Twenty per cent of us don’t complain about unsatisfactory products or services according to Which? magazine. Yet we should: disappointing purchases cost us £8.3bn a year. A friend of ours recently complained about being given a poky room at Claridges and was instantly, with no extra charge, upgraded to a suite. The Observer’s Nick Kettles has been giving it a go too. After notching up some successes, he says his non-complaining days are over. Here’s how he gets his money back.
Train tickets: Kettles fills out refund forms for any train delayed by more than 45 minutes, with “a high level of success”. Different rail companies have different policies, but most have “surprisingly strict levels of service delivery”, which can include full refunds on journeys that are cancelled or delayed by a minimum of one hour. Arm yourself with the right forms and take the time to fill them in.
Household bills: British Gas (BG) took 22 months to send Kettles his first gas bill after switching from Seeboard, during which time he had moved house. Having signed up for BG’s dual-fuel deal and assumed that gas was covered by BG’s dual-fuel bills, the £327 estimate came “out of the blue and seemed high”. But, with help from Energywatch, the independent watchdog, insistence on an accurate reading, armed with a “last-but-one” bill from Seeboard and a further complaint over BG’s delays in dealing with the issue, the bill was cut by 60%.
Council tax: Kettles took a “punt” on getting his valuation band downgraded after moving house. You have six months to challenge a banding after moving house, and may do so as long as the Valuation Tribunal or High Court has not previously considered a challenge on the same grounds. A successful attempt reduced the bill by £250.
Goods: When both wheels cracked on a new push-chair attachment, Kettles complained and the manufacturer, Litaf, sent replacements, even though it was out of warranty. Manufacturers “are legally obliged to replace or repair faulty goods throughout the expected lifetime of that product”, warranty or not.
Moneysaving tip of the week: pay less life assurance
If you were sold life assurance with your mortgage, the chances are you’re overpaying by £200 a year. Worse, you may well not need it. If you have no dependents, for example, why do you need there to be money to pay off your mortgage after you are dead? If you do have dependents, policy costs will depend on your mortgage size, age, sex, and whether you smoke. Brokers will search for the cheapest policy for you, but their prices vary hugely due to the amount of commission they make. A good idea might be to go with Cavendish Online (08456-442544). If you use its ‘pay a fee’ option, you’ll pay £45 on the phone or £35 online and will pay no commission on top of this. Through Cavendish, a 45-year-old non-smoking woman could save as much as £2,070 over a full mortgage term.
For more moneysaving tips, go to www.moneysavingexpert.com