Money Category
Money in the news and how you are going to pay and pay and pay
BA Hit With Hefty Fines
THE airline may be Britain’s pride of the sky, but BA’s involvement in the recent price-fixing scandal will no doubt have damaged its global image as well as putting a dent in its bank balance.
The company has been hit with a record £121.5million fine by the Office of Fair Trading after admitting to price-fixing fuel charges on its long-haul flights. BA also faces more fines, this time from the US Department of Justice, which could see their total pay-out hitting the £350million mark.
According to the OFT, BA had colluded with Virgin Atlantic on at least six occasions between August 2004 and January 2006, during which time surcharges rose from £5 to £60 per ticket.
Virgin Atlantic, on the other hand, has been given immunity after it reported BA’s activity and is therefore not expected to be hit by a fine.
BA chief executive, Willie Walsh, says: “I want to reassure our passengers that they were not overcharged. Fuel surcharges are a legitimate way of recovering costs. However, this does not in any way excuse the anti competitive conduct by a very limited number of individuals within British Airways.”
A rise in surcharges from £5 to £60 in a year and a half hardly seems “legitimate” to me.
Posted: 1st, August 2007 | In: Money | Comments (2)
New Labour Hip To Making Money
WITH the controversial Home Information Packs set to come into use this week, the Telegraph is claiming that the Labour Party and its members are set to make thousands of pounds from the introduction of the new scheme. (Pic: Beau Bo D’Or)
The paper says that the party has joined forced with a law firm and is set to offer discounted Hips for all its members, as part of its Labour Legal Services.
Labour’s website, which also offers discounts to members on will and accident compensation claims, says, “We are always working to bring our members and supporters the best offers on deals we think will interest them. These deals can benefit you, and help raise money for us.”
Not surprisingly, the opposition parties are less than impressed. Shadow housing minister, Grant Shapps, says, “At the time the Labour Party funding is under such scrutiny, and with debts of £25 million according to the electoral commission, it is alarming to hear they intend to raise money from the introduction of the misguided Hip.”
New Labour and dubious money-making schemes? Where have we heard that before?
Posted: 31st, July 2007 | In: Money | Comment (1)
Sex, Porky Pies And Videotape: Denise Van Outen’s Gone To Morrison’s
DENISE van Outen’s big move to Hollywood may not have gone quite to plan, and now the former ladette is at the centre of an admittedly rather tiny storm over her new TV commercials for the Morrisons’ supermarket chain.
In the advert, the cheeky Cockney sparrow is seen enjoying tea and cake in the Sospan coffee shop before strolling down the road to the grocery giant’s local store.
However, many locals, with seemingly too much time on their hands, have pointed out that the café is in the North Wales village of Dolgellau, 30 miles from the nearest Morrisons.
Online forums across the web are apparently going crazy with protests from locals. What a deception!
Imagine if the BBC did adverts…
Posted: 31st, July 2007 | In: Money | Comments (7)
The Rise Of Rent-A-Pooch
THOSE loving eyes, that unerring loyalty, that disgusting mess it does in the kitchen after eating last night’s curry leftovers – there is indeed something special about sharing your life with a dog (in a purely platonic way, of course). (Pic: Beau Bo D’Or)
However, for many of us go-getters, there just aren’t the hours in the day to feed, walk and groom. And that’s just ourselves, never mind the dog.
But now, a new craze is sweeping the certified home of crazes, California. Flexpetz is a new company which allows clients to rent a dog by the hour, which gives the part-time owner the chance to enjoy all the benefits of canine companionship without the hassle.
Members are charged an annual fee of £50, a monthly payment of £25 plus a per visit charge of £20 at weekends or £12 for weekdays. Dogs available include Afghan hounds, Labrador Retrievers and Boston Terriers.
Founder of the company, Marlena Cervantes, says: “Our members are responsible in that they realise full-time ownership is not an option for them and would be unfair to the dog. It prevents dogs from being adopted and then returned to the shelter by people who realise it isn’t a good fit.”
