Monday Media Round-Up – Banned businesses

12/03/2019 Knowing your brand is important in business. But what happens when your brand is banned? That’s what happened to 87 businesses last year when Companies House said their names were too rude.

You can see more here *rude content warning*

Of course, at least these are just business names, not children’s names.

Here’s the news!

Cash slash bash

Last week a leading report highlighted how the availability of cash machines and branches was going to have a huge impact on society. The BBC asks ‘are we ready to give up cash?’ Meanwhile continuous payment authorities – payments that allow firms to regularly debit your account or card but don’t show up on your ‘regular payments’ – are increasingly resulting in people overpaying or going overdrawn.

Stop the sneaky cash grab: Outraged readers back our campaign to tackle continuous payment authorities racket.

Cash or no cash – where do you stand?

The fingerprint mint

The future is upon us… slowly. Despite being around for ages, the first fingerprint recognition bank card is being tested. Other firms are experimenting with ocular identification. If you’ve seen the film Minority Report, you might be more worried about being mugged in future…

RBS trials biometric fingerprint bank card.

Bills bills bills

Collective groans around the nation as householders open electric/water/council tax/insurance documents to find out that everything is going up again this year. But can you reduce those inflation-busting bills? We will be covering this in our next article so email us your tips. And here’s a good one from the Mail on council tax.

Are you due a refund of hundreds of pounds on your council tax? As bills are set to rise 5%, here’s how to reduce the pain.

Call the irony police

Facebook is suing a business that reaps private data from personality tests. The irony is lost on nobody. The Lords, however, are still focused on all the other rules tech firms have broken.

Facebook sues over ‘data-grabbing’ quizzes.

Lords urge tougher rules for tech firms.

The cost of care

We’ve often highlighted the challenges elderly people face when it comes to people out to rip them off. The Mail highlight another case where a woman has been hugely overcharged by a solicitor who was a ‘friend’ of the family.

Help! My aunt with dementia has a solicitor attorney charging £760 an hour and who has racked up £40k to date – now he wants to sell her flat at an £83k loss.

Let’s all go alfresco

Let’s go outside, sang George Michael – and so the nation did. Pubs have reported increased sales thanks to the unexpected heatwave in February, while chain restaurants lost customers as the cost of living bites. Meanwhile, headline writers had a field day as Brexit loving, minimum wage dodging, cheap drink purveyors Weatherspoon’s put their prices up for the fifth time in two years.

Unexpected February heatwave cheers Britain’s pub trade

Budget-friendly Wetherspoon raises its prices for the FIFTH time in two years – with some drinks and meal deals now up 50p.

…and finally…

We’ve been working hard with the Telegraph to increase awareness of Resolver over the last year and it’s paying off big time. Check out a few of last week’s articles:

Millions missing out on PPI payouts from their banks as cut-off date for refunds draws closer.

Pre-Brexit passport deadline this week – do you need to renew in case of no deal?

Covered for alien abduction? How to never waste money on insurance again.