THE OXFORD
CONSUMER
QUARTERLY MAGAZINE of the OXFORD CONSUMERS GROUP
SPRING 2002 No 161
THE OXFORD CONSUMER is sent to members of the OXFORD CONSUMERS GROUP. Membership is: £10 a year (£7 concessionary rate), Material published in The Oxford Consumer may not be reproduced, either in whole or part, without the written consent of the Group (application being made to the Editor). In no circumstances may material be used for any form of advertising, sales promotion or publicity.
Online Contact: oxford@ncf.info
So said the Consumers' Association to the Office of Fair Trading in October. It was using new powers for the first time to make a "supercomplaint". Under new rules, responsible consumer bodies will be able to make such complaints, which the OFT will be obliged to consider. It has 90 days to decide whether to carry out a formal investigation.
Problems highlighted by the CA include:
Private dentists who fail to outline the treatment planned.
Apparently arbitrary charges by private dentists, and failure to provide details of their charges. Consumers can't compare the charges of different dentists and of the NHS, and can't identify a fair price for a treatment.
Difficulty of getting redress after poor treatment. Private treatment lacks a complaints system; any system is at the discretion of the individual dentist. The consumer may have to sue for negligence or breach of contract.
The private-dentistry investigation now under way is of great importance in two respects. It is a pilot scheme, to check whether the legislation concerning such "supercomplaints", to be laid before Parliament on 19 March, leaves any loopholes. It will also, obviously, bring to light matters of acute concern to many suffering members of the public. Have you had any relevant experiences? Any information our questionnaire collects will of course be sent to the OFT and will greatly help their investigation.
We publish this month a third article in what is becoming a long-running serial, "Changes in the NHS". This will also be the subject of the guest speaker at our ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING on Thursday 11 April at 333 Banbury Road LINDA WATSON of the Community Health Council will speak. See our insert.
The revolution in local government was the subject of an article in our last magazine, and has elicited a reply from the County's Chief Executive Richard Shaw. He said: "I am sorry you do not think there has been adequate information about recent changes in political management structures. There has been quite extensive coverage of the changes in the local media. We have also published an explanatory booklet, a copy of which I enclose. Further information can be obtained from Derek Bishop in our Democratic Services team, 01865 815 889."
It is very useful to have a contact number, and if you wish to address a meeting, or find out dates and times, then this seems to be the number to ring. Various other numbers are given in the
booklet, but not this one. In fact the booklet, a full colour glossy A5, is singularly lacking in such useful information, let alone the reasons for the changes. It gives full contact details for the 17 senior County Councillors, those on the Executive or chairing committees. However, it does not say how often committees meet, nor give the rules for attending or addressing their meetings.
We have been looking for copies in libraries or other outlets, ever since we received the booklet, but cannot find any. "A New Style of Governance for Oxfordshire" is the title; do please have a look for it. We suppose County Hall has copies for the public.
We are of course passing these comments to the County.
On January 7th two documents were presented in response to the six-week "listening exercise" to the reactions to last year's discussion documents, "Shifting the Balance of Power in the NHS". One paper dealt with the internal structural changes, the other on the new and hugely expanded role of the patients and public within the NHS.
There were only 400 replies nationally, and mostly from related organisations such as the CHCs and nurses' and carers' groups, and only 1,000 people attended the meetings, but it seems they commented with good effect and even better, were actually listened to. (So were the protests, mentioned in our last issue, against the proposed reorganisation of the ambulance service into vast regions; the Parliamentary Secretary has now announced that she will not go ahead with the plans.) The proposals are mostly good to excellent with only one small proviso. The principle is "to bring patients from the outside to being present at every level of the NHS to achieve change and improvement" and these new proposals really do seem to answer this need.
The CHCs are to be replaced by a new body, The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health. This will be a statutory body entirely independent of the NHS, and will "take forward the best of CHC work, particularly in regard to patients' complaints and public representation." It is to set standards and monitor performance by means of a whole series of new bodies, all involving lay representation.
In future the main budget will be managed by the most basic level of the organisation, the Primary Care Trusts, whose boundaries largely coincide with those of district councils, and they will provide and maintain services for medical and dental care, district nurses, therapists for speech and physio etc. They will also buy in services, such as hospital or specialist care, and even purchase the emergency ambulance service and patient transport. For specialist subjects, such as cancer, they will act through networks with other Trusts to ensure adequate and equal provision.
The Trusts will also house and maintain the Patient Advice and Liaison Service, which will be on the spot to deal immediately with patients' complaints or queries, in GP surgeries, hospitals and clinics. If patients are not satisfied, then they can go to the Independent Complaints Advocacy who will take up their case; or indeed it is possible to bypass the PAL and go straight to the ICA, who are appointed directly by the Commission, which will also monitor their handling of the complaints.
Each Trust will also have a Patients' Forum, with lay members appointed by the NHS Appointments Commission, drawn from the community as a whole, especially including minority groups. Their administrative and secretarial assistance will be supported by the Commission.
Local Overview and Scrutiny Committees will be made up from non-executive local councillors and are to have at least as many statutory powers as the CHCs, to ensure health improvement, reduce health inequalities, monitor local performance and make routine reports, and recommendations, and will be able to refer matters to the Secretary of State. This will help to ensure equality of provision over the country: no more 'postcoded' services or provision of medicines.
Dare one carp? Yes: you can only get these documents via e-mail; no "hard copies" (paper to you and me) are to be available. So perhaps 2/3rds of the population will be left out, or only get it through using library computers. Also, oddly, I was first sent the Structure document, in which -apart from a couple of fleeting references - all these bodies are only mentioned in Appendix E para [f]. I only heard of even the first one by chance, and having ploughed through 46 pages searching for mention of us, then had to discard two weeks' work when I received the correct, relevant paper.
The Forums must soon be set up, so nominations are being sought from CHCs and the voluntary sector. Those taking part will not be paid - everybody was against that - bar some expenses; but there will be help over getting time off work.
Julius Caesar famously divided Gaul into three parts; the European Union is attempting to follow in his footsteps by dividing its member countries into smaller regional units and gearing its funding accordingly. It is ironic to think that Alfred the Great is a hero for uniting the seven kingdoms in England; the clock seems to have been turned back completely.