One wouldn’t be surprised if children became the next rentable commodity on the west Coast – “Too busy to be a full-time Parent? Well, for $50 an hour, you can experience the joy of being little Tommy’s Mommy or Daddy, without the hassle of the tantrums, the attention-deficit disorder or the eventual high-school massacre.”
Posted: 31st, July 2007 | In: Money | Comments (2)
Heathrow Raid: Suspect Sings Like A Canary
WE join the action at the Central Criminal Court as one Barry Hibberd is denying being part of the six-strong gang that stole £1.75 million of goods in a raid on Heathrow warehouse on February 2004.
Mr Hibberd assures the court that he not a thief. He is a singer. He is charged with nine counts of possessing firearms with intent to endanger life, four of possessing ammunition without certificates, one of possessing a prohibited weapon and one of attempting grievous bodily harm with intent.
It’s a tough crowd, her honour. “I’m a singer, I’m a performer,” he assures one and all. Mr Hibberd was in number of bands. He can’t remember the names of them but they were in the arena of “commercial soul”, though a couple were “more rocky”. He made a “couple of dance records”.
He tells of his “high falsetto voice”. He does voice over work. He bows towards the microphone. He growls: “Some of them are there to hurt you, some of them are there to help you.”
The Times says this is, apparently, a line form the film Transformers. It might be comment on the audiences Mr Hibberd has performed for.
So he is no robber. “Of course I’m not; I’m a singer. I’ve never made any money from crime. Always working for a living. Never signed on.”
Mr Hibberd is delivering a bravura performance. He was 39 when he was locked up in Belmarsh prison. “They say life begins at 40,” he offers, “I hope it doesn’t in this case.”
Boom! Boom! Bang! Bang!
M6 Widening Costs £1,000 An Inch
AS the quest to cover the whole of the country in motorways continues, eyebrows are being raised at the growing cost of the M6 widening project.
A 51-mile stretch of the motorway between Birmingham and Manchester is currently being widened to incorporate a new lane with the cost of the construction now estimated to eventually hit £2.9billion, or around £897 per inch, which will rise to over a grand when inflation is factored in.
In responding to criticism over the massive costs, Roger Bailey of engineering consultancy Faber Maunsell says: “In a greenfield site you are in control of your construction planning. But on a live road you have to work round more traffic.”
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors point to the massive Olympic construction project as a reason behind by rising costs. A spokesman says: “There’s a lot of road building going on. The price of construction is going up because there is a lot of work around. Road building is an international market. In the last 10 years costs have gone up 7-9% a year.”
However, Rebecca Lush, a campaigner with Transport 2000, is understandably unimpressed. Says she: “This must be the most expensive roadworks in history. Britain is spending £13bn on new roads and next to nothing on reducing road traffic or railways. This is a complete waste of resources which will only increase the numbers of cars on the road and make climate change worse. £1,000 an inch is a scandal. The money should be put towards rail schemes or projects which would reduce climate change emissions rather than increase them.”
The UK is now one of the most car dependant countries in the world, with cars travelling 506 billion kilometres in Britain between 2005 and 2006, up 7 billion from the year before.
Still, with rail fares set to rise again, can you blame commuters for sticking with their cars?
Posted: 31st, July 2007 | In: Money | Comments (2)
Star Wars Fans: Bring Me The Head Of A Wookie
IF you’ve got around £40,000 to spare and are a massive Star Wars fan, or simply have an urge to spend it on something completely impractical and quite silly, then either get yourself over to LA or simply log on to eBay, which is actually probably a lot easier to do.
Why? To bag yourself the original head of Chewbacca that’s why. Isn’t it obvious? The hairy costume piece which was worn by the towering 7ft 3in British actor Peter Mayhew in the original 1977 movie is being sold at auction in Los Angeles on August 3rd, although fans can also bid for it online on eBay.
Bidding starts at a sizeable £40,000 while an original Stormtroopers helmet will also be up for grabs for a cool £10,000.
I can see the bedroom scene now – her with her hair in Princess Leia plaits, him with the head of a wookie…. I think we should leave it there.
