Monday Media Round-Up – Fighting back against parking madness

06/08/2018 Hello Resolvers! Don’t you just hate it when you go to Spain and it’s full of Spanish people? Or when you’re having a staycation and a gull nicks your pasty and you fall off a pier chasing it?

Yes, it’s the silly season and the papers are excelling themselves this week with stories weird and wonderful. It’s worth bearing in mind though that even the silliest story has some validity. The pensioner who hated her holiday in Benidorm because of those pesky Spanish actually has a valid claim against her holiday company, after they failed to meet her mobility requirements and booked her in a hotel on a hill far from the beach – on the 12th floor.

Silliness sometimes hides serious stuff.

Today’s news

Rail fail

Just when you thought your commute couldn’t get worse, reports suggest we’re into an inflation-busting fare increase of 3.5% next year. In the meantime, Northern Rail customers faced yet more cancellations, making a volatile situation much worse.

Which? has joined a chorus of voices demanding automatic compensation for train delays and cancellations, but there’s no indication the industry is keen to do this. Don’t wait though, make your claim through Resolver today!

• Rail fares predicted to rise 3.5% next year
• Rail passengers should get automatic compensation for delays, says Which?

Ticketmasterblaster

Gig-goers everywhere rejoice! In the first move against the hugely unpopular reticketing agency by a business, Ticketmaster is shutting its resale ticket websites. Ticketmaster has left itself open to accusations of encouraging touts by allowing reselling at vastly inflated prices.

• Ticketmaster to close resale sites Seatwave and Get Me In
• Ticketmaster to shut Seatwave and GetMeIn resale sites

My bank is a trendy wine bar

The death of the high street has been in the news for the last week, with suggestions from the Treasury that an ‘Amazon tax’ could help redress some of the lost trade stolen by the online behemoth. However, the Mail believes the problem runs deeper, drawing a link between bank closures and the high street shops following shortly after.

• The ‘death on the high street’ stories recently all kicked off in an article in the Mirror back in March, written by *ahem* me!
• High Street suffering from vicious circle as bank closures put off shoppers and hit local shops

Increasingly angry

In another campaign at the Daily Mail, Money Mail Editor Dan Hyde is calling on readers to question their insurer every time their premium is increased. There are potentially millions of complaints to be made here as a result. If you think you were overcharged make a complaint today.

• DAN HYDE: Take insurers to task and make them explain why they’re putting up the premium:

I always feel that somebody’s watching me

Could your energy company spy on you in the shower? That’s the Big Brother scenario in the Mail this week after they discovered that smart meter technology could let suppliers raise prices remotely, cut you off, spy on you in your home and even switch struggling customers on to a pre-payment scheme.

• New smart meter code could hand energy firms power to monitor usage, raid credit balances, hike prices and switch customers’ tariffs

On your bike if you want a saving hike

Last week’s interest rate hike has focused the press on the entirely unfair rules that allow businesses to pass on a full rate cut on to saving rates but doesn’t compel them to pass the increase on. The treatment of savers in the current financial market is increasingly driving column inches – and Resolver is due to appear in a number of upcoming articles.

• Nationwide fails rate rise test but adds 0.5% to its Help-to-Buy Isa: Loyal customer SALLY HAMILTON wonders if it wants savers to become mortgage borrower
• Beleaguered savers left disappointed as just one in ten banks pass on any of the interest rate hike – but two tiny building societies do the right thing

Barking parking

Parking charges drive everyone mad, so it’s surprising they aren’t in the headlines more. Expect that to change as the papers gear up for a number of campaigns against both public and private charges. The knives are out…

• Why it’s time to fight back against parking madness (and how to beat a ticket): This is Money podcast:
• Received an unfair parking charge from a private firm? Hold your nerve, fight it like I did and win (using a little knowhow), says LEE BOYCE

In, out, shake it all about

Ah Brexit, still lurking on the horizon behind all the headlines. Reports are now starting to come in looking at what will happen when/if the UK leaves the EU. The BBC looks at whether the mobile phone companies will drop the data roaming discounts in place at the moment (answer: there’s nothing stopping them).

Meanwhile, queues are building at Britain’s busiest airport to enter the country. Airport complaints are somewhat overlooked by Resolver – something we’re focusing on at the moment.

• Roaming charges: What will happen after Brexit?
• Heathrow Airport passport queues reach 2.5 hours

And finally…

To the Telegraph, who take a look at life assurance and how many people are led to believe that their policies have a value. Generally, they don’t, which means you can fork out thousands over the years, only to find you have to pay much more for the same level of cover.

• ‘I paid in £18k – now my life cover will pay out just £3.48′

You can make a complaint about all of these things and more at www.resolver.co.uk.

Don’t forget it takes just five clicks and only a few minutes. So share the love with your friends and family. #loveresolution

All the best

James Walker