Watchdog - issue No. 131 - May 1999
The Bromley Consumer Group Newsletter

CONTENTS

Cycle Paths
All Change - Again for Telephones
Loose Change
Computers - Educating Mums & Dads
Fresh vs Canned Foods
Comparing Costs of Car Repairs
Leaning On a Lamp Post
The Mortgage Code
Millennium Bug
Free Internet
European Number Plates
SIDIA Newsletter (Soap)
Hallmarks
Higher Parking Fines
Equigas
€uro Corner
Snippets

Cycle Paths

For many years I have been an advocate of cycle paths, since it has become less safe for cyclists on the roads, with the increased volume of traffic; moreover if motorists are to be encouraged to use this (healthier) alternative means of travelling, they have to be convinced that it is safe to do so. I was therefore pleased to notice the efforts being made to create cycle paths.

However, cycle paths on the pavement(!) along Bromley Common a situation where pedestrians and cyclists have to use the space, which could lead to confrontations and bad feelings. What’s more, the has to avoid obstacles such as lamp posts, driveways, etc.

I decided to have a trial ride on each of the two new systems, i.e. on the pavement as well as on the new green cycle track along South Eden Park Road. The ride to the Common was uneventful, and I joined the new cycle path towards Bromley, conscious that I was the only person using it. I noticed five other cyclists ignoring the path in favour of the road. Another "path user" came towards me from the opposite direction, and I wondered if that was allowed. I also encountered two pedestrians, who smiled at me, and then one family who took up much of the space on the pavement, so that I was obliged to ride off from the pavement onto the road in order to pass them. Apart from these minor encounters, the ride was uneventful up to this point.

Turning left at the traffic lights, I negotiated the hazards of: two lanes of traffic coming up the road, passing road works, and a queue of traffic held up by a parked car which was blocking the one lane of traffic going down the hill. I joined the green cycle lane at West Wickham — South Eden Park Road is a nice, wide road, with ample space. But, since parking is allowed on both sides of the road (cycle path included) I was spending a lot of time glancing over my shoulder before pulling out into the traffic lane, where cars were overtaking me much closer than was necessary.

On the whole I spent more time in the traffic lane, as it felt safer because, for some reason, cars seemed to be giving me a wider berth. So, my conclusions are that cycle paths are a good idea but not well thought out. Although I had every right to be using the paths. I felt intimidated. I feel that cyclists have the same need as trains to be separated from cars. It is a fact that motorists don’t always see cyclists. I have learnt this from experience, having had two major accidents whilst riding a bicycle, once going passing a "T’ junction, and the second time at a roundabout and on both occasions I was hit on the left-hand side by drivers who claimed they did not see me!

All Change - Again for Telephones

Telephone numbers for households and businesses are due to be changed from April. Mobile phones and pagers are also due for number changes later this year. Freephone numbers are to be spared for the time being. The area code for inner London will change from 0171 to 0207, and the outer London numbers from 0181 to 0208. The old codes will cease on the 22 April 2000. Anyone thinking of having new stationery printed, should bear this in mind.

Loose Change

Are we in our rights to heap unlimited coins on to shopkeepers in payment of purchases? Yes we can, with £1 and £2 coins, but traders have the right to refuse more than 20p in bronze, £5 in 5p and 10p pieces, and £10 in 20p and 50p coins.

Computers - Educating Mums & Dads

The use of computers in school and by some children at home, has created a situation whereby it has become essential for many children to have a computer at home, with the appropriate software, and access to the Internet. With experts expounding the benefits of this, the government is now stressing the importance of the Internet to allow children to study outside of school hours via the National Grid for Learning.

It is understandable that often some children know more about computers than their parents. For these parents, help is at hand, and details can be obtained from: 

Parents Information Network, P. O. Box 16394, London SE1 3ZP, or ring 0891 633644 (premium rates - beware) or visit them at their website at http://www:pin-parents.com.

Fresh vs Canned Products

We are taught that fresh food is usually best, but sometimes, in our busy lifestyles, we have to resort to canned varieties, which incidentally, are also handy as a standby in the cupboard, and the contents do not deteriorate quickly.. How do they compare, for nutrition value, with fresh or frozen?

The canning process has been around for a long time, and during the war, when fresh supplies were very short, tins of Spam and Corned Beef were welcome in many households. Provided cans are intact, i.e. no signs of bulging or rust which may cause a puncture in the tin, they make a generally good substitute, when necessary.

