Competitor says increases 'a direct result of the inefficiencies' at VHISECTOR REACTION: THE VHI’S main rivals were quick to criticise yesterday’s price increases with both questioning the high costs…Fri Jan 07 2011 - 00:00
Smokers paying up to twice as much for life assuranceSMOKERS ARE paying more than just the price of a packet of cigarettes for their habit and it could be costing them nearly €15…Fri Jan 07 2011 - 00:00
Q&AHow much did VHI Healthcare increase its premiums by? Premiums will go up by between 15 per cent and 45 per cent from the beginning…Fri Jan 07 2011 - 00:00
VHI call centre buckles under strainThe VHI ‘s call centre buckled today under the strain of the large volume of calls being made by customers concerned at the health…Fri Jan 07 2011 - 00:00
Gas prices to stay the same until SeptemberTHE COMMISSION for Energy Regulation (CER) has announced that it is to maintain gas prices at current levels for residential …Fri Jan 07 2011 - 00:00
Push to recycle Christmas trees beginsTODAY MARKS the official end of Christmas, and the lights on up to one million Christmas trees sold in Ireland in December will…Thu Jan 06 2011 - 00:00
Householders urged to recycle treesTomorrow marks the official end of Christmas, and the lights on as many as one million Christmas trees sold in Ireland in December…Wed Jan 05 2011 - 00:00
This year, as a savvy consumer, I resolve to . . .CONSUMER RESOLUTIONS: You have made it through the festive season in one piece but, for many of us, the financial hangover is…Mon Jan 03 2011 - 00:00
Shoppers come out in force for start of winter salesTHE RECESSION might not have ended yesterday but it felt like it had for a number of retailers, as the start of the winter sales…Mon Dec 27 2010 - 00:00
Shoppers out in force for winter salesThe recession might not have ended yesterday but it felt like it had for a number of retailers, as the start of the winter sales…Mon Dec 27 2010 - 00:00
The year of living miserablyCONSUMER REVIEW OF 2010: It was the year when high prices were revealed, arrears became a reality for many and consumers realised…Mon Dec 27 2010 - 00:00
Just what I always wanted - notUnwanted Christmas gifts needn’t languish in the atticMon Dec 27 2010 - 00:00
BT sale postponed after floodBrown Thomas has been forced to postpone the start of its winter sale at its flagship store on Dublin’s Grafton St after the …Sun Dec 26 2010 - 00:00
Ads to target US marketTOURISM IRELAND is to launch an extensive promotional campaign in the US from next Sunday as part of what it says will be a sustained…Fri Dec 24 2010 - 00:00
Aer Lingus denies planes departing half-emptyAIR TRAVEL: AER LINGUS has strenuously denied suggestions it allowed a number of half-empty planes depart to Ireland from London…Fri Dec 24 2010 - 00:00
Retail group hopes for shopping surge after 'perfect storm' of recent weeksRETAIL EXCELLENCE Ireland is cautiously optimistic the next two weeks will mark a significant upturn in trade for retailers reeling…Fri Dec 24 2010 - 00:00
Retailers pray for St Stephen's miracleRETAIL SALES: IRISH RETAILERS are pinning their hopes on having a bumper sales period from St Stephen’s Day after a “perfect…Fri Dec 24 2010 - 00:00
Consumer groups criticise decision to overhaul BoI free-banking schemeTHE DECISION by Bank of Ireland to overhaul its fee structure for current account customers has been criticised by consumer groups…Thu Dec 23 2010 - 00:00
BoI condemned over fee changesThe decision by the Bank of Ireland to overhaul its fee structure for its current account customers has been condemned as a “…Wed Dec 22 2010 - 00:00
Allied Irish Banks fined record €2m for overcharging customersALLIED IRISH Banks has been fined €2 million by the Central Bank – the largest fine in Irish retail banking history – after it…Wed Dec 22 2010 - 00:00
Retailers say cold spell could drive struggling small businesses to wallCHRISTMAS SALES: THE HEAVY snow and freezing conditions have proved to be the nightmare before Christmas that most retailers…Wed Dec 22 2010 - 00:00
AIB fined €2m for overchargingAllied Irish Bank has been fined €2 million by the Central Bank - the largest fine in Irish retail banking history - after it…Tue Dec 21 2010 - 00:00
Nothing retro about pricesPRICES THEN AND NOW: The mantra coming from Government is that Budget cuts won’t hit so hard because prices have gone back to…Mon Dec 20 2010 - 00:00
