The winter issue of `Tynebuy' contains, among many interesting items, a report of a visit to the impressive new International Terminal at Newcastle Airport. The party immediately criticised the lack of directions for the information desk where they were supposed to meet the Duty Officer. They did meet him but not without difficulty as there were virtually no signs. It seems the `signing' within the terminal leaves much to be desired. One, perhaps unexpected, difficulty is that when the sun shines into the new terminal building with its large expanse of glass, the brightness makes the electronic screens announcing departures and arrivals invisible! Perhaps the designers did not expect much sunshine in the North East, in which case shame on them.
The Group realised that security was very tight but not obtrusive. One member, knowing that the party was `on camera' all the time, wondered if this included cameras in the toilets. If there were, they were very unobtrusive.
They loved the International Departure Lounge but were appalled at the prices of refreshments. There seemed to be long walks to departure points, as in most airports, but the `air bridges' which allowed passengers to walk into the aeroplanes on the same level were appreciated. This is a bit different from the experience of Editor of Consumer News when, on crutches with a bad leg, he flew to Newcastle and was greeted on the terminal with a fork lift truck with a wheel chair rather perilously positioned for him to step into to be lowered to the ground. It was a long time ago.
Visits which Tyneside Consumers' Group will be making in the New Year are to Newcastle United football club and the Tesco extra Store at Kingston Park. Readers who would like details should contact the Group's Secretary, Mary Storer, (01661 823 286).
One of the Group's members wanted some urgent medical advice and rang her doctor's surgery at 3pm. She was told that a nurse would ring her back but heard nothing until, at 6pm, she rang again to be told that the surgery was closed and to ring the next day.
So she rang NHS Direct (she has the number stuck on the telephone). The nurse there was most helpful and able to give clear and concise instructions. She was greatly relieved. She says there has been some criticism of this service but from one satisfied patient a big "thank you' for a peaceful night"
Jack Lavety, the Secretary of the Aberdeen Consumer Group, concluded his review of the past year with a message to members which should be echoed wherever there is a Consumer Group. He wrote "what we lack is feedback and information. Do you know of anything we should be scrutineering or investigating? Remember, we are not without teeth! We have an active National body and a range of other bodies we can contact - but you must contact us first."
The Winter issue of `Consuming Interest', the Group's magazine, is full of interesting material; a sorry tale about changing gas and electricity suppliers, some disturbing revelations about how badly banks treat their customers and a confession that the Group has given up in the attempt to unravel the complexities of the telephone system and its associated costs in the hope of being able to recommend what is believed to be best value.
We all, or almost all, eat bananas and probably do not give thought to who produces them. You should. Most are produced by multinational companies in a monoculture system with, frequently, heavy use of pesticides which undermine the health of the poorly paid banana workers and their families.
There are bananas which you can buy with a clear conscience: Fairtrade Bananas, Windward Island Bananas, Organic Bananas. All are grown with a better environment in mind and with less or no pesticides. Fairtrade Bananas were first grown in Costa Rica and sold by-passing the multinational corporations to give workers fair pay and allow social and environmental improvements. In the Windward Islands the growers are usually small family farms with better workers' conditions and where less chemicals are used, even though they are marketed through the big firms.
The Aberdeen Group Committee went looking for these bananas. They found that Sainsbury stocked Fair Trade bananas - "from Windward Island Farms which are part of the Windward certified grower scheme" and also from the Windwards - "small and sweet Caribbean bananas". There were also organic bananas from the Dominican Republic.
Otherwise the picture is patchy. The Co-op sells Fairtrade bananas but is closing down soon. Organic bananas are more widely available but the advice is to look out for them as they are not always well displayed or advertised and not always in stock. Fairtrade and organic bananas are more expensive but Windward Islands ones are usually no more expensive than any others and sometimes cheaper in large packs. However you must look closely at the labels as the seller may not flag the source or may even be wrong!
Finally, The Aberdeen Group Committee suggests that if your local fruit source does not sell `friendly' bananas ask why not, or go somewhere which does.
The Oxford Consumers' Group has been much involved over some time with the OTS, the Oxford T r a n s p o r t - Strategy. Professor Goodwin, the former Head of the Transport Studies Unit in Oxford, warned that there would be three weeks of chaos when the major changes to traffic arrangements came into force, with a traffic free Cornmarket and the bus priority route established, but that things would soon settle down after that. One year later Oxford Group decided to see if his forecast was true.
They asked members how travel arrangements had changed and received replies from all quarters of the City and some from much further afield. Replies were divided according to direction but the sad conclusion is that it does not really matter from which direction you approach the City Centre, or try to leave it, problems of one sort or another remain.
The Winter issue of "The Oxford Consumer" goes into considerable detail about the problems found by motorists, cyclists and pedestrians as well as users of public transport. The major cause of dissatisfaction with the OTS concerns the station junction where there is bus traffic as well as taxis, cyclists, pedestrians and private cars all converging; and nowhere obvious to park. The traffic lights have odd sequences which confuse, cyclists get a raw deal, but the major criticism is that direction signs are inadequate and sometimes misleading.
The Group has made known its views, and some possible solutions to difficulties, to the Director of Environmental Services, the Chief Transport Planner and the County Signage Consultant. All three accompanied members of the Group on a walk-about on site. As a result all the signs are being changed. In fact they should be done by the time you read this. Directions to a footbridge will be improved and other improvements made which will include, eventually, a new pedestrian tunnel.
Full marks to the Group for this action. However, one respondent summed up the situation well - "OTS has given with one hand and taken away with the other". The Group seems to have been able to persuade the authorities to at least open the palm of the other hand.
Bromley and District Consumer Group is interested in members' views of eating out. In the November issue of `Watchdog' Cyril Gill wrote (twice in my copy) - "one of the changes which can be observed in our local High Streets is the increasing number of places where one can eat". As a start the Group decided to find out members' opinions of cooked lunches available in pubs and wine bars, and to this end a survey form was included with the Group's magazine. It asked a number of fairly obvious questions but particularly asked that a value for money opinion be expressed and the bill for the meal be included with the filled-in form so that prices could be substantiated. Provided enough members respond the results of the survey are going to be very interesting and useful.
Another phenomenon that assails the senses is the huge increase in fast food outlets. The original fast food outlet, the fish and chip shop, has real competition, and a recent one-man survey by the Editor of Consumer News showed that they do not provide food that fast anymore; in his area anyway. Perhaps Bromley Group will make fast food outlets the subject of their next survey.
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