#consumer-rights

#consumer-rights

Reinvention is always bracing. My old life was spent wrestling airlines, insurance firms and energy providers intent on plundering readers' piggy banks. My new life? Wrestling airlines, insurance firms and energy providers intent on plundering readers' piggy banks. It is a comfort in this era of seismic shifts to know some things remain constant. You can bank on energy firms to chill your marrow with billing psychodramas and phantom accounts.

It has been a big year for the right to repair, the movement of advocates pushing for people to be able to fix their own electronics and equipment without manufacturer approval. The issue has gathered broad support from technologists, farmers, military leaders, and politicians on both sides of the aisle. It is popular with just about everyone-except the companies who stand to gain if the parts, instructions, and tools necessary to fix their products remain under lock and key.

Few things are more annoying than getting a card telling you that you missed your delivery and you'll have to travel miles to a depot that shuts at midday. Many of us are relieved when neighbours sign for our deliveries so we happily do the same for them. However, what happens if that parcel is damaged or goes missing? The consequences could surprise you.

Avis should have inspected the vehicle immediately upon return and notified you of any issues right away. Anything could have happened in the three days between dropping off the car and inspection. Although California's Civil Code Section 1936 doesn't require rental companies to provide detailed invoices for post-return charges, it strictly regulates how charges must be calculated, disclosed and justified. If you dispute a charge, the burden is on the rental company to prove its validity through itemized documentation.

Best Buy should have replaced your microwave quickly after it failed to repair it. It looks like you paid extra for Best Buy's protection warranty, which covers you up to the regular retail price at the time of purchase. And that was the problem with all the technician visits, it seems Best Buy had already exceeded the price of the microwave.

It is Which?'s belief that Apple, the second-largest public company in the world, has abused its position, stifling competition and ripping off millions of customers in the process,

You should email the shop with a formal complaint about the delay and request delivery within an appropriate additional period. It's open to the shop to use a different courier. If the shop cannot agree a new delivery time, you're entitled to request a full refund due to non-delivery of the cover. The shop must refund you no later than 14 days after being informed that you want a refund.

You visit an open house for a stately old Victorian on a quiet street. It has a wraparound front porch and all kinds of vintage charm ... but you can't help but wonder if that sudden cold draft is the result of poor insulation, or a past occupant dropping by. And the lights on that stunning chandelier are flickering in a way that might foretell an expensive visit from an electrician - or an exorcist.

An influential consumer rights association has urged a court to ban the sale of Perrier bottled water in France, saying the brand's claim that its product is "natural" was misleading. UFC-Que Choisir, which lodged its request with a court in Nanterre, near Paris, said the Nestlé-owned Perrier brand should be banned temporarily from selling its sparkling water and be ordered to stop its "dishonest" description of the water.

The Stop Killing Games campaign is continuing to gain momentum after hitting more than a million signatures in July. After a July 31st deadline, the movement secured around 1.45 million signatures, which the organizers are currently in the process of verifying. The initiative aims to enact legislation that preserves access to video games, even when developers decide to end support, as seen with Ubisoft when it delisted The Crew and revoked access to players who already purchased the game.

I took my iPhone 16 Pro to iRepairMan for a screen replacement. On the surface, they seemed legitimate - a slick website, easy booking, quick turnaround. But what happened after the repair tells a different story. Almost immediately, I noticed issues: Brightness wildly inconsistent - sometimes full blast at half slider, sometimes so dim it's almost black. Colours clearly off. The phone running hot and the battery draining much faster than before. In short: the screen replacement made the phone worse, not better.

What a load of rubbish. Far better to order a free glass of tap water. At an Open University summer school some years ago, students were invited to take part in a trial. All were given 10 lots of two samples, Nottingham tap water and Highland Spring. There were enough participants over the weeks for a statistical sample. Answer? They could not tell the difference.

The council concluded that the Ryanair ad was misleading, stating that the ad's claim 'prices will rise' pressured customers into purchasing flights sooner than necessary.

Charlotte Friel, director of retail pricing and systems at Ofgem, emphasized that millions of consumers rely on their smart meter for accurate readings and efficient billing, highlighting the importance of addressing faulty installations and connectivity issues.

Senator Aisha Wahab has introduced a bill that would prevent retailers from using artificial intelligence to increase prices by using the information stored on customers' phones. This is aimed at stopping the practice of dynamic pricing, where prices fluctuate based on consumer data. Wahab's motivation is to create an equal playing field for consumers, regardless of their socioeconomic status, by preventing price discrimination based on the data from devices like smartphones.

Rivian is suing Ohio's department of motor vehicles over the state's ban on car companies bypassing dealerships to sell cars directly to consumers.

Dean criticized the intervention as unprecedented and disgraceful, asserting that it sends a bad message to consumers about government support for banks over consumer rights.

Airbnb has apologised to a woman after an apartment host falsely claimed she had caused thousands of pounds' worth of damage and used images she says were digitally manipulated to back up his allegations.

There is no fare product Delta has ever used, is testing or plans to use that targets customers with individualized offers based on personal information or otherwise.

Miami-Dade County prohibits businesses or entities offering retail goods and services to refuse cash as a form of payment for sales. Customers who encounter a business that doesn't accept cash can file a complaint to the county's Consumer Protection Division.

You shouldn't have to pay for this, but not for the reasons you think. You did everything right by reporting the theft to your bank, the merchant, and the police. You also kept a detailed record of your communication, which is important.

The number of parking fines issued by private parking companies has skyrocketed since they successfully challenged a Conservative bill three years ago that enacted a proper code of practice for handing out fines. Private parking firms issued a record 14.4 million tickets last year as motorists urged the government to crack down on the bandit practice.

Leveillee said, 'tears of joy' turned into 'tears of deception' when Tim Hortons informed him the boating prize was due to a technical error.

The Paris appeals court ordered Lidl to pay €43 million to French chain Intermarche after finding hundreds of Lidl's television ads deceptive and unfair to competition.

The Stop Killing Games movement seeks to prevent the remote disabling of video games by the publishers, providing reasonable means to continue functioning without publisher involvement.

Judge Stuart Rice remarked on the challenges faced by wildfire victims, stating that the 'unlawful language' of the FAIR Plan contributes to underpayments of smoke damage claims.

"It's about outcomes - not potential or platitudes. It's about what you did to restore the marine environment."