October 2011 Archive

Npower handed £2m fine for mishandling complaints

Energy supplier npower has been fined £2 million over customer complaint failures

Npower, one of Britain's 'big six' energy companies, has been fined £2 million by Ofgem for mishandling complaints from its customers.

The cheapest dual fuel energy tariffs available from the big six

Calculate your energy usage and apply it to find the best deal

In part one we showed you how to find your actual energy usage now we apply that to the top online dual fuel tariffs of each of the big six suppliers. Who wins?

High street loses 23,000 jobs over last year - BRC

High street shops employed 23,000 fewer staff in September than last year, figures show

There are 23,000 fewer people working in shops now than there were a year ago, according to figures from the British Retail consortium.

Manufacturers optimism drops to lowest level since April 2009

Manufacturing bosses are concerned about the future, says the CBI

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has released its latest industrial trends survey and it shows a drop in orders and pessimistic expectations for the future.

Southern Water customers in line for £5m refund

Water companies must give consumers confidence their pipes are working efficiently, Ofwat has said

Water suppliers are moving to tackle problems with their pipe infrastructure, following a performance report by regulator Ofwat.

A step-by-step guide on how to find the cheapest energy deals

Find out how to understand your bill and get a cheaper tariff

Follow our guide to find exactly how much energy you use and then apply that to the top dual fuel tariffs to find the cheapest deals.

UK families '£15 a week worse off' than in 2010

Households are feeling the pinch amid high energy and transport costs, a survey has said

A new study published by supermarket Asda has shown just how much household budgets have shrunk in the last year.

UK households expect incomes to stagnate over next 12 months

Household incomes are unlikely to rise in the next year, many Britons fear

A study by research specialist Markit has shown expectations for household income growth have fallen and that only 31% think they will see a rise in income.

Ten per cent of all sales transactions happen online

Online sales now account for ten per cent of all retail sales

The ONS published retail sales data for September that showed online sales are growing at the expense of the high street and £1 in every £10 is now spent online.

The Queen is just one big price rise away from fuel poverty

Buckingham Palace uses an old heating system that needs replacing

The Queen spends an estimated 8.2 per cent of her income on fuel and with prices rising but her income stagnating, one more price rise would push her into fuel poverty.

Energy customers suffering in postcode lottery - uSwitch

Energy bills can vary by as much as £180 depending on region, uSwitch has said

According to a survey by comparison website uSwitch, consumers are subjected to different energy prices depending on where they live, even when their supplier and usage are the same.

Ofcom ruling allows Royal Mail to set price of stamps

Royal Mail could hike its prices under new rules proposed by Ofcom, it has been suggested

New proposals from Ofcom could see Royal Mail increase the price of postage next year.

PWC: Councils take biggest hit from spending cuts

The private sector is not picking up the slack any more, PricewaterhouseCoopers has said

Private sector employment covered the public sector job losses in the six months to April, but did not continue doing so after that, a report has revealed.

Retail sales rise by 0.6% in September

The ONS reports that retail sales rose by 0.6% in September

The UK economy received some rare good news today when the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that retail sales grew by 0.6 per cent in September.

HMRC warns taxpayers of email scammers phishing

HMRC has warned taxpayers to be wary of internet scammers

HMRC has issued a warning about internet scammers asking taxpayers for bank and personal information. HMRC says that it never asks for such information via emails.

HMRC confirms 6m Brits will receive tax rebates

HMRC has said letters will go out to those affected in the next few months

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs has revealed six million people will get a tax rebate averaging £400 in the next few months.

Energy prices will keep on rising - British Gas chief

The cost of gas internationally will keep on pushing up UK energy prices, according to Phil Bentley

The managing director of British Gas has said the price of gas on world markets will continue to rise and push UK energy prices up with it.

David Cameron urges energy companies to cut bills

David Cameron has urged energy companies to help consumers keep their bills down

Prime minister David Cameron has said gas and electricity providers need to simplify their price structures to help consumers keep bills down, ahead of an energy summit.

Energy firms criticise Ofgem over misleading profit figures

Gas and electricity bills will be simplified under the new proposals

The major energy companies have criticised Ofgem for issuing misleading figures about their profit margins.

Energy firms slammed by Which? for hiding best fuel deals

The big six energy firms are failing to provide customers with their cheapest tariffs, Which? has found.

Consumer organisation Which? has conducted a study and found that energy firms' sales staff do not give out information on the cheapest deals in one-third of all calls.

SSE reveals energy auction plans

Scottish and Southern Energy believes auctioning its electricity will remove barriers to entry

Barriers to entry for smaller companies trying to get into the energy market look set to be reduced after Scottish and Southern Energy revealed a shake-up of the way it supplies energy.

Discount grocery retailers increase sales and market share

Sales at discount stores such as Lidl have soared in the last three months

Aldi, Lidl and Iceland have all recorded significant increases in sales in the last three months as consumers feel the pinch, it has been revealed.

Youth unemployment rises to 991,000

Unemployment for those aged between 16 and 24 rose to 991,000

Unemployment in the UK rose by 117,000 between June and August to the highest level for 17 years and youth unemployment rose to just below the one million mark.

Average income households to be in fuel poverty by 2015

The cost of gas and electricity has increased by more than 100% in just seven years

If gas and electricity prices and average earnings continue rising at the same rate they have since 2004, the average UK household will be in fuel poverty by 2015.

UK retail sales values up slightly in September

Clothing sales fell sharply during last month's mini-heatwave, it has been revealed

The latest figures from the British Retail Consortium have revealed a slight rise in retail sales values in September compared with the same month in 2010.

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