These reflections were brought on at the AGM of the Oxfordshire Council for Voluntary Associations; while most of its work deals with social and health issues, it has also, like us, been keeping tabs on the quiet revolution in how we are governed. The speaker was Professor Clive Booth, vice-chairman of the South East England Development Agency, which is the executive arm of the Government's Regional Assembly for this chunk of southern England. SEEDA is presently an appointed body, although he foresees that it will become an elected assembly in two or three years, following a referendum. (That of course begs the question "What will happen to the county councils, the district councils, the parish councils?")
SEEDA covers an L-shaped patch from the Thames valley to the south coast and right across the country to the Kentish coast. The Medway towns, Southampton, Berks and Bucks are included. Its job is
- to spot the areas needing regeneration and spread good practice from one to another;
- to tackle the skills shortage by seeking out and training people who already live in the area. More than 600,000 people in the area cannot read well enough to find a plumber in the Yellow Pages!
- to help and encourage new business in manufacturing as well as service and hi-tech industries.
- to invest with partners in local projects which will help the quality of life as well as the economic development of the region; for instance, it has earmarked nearly £5 million as a pump-priming exercise to help the plans for Oxford Castle to get off the ground.
- to boost the rural as well as the urban economy.
The Regional Assembly, mostly made up of local councillors drafted in, has powers over transport and planning, and scrutinises what SEEDA does.
There was a lively debate at the end of Professor Booth's lucid and lively talk; yet another layer of
government did not seem likely to be popular. OCG put forward the suggestion that the regions should be tied to the elections for the European parliament since the whole scheme was designed to bring us into line with Germany where there are traditional Under, Spain which has strong regional identities, and Italy where there are old states which can be revived.
What then will this mean for consumers? How can we keep abreast of what is going on when meetings are distant and we know few if any of the people involved? Alongside SEEDA is a body called RAISE, which is a banding together of voluntary organisations doing its best to keep everyone informed and provide backup training, help and advice, and a channel for volunteer views. OCVA enables; RAISE can lobby. OCG receives the RAISE monthly newsletter, and we have had a lively local voice on its board in Liz Brighouse, OCVA director and now a county councillor again. It was revealed at the meeting that Liz has just been offered a place on the Board of SEEDA, so we shall certainly know whom to contact if we need to make a point or seek help.
Throughout the year notices of new traffic-control measures come to us for comment; perhaps chiefly, in the last year, measures for controlling parking in and around Oxford city. We are grateful to the City's Chief Executive's Department for so often remembering our interest in such notices; we hope that, under the new arrangements, the County's Legal Services Unit will do the same.
Our Executive Committee does its best to respond according to the wishes of OCG generally, so far as we know them or can find them out. We do this chiefly through questionnaires circulated with this magazine, through question-time at the AGM, and through discussion at regular meetings of our Executive and our Projects Group. These are always ready to be contacted (see p 2) by other OCG members, while The Oxford Consumer welcomes letters at any time.
The two Oxford streets which perhaps concern our members most, whether as city residents or as visitors from further out, are St Giles' and Broad Street. We published in our Winter magazine our letter to the City Council about the experimental policy of letting tourist coaches load and unload in St Giles' Street. Here now is our Chairman's letter to the City on the short-term and (slightly) longer term proposals for Broad Street:
Dr Hall and I are most grateful to you for the time you spent explaining some of the obscurer points of this proposal... [Some technical details are here omitted.]... We felt that, overall, the information was not clearly presented. The rearrangement of the various kerbside parking areas seems acceptable and we welcome the rising bollards to keep traffic from the western end of the street. This does mean however that the area immediately east of them will become a turning point full of tourist sightseeing buses and cars trying to park in the disabled places and loading spots at that end of the street. Cars cruising round looking for one of the central free parking places will simply add to the chaos. On balance therefore, the Consumers Group believes
The way such projects slip in time, the Group believes that the final plans cannot possibly be in place for 7 years. We should all, therefore, make every effort to lessen the impact of traffic on a very important urban space while still supporting the Covered Market and its customers.
- The County Council offices, now in charge of Oxford traffic problems, have replied that they have received no objections to the measures [bollards and such] now being put in place. Our comments about parking in the central area of Broad Street, they said, will be considered in the summer. We are glad to see that comments and replies are flowing readily along the new channels.
- One more problem, perhaps of more concern than any other, is of course the place in the Local Plan of the Oxford hospitals, especially the John Radcliffe, and Oxford Brookes University, and the competition between these for space and access. On this problem, see elsewhere
We reported in our last issue on a very informative Seminar Day staged by the Trading Standards Department. They held another in January; they called it, perhaps a little misleadingly, an Open Day, but we weren't shown round their offices. The format was as in the autumn; a warm welcome with coffee, three talks with question-times, and a generous sandwich lunch. Most of those who came were from CABx. We met in County Hall's courtroom, not quite as good acoustically as Kidlington Fire Station, used before; but again we learnt a lot.
The day was geared chiefly to the Sale of Goods Act and the Consumer Credit Act; the basics were not unfamiliar, but there was plenty of detail, definition and supplementation, to equip CAB staff to tackle the trickier questions of their clients. On "acceptance" of goods: taking them home or in at the door isn't necessarily "accepting" them legally. If, on examining them, you find them not as described, not of satisfactory quality, or not fit for their purpose (which doesn't of course mean just not to your liking), you must tell the trader within a reasonable time that you're not "accepting" them; and of course you mustn't do anything to them, like altering a dress, which would indicate acceptance. You're not obliged to take the goods back immediately or in person; but you must give the trader a fair opportunity to collect them from you; or you can claim the cost of returning them.
What is "within a reasonable time"? This is "a grey area never tackled in the High Court"; it is quite reasonable for you to buy a lawnmower in January and not test it till the grass is long enough. A trader can't exclude your rights as a buyer; and his offer to repair doesn't bind you to accept the repaired goods if they are still not satisfactory.
The law about hire-purchase is different: it's not a matter of whether you "accept", but whether you "affirm the contract". The law about damage of your own property by house-removers is different again; Trading Standards promised to think about this for a future Day.