The following is a comparison of some products — canned, fresh or frozen:

Sweetcorn — not affected by canning, apart from the added sugar and salt; but there are some brands now, with reduced levels of these substances.

Peas — fresh or frozen peas contain more vitamin C, and the least nutritional canned peas are the processed variety.

Tomatoes — although the levels of vitamin C and E are slightly reduced by canning, a substance called lycopene, found in tomatoes, is more easily absorbed from the canned product. Lycopene is believed to assist in lowering levels of prostate and breast cancers.

Tuna — vitamin D and Selenium are present in the same quantities in either canned or fresh, but canning destroys the omega-3 fatty acids which are important for a healthy heart and circulation. From a calories point of view it is better to buy tuna in brine, rather than tuna in oil.

Sardines — omega-3 fatty acids are not destroyed, and nutrition compares favourably with fresh.

Kidney Beans — as with sweetcorn, the salt content is high, and the canning process destroys much of the folic acid, but in other respects the nutrition is the same in canned or home-cooked dried beans. The plus side to using canned beans is that it is very handy as long slow cooking is required for the dried, and if not done properly the toxin contained in the beans is not destroyed and could cause sickness.

Peaches and Pears - Vitamin C is lost in canning, and fibre content is also lower. If canned in syrup the calorie content is much higher. In this instance, fresh is certainly better. Pineapples and other acidic fruits such as grapefruit and mandarins — not much Vitamin C is lost in the process, although fibre content is slightly less than in fresh, and again, there is more calories in the syrup. But, overall, provided the fruits are canned in their own juice, there is not much difference between canned or fresh.

Vegetable Soup — a certain amount of vitamin C and thiamin is lost during the canning process, but probably no more than when preparing from fresh vegetables, especially if leftover vegetables are used, when these vitamins have already been depleted. Spaghetti - a higher level of thiamin (vitamin B1) is found in canned spaghetti, but a slightly lower level of B6 and fibre so, overall, there is not much difference between fresh or tinned.

Who pays for damage caused by others? Extracted from The Plymouth Consumer magazine

"Do you see that?" , said my wife, who was looking out of the window. And with that I was just in time to see, on the other side of the road, a lorry backing into a lamp-post. The force of the lorry sent the top two-thirds of the post 30 degrees from the perpendicular — at which point the lorry and workmen drove off.

These men had been working along the pavement laying cable. "Fujitsu, working for BT" the notice said, and gave an 0800 telephone number for any queries. Seeing that these contractors seemed uninterested in this newly leaning lamppost I rang the contact number.

The man who answered seemed no more interested than the workmen. On my enquiring what Fujitsu intended to do about the lamp-post he replied, "It’s street furniture" and was therefore a council problem.

On telephoning the council street lighting department I was told that this often happens. Contractors damage street fittings and do not report the incident, thereby leaving the Council Tax payer to foot the bill. However, in this case I was able to give them such details of the accident that it would enable a claim for compensation to be made, so that we, the Council Tax payers would not have to pay for damage caused by others.

So, the answer to the question, who pays, is the Council Tax payer. Unless someone takes the trouble, and it’s not too much trouble, to pick up the ‘phone and report what was seen. In this way the perpetrator pays and not the overburdened householder.

The Mortgage Code

For the majority of us, the buying of our home is the biggest commitment we will ever make, and yet the financial side of house buying is frequently the least understood.

In buying a car — usually the second most expensive — payment is made either by cash or by some form of hire purchase agreement with the supplier, or by leasing. Whatever our choice, the process is uncomplicated.

Not so, when it comes to house buying — the options are endless; we are faced with:- Fixed Mortgages, Variable Rate Mortgages, Negative Equity, Mortgages, Capped Rate Mortgages, Discount Mortgages, and so on and so on, all of which are bewildering, and fraught with pitfalls for the unwary.

For example, up to a few years ago the insurance route was popular. There were three levels of insurance on offer: (1) one which simply paid off the mortgage (2) one which paid of the mortgage and provided a small lump sum, and (3) one which paid off the mortgage and provided a lump sum balance which, it was forecast at the time, would be adequate for retirement.

