Unregulated Dublin Bus gets away with not refunding overcharged customers

April 10, 2012 in Transport, Watch Out with 2 Comments

dublin_bus_logo_imageDid you know that if you make a complaint to Dublin Bus about any part of their service that your final line of escalation is to their Operations Manager? As an unregulated entity, they literally are a law unto themselves.

That is why they get away with overcharging some of their customers who use Leap Card, but ARE NOT obliged to repay them the amount overcharged unless the customer themselves discover the overcharge themselves – and then, only if the customer calls into the Dublin Bus offices on O’Connell Street.

It’s not likely that many consumers who are using the Leap Card will be aware even of this overcharging – I haven’t seen any media coverage. There is this notification on the Dublin Bus website, and NOTHING on the Leap Card website.

So, as a Dublin Bus user using a Leap Card – you may have been overcharged, but we’re not telling you, and if you do happen to find out, and you discover that you were, you’ll have to come in and see us on O’Connell Street.

I’m sometimes dubious about the benefits of regulation as implemented here in Ireland, but can you imagine the uproar if a bank, or a mobile phone company, or an energy company, overcharged their customers and tried to get away with the same thing?

leap_card_logo_imageIt’s not like it’s all that hard for Dublin Bus to find out who they’ve overcharged in order to automatically refund them. This is what I’ve asked Dublin Bus:

I would like to follow up on the charging revealed recently on your website – http://dublinbus.ie/en/Fares–Tickets/Leapcard/. Could you please review this and pass on to whomever is best placed to follow up and respond?

I would like to inquire whether it would be possible for you to automatically refund your customers using Leap Cards rather than leaving it up to them to check through their own accounts and requesting a refund from you by having to call into your office on O’Connell Street.

While I appreciate that it’s the responsibility of the customer to check their own accounts and bills, that I can see you have not publicised this overcharging issue in any way other than on your website, so it’s likely that many Leap Card users won’t have seen the notification of the overcharging.

I understand that the overcharging was resolved through a software update. May I suggest that it’s a similarly easy matter to use some software queries within your computer applications to identify which fares were overcharged to customers, and then refund them automatically?

If I log on to my account on the Leap Card website, I can view all of the transactional information that you have provided that website for my Dublin Bus usage on my card. So, I can see that on one morning I was charged €1.70 for one journey (instead of the €1.90 fare) and on the way home that evening I was charged the €1.25 fare (rather than the €1.65 normal fare).

It is convenient that the prices charged as so easily identifiable as being either a normal rate charged (€1.90/€1.65) or a Leap Card rate charged (€1.70/€1.25). As you request of your customers, they will see this information when they review their transactions on the Leap Card website.

However, I also presume therefore, that since all this data is available in your system to provide to the Leap Card website (and therefore without any data protection considerations), it wouldn’t take too much effort on the part of Dublin Bus to analyse this information separately to identify which customers have been charged €1.90, or €1.65 instead of €1.70 or €1.25.

Surely it would be a very easy effort on your part to provide an improved customer service experience by compiling this information on their behalf, and automatically repaying the overcharging amount rather than keeping their money until they come looking for it.

In any regulated business where a similar matter of overcharging is discovered, as we’ve seen in telecoms, energy providers or financial providers, this suggested automated refunding would be the minimum expected.

Could you please investigate the possibility of making this automated refund to your customers, and let me know the results of this investigation?

Let’s see what they say.

Finding Real Value – here’s the last update from Fine Gael website, Ripoff.ie

December 13, 2011 in Some Thoughts with 2 Comments

While the old domain name ripoff.ie, as taken on by Fine Gael in 2003 now redirects to the main Fine Gael website, you can actually still read all of their old content here. As you can see on their 2009 update, detailing their “Finding Real Value” policy document, they’ve pretty much left it all behind given their recent budget.

Top of the list:

Reversing measures in Budget 2009 which are driving up prices, including the VAT increase to 21.5% and transport fares

Funny, eh?

Fine Gael RipOff.ie Website

Have you ever wondered at the return on investment from the National Consumer Agency websites?

October 24, 2011 in Some Thoughts with 1 Comment

Maybe I’m just a little bit geeky, or a little bit sad, but it’s crossed my mind a few times. This question, from Anthony Lawlor TD, or at least the answer to it if it wasn’t ducked by the Minister, would be the start of discovering if we’re getting value for money from the expenditure by the National Consumer Agency on websites.

Anthony Lawlor (Kildare North, Fine Gael) – Question 81:

To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the development cost of the National Consumer Agency’s Economiser website page and the number of unique visitors to the site per month since its establishment.

Richard Bruton (Minister, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation; Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)

The Deputy’s question relates to the development and operation of certain elements of the National Consumer Agency’s website. These are operational matters for the Agency itself in respect of which I have no direct function. Accordingly, I have referred the Deputy’s question to the Agency for direct reply.

It’ll be interesting to see if there’s any follow up on this question. It’d be great to see what kind of traffic the NCA websites gets, and what return that is for the money invested in them.

How much money is the National Consumer Agency costing us?