After the Sale of Goods Act (charmingly misprinted in a handout as "Sale of Gods") we moved to the Consumer Credit Act, doorstep selling and distance-selling. Re doorstep-selling, the crucial question is: did you start the deal by going to a trader's premises or phoning or writing and inviting him to call, or did he start it by coming to your door or cold-phoning? If he started it, you can probably cancel; but there are conditions and exceptions, so be very careful about "inviting". If you can cancel and want to, do it in writing by recorded delivery. Distance-selling isn't a matter of where you live; it's a matter of whether the company was set up to deal chiefly with face-to-face purchases (like Argos), or to deal by phone, mail-order or the Internet (like Argos Direct). Again, there are conditions and exceptions, and "implementation has been patchy" in different EU countries.
Some, though not all, credit-agreements can be cancelled; but it is "very unlikely that a court will not enforce one - it will assume that both parties entered into it voluntarily." Are the terms extortionate? "if a figure could be put on what is extortionate, that would be a great step forward"; but "a court will look at a credit bargain as a whole." Has there been harassment? "unreasonable action" is banned, such as threats, deceit, forms which look official but aren't; but harassment by repeated phone-calls would be very difficult to prove.
A gentleman asked whether raising membership fees was breach of contract. The reply was that price is a major factor in such a contract, to be changed only if both parties agree. (But of course any OCG member has the right to resign for any reason at any time.)
We take this opportunity of congratulating Trading Standards publicly, as we have already done privately, on the renewal of their Charter Mark for "excellence in public service". We also congratulate the County Council on its Beacon Status for Competitiveness and Enterprise, to which Trading Standards contributed greatly.
Radio Oxford did your Editor the honour of interviewing her about our September postal survey and December report of it under the above heading. To play against her they had a Consignia spokesman located in Birmingham. His line was that Consignia was doing its best; mistakes were bound to be made; but, about postboxes, complaints by 25 out of 86 respondents that "Next Collection" labels were often not brought up to date, and by 12 out of 86 that boxes were not always cleared at the times stated, were not statistically significant. He expressed surprise that Radio Oxford had taken any notice of the report. We do not recommend this as a way of getting a radio interviewer on to one's side.
Radio Oxford concluded that the subject was likely to "run and run". We are of course seeking a more friendly and perhaps productive interview with Consignia at Garsington Road.
The City Council's Pensioners' Forum no longer exists. But Age Concern (Oxfordshire City and County) held its own interesting forum on 15 November at the Rivermead Centre. Former Councillor Stan Taylor talked about "developments at the City Council" and invited views, some of which expressed anxiety. Penny Thewlis explained how the Age Concern Local (Oxford City) Panel meets every six weeks and "is actually trying to make a difference"; the Panel's standing membership differentiates it from the forum, but a volunteer member would be welcome (ring her on 01608 811 435). Good news was Age Concern's Advocacy service for people in residential homes and (it's hoped) hospitals. Another idea, but one which may not prove viable, is Homeshare, whereby people with big houses can invite others to live in and to give maybe ten hours a week helping.
For the third time running Trading Standards have held their competition with the special slant towards schoolchildren with learning disabilities. This seems to be a permanent change, to focus on those who really need the valuable training the competition provides. This time, at Witney, the Fire Service co-operated by contributing a whole round of questions on fire-safety. Wood Eaton School won once more, but only on a tie-break. They will go on to compete against Birmingham and Cambridge winners before the end of the school year.
The Guardian told how Maiden Bradley's village shop and post office had to announce that it would close for lack of income. The nearest PO would be three miles away with no bus link. "An open meeting revealed a passion to keep the shop open." The District Council and Countryside Agency helped, and a Friendly Society was formed, the Maiden Bradley Village Shop Association Ltd. The shop is staffed (part paid, part voluntary) at "the hours people want", stock is "in response to particular requests", and Consignia promised to reopen the post office. As readers may know, Iffley PO has a rather similar history.
A Story from Scotland Yard We rather liked a story from The Mirror. 1000 people received the kind of letter with which many of us are only too familiar: "You have been selected at random to receive a one-off financial award..." It wasn't quite true; they had all been selected, perhaps at random, but from a list of suspects wanted by Scotland Yard on charges from murder downwards. "350 turned up at a London office to claim their money, produced two pieces of identification - and were promptly arrested." As Trading Standards warn us continually: "If a thing sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
Sainsbury's new store in Magdalen Street is expected to open "by the middle of this year".
Euros A member was asked whether a Euro note would be acceptable to cover payment of a subscription. The problem would be, not only what change to give, but what to do with the note once accepted. There is no obligation to accept, though we hear that some stores are doing so. We would advise politely refusing.
We note that Electric Aids, St Clement's Street, moved in February to 5 The Parade, Windmill Road, Headington. Their new telephone number is 01865 761 405. We are sure that they will continue to supply as good service or better, and parking nearby may be a little easier.
Late November saw the Public Inquiry and the presentation of the Oxford Preservation Trust's opposition to the proposals. OPT found these to be at odds with the strategy to reintegrate West Oxford geographically, and out of scale with the surroundings and with nearby conservation areas; the design was inward-looking and the traffic implications, especially concerning the bus interchange and pedestrian crossings, were disturbing. A decision is expected in the summer.
Standing in for someone unable to be present, your Editor was able to go to the new Youth Hostel for an interesting November joint meeting of the Oxford Civic Society and Local Community Groups such as residents' associations. The OCS Chairman had invited representatives to "general discussion and listening", to "share views and identify problems on the wide range of developments" (chiefly, it transpired, planning developments) "currently taking place in the city", and to "pool first impressions of how the new political structure has started".
The discussion threw up several points new to at least some of those present, and the Chairman took away a list of points about which people were concerned if not unhappy.
The new fast-track system for determining planning applications may be being operated, said the Chairman, by junior officials who don't know the areas in question, resulting in arbitrary decisions. Residents who live near to newly planned buildings are not automatically notified about alterations to applications for planning permission, if the Planning Committee thinks the alterations "minor". It is the resident's obligation to keep in touch, on foot or by the Internet, for fear of such alterations, eg in the proposed height of a building or size of its windows. An objector can of course take the matter to court - not an enticing option.
Not only under this heading, but in general, there was disquiet about circulation of information by the Councils. The quality of Area Committees varies, said the Chairman, and much depends on the quality of a Committee's secretary. Are we all going to be forced, asked someone, to buy computers? The Chairman thought that the planners do take the trouble to meet individual residents' objections - that is why the whole process can take so long.
