Brendan Burgess
Founder
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Conor Pope has an article in today's Irish Times about what can be done for consumers during the election.
www.irishtimes.com
This was his number one issue.
1. A consumer body with sharp teeth
While the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), which came into being more than five years ago, has a role to play in protecting consumers and has had some successes, we can’t help but wonder if more could be done to fight the consumers’ corner.
One of the most frequent complaints we get on this page about the consumer watchdog is that it can’t or won’t investigate and resolve complaints in an expeditious manner on behalf of individual consumers.
People ring the CCPC looking for help only to be told that there is nothing it can do. Then they contact us.
The CCPC looks at big-picture things but will not help an individual out if they have been let down by a service provider or a retailer or a bloke who promised to make your garden look amazing only to turn it into a muddy wasteland.
In fact there is no organisation – either State or privately funded – that is dedicated to fighting your corner.
So let’s change that. And let’s change it fast. If The Irish Times or the Ray Darcy Show or Joe Duffy can contact a big retailer or mobile phone operator when they let people down or mess them around and make sure they make amends, why can’t a consumer body funded by the State?
Can Pricewatch let you in on a little secret? The page is able to make businesses help people they have let down in minutes not because we are particularly brilliant but because big businesses hate being publicly identified as useless. So let’s allow the new consumer watchdog to identify companies who let consumers down.
And let it out them every week. It is simple to do. You get the complaint, you call the alleged rogue trader and give them a chance to resolve the situation, and then you highlight what they have done – or not done – to improve the consumer’s lot. You present both sides of the story, and let the public decide whether or not the business is one they can trust.
Our dream consumer body would have people employed specifically to contact businesses on behalf of consumers. They could operate a bit like the food watchdog, a body which appears to have no problem shutting down shops and restaurants – even for a couple of hours – and then highlighting all the gross and sometimes minor ways such places have let their diners down.
Of course there is no point in going to all the effort to fix people’s problems if you can’t boast about it, so our new watchdog should have a monthly magazine filled with interesting features on how to save money, independent and exhaustive product reviews, stories of how companies have got it wrong and got it right.
In addition to the magazine, the new consumer organisation would also use the internet to reach out to people. It would blog, tweet and use Facebook and Instagram to fix people’s problems and empower people.
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?
This was his number one issue.
1. A consumer body with sharp teeth
While the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), which came into being more than five years ago, has a role to play in protecting consumers and has had some successes, we can’t help but wonder if more could be done to fight the consumers’ corner.
One of the most frequent complaints we get on this page about the consumer watchdog is that it can’t or won’t investigate and resolve complaints in an expeditious manner on behalf of individual consumers.
People ring the CCPC looking for help only to be told that there is nothing it can do. Then they contact us.
The CCPC looks at big-picture things but will not help an individual out if they have been let down by a service provider or a retailer or a bloke who promised to make your garden look amazing only to turn it into a muddy wasteland.
In fact there is no organisation – either State or privately funded – that is dedicated to fighting your corner.
So let’s change that. And let’s change it fast. If The Irish Times or the Ray Darcy Show or Joe Duffy can contact a big retailer or mobile phone operator when they let people down or mess them around and make sure they make amends, why can’t a consumer body funded by the State?
Can Pricewatch let you in on a little secret? The page is able to make businesses help people they have let down in minutes not because we are particularly brilliant but because big businesses hate being publicly identified as useless. So let’s allow the new consumer watchdog to identify companies who let consumers down.
And let it out them every week. It is simple to do. You get the complaint, you call the alleged rogue trader and give them a chance to resolve the situation, and then you highlight what they have done – or not done – to improve the consumer’s lot. You present both sides of the story, and let the public decide whether or not the business is one they can trust.
Our dream consumer body would have people employed specifically to contact businesses on behalf of consumers. They could operate a bit like the food watchdog, a body which appears to have no problem shutting down shops and restaurants – even for a couple of hours – and then highlighting all the gross and sometimes minor ways such places have let their diners down.
Of course there is no point in going to all the effort to fix people’s problems if you can’t boast about it, so our new watchdog should have a monthly magazine filled with interesting features on how to save money, independent and exhaustive product reviews, stories of how companies have got it wrong and got it right.
In addition to the magazine, the new consumer organisation would also use the internet to reach out to people. It would blog, tweet and use Facebook and Instagram to fix people’s problems and empower people.