2006 Archive

On Monday 11th December 2006, c2c introduced a new timetable, and passengers have been suffering the consequences. See the petition at www.petitiononline.com/c2c and our c2c forum for the latest.

Get £20 off a Slingbox – the magic box that connects to your home broadband, and lets you watch your home TV from around the world. Order from www.dixons.co.uk , and at the checkout, enter the code NOW35 to get the Slingbox for £129.99.

Internet and phone bank First Direct has announced that it is to end free banking for customers that don’t keep a current account balance of £1500, or pay in £1,500 a month. Those that don’t comply, will be charges £10 a month to keep their account opened

The is apparently to cull customers that are not making active use of their current accounts

More details on BBC News website. See our First Direct page for advice to First Direct customers.

Some nice offers in time for Christmas from gadget retailer AdvancedMP3players:

• 5% discount on all DAB radios at DAB Radios. Enter the discount voucher code “dab453″ at the checkout – Valid until end of December 2006

• Save £5.00 off any order over £200, enter "save6533" at Checkout. Valid until end of December 2006

Get your money off at: www.advancedmp3players.co.uk

Join Sky digital as a new customer, and get the first three months of your subscription for half-price. You also get a free digibox, dish and free standard installation, as well as a £10 credit off your first bill. Offer only applies when ordered online, and is available for a limited time (ends 30th November 2006).

Full details of the offer at www.sky.com/skycom.

BT’s broadband offering gets more competitive. While rivals such as TalkTalk are offering free broadband, BT is fighting back with freebies and extra value-add services. At the time of writing, they’re offering one of the new BT Home Hubs (for wireless connectivity), on two of their three Broadband packages – The Hubs retail for about £90, so this is a good offer for those looking for a wi-fi router, and to be able to get services such as the new BT Vision TV service.

The second ConsumerCast Podcast has been launched.

Show #02 looks at the broadband announcements from TalkTalk, Telewest/NTL, BT and Sky, highlights the third British Gas fuel price hikes this year, looks at a few financial offers to consider, points you at a free iPod Shuffle (from Audible), and takes a look at a couple of other worthy offers.

You can listen to the show online, or download it to your MP3 player, at www.consumerdeals.co.uk/cast02.html

Join Sky digital as a new customer on a package of £15 or over, and get Sky Movies or Sky Sports free for 6 months. You also get a free digibox, dish and free standard installation, plus a £10 credit. Offer only applies when ordered online, and for a limited time (31st July 2006).

More at www.sky.com/skycom

Think Airmiles… This scheme lets you redeem points for flights with 18 airlines including American Airlines and BMI, lets you save money on trips with travel companies such as Thomson and P&O. You can get a Buy and Fly credit card that lets you earn points when you spend, and you can also earn by going to the cinema at the Odeon.

More at www.buyandfly.com

We’ve just launched our first Podcast.

Under the name ConsumerCast, our podcast will be a short, regular audio show that provides you with a brief update on some of the top consumer deals and offers available in the UK, including moneysavers, consumer news and our top tips. You can listen to this short audio file on your PC, or download it to your MP3 player.

The first show features: Free Broadband for life, Network update: Orange , o2 and Vodafone, Sky’s latest offer, Freeview, £50 from a bank, an underwear sale and money off electricals.

You can download the first ConsumerCast from www.consumerdeals.co.uk/casts.html

In April 2006, the home phone company TalkTalk launched “Free Broadband for life”. They’re offering three home phone tariffs with free boradband – best value seems to be Talk 3, which offers:

- Free broadband for life – speeds up to 8MB
- Inclusive and unlimited anytime local and national UK landline calls
- Free calls to other TalkTalk customers

This package costs £8.99 a month, in addition to the standard line rental of £11 a month). BT’s Option 3, BT line rental and BT broadband wouild cost you £43.49 a month, so this is a heck of a saving.

Visit www.talktalk.co.uk to check for coverage and for full details.

Until the end of March 2006, the AA are offering an exclusive 20% off breakdown cover when ordered online. Packages include roadside assistance, home start and relay.
More details of this offer at www.theaa.com

Half-price Sky Digital for the first four months (from £7.50 a month), plus free digibox, free installation and a £10 credit when ordered online (until 23rd March 2006).

To check out the offer, go to www.sky.com/skycom, and for more on Sky, see www.radioandtelly.co.uk/satellitetv.html

It can’t have escaped your notice that British Gas has just announced yet another huge price hike – the fourth price rise since 2004, and the second in six months. It has increased gas prices by 22% and electricity prices by 22% for its customers.

The continuing cost of loyalty continues to grow, but around 50% of UK households are content to see their bills rise by 36% since 2004. We just can’t work out what’s stopping the other 50% of the country switching to a cheaper supplier. It’s the same gas, down the same pipes… just cheaper.

Do yourself a favour, take 5 minutes out… With your Gas and Electricty bill handy, try the free comparison site www.uswitch.com today!

Pigsback is a new reward scheme that gives you access to exclusive offers on products and services that match your interests, and allow you to collect PiggyPoints which can be redeemed against a wide selection of products.

More at www.pigsback.com.