The Nuffield Orthopaedic Hospital's planning application has gone to the Ombudsman, but all he can do is award damages. Concerning the railway station area, the Buchanan Report "simply accepts what British Rail wanted to do". The detrunking of the A40, at present controlled by the Highways Agency, means that when the time comes the County will have the power to put much-wanted traffic-lights at the Green Road and Banbury Road roundabouts. But will it have the money?
Are the new structures, someone asked, as democratic as they are claimed to be? The OCS chairman agreed that it was questionable.
Apart from the discussion, it was interesting to see inside the new Youth Hostel. The meeting opened with a welcome from its Manager and a description of what it could offer, including some points not mentioned in our description of it in Issue 158. YHA members can now be of any age including the 70's, and they are no longer obliged to wash up; he has 10 full-time and 15 part-time staff. There are no single rooms as such, but you might be able to get a share of a double room, at £18 for the night, and find there was no other occupant; the largest dormitory now has no more than six beds. How far ahead you need to book depends on the season of the year, but they always save some space for last-minute arrivals. Definitely worth remembering if you ever find yourself landed with too many unexpected overnight guests; tel 0870 870 8808 for membership, 01865 72 72 75 for 2A Botley Road.
The very large ground-floor foyer proved ideal for those wishing to wait, rendezvous, or make acquaintance before the main meeting. That was in the equally comfortable Ashmolean Conference Room; the only drawback was that, whether windows were open or shut, every passing train was thunderously audible.
Readers, we are sure, will welcome two new initiatives to provide homes, training and work for homeless people in Oxford. "Aspire Oxfordshire" is one of nine groups (the first one began in Bristol), offering these essentials through catalogue trading. Its catalogue (out about twice a year) offers an enticing selection of UK-made and fairly traded gifts, toys and games, cards and useful items - special pages for gardeners and cat-lovers, Her and Him, and foodies. Aspire workers staff the office, deliver catalogues all over Oxford (if you haven't got one, ring FREEPHONE 0808 100 2201), pack up and deliver the orders. You can also be an Aspire member for £5 a year and get quarterly newsletters, invitations to special events etc. Aspire is also planning to develop a garden-maintenance and basic cycle-repair callout service.
Another venture planned for Oxford which will provide living space, work and a shared home for homeless people is an Emmaus Community. Emmaus UK (supported by Terry Waite and the late Robert Runcie) now has several shared houses in Britain: residents have their own rooms but work full-time - each community has its own workshop where donated furniture and electrical appliances (collected free) are refurbished to full safety standards, for sale to the public (the Brighton Emmaus also has a cafe). It thus fills a niche between the OCVA recycling scheme (refurbished items free to clients recommended by Social Services) and second-hand shops. In the last twelve months, Emmaus UK received £125,000 in donations; but to convert the Cowley premises offered to the Emmaus Oxford group, at least £lm is needed. Readers who would like to support this registered charity can contact the Project Director, Emmaus Oxford, PO Box 289, Oxford OX2 9GB; ring/fax 01865 861912 or Email: Maggiefaul@aol.com OR www.Emmausoxford.co.uk OR www.Emmausoxford.org.uk. A video about Emmaus is available.
And don't forget OXPAT (Oxford Poverty Action Trust) if you feel unhappy about giving or not giving money to people begging in Oxford streets. OXPAT gives the money it collects (boxes in some local shops and at the station, income over £10,000 in 2000) to local charities offering food, shelter, counselling and training for employment to homeless people. Contact the Treasurer, c/o 25 Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6HA. You can also buy £2 vouchers at the Quaker Centre, 42 St Giles, for the Night Shelter. Ask the recipient for his or her name and fill it in to avoid possible trading of the vouchers.
An interesting open meeting crammed the Town Hall Assembly Room to bursting-point on 29 January. It was a chance to comment on Paper 7 of the Local Plan Review: how can the future growth of Oxford Brookes University and of the John Radcliffe and associated Oxford hospitals be fitted into Headington, and if it can't, what is to be done? The meeting was announced as a joint one between the East Area Parliament and the Area Committee for Headington, Marston, Risinghurst and Wood Farm (a clumsy title, but each area insists so strongly on its own identity that nothing better has yet been found). But, as we now know, these meetings are open to all comers, and on this occasion even the usual formal agenda was scrapped.
As soon as we arrived we were invited to sit at our choice of 13 tables, each with places for up to 10, almost all needed. Some were marked "Hospitals", others "Brookes University", others combined both - but it didn't matter, since we were told "you will all be able to discuss what you want to." Each group had a facilitating councillor or other fairly knowledgeable person; but with only the briefest introduction we were well away -the only problems were, for those who hadn't seen the 54-page paper before, to skim through it, and, for those who had already read it, to hear and be heard amidst the buzz.
Each table was asked to report back to the others with its top three ideas; but even to list 39 ideas here isn't possible! We shall merely list those put forward by two or more of the tables (perhaps long-cherished pipe-dreams but still ...)
- Concentrate on affordable housing (5 tables - at least; others doubtless voiced the same idea but didn't rank it top).
- Restrain development of Brookes (4 tables).
- Decentralise the JR (4 tables).
- Preserve green spaces and similar amenities (3 tables).
- Make an access-road from the outer ring-road to the JR (3 tables).
- Devote full consideration to traffic issues (2 tables).
- Remember the needs of residents (2 tables).
There was no formal conclusion by councillors nor indication of how they might vote. The Planning Policy Manager, Patricia Stevenson, ended with an earnest plea for everyone present to complete a six-page comment-form which had accompanied their copies of the agenda. City Council officers, she said, really do want to consider these forms before putting together, perhaps at the end of May, their response.
The Guardian, 2 January 2002, tells a sad story of a Luton man who made a continuous credit-card agreement with Cabletel (now NTL), perhaps thinking that doing this by phone was simpler than arranging a direct debit in writing. Now he knows better. "What few of us realise is that, whereas direct debits can be cancelled by the accountholder, continuous credit-card payments can only be stopped by the recipient... If a trader decides to ignore your requests to stop the payments, too bad... You should think carefully before setting up such a thing because you have to rely on the goodwill of the recipient... One thing you can do is lobby the banking code standards board to address the problem..."
