The carer looked at me over the top of her glasses.  ‘I’m really sorry,’ she said ‘but we can’t help you.’  I looked at her in disbelief.  This was a private care agency, they had the capacity, I had the money, we needed help, what was the problem?‘Your mother needs a proper assessment,’ she …

  NCF has looked at how the internet has changed our approach to trust and the way we now make choices. We started work on this by looking at ‘what good looks like’ Link from the consumer’s point of view. This paper analysed the issues arising from current practices where trust schemes use customer feedback. We …

  The NCF is considering the effect changes in trade agreements from the UK within the EU to the UK by itself could impact consumers. Within the EU all the disparate safety laws and standards have been brought into a single system of laws and standards – One rule and one test applicable right across …

  Since announcing our intention to leave the European Union the pound has lost 15% against the euro, is at a three decade low against the dollar, and is predicted to reach parity with the euro by the time we leave the EU in 2019.  The Bank of England has warned of increasing inflation risks, …

  TrustMark, the only government-endorsed ‘find a tradesperson’ scheme in the UK, has been working with the National Consumer Federation (NCF) over the past few months to develop their name branding, website and taking a part in the organisation of congress in April. I’ve been involved in the new ‘look and feel’, and will be …

  Yes, its actually thirty years since I chaired the Consumer Congress in Liverpool.  This was attended by over 300 delegates from a tremendous variety of organisations, addressed by Michael Howard, Minister of State for Corporate and Consumer Affairs, among others, and organised round six well- attended and lively workshops, plus nine fringe meetings. The …

  What is an EHIC and how does it work? The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is free and entitles you to free or reduced-cost medical treatment throughout the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Norway.  In effect, you will be treated as a resident of the country you are visiting.  Be aware that the …

  Brexit – RRegulation an opportunity for the UK to get it right UK Consumers are about 66% of the UK economy spending over £1,200,000,000,000 per annum. How we are served by both public and private sectors of the economy is fundamental to the UK’s success, our prosperity, better jobs, more money in our pockets, …

  EU framework legislation ensures the safety of consumer products across the EU. The standards that underpin the legislation ensure a level playing field for business and acceptable levels of safety and product performance for consumers, wherever they purchase their products within the EU.  No such comparable legislation exists for the safety of services, leading …