October 17, 2011 in Some Thoughts with 0 Comments

Via a Dail question from Anthony Lawlor, TD for Kildare North (from the always excellent KildareStreet.com):

Anthony Lawlor (Kildare North, Fine Gael) - Question 73:

To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the amount of funding received by the National Consumer Agency in the years 2009, 2010 and to date in 2011. [29327/11]

Richard Bruton (Minister, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation; Dublin North Central, Fine Gael):

The National Consumer Agency received €6.105 million and €5.578 million by way of public funds in the years 2009 and 2010 respectively.

Up to the end of September 2011 the Agency has received a total of €3.774 million in public funds. The Agency’s total allocation for 2011 is €6.366 million.

From 1st January 2011 the Agency assumed responsibility for the consumer education and information functions of the Financial Regulator.

The Agency has received additional public funds to cover the cost of the exercise of certain elements of this function, albeit that these funds and the further costs of exercising this function will be fully recouped by the imposition of a levy on prescribed regulated financial service entities later this year.

So, assuming we get an average of 10 crappy price comparison surveys per year, and a few meaningless prosecutions for failing to display prices, and a few slaps on the wrists for garages that clock cars, that’s on average €500,000 per activity from this shower per year.

Some thoughts on the proposed Musgraves acquisition of Superquinn

July 21, 2011 in Shopping, Some Thoughts with 0 Comments

Yesterday I wrote a follow up to some tweets on Tuesday morning regarding the proposed acquisition of Superquinn by Musgraves.

I think this is going to be an interesting proposition for the Competition Authority, and the government. It could also give us great insight into how the future super-quango combination of the Competition Authority and the National Consumer Agency will operate.

While the Competition Authority will make the decision on the acquisition, it’s the National Consumer Agency at the moment who have all the information on pricing across the grocery market.

I personally don’t think that allowing the acquisition to go ahead will be good for Irish consumers. You can read more here.

Top Twitter Tips for Grocery Shopping

July 7, 2011 in Shopping with 0 Comments

Back in early April, Margaret E. Ward (@MargaretEWard) put out the call on Twitter for some tips on what to do, or not do, when out grocery shopping. I believe she was going onto the Tubridy radio show (@TubridyTweets) to talk about such things. 

I thought it might be worthwhile to bring together the best of those Twitter tips forwarded on to Margaret at that time.

  • Use Pigsback.com grocery coupons – Oh I think the coupons on Pigsback.com are fantastic (get link), I got discount of my sun dishwasher tablets yesterday & super milk, they’re fab (@AineOFarrell)
  • Beware of % extra free deals – Watch out for 50% extra free nonsense. Price per kilo is best guide, less room for entrapment (JoyceHickey)
  • Bring a calculator – bring a calculator when shopping…seriously, 3 special offers of same product but varied quantities, had to work out cheap one (@MitchellNicola)
  • Keep an eye on special offers – This ValueIreland page might help #groceryshopping > list of supermarket grocery special offers updated each week (put in actual link) (@ValueIreland)
  • But beware of offers too good to be true – it’s an obvious one but don’t be blinded by special offers. Always check the unit cost of the item (€x per kg). (@lecraic)
  • Ignore multi-packs – Only buy what you need – ignore multibuys. (Except for books where gluttony is encouraged. Books are groceries, right?) (@jenny_heller)
  • Buy non-perishables in bulk – look out for worthwhile deals on your household standards and stock up your freezer/pantry/etc. (@zenbuffy)
  • Know the science of supermarket pricing – The best value deals are on products you consume at a fixed rate. Beware of expandable consumption (@conalhenry)
  • Make a shopping list – Make a list before you go – stick to it, avoid supermarket’s ploys – fresh bread, fast music and POS temptations! (@Clodaghdc)
  • Save time and help others – Save time by helping the person in front unload their trolley so they can pack. Especially if they have a kid (@JoyceHickey)
  • Don’t go shopping when hungry – make sure to eat before you go grocery shopping!! (@jenblogsbooks)
  • Leave the kids at home – Another tip don’t take your kids shopping with you if you can avoid it as they can’t avoid temptation & want junk (@SimonPRepublic)
  • Shop alone – top tip is don’t shop with your partner or toddler! Quieter & I can stick to my list then, done in 10 minutes (@PaulMWatson)
  • Shop in only one store – shop in one supermarket, so you know where everything is: that way you are less likely to impulse buy. (@mswolfie)
  • Shop online – It stops you putting all those unnecessary extras into your trolley. #outofsightisoutofmind (@taunyagrogan)
  • Do a “main” shop, not lots of “mini” shops – don’t go for a few bits and pieces, you always end up spending more (@Avoidanceman)
  • Shop late in the day – go shopping close to closing time, they always have specials on (@Avoidanceman)
  • Walk to the shops – if possible, shop local, shop daily, walk to shop – spend less. ps the walking to bit is important ….. arm ache of heavy bags, minimises excess buying. :) (@talentcoop)
  • Shop local – I shop in local butchers and get deals buying a few items at once, ends up cheaper than supermarket, meat and service is better too (@IrelandGuide)
  • Only bring the money that you’ll need – Bring out only the cash to cover your shopping list (@Sinabhfuil)
  • Delegation – get someone else to do it (the shopping that is) (@siobhwithafada)

I think I’m in agreement with most of those tips – though maybe not the one that suggests shopping in only one store. With our retail grocery market the way it is at the moment (mostly non-competitive), it is important to keep an eye out on the special offers available across the different stores each time you go shopping. They vary widely across stores, so if you have the ability to shop across different stores, you’ll possibly save more.