Posted: 30th, July 2007 | In: Money | Comments (2)
The United Kingdom Of Fraud
FORGET Facebooking, the biggest fad sweeping this great nation of ours is none other than fraud. From the phoney reasons for going to war, to cash-in-hand decorating jobs, everyone is at it.
According to research by accountants KPMG, more than 100 fraud cases came to court in the last six months, with a value of almost £600million.
Central to this fraud frenzy has been carousel or ‘missing trader’ frauds, where goods, often mobile phones, are imported into the country free of VAT, then sold on with the VAT included with the dodgy dealers then disappearing before they pass on the VAT to customs. These carousel frauds were worth a whopping £440million.
Professionals criminal were involved in one third of cases coming court at a total value of £538million or 91 per cent of the total value with ID thefts, fake bank cards and money laundering all rather popular.
Hitesh Paul of KPMG says: “The recent trend now looks unmistakable. The amount of fraud coming to court has undergone a step-change over the last couple of years, and these high levels look like they are here to stay. The good news is that more fraud is being detected and prosecuted in court. The bad news is that this is probably because more fraud is being committed.”
The report also focuses on the case of one organist who stole £150,000 from his church and a jailed City boy who proceeded to rip off fellow inmates to the tune of £160,000.
Good to see the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Blair/Brown’s Britain.
Argos Goes Posh
HAMPSTEAD liberals will no doubt be sneering into their organic handmade Peruvian muesli this morning on learning that Argos, the chain of choice of the great unwashed, is planning to go upwardly mobile.
Having cornered the market in sovereign rings and cheap electricals, the chain now has its eye on the middle class John Lewis market. Swanky new Gaggia espresso machines and Dualit toasters grace the new Argos catalogue as the company looks to bring in the bourgeoisie.
However, according to the store’s chief executive, Sara Weller, the chain is not about to dump its traditional clientele. Says she: “We are not giving up our value heritage but believe we can do a good job at the top end of the market as well. In the past we haven’t had the product range for customers who have a bit more money to spend.”
On average, 17 million British households, around two-third of the population, have an Argos catalogue at home.
Expect to see these heavy tomes nestling between copies of the Guardian and guides to buying property in Tuscany.
Train Firms Target Flood Victims
WITH extortionate ticket prices, crowded carriages and those annoying ticket-checkers constantly interrupting our journeys, the country’s train companies are doing little to endear themselves to the great British commuting public. (Pic: Beau Bo D’Or)
And news that Britain’s biggest train company, South West Trains, has been exploiting the recent flooding will do little to improve the rail industry’s dismal public image.
According to the Times, the firm instructed guards and ticket office staff not to sell cheaper long-distance tickets via Oxford to passengers forced to take diversions due to the dreadful weather.
While it is standard rail industry practice to allow passengers travel via alternative routes without paying a further sum, South West Trains sent a message to staff on Wednesday telling them not to sell passengers the cheaper tickets via Oxford. Instead they were advised to sell the more expensive tickets which go via London.
When the Times initially questioned the train company, a spokesman said: “You have to pay to go via London because that’s the only route available. Anyone who turns up now to buy a ticket knows full well that there is disruption and that we are advising people not to travel. But if they want to travel they have to go via London and pay more. That’s the decision they have made.”
However an hour later, they phoned back to change their story, citing apparent ‘confusion’ over the issue and eventually offering to refund the difference for each passenger affected.
Makes you respect fare dodgers even more.
The £3,000 Ryanair Fag
TRAVELLING with a budget airline can drive anyone to drugs, from the sub-human staff to the inevitable battle with fellow cheapskates for the best seats. and for one Martin Rose, the need for a cheeky ciggie proved too great and too costly.
The 36-year-old was on a Ryanair flight from Girona when the craving for his old friend Mr Nicotine grew too strong. Rose, of Cleveland, was initially warned by a stewardess after being spotted with a cigarette and lighter in his hand in the Boeing 737.