The Oxford Pedestrians Association's newsletter for January /February gives a telephone number, 01235 534 640, for an Abingdon member "who represents the force of Special Constables who are willing to target people who park their cars on pavements and people who ride their bikes on pavements".
A lot of us are now dialling 1471 to get a free feedback of who phoned our number last and what his or her number is. A few of us are also using BT Answer 1571. It will take a caller's message free, immediately if your own phone is engaged, or after seven rings if you just haven't been able to get to your phone. Useful; but what the ad doesn't say is that you can't get on to BT's list of users of this service unless you have a pressbutton phone. And we think seven rings is too little for slow movers or people with mealtrays, working-papers, babies or cats on their laps. We're trying to get the message through to BT.
"One of Canada's best-loved and most celebrated environmental and activist groups", SAGA Magazine explained in September. Founded in the mid-eighties, they are prepared to tackle "virtually every environmental and political issue", but they do it singing satirical songs in crochet shawls and floral hats, for instance to the tune of "Clementine":
"Wake up, people, wake up, people, Time to see what They have done, Corporations running nations..."
There may now be 60 Canadian groups, with 10 more in the USA. Members don't have to be grannies, but, says one, "people look and take notice because grandmothers were always respected..." Contact Doris McNab, 6080 Blink Bonnie Road, West Vancouver V7W 1 VA, British Columbia, Canada, or their website or e-mail address: www.vcn.bc.ca/ragigran fran@pacificcoast net
The best use for them we've seen yet - some one had wound hundreds of them round the handles of his NHS walking-sticks. More comfortable to walk with, and if one band breaks it doesn't matter - just put on two more!
The December Which? says it questioned 10,000 readers about complementary therapies (from acupuncture to yoga, alphabetically). 1198 readers replied. Our questionnaires get a better response rate than that! In the January Which?: p 5 reports problems with the Monotub Titan washing-machine, and asks whether others have had them. p 8 reports on last year's invitation of complaints about dentists. p 14 (unnumbered) says "Tesco is recycling unwanted mobile phones"; no details are given. Our Autumn issue told how the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals are accepting phones for recycling, proceeds to their Children's Critical Care initiative or the developing world; ring Jacqui Martin, 01865 222 487. Environmental Health at Ramsay House, 10 St Ebbe's Street, will take them, but the bin in their reception area says nothing about recycling or proceeds. One more possibility: simply post the phone, freepost in a padded envelope, to Samaritan's Purse, Freepost, MID 23462, BURTON ON TRENT, DE14 1BR; they will recycle it to provide food for children in Eastern Europe. To go back to the January Which?: p 15 (still unnumbered) says Directory Enquiries will soon go competitive. It also advertises four other Which? magazines; but it still doesn't say how you can become a Which? member. p 20 studies fitted kitchens sold by DIY stores but which can be installed professionally. p 26 studies tights. p 55 (unnumbered) promises a February article about Staywarm ("cheaper gas and electricity for pensioners"); it also gives further information about E111 forms - see their July 2001 number, or our Issue 159 p 12. Which?'s warning about British Gas price rises, much headlined at the beginning of this year in
other media, isn't in the January number; maybe it was on Which? Online. In the February Which?: p 4 clarifies retailers' "card-handling fees on debit-card or credit-card transactions". They charge these to save themselves some VAT; but, says Which?, Customs & Excise regard this as "tax avoidance". (Or do they mean tax evasion?) p 4 also warns you of new EC rules for disposing of old fridges and freezers - CFCs have to be removed. So at least five chains have scrapped their takeaway service, and you're lucky if your council will do it without making a charge. p 7 looks into the Staywarm offer, for people over 60 and with not more than three bedrooms and four people in the household, to charge them a fixed fee for gas and electricity, regardless of how much is used. (Our Environmental Health Department told us about this a while ago, and Projects have been trying to find out more.) Which? has found some gas and electricity suppliers who have stopped offering the deal or have a big backlog of applicants; it warns that "Stavwarm isn't always the cheapest, and prices do go up each year." p 7 also looks at the Postal Preference Service (the one we had doubts about, this time last year; not the Mailing Preference Service, which we recommend). Which? reckons that the PPS can get 12p from direct-mail firms for each name and address it passes on (that means yours, if you filled in its questionnaire). p 12 checks on unsafe electrical tools for hire, p 30 on buying property abroad, p 39 on prices of over-the-counter medicines, and p 46 on sewing machines. p 55 (unnumbered) has a sparkling obituary of Lord (Michael) Young, who produced the first Which? in 1957.
While checking my monthly phone bill from British Telecom, I noticed that in mid-September I had apparently made a £6 premium-rate phone call. As I do not use premium-rate numbers, I was rather surprised at this; and even more so when I realised it was made while I was away for a few days in Eastbourne. So I tried the helpline, only to be told that the machines were accurate, and I must pay up, and to hear the rather unpleasant suggestion that the only holder of my keys must have secretly driven a round trip of 50 miles to make this call on my phone in my absence. I was also strictly instructed that I must phone a London number to discover to whom I made this call.
I sent a letter to BT with my cheque, withholding a tenner to encourage a more useful answer. Weeks later I received a letter stating their lines were perfect, doubting my tale, implying that essentially I am a liar - and insisting I pay up. I replied to the complaints officer, pointing out that they disbelieved me, and I did not believe them; so quits, except that I could prove my point with my bed-and-breakfast bill whereas BT had no proof of their claim.
So BT cut my phone off. It was, of course, on one of those days when it was the most inconvenient possible. The lasses in the call centre have a rigid text from which they clearly cannot deviate, and when they repeat themselves often enough it can infuriate you. I did get the phone put back on, and was late for every meeting that day as a result, but did learn that the number called was to an Instant Scratch card firm. I had read about the scam in which one is asked to phone a number for a prize, which is far less than the cost of the phone call, half of which is collected by the firm concerned. I never do the lottery, let alone scratch-cards, but this cut no ice with BT.
I sent the next month's cheque to the complaints person along with a letter and copy to Oftel, who did not reply. The cheque was not presented.
My phone was cut off. Again I was subjected to the rigid text and regrettably this time I really lost my temper, to no avail; though I did get the phone put back on.