Of course, we now know that these forecasts were overoptimistic. People who chose the first option now find that they have to find a large sum to complete the mortgage, option No. 2 almost balances, and the third option pays off the mortgage but leaves a disappointingly small amount as a nest egg. So clearly, the advice given to mortgagees was not carefully considered nor the possible ramifications emphasised. There were also large commissions attached to the sale of these policies, which could account for the enthusiasm with which they were sold (?). Whatever the case, it all boils down to a mortgage being a long term wealth hazard.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders have done well in producing a Code of Practice, which stipulates, as its key comments:

• Act fairly and reasonably in all our dealings with you;
• Ensure that all services and products comply with this Code, even if they have their own terms and conditions;
• Give you information on our services and products in plain language, and offer help if there is any aspect which you do not understand;
• Unless you have already decided on your mortgage, help you to choose a mortgage to fit your needs;
• Help you to understand the financial implications of a mortgage;
• Help you to understand how your mortgage account works;
• Ensure that the procedures our staff follow reflect the commitments set out in this Code;
• Correct errors and handle complaints speedily;
• Consider cases of financial difficulty and mortgage arrears sympathetically and positively;
• Ensure that all services and products comply with relevant laws and regulations.

The Independent Review Body for the Banking of Mortgage Codes is monitoring this Code, and there is talk of it being made mandatory if it is seen not to be practised in essence, if not dot for dot.

So, any society with a Code of Practice that makes it safer for the prospective home buyer would be very welcome even if membership of all mortgage providers and intermediaries (or brokers as they used to be called) were only voluntary.

However, the Consumer Association's "Which", states that banks, building societies and brokers are, in some cases, still blatantly giving inappropriate advice , and their attempt at staff regulation is making no difference. They investigated 66 branches of Lenders and 20 Intermediaries. Fewer than half of those interviewed did not even mention the Code. These included: The Halifax, Cheltenham & Gloucester, and Nationwide. Lack of training and qualifications needs to be addressed, as obviously, anyone who has studied and gained qualifications would be more careful in their advice if there were a risk of losing their credibility. The Consumers Association survey has made some effect, inasmuch as the Treasury has threatened to introduce regulations if the voluntary Codes fail.

In the meantime, to explain in simple terms:

A Negative Equity Mortgage means that if the value of your present home has fallen, and you no longer have the minimum needed to buy a new house, you can sometimes get 100%-125% of the value of the property you wish to buy.

A Capped Rate Mortgage means you buy at the current rate of interest, and regardless of whether the interest goes up, your mortgage will remain at the capped rate at which you started, but if the rates fall you will benefit from this.

Fixed Rate means that you take on a mortgage at a fixed interest rate and gamble on the general mortgage rate going up. i.e. if you have a mortgage fixed at 6% interest, you wont be affected if the rate goes up to 8%. Conversely, you will not benefit from rate reductions either.

Step Down Discounts is a discounted loan where the size of the discount decreases over time.

Overhangs also known as redemption tail. These are redemption penalties on a fixed, discounted or capped mortgage that continue after the special deal has finished. Some lenders offer a choice of one rate with no overhangs or a slightly better rate with overhangs.

Droplock — where a borrower has the option to convert a variable-rate loan to a fixed loan within a set time.

Flexi-loans or Flexible Mortgages are loans that allow borrowers to make extra repayments, extend borrowings or take payment holidays without penalty or extra charges. Current account loans take the flexible mortgage a stage further by combining it with a bank account and credit card.

Finally, with the fall in interest rates, there has been a spate of cheaper mortgages on offer, but switching your mortgage from one lender to another is not without risk. House buyers may find that they are trapped by heavy redemption charges on fixed rate, capped and discounted mortgages. Charges can be in the region of thousands of £s. It is very important to check on such matters, and to ask as many questions as you can think of before signing a mortgage agreement, particularly with the cheaper options.

Remember: "Let the Buyer Beware".

Millennium Bug

Hardly a day passes when there is not some alarming forecast and speculation regarding the Millennium. We can only wait and see, but if you have any particular concern or

query, Bromley Council’s Year 2000 Team may be able to help you. Their hotline number is 0181 466 5679.

Not everyone is worried about Millennium Bug — Biggin Hill management are confident that their computers will be ready for the change, and they are prepared to fly planes out on the night of December 31.

Free Internet

Since the article "Freeserve" which appeared in the last issue of Watchdog, it would appear that most suppliers will now be providing free access to the internet. Richard Branson, with his Virgin Net, has decided that the way ahead is to offer a good service with a free quality-content, and not simply a free basic service with all the extra avenues of information having to be paid for.

Other ISPs (Internet Service Providers) will be sure to follow, or fall by the wayside. Of course, as with all other services, charges are made for the telephone calls, and this is one problem area for beginners, who have difficulty in connecting, thereby running up their phone bills. The best advice is to use off- peak periods —evenings and weekends are the cheapest, as with normal phone calls.