However, the renegade smoker still proceeded to lock himself in the loo and enjoy his illicit smoke. When a sated Rose eventually opened the door again, cabin crew noticed a haze of smoke as well as that distinct aroma wafting from the cubicle.
Prosecutor Justin Bullas told Doncaster’s Justice of the Peace: “The cubicle was searched, the smoke alarm was covered up with a napkin and the ash was in the sink.”
Ross was fined the maximum £2,500 plus £700 costs.
With those skills of deception, Ross shouldn’t expect a call from MI5 any day soon.
Alex Salmond Takes The High Road To Westminster
SCOTLAND’S First Minister, Alex Salmond, is claiming for £22,000 expenses for living in London, to the dismay of Scottish MPs.
Salmond stayed away from Westminster for nearly three months after his election as Holyrod but he is still claiming the full additional cost allowance.
The Lib Dems’ Alistair Carmichael says: “His constituents will expect, if he turns up in London only on high days and Edinburgh holidays, that will be reflected in much lower expenses.”
Treasures To Ease Inheritance Tax Burden
THE nation’s museums have been receiving precious objects worth over £25million over the past year in lieu of inheritance tax.
The donors of the items, which include a diamond tiara, paintings and vintage steamboats, subsequently receive tax concessions in their lifetimes in a scheme which many want to see the Government extend.
Mark Wood, chair of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, is pleased with the windfall.
Says he: “Overhaul of the tax framework around philanthropic giving is long overdue. There is no reason to hope that government can invest more in this area at a time of constraints on spending. We believe the climate is right for this debate, and we see growing support for it across the political spectrum.”
However, the chairman of the panel, Jonathan Scott, still believes that the acquisition funds are inadequate, considering the soaring prices in the art market. “If the creators of ‘new’ wealth are to be encouraged to fill the funding gap on behalf of our national institutions, their generosity needs to be stimulated by tax concessions,” he says.
So make sure you have a rummage through all that junk in your attic before you die. It just could help ease the tax burden you bequeath your survivors.
Although one suspects the museums won’t be interested in an original ZX Spectrum (48k) and a Charles and Diana novelty jigsaw.
Tony Blair Entertains Celebrity
IT’S reassuring to know that our hard earned cash has been spent on wining and dining the likes of Vernon Kay, Richard Madeley and June Sarpong. (Pic: The Spine)
The Government has details of the expenditure at Tony Blair’s former official country retreat of Chequers over the last 18 months of his reign, and while the house has been historically used to receive foreign dignitaries, diplomats and politicians, it seems that Tony’s obsession with celebrity has turned the venue into some kind of giant green room.
Other celebs who were invited to Chequers, no doubt to discuss the Middle-East peace process and the rise of left-wing politics in Latin America include GMTV presenters Fiona Phillips and Lorraine Kelly, Charlotte Church, Chris Evans and Kirsty Young.
Lib Dem frontbencher Norman Lamb, says: “Many of the names on this list reveal the frivolity and celebrity-obsessed nature of the Blair administration. However, it is absolutely staggering that it has taken so long to extract this information. For reasons that defy rational explanation, the Government has been treating the fact that Tony Blair enjoyed drinks with Vernon Kaye and Charlotte Church as a state secret.”
Nice to know your money is being spent wisely by the powers that be.
Posted: 26th, July 2007 | In: Money | Comment (1)
Banks Resorting To Dirty Tactics
AS the illegal bank charges debacle rumbles on, news that the banks are resorting to scare tactics will come as little surprise, unfortunately.
According to a survey by the financial website thisismoney.co.uk, thousands of customers who have complained to their bank about illegal charges have been threatened with having their accounts closed.
More than one in eight people who has attempted to reclaim penalty fees for going overdrawn or breaching their overdraft limit has been told by their bank that they could have their account shut down. This behaviour by the banks rather goes against the principles laid down in the Banking Code, which state that banks must treat customers fairly when they are in financial trouble.