By now I had read of another scam, whereby somebody posing as a telephone engineer, and claiming to be testing your line, asks you to press this and that and t'other, ending with the hash key, whereupon your line goes dead and you hang up, only to leave them free to use your line at your expense. Had this somehow happened to me? I had not been asked to test my line, but then I thought of the facility whereby I can access my answering machine from another phone and hear my messages. Had the system been abused somehow in this way?
I then recalled that for some months, starting some time before these troubles and continuing through till November, I had sporadically received half a dozen letters regretting the inconvenience after some complaint had been made, and sending me a BT Customer Service £1 phone card by way of apology. They were addressed to my married name, which I abandoned twenty years ago; and I had then a different phone number. I had wondered slightly, as at that point I had not made any complaint, had thrown out the letters and had kept the cards in my handbag for emergency use.
So I wrote again to Oftel, bringing all these elements together, copied to the Complaints Officer along with the next cheque for December, but still withholding the tenner.
The response was to cut my phone off. By now exhausted, I was not even irritated at the repeated rigid text, though my insisting on being put through to a senior member resulted in their putting the phone down on me. I rang Oftel on my mobile, got a direct line number for BT customer services, and was answered by somebody with initiative who was helpful; he found neither cheque had been presented, although they were now some 4 and 6 weeks old. He knew my line had been checked, as it was found perfect, and said BT does not send out complimentary £1 phone cards and, later, that they do not exist. Fingering them while he spoke, to reassure myself I wasn't fantasising, we agreed that I could repay the non-presented cheques, though he couldn't guarantee the originals would not also be presented.
In this unsatisfactory state of affairs the matter was left; two cheques amounting to £110 floating around BT headquarters, unloved and unused; six silvery cards worth £1 each inscribed all over "BT customer services", which do not exist, and no record of the enclosing letters being sent.
I feel my only solution is to send this cheque and a copy of my last letter with a covering note to the Chairman, who presumably does know - or has a man who knows - what his company is doing, quoting my shareholder number. I am convinced that any system set up by man can be misused by one with wicked intent, and even though I am assured that nobody could use my line as I suggested, I am not convinced they are right - when the right hand doesn't even know what the left is doing, within the same department.
And yes, I have tried to get another phone co. I still have a Comtel connection which I tried for a year some time back, which became Cable and Wireless and then NTL; but numerous calls to automated call centres led me in a circle, and apparently they too are in trouble. The fire is as scorching as the frying pan.
Wait for the next exciting instalment. And do check your phone bills very carefully.
Last October the most important change occurred in the government of the City for over 100 years. If you blinked, you probably missed it. People tend to be confused about the way they are governed, and little wonder, as this suits so many politicians. Now is the time to challenge this.
Until October, decisions were made by committees or the Council. Now everyday decisions, many of major importance to the future of the city (such as development guidelines for closing schools) are made by an executive board. The other councillors scrutinise the activities of the executive board, decide overall policies and the budget. That is the theory at least.
Present experience, although limited, does not suggest the reformed council has become vibrant, rigorously holding the executive to account.
Also established is a network of area committees able to take local decisions. Time is needed to see how effective these are.
Under the legislation, the leader of the executive can either be appointed by the council (inevitably the leader of the ruling group) or elected by the voters of the city (the elected mayor).
The Campaign for a Democratically Elected Mayor for Oxford (Demox) was established by a group of local politicians, community activists and business people unhappy with the decision of the council not to ballot the electors. It is supported by people from all parties.
Initially it was felt consultation on the different systems on offer was flawed. For example, in January 2000, 574 electors were asked in a telephone poll for their preference between "one person" or "a group of people" making decisions. Needless to say, the "one person" option was supported by only 25%. It was, however, the one option that neither the council nor Demox favoured. So why was it put to the public?
Demox believes the public should be consulted by referendum where all the arguments, for and against, can be heard. Whichever way the result goes, it will at least legitimise the new constitution for the city.
Our argument starts with the belief in the separation of powers between the executive and legislature. This is the normal arrangement in democracies, even if novel in Britain. Currently it is too easy for the executive to control the legislature. The Lord Mayor, a title awarded by the Queen, not by legislation, will remain chair of the council and civic head. Indeed the position of Lord Mayor will be enhanced through its responsibility for protecting the constitution.
New electoral wards are being introduced in May this year. It will then be possible for a potential leader to be elected to the council by about 700 votes in one small area of the city. He or she can then be secretly pre-selected by 25 people before it goes to Council. This is not a mandate to rule.
This is not an issue of marginal interest. The future of truly independent local government is at stake here. We believe the electors throughout the city should be given a choice as to who they want as head of the executive. Only then will you get an executive responsive to public needs, but with a vision and mandate to speak on behalf of the whole city, plus a council that is no longer the creature of the executive.
- This is one view. What do other readers think? We have been told by the City Council that it is probable there will be a referendum; it is likely to be on 2 May along with the usual local government elections. As we go to press the Council is still consulting the Government about the necessary consultations which must be done beforehand, and other councils who have already held referenda. Some of the issues which must be tackled are what exactly it would mean if the vote went for a directly elected mayor, and whether a leaflet is needed. However the local press has already shown a keen interest in this issue. The best advice is to keep your eyes on the Oxford Mail and Times.
I missed the UK review of dispensing by veterinary surgeons, as described by Patsy Yardley - because I was in Europe with my Labrador! Only recently have I had a pet registered in the UK -having long observed the canine /veterinary scene from overseas. Price variations in veterinary medicine across European countries have always existed and now, of course, are highlighted by two changes. The ability of owners to travel easily with pets between the UK and Europe, which emphasises the lower cost of identical veterinary products when bought abroad (it's not just beer and wine that come cheaper!); and the transparency of costs within "euroland".
One could discuss this matter ad infinitum, so I'll pick one consumer aspect. If, for example, simple flea-elimination treatment is a prescription-only expensive product at UK vets, owners who cannot afford the extra cost will go elsewhere and buy a cheaper, perhaps less effective, product. I'm sure other consumer parallels can be drawn.
On the subject of veterinary care, there is currently confusion between the UK and Europe over rabies vaccination requirements. When these vaccinations were introduced into the UK to facilitate the (not very well researched) Pet Travel Scheme, vets were told that they were valid for at least two years. On the continent the legal requirement is for an annual booster. This problem obviously didn't materialise during the first year of the Scheme. Subsequently, however, some British travellers found themselves abroad with an invalid rabies vaccination record - meaning that the whole seven-month blood test procedure had
to be started again overseas. Rather inconvenient for anyone who'd gone abroad for a two-month winter holiday. I don't yet know how this is being resolved, but my Labrador is certainly maintaining his vaccination record on an annual basis!