If you are just starting on the Internet, all you need is a fast modem — V.90 56 Kbps ~ fastest — and plenty of RAM on the computer to save time on phone bills.

Finally, bon voyage through the Internet!

JWH

Have you bought new European number plates?

Although the so-called new European number plates are becoming available for purchase from a number of sources, their use is illegal in the UK.

One source of the EU plates is via the Eurotunnel Shuttle ticket pack, which contains a mail order "offer" to purchase a set of such plates as a direct replacement for existing ones. The plates are marked with the EU symbol of a ring of 12 stars set above the letters GB, all to the left of the car registration letters and numbers. It is claimed that they conform to the British Standard BS AU 145a (1972) and that they remove the need to carry a GB sticker at the rear of the car when travelling abroad.

Over the years, this British Standard has been progressively updated; the current version, to which any new design should conform, being BS AU 145d (1998). Bromley library holds only the current version of the standard, so I have not been able to check readily what the changes from BS AU145a have been. However, they are unlikely to have been significant in respect of the marking requirements. The current standard allows only the registration letters and numbers and beneath, in small letters, the name of the manufacturer and the relevant British Standard. Therefore, the EU number plates not only contain illegal marking, but smaller registration letters and numbers, which are likely to be below the legal minimum. I have confirmed with the AA that these EU plates will fail the MOT test. As a matter of interest, my AA contact’s car had just failed its MOT test because of customised registration plates!

It would be convenient if the EU plates removed the need to carry a GB sticker at the rear of the car when travelling abroad. Unfortunately, they do not. The minimum height for the GB is 8 cm, which is roughly the same as the usual car registration letters, and more than twice that on the EU plates.

Coincidental to my enquiries, a small piece on the subject appeared in the Sunday Times of 7 March. Apparently, this style of EU plate is legal in several EU states, and UK Government ministers are keen to follow suit. However, as consultation with the police and industry has only just started, you should not replace your standard registration plates yet.

SIDIA

THE SOAP & DETERGENT INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
CODE OF GOOD ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICE

SIDIA recently launched the Code of Good Environmental Practice in the UK, formulated by the detergent Industry at European level. This unique initiative represents a new direction and major step forward in the industry’s commitment to achieve environmental benefits. It sets four clear and measurable targets for action to be achieved across Europe by 2001:

• 5% reduction in energy consumed per wash
• 10% reduction in the weight of detergent consumed per wash
• 10% reduction in the weight of packaging consumed per capita
• 10% reduction in the weight of poorly-biodegradable ingredients used per capita

Most of the targets relate to product formulation and design but research identifies the biggest single impact on the environmental cycle of the detergent is the way consumers do the washing.

UK achievement of the first target alone could produce energy savings equivalent to the annual consumption of 50,000 households, Washing machines account for 1.8 per cent of the total UK electricity use and more frequent use of lower temperature wash cycles could reduce this consumption by five per cent.

The Code is supported by ‘Going for Green’, the Government-backed environmental body and DETR recently quoted the Code in their consultation paper on sustainable development and business in the UK under ‘Sustainable strategies’.

The detergent industry launched the Wash-Right campaign this autumn to promote and encourage consumers to wash more efficiently with respect to the environment, by using full loads, reducing the temperatures of washes where possible and to measure detergents carefully, according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Detergent packs will carry the T-shirt logo and Wash-Right panel, demonstrating that the manufacturers support the industry’s Code. Participating manufacturers will include the logo and panel on-pack from late summer onwards.

Consumers are also invited to visit the website on the "Wash-Right" campaign, which gives more information and guidance on saving energy and resources, whilst still giving excellent washing results at http://www.washright.com.

AISE Initiative

The SDIA’s Code in the UK follows the lead set by the European Soap. Detergent and Maintenance Products industry (AISE). They put forward the Code of Good Environmental Practice for household laundry detergents in response to the European Commission’s Fifth Environmental Action Programme, which calls for industry and business to be more proactive in supporting sustainable development.

The European Commission adopted a Recommendation endorsing the detergent industry’s Code. Mr. Martin Bangemann, the Commissioner in charge of the industry, said: "The combination of the Commission Recommendation and an industry voluntary agreement can serve as a good example of the use of a new instrument in environmental policy. As far as the detergent industry is concerned, this method has already a proven record. I hope that other industry sectors may commit themselves to similar initiatives.

Hallmarks

Consumers probably do not very often buy precious metal jewellery; usually it will be for special occasions marking life stages. We put our trust in the retailer we use, as it is impossible to know the standard of gold, silver or platinum (what, or indeed whether there is, precious metal content) by looking at the piece of jewellery.