Andrew Oxlade, editor of thisismoney.co.uk, says: “Excessive bank charges have been imposed on millions of people across Britain and banks are now using all manner of underhand tactics to deter customers from reclaiming. We have seen all sorts of tricks – threatening to close accounts, charging yet more fees for old statements and dragging their heels when it comes to making a decision on a refund.”
The research also reveals that one in four people who complained to their banks won back the full amount they were claiming for. However, 17 per cent said that they had to wait over a year to receive their money.
While these dodgy charges are illegal, don’t expect anyone to end up in prison for the crime. It’s far easier to bang up shoplifting single mothers.
Passengers To Pay For Rail Improvements
RUTH Kelly’s extreme Catholic sect of choice, Opus Dei, enjoy a little self-flagellation. And it now seems that the new Transport Secretary wants commuters to share the pain.
In the new 30-year rail strategy, the Government sets out their plans to add 1,300 extra carriages, improve train punctuality, complete the Thameslink project and redevelop Birmingham New Street Station.
And the nation’s commuters will be forced to fund the new improvements by paying even higher fares. The Government plans to cut public funding for the railways by 50 per cent, or £1.5billion a year. Indeed, for the period 2009-14, passengers will pick up a whopping £39.2billion of the £66.4billion needed to run the railways.
Gerry Doherty of the TSSA white-collar union isn’t impressed. Says he: “Ministers claim they want to encourage rail travel and then kick passengers in the teeth with huge regular hikes in fares. They are pricing people off rail and on to the roads. This is the economics of the madhouse. They claim they want cheaper public transport and then do everything in their power to discourage it.”
Unfortunately, commuters have little choice but to grin and bear it all. Or they could take a ticker-inspector hostage and demand a better service. Just an idea…
Posted: 25th, July 2007 | In: Money | Comments (2)
GPs Profit From Patient Calls: Noodle For Cheap Calls
FIRST it was Richard and Judy, then Blue Peter and now we find that even the most trusted member of society, the family doctor, has been making money out of our phone calls.
According to the Mail, doctors are being accused of switching local surgeries to more expensive 0844 phone numbers in an attempt to boost their profits. The switch means that millions of patients face paying at least 40 per cent more to book an appointment with their GP.
It is claimed that around 1,200 surgeries have switched their phone system, with a calls from a landline to a 0844 number costing 4.2p per minute, 1.2p more than the usual charges for a standard prefix number. It would, however, be worth your while to see how much it would cost using Noodle.
Vanessa Bourne, of the Patients Association, is concerned that UK patients can’t use these new numbers while abroad. Says she: “I think it’s really dangerous. There will be people facing language difficulties and they can’t get help from their GP when they desperately need it. It is extraordinary that these practices are able to make these contracts when they penalise the sick and vulnerable.”
Ofcom is also reported to be rather miffed at the switch, claiming that it is “not appropriate” for public bodies to use 0844 numbers.
Why not use a mobile number instead, and contacted our GP on the golf course?
Posted: 25th, July 2007 | In: Money | Comments (4)
MPs Bemoan £3billion Cost Of Hoodies
THERE is something darkly amusing about hearing MPs bemoaning the nation’s supposed yob culture from the comfort of their plush Westminster offices. (Pic: Beau Bo D’Or)
While banks and big business continue to rip us all off, our dear elected Members of Parliament would rather clack their marmalade-coated tongues at the working classes.
According to The Commons Public Accounts Committee, £3.4billion is being spent on tackling what the Sun calls the “army of hoodies”; however the committee remains unsure as to whether or not the money is being well spent.
Committee chairman and Conservative Edward Leigh, harrumphs: “No civilised country should have to put up with what can seem like an occupying army loose in the streets.” Expect apparently in Iraq, where Leigh and his fellow MPs sent our soldiers.
The report from the committee claims that communities were “frustrated and concerned” at the failure of courts to act on breached Asbos while it also called for “rigorous enforcement”, including jail.
What ever happened to the Government’s plan to be “tough on the causes of crime” as well as crime itself?
Anyone tell us?
