HEALTH INSURANCE • TAX RELIEF CHICKEN & EGGS • HEALTH SCREENING CREDIT UNIONS • OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE TEST: SATNAV SYSTEMS TEST: MOBILE PHONES TEST: TELEVISIONS NOVEMBER 2008 The Magazine of the Consumers’ Association of Ireland Choice Buy handsets for mobile consumers PRODUCT TESTS IRELAND’S ONLY INDEPENDENT CONSUMERS’ ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND (CAI) To independently protect, promote and represent the interests of consumers. The Council is the policy-making body of CAI. Members are elected from within CAI's membership at the Annual General Editorial & Contents Meeting. The current members are: Chairperson November James Doorley Vice-Chairperson Michael Kilcoyne Hon Secretary 2008 Ann Woods Hon Treasurer Frank Dawe Minutes Secretary Dorothy Gallagher Council Members e have all been on a roller coaster ride over the for supporting the banks with our money, the Government Elaine Bolger past few months, with fears of a prolonged must do two things. Firstly they must overhaul the Peter Dargan Weconomic recession and turmoil in the banking regulatory regime which allowed this problem to spiral out Richard Donohue sector at home and abroad. The most dramatic event, of of control. Secondly all banks in receipt of the State Mel Gannon course, was the State guarantee of €400bn given by the guarantee must forego the right to increase charges and Diarmuid MacShane Government with taxpayers money to the Irish banks. Given fees as long as the guarantee is in place. If this was done, John McMahon the urgency of the situation, it was the right thing to do and the Government would demonstrate that this decision was Timothy Murphy in the short term it appears to have worked. However the really taken to protect consumers and our economy and not Enid O’Dowd devil will be in the detail and no one really knows what the done solely to bail out the banks. Emer O’Siochru impact of the guarantee will be for consumers and James Wims taxpayers in the medium to long term. It would be unacceptable if consumers ended up paying for this crisis in the form of increased bank charges and fees. Those who created, benefitted from and oversaw this mess must take responsibility and bear the brunt. In return James Doorley Chairperson STAFF OUR REPORTS CONSUMER CHOICE www.consumerassociation.ie Chief Executive Reports in Consumer Choice are based on market Consumer Choice is published monthly by the Reception Dermott Jewell research, laboratory tests or user surveys, all of Consumers' Association of Ireland (CAI) Limited, tel (01) 497 8600 ext 20 Acting Editor which are independently and scientifically a wholly independent, non-government, Advice / Information Service Margaret Brady conducted. Free goods are never accepted for non-profit making body. CAI was founded in tel (01) 497 8600 ext 23 Editor testing – all samples are purchased. 1966 to protect and promote the interests of Kieran Doherty The reports are produced in the main by the consumers of goods and services, and to PUBLISHED MATERIAL Research team our own Editorial staff. Some material is enhance the quality of life for consumers. CAI is No part of this publication may be reproduced, Mark Channing occasionally drawn from other foreign registered with charitable status: CHY 8559. stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any Jenny Harrow independent consumer magazines. Advertising is not accepted for publication. form without the prior permission of the Editor. It Sinéad Mc Mahon Because Consumer Choice carries no Consumer Choice is available on a subscription may not be used for any form of advertising, Aisling Murtagh commercial advertising it is not swayed by basis only. An administration charge will apply sales promotion or publicity. Assistant to the bias or influence and can point out advantages to cancellations. To subscribe please write to: © Consumers’ Association of Ireland 2008 Chief Executive and flaws in goods and services that other ISSN 0790-486X Judy Dunne magazines may not be able to do. Consumer Choice Subscription Officer Reports on any article relate only to the Subscription Department Editing and Art Direction by Mairead Noonan articles or goods mentioned, and not to any 43–44 Chelmsford Road Margaret Brady and Dermott Jewell Secretarial other article of the same or similar description. Ranelagh Typeset, make up and production by Nora Grimes We do not necessarily price or report on all Dublin 6 Margaret Brady Olga Hick brands or models within the class, and the tel (01) 497 8811 Printed by exclusion of any brand or model should not be fax (01) 497 8601 Baird’s Printing Group, Belfast / Dublin taken as a reflection on it. email [email protected] Cover www.thecai.ie iStockphoto.com 402 consumer choice NOVEMBER 2008 EDITORIAL 414 405 416 428 420 436 News briefs 404 COMING SOON Health check 405 Insurance policies compared plus a special look at maternity benefits Some of the reports Health screening 410 we