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ECR Consumerwatch

Wendy Knowler is arguably South Africa’s most experienced consumer journalist. She’s helped more consumers over her 20 year career in consumer journalism than she could count. But while known as a champion of consumer rights, Wendy is also known and respected by corporates for her fair, accurate and balanced reporting. Want to be a more sussed consumer or corporate? Listen to Wendy's episodes here.
Weekly English South Africa Leisure · Business
239 Episodes
220 – 239

Looking for loans in all the wrong places

There’s a terrible irony in someone trying to get a loan and losing money instead, but sadly it’s a very common scenario, says Consumerwatch's Wendy Knowler.
16 Mar 2017 5 min

Cruise to nowhere

A promotion guaranteed to get people signing a cellphone contract involved a free cruise - however almost 1700 people were left cruise-less. Consumerwatch's Wendy chats to Durban residents who followed all the required steps, but still lost out on the deal.
9 Mar 2017 5 min

Fancy a little syrup with your honey?

When a food product carries a premium price, there will be those in the industry who’ll pass off a cheaper, adulterated version of what the label claims it to be. Wendy Knowler investigates…
2 Mar 2017 7 min

Is there such a thing as a non-refundable deposit?

It’s been almost six years since the Consumer Protection Act made it illegal for companies to impose a blanket “non refundable deposit” policy on their customers. In today's Consumerwatch, Wendy Knowler spoke to a Morningside resident who had trouble reclaiming her deposits after her wedding was called off last month.
2 Feb 2017 3 min

Holiday stay gone wrong? Take photos!

Many people complain about shoddy holiday accommodation - they make a booking and pay a deposit based on what they've seen and read on the establishment’s website, but when they get there, they are horrified by what they find. When your holiday stay goes wrong - here's why you should…
19 Jan 2017 5 min

LISTEN: Wendy's take on the Ford Kugas-on-fire drama

There are 44 Ford Kugas which are said to have caught alight. So far. That’s a lot of flames, one loss of life, and many hefty insurance claims. Some have been settled and some not - much trauma for the car owners and a public relations disaster for Ford South…
12 Jan 2017 6 min

Clash of the Christmas Custards

The festive season is traditionally a very merry one for custard sales, and Parmalat is aiming to increase its market share with an advert claiming that in an independent blind tasting test, 7 out of 10 “custard lovers” prefer Parmalat, it’s line “Thought your old favourite was ultra-delicious?” clearly referring…
8 Dec 2016 5 min

Spammed by a Recording

Companies have a new way of contacting us, as if email, SMS, landline and cellphone calls, Twitter DM, snail mail and fax mail wasn’t enough. It’s called AVM - automated voice messaging. You phone rings, you answer, and instead of real, live person talking-to you, you hear a recorded message…
1 Dec 2016 5 min

Can’t be dealing with this

People behaving badly in shops makes for great social media traffic, but resorting to violence and intimidation when you don’t get your way is a really ugly, childish trend. On Consumerwatch we focus on the case of a woman who signed a deal on a new car, realised afterwards that…
24 Nov 2016 7 min

No getting out of insuring that financed car…

If you’re feeling the pinch, cancelling or downgrading your car insurance may seem like a good way to shave a few hundred Rand off your monthly expenses. But not only is that very unwise, it’s a breach of your car finance contract. Car finance banks have a right to insist…
17 Nov 2016 7 min

Shrinkflation goes too far

Toblerone is suddenly the poster child for SHRINKFLATION - when manufacturers make their products smaller as a sneaky way of passing on price increases to consumers. Public outcry over the redesigned bar - which now has much fewer chocolate peaks - has lit up social media this week. But it’s…
10 Nov 2016 11 min

Customer service - are you feeling it?

The results of the Ask Afrika Orange Index are out, the Index measuring customer service across brands and across 33 South African industries. And very eye-opening they are too - one industry dominated the coveted Top Ten, with four spots, and the biggest surprise of this year’s Index is that…
3 Nov 2016 9 min

RAF: An attorney’s response

The Durban attorneys who specialise in Road Accident Fund cases were none too pleased about some of the stuff the Fund bosses said about them last week. Here's part 2 of the RAF series…
27 Oct 2016 5 min

Road accident victims: where's the money going?

The Road Accident Fund is desperately seeking more than 12 000 KwaZulu-Natal road accident victims who lodged claims four or more years ago, and then just dropped off the radar. In a media briefing held in Durban this week, the Fund’s Chief Operations Officer urged journalists to get the word…
20 Oct 2016 6 min

Gym contract traps

Spring is here and that means the gyms are working hard to push that tired old Shape up For Summer message, and get you to sign a contract. But exercise care when signing any contract, urges Wendy Knowler.
6 Oct 2016 6 min
220 – 239