Banks And Estate Agents Cop Record Complaints
WE may somewhat revel in our image as a nation of whingers, but when it comes to banks and their petty thievery we are totally justified in complaining and, according to the Financial Ombudsman Service, we are now speaking up for ourselves in record numbers.
The FOS has revealed that this year it was currently handling about 1,000 complaints a week concerning those pesky bank charges, compared to the 10 it received on average last year.
Another popular group of people, estate agents, have also been targeted by consumers, with the Ombudsman for Estate Agents revealing that he had received 8,472 calls from consumers in 2006, an increase of 41% from the previous year.
However, despite the rise in enquiries, ombudsman Christopher Hamer reveals: “When viewed against the number of house sale transactions in a year, frequently quoted at 1.2m, the number is still thankfully small.”
I say we target lollipop ladies next. Just for the laugh.
Labour deputy leadership hopeful John Cruddas kept things rather low-key when he launched his campaign in a hall which cost just £31 to hire. How very humble. How very un-New Labour.
Posted: 23rd, May 2007 | In: Money Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink