Energy complaints only the tip of the iceberg February 27, 2020 The true scale of customer dissatisfaction with the energy sector has been significantly underestimated, according to a new survey. Research by consumer group Which said if every consumer with a grievance against their supplier complained, the number submitted would be around 6.9m. One reason for this figure is disillusioned customers do not want to make [...]
Greed film review: Steve Coogan sets out to prove greed is not good February 21, 2020 I’m a member of an very in-exclusive club: people whom Sir Philip Green has called a c**t. There was no real malice behind it – I was writing a story about his fashion brand and that was simply the way he spoke to the media. Still, there was something cathartic about watching Michael Winterbottom and [...]
The best smart home devices of 2020: Here’s how to transform your house with the very best in connected tech February 19, 2020 No longer the preserve of gadget geeks, the tech-powered home of the future is finally going mainstream. If you’re ready to get on board, here’s our pick of the best devices in every class to upgrade your dumb house to a smart home. Best smart display: Google Nest Hub Max Once your house is heaving [...]
South Western Railway to compensate passengers hit by December’s strikes February 18, 2020 South Western Railway (SWR) has announced it will compensate passengers affected by December’s RMT union strikes for the cost of five days’ travel. The embattled rail franchise said that although it had carried roughly 80 per cent of its normal passenger burden for that time of the year, it had decided to offer additional compensation [...]
Death of England review: Rafe Spall dazzles in this timely portrait of the resurgent far-right February 14, 2020 Rafe Spall asserts his credentials as one of the finest stage actors around in this percussive, often hilarious one-man play about working class racism. He plays Michael, an Essex flower-seller whose oily patter masks a vast well of toxic emotion. He’s the guy in the pub who’s all smiles until he’s kicking the life out [...]
Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell warns coronavirus could hurt global economy February 11, 2020 US Federal Reserve chairman Jay Powell has warned that the coronavirus outbreak could “spill over to the rest of the global economy” and said the central bank is “closely monitoring” the situation. In his semi-annual testimony to Congress, Powell said coronavirus posed a new threat to the US’s economic outlook, even as “the uncertainties around [...]
Fitness advice: How to avoid these five common pitfalls in your bid to lose weight February 10, 2020 Getting fit isn’t a one-size-fit-all deal. There are at least as many strategies as there are people, and what works for me might be a disaster for you. The key is pinpointing the weak links in your quest to get healthy and finding solutions. I’ve worked with thousands of clients over the years and I’ve [...]
Nick Taylor, Pebble Beach and the importance of a golfer’s second win February 10, 2020 They say that plenty of people can win one golf tournament but that it takes a real player to win two. That’s a sentiment that Nick Taylor will appreciate after the Canadian held off Phil Mickelson to win the Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday, more than five years on from his maiden PGA Tour title. [...]
Ofgem to lower the energy price cap by £17 for 15m households February 7, 2020 Ofgem will cut the energy price cap by £17 from April as lower wholesale costs drive the price downwards, the regulator confirmed today. That will leave the default price cap at £1,162 for April to September, down from its previous level of £1,179. Ofgem said 11m households will benefit from the lower cap. The pre-payment [...]
Record number of cheap energy deals available for UK households February 5, 2020 UK households now have a far wider choice of cheap energy deals, with 78 tariffs now priced under £1000 a year. According to consumer group Which, the number of these tariffs has exploded since the energy price cap was introduced last January, when there were only 12 available. There are also 25 deals now under [...]