What do you think? Do you agree with these? Do you have any other tips or tricks that you use when you’re doing your grocery shopping?

Something to watch out for – if you are ever applying for a mortgage

June 7, 2011 in Mortgages with 3 Comments

Over the weekend just passed, during an evening out with some old friends, we were sharing some experiences of day to day financial matters in Ireland at the moment.
Based on the experience of three of us there, it seems that it’s pretty safe to say that the Irish banks are looking for any reason whatsoever to not provide mortgages for any type of home purchase – no matter how qualified the applicants might be.

As far as I’ve been told, the main Irish banks are still, even now, not carrying out the required checks to determine whether or not an applicant is qualified.

Previously, to the detriment of the whole country, banks pretty much said yes to anyone who came to them looking for money – without doing any proper checking.

And today, I’m told, they’re not doing any checking on applications either – though this time they’re saying no to pretty much any applicant – still to the detriment of the country.

I have been told of one mortgage applicant who has thousands of euros in savings available for a deposit to purchase a house that they won’t be getting a mortgage because they have “no savings history”.

It seems, at least according to one Irish banking “pillar” that even though having significant savings isn’t proof enough of a savings history – evidence is required of those savings being accumulated.

So, if you’ve been diligently saving for 10 years with a particular financial institution, built yourself up a nice nest egg, and then decide to transfer that balance to another institution to avail of a better interest rate, this banking pillar won’t accept proof of lodgement and a current statement from that new institution as proof of a history of savings.

It’s a ridiculous no-win situation when dealing with banks in Ireland at the moment. It’s almost as ridiculous as the the banks universal desire to move clients onto paperless banking, but then not accepting online banking printouts and statements as documentary evidence when processing any credit applications.

Can you spot the (not very well) hidden scammer camera on this ATM?

June 2, 2011 in Watch Out with 0 Comments

Courtesy of @mikkohypponen:

Spot the hidden scammer camera?

Spot the hidden scammer camera?

Internet cookies on your computer will cost you money

May 31, 2011 in Spending Money, Watch Out with 3 Comments

This tweet recently, from @sampsonian, was very popular with more than 100 retweets. It’s from someone highlighting how the Ryanair website recognises when you’re back visiting them more than once, and tries to charge you more the second time around.

Ryanair exhibit A. Looked up fare yesterday, total £123.00. Returned today and fare is £237.oo. Flushed cookies. Fare is back to £123.00.

It’s a sneaky trick, but it’s nothing new. Your can read an article here on how cookies can cost you money that I wrote back in 2009.

If you’re not sure on how to clear the cookies from your computer if you think you’re losing out because of this, just search Google for the browser that you’re using with the words “clear my cookies” to find instructions. Some browsers will allow you set this automatically as well so that the cookies are cleared each time you close down your browser – but that’s maybe a bit extreme.

New government, same old guff in the Dail

May 26, 2011 in Some Thoughts with 1 Comment

I use the excellent KildareStreet.com to keep in touch with what’s being said in the Dail that’s related to the area of interest for this website – i.e. consumer affairs. (I’ve written about the site a few times before – see here).

It was a regular question from members of the opposition during the last Dail to ask Fianna Fail / Green ministers when the National Consumer Agency and the Competition Authority merger was going to actually go ahead.

This merger was announced first in the 2009 budget (way back in October 2008), but nothing has been done to progress this merger since. I wrote about this previous, guessing that it’s a merger that wasn’t welcomed by the Competition Authority in particular.

As an example of the previous opposition questioning, back in October 2010, Joe McHugh TD (FG -Donegal NE) asked the following question:

To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation his views on the changes in the organisation structures and delivery of back office support which have been made since the announcement of the merger of the National Consumer Agency and the Competition Authority; the values of the savings made; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

The then Minister responsible, Batt O’Keefe TD didn’t answer the question directly, merely filling space and time with a non-statement.

We’ve now been treated to a new government and thankfully, a new opposition, yet we’re still getting the same questions asked, and not answered.

On the 20th of April, Willie O’Dea TD (FF – Limerick City) asked the following question of the Taoiseach:

When can we expect to see the consumer and competition Bill that will merge the Competition Authority and the National Consumer Agency?

To which, Enda Kenny responded (or not really):

I cannot give the Deputy an accurate answer. We do not yet have a date for the Bill’s introduction. I shall report its progress as it moves through the system.

I think it’s enormously disappointing how poor Fine Gael have been in Government since they’ve taken over. They had such a great opportunity (in so many ways) to show they were different from Fianna Fail, yet they’ve shown nothing to prove that they’re any different in any way.

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