Group News
Train Tickets by Phone
The "Plymouth Consumer" contains some interesting tips about rail fares from the city. The author travels regularly to London, Birmingham, Coventry, and points further north, using a senior travel card. He (I think it is a 'he') has found it convenient to book his tickets by phone to save endless waits at the Plymouth booking office. The fare to London stays constant but it pays to phone several times when travelling on the West Coast line.You will probably be quoted two or three different prices for the same journey, so book the cheapest. Even so, with no published standard fares you never know if you have the best available deal!
Which Wheels to Exeter?
Exeter and District Consumer Group investigated the cost of a return trip to Exeter from various Devon starting points. They were inspired to do so by the Government White Paper on Transport, which inferred that private motoring is costly and it is time we all switched some of our car travel to a better public transport system. The AA has worked out that it costs at least 45p per mile to run a family sized car, and the Group used this figure to draw comparisons between rail, bus and car.
The saving in using public transport is quite startling. A return journey between Honiton and Exeter, for instance, costs £4.20 by rail, £3.65 by bus and a staggering £15.75 by car. All the other journeys showed similar savings. The rail journeys worked out at about 15p per mile and the bus 14p Of course there is an argument that these comparisons only work if you do not have a car.
Nevertheless, using simply the cost of petrol, not entirely fair, bus travel is not so different from car travel. For instance a car making the 35 mile journey from Exeter to Honiton will use a gallon of petrol costing just over £3. The bus fare is £3.65. Now add on the cost of parking in Honiton and the difference disappears. Car users pay for convenience but if they cannot find anywhere to park at their destination convenience also disappears.
Looking back to look forward
In the September issue of "ExChecker" there is a reflective look back at the 3 years the Group has been in existence.
An initial approach by NfCG in 1995 had identified 86 people interested in forming a local Group, and a survey identified their interests. This formed the "Bradbury Report" (by Derek Bradbury) which identified five areas for action, which could well be a blue print for nascent Groups:
The Group has worked to fulfil that brief, and with success. "ExChecker" has been the first priority but this has led into other priorities anyway, such as surveys and research and media contacts. Lobbying for improved local facilities and keeping in touch with local traders have taken more of a back seat; mainly because of the difficulty in finding people with time to spare.
This is a familiar situation, but the Group has taken an unfamiliar approach to encourage more people to help. Three years ago many of the 86 seemed keen to offer skills and assistance and the list of skills was impressive. Now they are calling on those busy people who, hopefully, are not too busy to contribute a little to ensure the continuing success of the Group. The AGM was in October; we hope that some more helpers emerged.
Homes in Bath and District
A contributor to Bath and District Consumer Group's Autumn Newsletter draws a comparison between shopping in the late sixties and today. Then she found that a local grocer was a lifeline when she was virtually housebound with sick children - he operated a weekly delivery service. Now some of the big supermarkets will deliver.
She, however, calls on members to support local shops, many of which will deliver, though they do not advertise this very much. If the shops are well supported they will be able to offer better choice and cheaper goods. Bath has some excellent examples of what she calls community shopping".
The Group carried out a survey in the City to find out about local delivery services, and discovered that there were plenty of shops in most areas which would deliver if asked.
Butchers deliver daily within Bath City limits, Greengrocers deliver weekly within a two mile radius, Grocers deliver daily to particular areas, Chemists deliver within a three or four mile radius, a Delicatessen will deliver locally to anyone who is ill or otherwise prevented from coming to the shop. Most shops made no charge, though several said that they wanted a minimum order of £15 within City limits and £25 for further afield.
Many of the shops took orders over the phone and delivered COD, or operated an account for regular customers. The Group visited more than 50 shops. Their survey makes very interesting reading and shows that local shops are willing and able to compete with the big retailers, and keep it personal as well. It may be tempting to save a few pence and buy at the supermarket, but it is often a case of "use it or lose it" with serious consequences for those who cannot get out.
No Choice in Canberra
Another issue of Canberra Consumer is to hand, this one for June. In it the Chairman has his say about competition or lack of it in the area. He points out that deregulation to increase competition seldom does so, and quotes examples of opening up the petrol market to all comers, a similar opening up of the milk market, banks, pay-TV and the deregulated telecommunications market, where promised or forecast price reductions owing to increased competition have failed to materialise.
New Editor for Bromley Watchdog
John Hollow is the new Editor of "Watchdog", the magazine of the Bromley & District Consumer Group. He says in his first Editorial that "Watchdog is for you" and goes on to ask for contributions - a familiar request from Consumer Group Editors.
The September issue contains a report on a survey of postal deliveries. This proved to be inconclusive, as many of the letters received by members had no postmark or indication as to whether first or second class service was used. Without a postmark the receiver cannot tell when the letter was posted. One wonders what went wrong at the Bromley sorting office. Where there was a postmark and first or second class service identifiable, Group Members agreed that the letters had been delivered in one or two days as the standard requires.
One hears plenty of criticism of local bus services, so it is pleasing to note that one Bromley Group member thinks that the MINIBUS Services run by Orpington Buses improve the quality of life for older residents who do not have cars. The services, she says, are remarkably regular, every 20 minutes during the week and every 30 minutes on Sundays and in the evenings.
How Prompt is Prompt?
asks the Oxford Consumer Group (prompted by Ken Frere).
British Gas gives a rebate of £7.50 a quarter to customers who pay, by cash or cheque, promptly. "Promptly" is defined as "not more than ten days after the bill date" At the Oxford Group's AGM, members who have reservations about direct debits and, moreover, are suspicious about something for nothing, queried the exact meaning of this phrase. As the bill is sent out by second class post, should they rush down to their bank or the post office to pay it on the morning it is received to qualify for the quite generous discount? After a prompt, British Gas eventually gave the Group a reply to the query, which they were prepared to see in print:
The "ten days" following the date printed on the bill excludes non-working days - i.e. weekends and public holidays. British Gas computers have been programmed to treat this period as sixteen calendar days. If you allow a reasonable four to five days each way for postage and/ or bank transfers, this means that you have not more than a week following receipt of the bill to pay it in full by cheque or in cash over the counter. If you do so the rebate of £7.50 will be deducted from your next gas bill. After sixteen days the computer is unrelenting.
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