The unwise last-minute menSMALL PRINT: CANNY SHOP ASSISTANTS will spend the last hours of this Christmas season looking for panic-stricken men – and it…Tue Dec 14 2010 - 00:00
Charity gifts hit by recessionCHARITABLE CHRISTMAS GIFTS: Giving a goat or a sheep as a Christmas gift was an idea that took off during the boom but as the…Mon Dec 13 2010 - 00:00
Report criticises charity's tsunami responseTHE IRISH Red Cross struggled to cope with the huge level of donations it received in the aftermath of the 2004 Asian tsunami…Mon Dec 13 2010 - 00:00
New York top of the pile for hotel pricesSURVEYS: WHILE HOTEL prices in Ireland continue to drop thanks to falling demand and a growing number of Nama hotels offering…Sat Dec 11 2010 - 00:00
Report critical of Red CrossThe Irish Red Cross struggled to cope with the huge level of donations it received in the aftermath of the 2004 Asian tsunami…Sat Dec 11 2010 - 00:00
New mortgage arrears code comes into force next monthBANKS WILL no longer be able to impose penalties on customers in mortgage arrears, force them to surrender tracker mortgages …Tue Dec 07 2010 - 00:00
Service with a snarlPERSONAL FINANCE: Surely an upside of the downturn has to be better service, as businesses try their very best to keep customers…Mon Nov 29 2010 - 00:00
As Irish as tea from ChinaIRISH LABELS: If tea comes from China and an orange from Spain, how can they be part of the Love Irish Food campaign – and what…Mon Nov 22 2010 - 00:00
Mexican food on heritage hot listHOPPING Luxembourgers, scissor dancers from Peru, human towers from Spain and Turks wrestling in cooking oil will be smiling …Sat Nov 20 2010 - 00:00
Despite the prices and negative surveys, organic sales riseOrganic vegetables cost more and are no more nutritious than non-organic equivalents. So why are we buying more of them?Sat Nov 13 2010 - 00:00
New head to sell IrelandTOURISM: MORE BRITISH tourists can be persuaded to holiday in Ireland in 2011 despite the recession and swingeing cuts unveiled…Sat Nov 06 2010 - 00:00
Policies cost much more once you're 66INSURANCE: PEOPLE CAN find that their travel insurance premiums increase by over 100 per cent when they hit the age of 66, according…Sat Nov 06 2010 - 00:00
Banks will need greater reservesIRISH BANKS will have to significantly increase their levels of cash reserves over the next decade to cover an EU-wide deposit…Fri Nov 05 2010 - 00:00
Paperless billing: who benefits?PAPERLESS BILLING: E-billing is being sold as the solve-all cure for our modern ills – save time! Save the environment! But …Mon Nov 01 2010 - 00:00
Cavan hotel second scariest in the worldFRIGHT NIGHTS: IT WASN’T screams of terror but shrieks of delight which echoed down the corridors of an old Irish castle this…Sat Oct 30 2010 - 01:00
Central Bank proposes stricter stress tests for mortgagesBANKS WILL be required to impose considerably stricter financial stress tests on mortgage applicants if new rules on lending, …Fri Oct 29 2010 - 01:00
The rugby ticket rip-offRUGBY TICKET PRICES: HOW WOULD YOU like to see the rugby giants of New Zealand run riot this autumn? With tickets costing between…Mon Oct 25 2010 - 01:00
Kellys in their 60s most likely to claimINSURANCE CLAIMS: IF YOUR name is John or Mary Kelly and you’re in your early 60s you might want to avoid going on holiday towards…Sat Oct 23 2010 - 01:00
Dunnes 'cheapest' for babycareDunnes Stores is the cheapest retailer in the Republic when it comes to branded baby care products while Tesco is the most expensive…Tue Oct 19 2010 - 01:00
Is alcohol too cheap?ALCOHOL PRICES: Supermarkets are flooding the market with cheap alcohol, the result is that it now costs 50 per cent less to…Mon Oct 18 2010 - 01:00
Lazy consumers turned into savvy shoppers by recessionCONSUMERS HAVE moved from being lazy, ill-informed and ripped off to being frugal, savvy and more willing to complain, according…Mon Oct 11 2010 - 01:00
The rise of the savvy shopperSHOPPERS SURVEY: BACK IN 2005, most of us – particularly those of us with access to cheap and easy credit – were still thrilled…Mon Oct 11 2010 - 01:00
The new frugal way with foodEATING WELL FOR LESS: Food prices have fallen by 14 per cent this year - not that cash-strapped families have noticed - so it…Mon Sept 27 2010 - 01:00
Pilots criticise new crash legislationAIR TRAVEL: THE EUROPEAN Cockpit Association has criticised EU legislation aimed at protecting families of airline passengers…Sat Sept 25 2010 - 01:00