Posted: 25th, July 2007 | In: Money | Comment (1)
Equality Generations Away
WAHT would Emmeline Pankhurst be thinking if she were alive today?
She might be wondering how Charley was still in the Big Brother house or whether there was anywhere to buy fashionable clothes for the modern 149-year-old woman.
Yet a new study from the Equal Opportunities Commission would irk her.
The study from the EOC claims that gender equality is still generations away, with the current “full-time pay gap” between the sexes still 20 years away from being completely closed. Indeed, women are still paid 17 per cent less than their male counterparts for full-time work; for part-time employment the difference is a staggering 38 per cent.
In terms of pensions, retired women currently finish their working life with 40 per cent less income than their male contemporaries, a gap which, according to the EOC, could take 45 years to close.
Forty-five per cent of pregnant woman are also reported to experience “tangible discrimination” while women now spend an average of 180 minutes a day on housework compared to 101 minutes for men.
Maybe the UK media needs to spend less time hand-wringing over hijabs and burkahs and start focusing on our own very-Western gender inequalities.
Posted: 25th, July 2007 | In: Money | Comment (1)
eBay Addict Set For Porridge
WE all like a bit of praise, don’t we? It gives us that little boost we need to help us through each day of our sordid little meaningless lives.
Yet for prison officer Timothy Stark, a few compliments went to his head, with rather unfortunate consequences.
The 38-year-old father of two liked to flog things on eBay, you see. And while the East Yorkshireman enjoyed the buzz of doing business on the website, he liked the comments from purchasers praising his fast and efficient service even more. So much so that he became addicted to the site, even stealing prison mugshots, a con’s Nike tracksuit and clothes boxes from Full Sutton jail near York.
Defending Stark at Hull Crown Court, Glen Parsons says: “It was not about the money. He got compliments for valued service. It was this he became addicted to”.
Stark, who made £1,200 from selling the stolen gear before being caught in a police sting operation, got four months in prison for his troubles.
One wonders how the other inmates will treat a prison officer who’s now on the other side of the bars.
Train Of Fools – Massive Price Differences On Railway
SO they want us to get out of our cars and start making the daily trek to work more eco-friendly, do they? Yet, the Government still wants train companies to raise their already massively-inflated fares to pay for improvements. The rail companies must be rather enjoying it all.
And now, a new survey has revealed the massive differences in fare prices charged by the UK’s various train companies. According to the report by Lib Dem transport spokeswoman Susan Kramer, passengers can pay up to four times more to travel the same distance, depending on which rail company they use.
Focusing on three journeys with each of Britain’s 22 operators, the study found the Heathrow Express to have the highest ticket prices, with a 27-mile trip costing £10 after 9.30am. A tenner spent with Mersey Rail, however, will bag you a 119-mile journey.
Susan Kramer says: “There should be an urgent inquiry to stop passengers paying even more per mile. How do ministers expect to get people out of their cars when the railways are so expensive?”
Gatwick Express is the second-most expensive company, with a £10 Saver Return ticket getting you a 37-mile journey while Hull trains rank third at 49 miles for £10.
However, the broken toilets, hideous coffee and irritating ticket-checkers remain harmonious across all the companies.
Posted: 23rd, July 2007 | In: Money | Comments (2)
Cautious Consumers Use Their Noodle And Stay Put
THERE may be more comparison websites than there are things to compare, but consumers now seem to be sticking with what they’ve got, as interest rates make everybody a little more cautious.
According to the financial website, Moneyexpert.com, around 5.4million fewer people changed provider for household or financial services during the first half of the year, compared with the previous six months.
Credit card and mobile phone companies were the worst affected, with approximately 900,000 fewer people changing their credit cards and just under 1.5 million jumping from one mobile phone provider to another than during the previous six months. Although they’d be silly not to take a look at Noodle for scarily cheap calls.
Banks and lenders also saw significantly fewer customers remortgaging their homes with only 3 per cent of people changing their home-loan provider during the first half of 2007, almost half-a-million fewer than in the previous six months.
