Rip Off Britain
15 December 2010
It's good to see that consumer programmes like the BBC's Rip Off Britain want to broadcast the positive work we do to protect consumer interests. The show this week looked at the problems people face when they can't get mobile coverage with their provider, and can't find a way out of their contract.
The story has been a familiar one to the Consumer Panel, and led us to commission research to discover just how big a problem it is; and the very clear answer was that it was much bigger than the rather superficial national statistics would suggest. As the Panel Chair Anna Bradley said in her interview on the programme "all consumers should have the right to have a phone that works in the places that they want it to work".
Following discussions with providers on the basis of our research, a number of improvements have already been introduced, so we've achieved some positive change for consumers - and that's what our work is all about.