- Lady Yardley replies:
There are difficulties over categorisation of various drugs/medicines in various countries often, I feel, because national pride demands that each drug goes through its own testing procedure before being put into its own system of classification. "Harmonisation" is being pushed, and I understand that there is indeed a slow move towards some mutual acceptance of other countries' testing and classification. A factor on prices is that manufacturers will say that they have put a great deal of research into a product and need to recoup those costs, while the generic equivalent may be vastly cheaper. Most production is international now, yet prices of particular drugs will still vary, sometimes considerably, from country to country. I understand however that our group's recommendation that permission be given to vets to prescribe a generic medicine in some cases, rather than just the specific one licensed for an individual animal, is unlikely to be accepted by the Government.
Obviously the temptation with the current setup for people who may be on holiday, for example in France, is to pick up a couple of cans of flea spray or whatever if it is cheaper there; it will also be more readily available because it is not in the prescription-only class in that country - that is indeed known in some circles as the flea run. It is an even bigger temptation for a certain number, for example in the farming industry, to organise sometimes large-scale "unofficial" imports of drugs, maybe from Ireland but maybe from the other side of the world, if in that way they can save money at a time of financial pressure. Again that is due to regulation in some countries being looser than in others, leading to a position where less scrupulous buyers are able to cash in.
On the subject of rabies vaccinations there is not just confusion between the UK and Europe in general over requirements: the difficulty is that each country demands that its own regulations be followed, and they are not identical over Europe -they may differ from the vaccine manufacturers' recommendations too. Similarly when exporting an animal one has to be ultra-careful to follow the paperwork after the most minute inspection, as it is unwise to take it for granted that one country's requirements are the same as its neighbour's. Likewise anyone wanting to take an animal on holiday as Mrs Green has done, using one of the new animal passports, must be meticulous about consuming every crumb of information given.
On the 9th of October I sent by Recorded Delivery a first-class letter to Holmbush Cottage, EX2 9RB, and obtained a receipt. Not receiving an answer, I sent a chaser on October 22nd. Today I received a letter saying that the first letter had never been received.
I rang the telephone number, and was told that there being nobody at home, a card had been left, asking the addressee to come to Exeter GPO to collect it, which he never did. I protested that I had not been told that the letter had not in fact been delivered, and was treated to a stream of public relations-talk to the effect that so many recorded delivery letters were not in fact delivered that the Post Office could not afford to tell senders that their letters had not actually arrived. "OK, thank you for calling Customer Service."
It is not OK. You took money from me to deliver, you failed to deliver, and you did not tell me, thereby causing me embarrassment and potential loss. It after 48 hours the letter had not been claimed, you could have told me. To make out that you could not afford a first-class stamp, 27p, having charged me 90p, does not have the ring of truth.
I know that under the Crown Immunity Act the Post Office cannot be brought to book for any failure, however gross. But I am minded to draw to the attention of the Advertising Standards Authority the words "ideal for items you might need to prove were received, like job applications or legal documents" as compared with your actual practice.
- A good idea to try the ASA, though it didn't work. They replied that their Council had considered the complaint "under Clause 7.1 which states, "No advertisement should mislead by inaccuracy, ambiguity, exaggeration, omission or otherwise." Council noted that the advertisement simply highlights the benefits of the service ... your individual experience does not invalidate the claim." Still, readers might like to go on trying. Constant dropping wears away stone.
My July gas bill was a shock - more than five times any previous year. The young man on the helpline was icy-cool: "Read your meter at the same time for nine days." Thinking of my elderly infirm neighbours, I asked if a meter-reader could call. "Yes, but we require £83 upfront," he replied. When I remonstrated, he responded, "Nothing to do with us [British Gas]. It's Transco who provide the meter-readers."
So for nine days, in rain or shine, sometimes with flashlight, I read my outside meter. And it was soon obvious that 1's had been mistaken for 7's.
When I reported my readings, a charming girl quickly calculated my correct billing, and sent me a paper copy the following day. I later learned that all meter readers have daily targets - hence mistakes...
By chance my aunt in West Cornwall, who pays monthly by direct debit, received a bill for £400 in July. She lives alone in a bungalow, using gas only for water-heating. She phoned [South Western Electric] immediately and was asked to read her meter. She refused and demanded a meter-reader that day, explaining that she was 89 and had no intention of crawling around inside a coalhole.
The meter-reader came and said there would be no charge and no bill to pay. Should we all be living in West Cornwall?
- The writer mildly comments in a covering note that "the variations between providing companies should be highlighted". It is evidently possible to query ridiculous charges and refuse to accept them.
I went to a specialist shop in Oxford to get a shade for a reading-lamp. I decided on a shade and bought it, despite being quite startled at the price.
When I got home, I unwrapped it - a tedious procedure, for it was enclosed in a kind of transparent plastic bandage which had to be unwound and pulled out - and then found what the bandage had hidden, namely a fringe. It was (a) unsuitable for a reading-lamp, and (b) a different colour from the shade itself, which I did not find as satisfactory as it had seemed in the shop.
I went into Oxford and took it back to the shop and asked if I could have a refund. The answer was, "No, we don't do refunds." So I went the round of the displays and found something which would do. After putting it on to the lamp, I rather think it will not do, but am not going to return to the shop, which involves a steady uphill trudge to Carfax and Queen Street.
I would not recommend the shop involved, nor will I name it here. I think fellow-members may get the clue I have given as to its location. If enough shoppers asked before paying (as I did not) whether they could have their money back in the event of the goods proving unsuitable, and if the negative response was followed by a polite and firm "Well, then, I think I will look elsewhere" on the part of the shopper, a change of policy might result.
Since I moved to Iffley I have caught the bus into town; which stops at Carfax, so I have no choice but the Covered Market and M&S for food. It is always a problem finding things in M&S, as they do not seem able to leave things in the same place for two weeks running; while they were rearranging all the food it was chaos, and shopping took twice as long. I did not think it quite fair to write to you while they were catering for Christmas. The main emphasis was on catering for people who only drank wine at Christmas and then in great quantities. There were rows of bottles everywhere and it was quite a job to find anything else. (I drink wine all the year round). I next went on Friday 4th January and things were no better. Wine was still the main thing - I never did find marmalade or unsliced bread.