Hall marks — small marks stamped on the back of gold, silver or platinum articles — guarantee the fineness of the metal. They show the object has been independently tested. In the UK this is carried out by an Assay office. In line with European rules, the UK now recognises marks from other European countries as long as they are by a similarly independent body with legal controls.

Shops selling precious metal jewellery and other articles are obliged to display a list for your guidance, and if for any reason you should have a query, a Trading Standards Officer should be able to identify the marks and therefore the standard and the manufacturer.

Higher Parking Fines

Parking fines in Bromley has increased to:- £80 for waiting and loading offences in the town centre (previously £60); £60 for parking illegally in meter and pay-and-display bays in the town centre, and out of town offences (previously £40); £40 for offences in off-street car parks (previously £30). As before, paying within a fortnight will reduce these sums by half. You will now have to pay £125 (previously £105) to free your car from the pound.

Equigas . . . .

. . . . has been developed by a non-profit making Christian based company to offer fair gas prices for all.

With most gas tariffs how you pay impacts on how much you pay. So customers using prepayment meters pay proportionately more for their gas than direct debit customers — and yet are probably less able to afford it. This also applies to quarterly paying customers using small amounts of gas. Equigas customers pay the same price - 1.638p including VAT per kWh of gas used, no matter what payment method you select.

You may get cheaper gas than from British Gas by changing to this company, you may get it cheaper elsewhere but be content to know that you are benefiting those who are missing out at the moment.

For more details call the free line 0800 117 116

€uro Corner

Euro Currency

On January 1 this year the Euro currency became legal tender, and is used by Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Netherlands, Portugal, Finland, Austria, Luxembourg and Belgium. As yet, the use of this currency is confined to cheques, travellers cheques, mortgages, loans and deposit accounts. The hard currency will not be used until 2002.

It is still to be finally decided whether the UK joins the 11 countries named above, in the use of this currency.

Euro Symbol (€)

Referring to your "passing thought" in the February ‘99 issue of Watchdog, I receive a collation of news items on the E.C. which uses what appears to be a capital ‘C’ overprinted by the equals sign. I have not tried this out myself but you may find this works as a reasonable facsimile of the Euro sign.

M. E. Newton (Mrs.) SE20

Euro - Some Food for the Editor's Thought

All is not lost if you do not have one of the latest keyboards and system software. There is an official Microsoft patch available for Windows 95, which provides the financial Euro symbol for a few of the main fonts such as Times New Roman. The lack of a symbol on the keyboard for the Euro is overcome by pressing the two keys Alt Gr and 4 simultaneously. It is inevitable that Microsoft and others will come up with patches for other keyboards and system software, so keep watch and be patient.

The patch is available for download from (www.microsoft.com/euro). It is available also from the cover disc of PC Pro number 54 and, presumably, from other computer magazines.

Whilst on the subject of the Microsoft web site - you may like to browse around the continually evolving web site (www.microsoft,com/year2000). This site reveals a lot of interesting information about the year 2000 problem, including listings of the extent of the compliance of a wide range of Microsoft software.

JS Bromley

Snippets

Post Office Moves

The Petts Wood Queensway post office branch will have its new office at 83 Queensway, and opening hours will be: Monday — Friday from 9 am to 5.30 pm, and Saturday from 9 am to 2.30 pm. The branch is expected to open in June.

New Pharmacy

Sainsburys Locksbottom has opened its new pharmacy dispensing prescriptions — one more step in the demise of the small independent chemist.

Microspheres

With the hayfever season approaching, sufferers might be interested to know that the latest offering in the natural remedies field for this symptom is a capsule called Microspheres. It contains natural antihistamine properties and other ingredients, and is claimed to help relieve itchy skins, eye inflammation, etc. so anyone not wanting to use conventional medicine might be interested in trying these capsules. Microspheres are on sale at health food stores and cost £10.99 for a 30-day supply. (N.B. This is for information only, and not intended as a recommendation.)

Items for Watchdog

Please send all items for inclusion in Watchdog to the editor, 3 Lynmouth Rise, Orpington, BR3 2EJ

The Group is a voluntary, non profit making organisation with no political affiliations. Its aims are to increase the awareness of consumers, to identify and promote their interests an to provide a channel for consumer opinion and representation. Group membership is only £5 per household. For more details contact the membership secretary at the above address.

Thought for the day:

It’s the tools a man uses, not the tools he may possess, that make his profit.