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You and Yours: Energy Prices, Posthumus Birth Certificates, Retail Ombudsman

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05/01/2015

Energy Prices, Posthumus Birth Certificates, Retail Ombudsman

BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours, Energy Prices, Posthumus Birth Certificates, Retail Ombudsman

Wholesale gas prices, supermarket price wars and running a small business.

Consumer news. Featuring wholesale gas prices, supermarket price wars, running a small business, posthumous birth registration and the retail ombudsman. With Shari Vahl.

Wholesale gas prices have dropped 20% since the energy companies last raised their tariffs. So when will the saving be passed on to us? A twenty percent fall in the cost of gas could represent a potential ten percent saving on a dual fuel bill. But will it happen?

In the first of a series of four pieces asking the question "Who would want to run a small business?" Shari Vahl hears how little consumer-style legal protection exists for small businesses when they trade with each other, and with bigger suppliers and customers.

Shortly after a baby is born you register the birth. If the parents are married, then both names automatically go on the birth certificate. But if they're not married, then the mother and father have to be there in person to make sure both names go on. But what if that's not possible, because the father of the baby has died before the birth is registered?

If you're looking to save money - some people suggest getting your house assessed to make sure it's in the right council tax band. That's because you could be one of the thousands of people in England and Wales who are in the wrong band. And that might mean you could be in line for not only a discount on your current bill, but also a rebate dating back more than 20 years.
But as with anything in life, there are always some people who want in on this 'free money'. They've been approaching households offering to do the paperwork for them. But for a price. And you can do it for free.


Whilst we're all looking for cheaper food, have we and the supermarkets forgotten about ethics? Last month the British Retail Consortium reported that food prices had dropped for the first time since 2006. Do we still care that the eggs we buy are free range, the meat we buy has been sustainably sourced, and that the suppliers of our chosen supermarket have been given a good deal?

Consumer rights lawyer, Dean Dunham, has been appointed as the first Retail Ombudsman. The service can be used by anyone who's complained to a shop and the dispute hasn't been resolved. The slight drawback though is that shops don't have to be part of it. They can stay outside of the service if they want to. He says shoppers who can't afford a lawyer can now come to him instead.

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