Moneyexpert.com’s Sean Gardner, who we presume is indeed a money expert, says: “The financial squeeze caused by higher interest rates has meant consumers are more inclined to stick with what they know and, in any case, providers are getting tougher.
The reality is that consumers are battening down the hatches in preparation for a rough ride as the mortgage becomes more expensive and disposable income reduces.”
Or maybe we just couldn’t be bothered with the hassle of changing anything.
Britain’s Boom In Cheap Prada And Designer Goods
THERE’S something rather shallow about wearing clothes or accessories which have the designer’s name emblazoned all over them.
Rather like driving a flash sportscar, it smacks of no class and a lot of insecurity. Anyway, according to a new survey, a lot of those designer goods are about as genuine as a BBC phone-in quiz show.
The survey was commissioned by intellectual property law firm Davenport Lyons, who found that up to two-thirds of the great British public are proud to buy fake goods, a rise of 20 per cent on last year. (I wonder if intellectual property lawyers have enjoyed a boom?)
Overall, the fake market is now worth a whopping £14billion a year, a 10 per cent rise on 2006 while across the globe, the figure could be as high as £200billion.
Simon Tracey, of Davenport Lyons, says: “The social acceptability is a deeply concerning shift in consumer behaviour. Given the balance of findings in our 2007 report, the time has come to tackle the UK demand for fakes head-on.”
The most popular items were clothes, followed by shoes, watches, leather goods and jewellery and, interestingly, it’s not only the cash-strapped who are choosing cheap knock-offs with one in five of purchases being made by households earning more than £50,000.
According to the report, almost on third of the UK population has unknowingly bought a fake item.
The Mail helpfully gives us a few hints on how to spot a fake. Apparently, fake Prada perfume can cause blindness (so don’t drink it) and in reference to dodgy Burberry pashminas, the newspaper tells us: “Fakes may look the same as originals but won’t feel the same because of inferior material.”
But who knows what a real one feels like?
Posted: 23rd, July 2007 | In: Money | Comments (5)
Repo Man Nightmare For West Ham United Star
IT’S rather reassuring to hear that even the nation’s wealthier subjects can sometimes fall foul of the dreaded bailiff.
That’s exactly what has happened to West Ham United striker Carlton Cole, who despite his massive salary, estimated at around £20,000 a week, has still managed to see four cars worth around £264,000 repossessed in just the last two months. (What is about West Ham players and cars?)
Cole’s £132,000 Bentley Continental GTC, the car of choice for the flash footballer, is the latest motor to be taken off his hands after he failed to keep up repayments.
This follows the repossession of his £62,000 BMX 650, a £50,000 BMW X5 and a £20,000 Mini Cooper. And all within just a couple of months.
Cole has also been in trouble over a dispute for an unpaid £800 congestion charge.
However, fear not, young Carlton, as the Sun provides you with four easy steps to avoid financial trouble, one of which is “Cut spending”.
Now who would have thought of that?
Posted: 20th, July 2007 | In: Money | Comments (2)
Use Your Noodle: Avoid The Credit Card, Phone Car Rip-Off
THE utter lack of any kind of summer this year is enough to make any Briton forget about carbon footprints and air pollution and hotfoot it to their nearest airport to get away from it all.
But holidaymakers had better watch out. The banks are waiting to strike.
According to a new survey undertaken by Moneyfacts.com for the Telegraph, holidaymakers are paying an average of £37 for using their debit and credit cards every time they go abroad.
Overall, banks charged £726million in 2006 for cards used outside Britain, and with people often taking more than one trip abroad a year the fees can easily pass the £100 a year mark.
Another survey, this time by the Post Office, reveals that over a third of British holidaymakers are unaware of just how much they are being charged by the banks.
The Post Office’s Gary Fitton says: “It’s shocking not only to see how much people are being penalised to use their cards on holiday, but how few are aware of this.”
Nothing beats a wad of cash in your fanny-pack, if you ask me. Or any American tourist.
And saving money by using your noodle – mobile phones on holiday have never been cheaper… Check it out here.