I went again on the 11th. The festivities over, things should be normal, I thought. Still vast amounts of wine. Either they stocked up with more than could sell or they are turning the store into an off-licence. Otherwise things were better and I did find some basics. I don't remember seeing any signing.
I don't understand 'still no down escalators' in the VIEWS WANTED article. There are up and down escalators not far from the tills. [Down to the basement, not down from the first floor. - Ed]. I never did go to the in-store butcher, with the market and its selection of butchers so close.
I have not tried the cafe, but I did visit the ladies' toilet - not very exciting - two toilets and two hand-basins in a very small space which you had to share with the baby-changing equipment. Yours sincerely, Joan Howlett
Dear Madam, For some time now we have not been satisfied with the bread situation in Kidlington and Oxford superstores eg Tesco, Co-op, Sainsburys. We used to have Country Multigrain bread and it is no longer sold. We buy only wholemeal, and the stores are completely biased to white bread. The present wholemeal situation is bad even at 72p per loaf. We find the bread rather unpleasant to eat. It does not compare with the wholemeal bread of last year even. Why has Country Multigrain disappeared?
I wonder whether any other members feel the same and if so what we can do to improve matters. I would add that many friends have similar complaints; the stores seem uninterested. Yours sincerely, Ronald Eden - The experience of the Projects Group is that stores do stock brown breads of varied sorts, but these sell out by midmorning; then customers fall back on white, so stores are satisfied with overall sales and don't realise the problem. We urge the writer, and other readers, to complain. Meanwhile our Group plans to survey stores' complaints procedures, and write officially if not satisfied.
One of our members recently had occasion to spend some time in the waiting-room of Bournemouth Crematorium. She took the opportunity in the same month to look at Oxford's. She was not involved in making any arrangements at Bournemouth, so cannot compare their crematoria from this point of view, only their waiting-areas. (Both have parking space, though Oxford's overspill possibilities are not always adequate or convenient).
Lounge. Oxford, at a guess, 20 x 15 feet. Bournemouth, perhaps twice as big. Both well carpeted. Oxford, 13 good upright chairs, all with arms, against the longer walls. Bournemouth, about 30 ditto, 5 with arms, arranged in two tactful circles. In both, discreet overhead lighting; in Oxford, modest modern windows; in Bournemouth, large neo-gothic windows. Good absorption of sound in both. In Oxford, a few plants and vases of art flowers; in Bournemouth, a generous profusion of live pot-plants, from hyacinths and tulips to poinsettias and miniature asters, but many standing on shelves immediately above radiators - do the plants like that?
Loos. Here Oxford certainly wins overall: two (M and F) immediately facing as you enter before
you turn right to the main lounge. (Our reporter was so hypnotised by them that she walked into the glass door of the lounge.) In F, two cubicles in good working order. At Bournemouth, the loos are through a door on the far side of the lounge; the F had two cubicles too, but one doubtful bolt and one damaged pull-chain handle; the M was used also by clergy on duty, via a yard door partly open even in January, so that the area was distinctly chillier than the comfortably warm lounge. Bournemouth reception staff have separate quarters also reached via the main lounge. Oxford has a separate "vestry" building, doubtless with facilities, not of course examined by our reporter.
But Bournemouth's high-scoring feature is a large Kenco vending-machine: two varieties of soup, white coffee or chocolate, and a "lemon flavour fruit-drink" (hot? tea?) No chance of black coffee. A discreet waste-bin (as at Oxford). And a notice "Please refrain from smoking in this room." Oxford has no such notice, and one ashtray. An Oxford resident asked, "Do they have very long funerals at Bournemouth?" Or do people just pop in to sit? But Bournemouth's facility certainly helps those who have to come from a distance.
I am probably not the only Consumer to be irritated sometimes by the elaborate, dramatic hypes used by the Reader's Digest to sell what are, to be fair, satisfactory goods at acceptable prices. Useful DIY handbooks are one thing: encouraging us to build castles in the air is another. However, I have recently been impressed by some courtesy and efficiency.
Having bought one set of cassette tapes, I was disconcerted to receive another set I did not in the least want. Had I inadvertently landed myself with a series? I wrote to explain my difficulty, admitting that I might myself have misunderstood some instruction. A most polite, very prompt reply told me I could return the tapes and Reader's Digest would arrange for White Arrow to collect them. Next day I received a second letter with details of how to prepare the package, their own printed label and exact instructions, including an assurance that if I were out, the carrier would leave a message. Two days later White Arrow picked up the package, leaving me with a receipt. I did not have to pay for carriage. The mistake had been partly mine, and I think RD's behaviour was very considerate - and mildly magnanimous.
In Marks and Spencer's I saw what I understood to be a "Cherry Pack" at £2.49, reasonable in winter. I allowed myself the extravagance; they were good cherries. At the check-out I was shocked to be asked for £6 for them! The assistant remained polite and reasonable, and was willing to let me leave them. Actually, I took them and economised elsewhere; but the misunderstanding was due to misleading labelling; the bags of cherries then on sale were not the "packs" and were to be sold by weight. I thought other consumers could be embarrassed in the same way, and wrote to the local manager; I made it clear that I did not think the reputable firm had intended any deceit, but the labelling was misleading. I received a letter which was a model of courtesy, saying that the matter of the labelling was being looked into - and enclosing a voucher for £10, more than I had paid for my costly cherries!
A similarly handsome response came from the absurdly-named but palate-pleasing ice-cream firm, Haagen-Dasz. In a women's magazine I saw that it had brought out a new variety, which included Turron, the delectable Spanish nougat-like preparation. Looking for it began to be a real quest. Even the most exciting Oxford food shops did not have it. I quested for long enough to wonder, the more so as the article had a picture of an actual tub; so wrote to Haagen-Dasz to ask when the new variety was coming out, I having wasted some time...
I received a most courteous letter: apparently trials in Britain had been unsuccessful and the variety was being sold only elsewhere. And there was a voucher, worth £4, to buy some other tub of their ice-cream.
A civil question sometimes gets a bit more than just a civil answer!
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