plan for you: What’s available and what it involves Affordable housing Bread Get some relief 414 Car rental Are you claiming all your tax reliefs? Choice Buy round-up Cloud computing The chicken and the egg 416 Deposit protection scheme Farming standards examined Digital cameras Digital photo frames Community credit 420 Directory enquiries Fifty years in - we take a look at the Credit Union Family cars Financial gifts TEST: Are we there yet? 424 Food supplements A look at the latest satnav systems Income Tax Guide 2009 Low-calorie options TEST: Mobile phones 428 Meat origin Choice Buy handsets for consumers on the go Money makeover Parcel delivery services TEST: Televisions 432 Snapshot Photo printers What to look out for when you shop Sunbeds Stockbrokers Currents 436 Tooth enamel Changing consumer contract law - EU wide Understanding shares Fire safety - make it a priority! Keep A-G! Nano-food & FSAI concerns Shedding light on bulbs INDEX Indexes are printed in the April, July, Open source software 438 October and December issues of Alternatives that don’t cost the earth Consumer Choice. Turn to p398 in the October issue for the complete What am I to do? 440 index of reports from January to Saving for the holidays September 2008. CONTENTS NOVEMBER 2008 consumer choice 403 News briefs The latest information on the world of the consumer A Power of Good The Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill 2008, which has yet to be discussed by the Oireachtas, A Fuel’s Paradise extends the remit of the Ombudsman to cover additional Technology is soon to launch in Ireland that will provide for pay-at-the-pump public bodies and investigate terminals in garages. Ireland had been behind Europe in installing these units complaints from consumers who but it is seen by the industry now as a means of delivery which has the feel that they have been unfairly potential to save retail costs and overheads. It does offer the potential to reduce treated by them. The new bodies queuing and waiting time for consumers who have no need to purchase food, which the Bill will add include: confectionery or any other item at the outlet. Of course, the ability to ‘open’ Universities and IT’s, the Legal unmanned stations at night will undoubtedly attract attention. Aid Board, National Roads Authority, Citizens Information Board, Pensions Board, Equality Authority, Road Safety Authority, CAI Action - Direct and Positive the Food Safety Authority and On September 9th AIB Merchant services notified their retailers that effective from October others. However, commercial 1, they were introducing an additional 20 cent transaction fee when consumers made a Laser semi-state bodies such as the ESB Purchase with Cashback (LPWCB). There was consternation within the retailer community and the National Consumer and an immediate suggestion that this charge would be passed on to the purchasing consumer. Agency will remain outside of the Following some one on one interaction between yours truly and the Irish Bankers Federation Ombudsman’s remit. Full details and the AIB (and, of course, some similar retailer interaction no doubt) during which the at www.oireachtas.ie. likely consumer sentiment impact was indicated, the introduction of the fee was abandoned. In context THE CLOTHES OFF YOUR BACK... I raised this topic once before The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) recently dealt with a complaint and was approached regarding that deserves highlighting. The consumer received an advertisement in the form of a label the issue recently on our stand at which stated: ‘Irish Program of Unwanted Clothing Collection to improve the lives and the Over 50’s Show. welfare for poor people.’ It asked members of the public to ‘fix the label provided to Will you please contact us if you bags or boxes and leave them in clear view outside your front door on this Thursday are in receipt of texts advising from 8am’. It quoted a registration number ‘Ca. Reg. No. 287899’ and a telephone you that your mobile phone bill number (086 214 7000). No other contact details were given. is due and/or that you have paid The consumer considered the inclusion of the registered number was a deliberate your bill; attempt to mislead the public into thinking that the organisation behind the operation Will you also please tell us if, was a Registered Charity. He stated that in fact the company was purely a profit making having landed abroad, you receive venture and that the intention was to mislead the consumer. The Registered number duplicate texts ‘welcoming’ you to quoted in the advertisement was not a registered charity number but was the Company that country on behalf of your Registration number of a software company that had been dissolved in June 2000. This service provider. is one to seriously consider – and tell your family, friends and neighbours to do likewise! Details please to our National Consumer Complaints Register at Congratulations! www.thecai.ie Well done to Mr.