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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
40 – 60

Car Payments: Are you keeping track? Wendy Knowler weighs in

Tracking contracts are easy to get into but harder to get out of. It may seem like a good idea to sign a three-year tracking contract for your car and avoid the upfront payment of the tracking device itself, but if you sell the car within three years or you…
18 Feb 2021 8 min

Travel operators have made some big changes to their penalty fees!

The travel industry, from its knees, is busy introducing the kind of flexibility into its fares that we would all have loved and appreciated all these years. Last month British Airways (operated by Comair in SA) announced that it has introduced new booking options, giving customers the flexibility to change…
11 Feb 2021 4 min

Wendy Knowler on why bigger local instituitions like Greyhound are having to close

While the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying regulations have put businesses like Citiliner, Greyhound, Musica, and more in danger, it was only contributing to escalating the inevitable. People are no longer buying music from stores, bus ticket sales have declined as well as poor regulatory compliance in the bus passenger…
3 Feb 2021 4 min

Battling to close your Edgars account? Wendy Knowler says you're not alone

Carol Fourie’s experience in trying to close her Edgars account is shared by many others. She wrote: "I have had numerous calls from Edgars/RCS agents since last year regarding non-payment on my account. During these calls, I indicated that I wished to close my account after paying the outstanding balance…
28 Jan 2021 4 min

Skyrocketing ginger prices & special tenant rights

In this, the first Consumerwatch feature of 2021, Wendy Knowler reveals why the price of ginger has skyrocketed, and why the government’s Disaster Management Act regulation preventing landlords from cutting off electricity to tenants who are in arrears is, in reality, hollow protection.
21 Jan 2021 10 min

Students' safety compromised and trip cancellations - Wendy Knowler investigates

It’s Christmas time and we’re experiencing a second wave of coronavirus infections. Not a great combo. Quite a few people have voiced their concerns to Wendy about employees in shops and restaurants not wearing their masks properly and making them feel unsafe. And yes, many consumers don’t do their bit…
17 Dec 2020 10 min

Dealership fees & other extras mandatory on your car deal? Nonsense!

Recently Tim shared with Wendy Knowler email correspondence he had with a salesman at the Honda & Suzuki dealership in Pinetown, part of the massive CMH dealership group.The salesman told him in an email that R1100 was for the licensing of the car - “an outsourced company does our licensing…
10 Dec 2020 10 min

Wendy Knowler offers solutions to Keri Miller’s municipal bill issues

Keri Miller was unexpectedly pushed into a tight budget this December after receiving a letter from the Municipality to settle a very big electricity bill, lest her lights are cut out by the 7th of December. This has been giving her sleepless nights and to get to the bottom of…
3 Dec 2020 5 min

It never rains but it pours - best you get your roof checked out!

With the rainy season well underway in most parts of South Africa, the office of the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance is bracing itself for a spike in complaints from distressed homeowners whose building insurance claims have been rejected. The office dealt with 1800 cases of rejected building insurance claims during…
3 Dec 2020 5 min

Paid then, fly later... much later

The good news for those holding Kulula or British Airways tickets for domestic flights they couldn’t use during hard lockdown is they can use the value of those tickets towards new bookings on those airlines, both owned by Comair. The bad news, says Wendy Knowler, is that while Kulula planes…
26 Nov 2020 8 min

Companies - get your own (throwaways) back!

FINALLY! Manufacturers will be forced to take responsibility for recovering their products or product packaging and getting it recycled. From cardboard boxes to electronic goods, lightbulbs, all forms of plastic and glass jars and bottles, the manufacturers or importers will have to make a plan to get it back from…
12 Nov 2020 12 min

Road Accidents - what’s driving them?

So what category of vehicles are involved in most serious accidents on South African roads? If you said minibus taxis you’d be wrong. The answer, shared by Wendy Knowler in today’s Consumerwatch, will probably surprise you. A renowned, Durban-based forensic accident investigator has shared his findings and road safety suggestions…
5 Nov 2020 13 min

About those extra costs on your store account...

In this week’s Consumerwatch, WENDY KNOWLER explains why so many people are battling to pay off their store accounts. All those extras - club fees, service fees, and fees for calling you about your overdue account - add up. Also in today’s episode: how not to buy a puppy.
29 Oct 2020 9 min

Edgars: this week’s drama for accountholders is an interest-related bill shock

Last week, Edgars hastily reinstated its 6-months interest-free account plan after announcing it was scrapping it just days before. This week, a “valued customers” got another interest shock - double interest charged to their October accounts because a “system glitch” meant that no interest was charged last month. Consumer journalist…
15 Oct 2020 12 min

New Edgars owners feel the heat + what is up with J&J’s baby wipes?

The company which recently bought the 91-year-old retail chain Edgars decided it would be a good idea to scrap the six-month interest-free account plan, but its accountholders were having none of that… Wendy Knowler waded in on that story on today’s Consumerwatch. She also investigated what’s up with another iconic…
8 Oct 2020 10 min
40 – 60