey home from Italy took members of wedding party 33 hours
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
How to survive life in college without going completely broke
Pricewatch: Cook your meals, make lists and other tips to help you save money
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
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
Travel bugs: When hunting for insurance delivers a pregnant pause
Pricewatch: Pregnancy cover and cancellation over a bereavement leave travellers fuming
That new car smell and other consumer enigmas
Ever wondered how sun cream works or about the curious noise made by an ATM?
So-called influencers: how much influence do they actually have?
Online interactions can be important for brands – but there are potential pitfalls
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
Why is kitting out your children for school so expensive?
Parents have spent over €20bn educating their young, despite free schooling
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
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
'Ryanair has nothing further to add' - airline refunds hard to come by
Pricewatch: Several readers have trouble getting transfer costs back from the airline
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 forget to pack travel insurance this summer
By not taking out insurance you leave yourself at mercy of airlines, tour operators
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
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
Beware the broadband fraud that left one family €15,000 poorer
A reader has a cautionary tale about a con she fell prey to after a series of coincidences
How businesses hide behind health and safety myths
Pricewatch: Some firms use ‘health and safety’ concerns as an excuse to get out of doing things
Eir tells customer to ring loyalty team after cancelling phone line
Pricewatch: Eir cancels account after telling customer termination notice had been lifted
Shear practicality over all else when it comes to gardening
Pricewatch: The best value secateurs to sink into your unruly shrubbery
Sometimes less is more – the gadgets and gizmos we can happily do without
Our homes are full of seemingly useful purchases which soon become redundant junk
Tipping at restaurants: A mystery for diners in Ireland
Pricewatch: Can you be sure the person who served you will receive your gratuity?
When a drunken mammy calls about pricey theatre tickets we listen
Pricewatch: Rosaleen Linehan was horrified by the price her friend paid on Viagogo
Electric scooters could save time and money but they remain illegal
Pricewatch: Shane Ross has asked the RSA to research how ‘vehicles’ should be regulated
Value for Money: Commuting
Car, bike, e-scooter or shank’s mare? We put four ways of getting to work to the test
Tastier crisps to cheaper flights: How the Irish became shorthand for consumer glory
From Sudocrem to tractors, here's 14 ways the Irish revolutionised how the world shops
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