ECR Consumerwatch

There’s a terrible irony in someone trying to get a loan and losing money instead, but sadly it’s a very common scenario, says Consumerwatch's Wendy Knowler.

A promotion guaranteed to get people signing a cellphone contract involved a free cruise - however almost 1700 people were left cruise-less. Consumerwatch's Wendy chats to Durban residents who followed all the required steps, but still lost out on the deal.

When a food product carries a premium price, there will be those in the industry who’ll pass off a cheaper, adulterated version of what the label claims it to be. Wendy Knowler investigates...

Wendy receives a lot of complaints about shoe purchases gone wrong, highlighting a worrying lack of knowledge of how the Consumer Protection Act applies, on both sides.

It’s bad enough being conned out of money by a stranger, but when it’s someone you know and believe yourself to be in love with, the betrayal is personal and savage. Wendy Knowler investigates...

NO more of those fire hazard 1.6 Ford Kuga models which were part of the recall Ford announced on January 16 have caught fire since then. But the story is far from over, as Wendy Knowler reports.

It’s been almost six years since the Consumer Protection Act made it illegal for companies to impose a blanket “non refundable deposit” policy on their customers. In today's Consumerwatch, Wendy Knowler spoke to a Morningside resident who had trouble reclaiming her deposits after her wedding was called off last month.

Many people complain about shoddy holiday accommodation - they make a booking and pay a deposit based on what they've seen and read on the establishment’s website, but when they get there, they are horrified by what they find. When your holiday stay goes wrong - here's why you should always back up your consumer issue with photos or videos.

There are 44 Ford Kugas which are said to have caught alight. So far. That’s a lot of flames, one loss of life, and many hefty insurance claims. Some have been settled and some not - much trauma for the car owners and a public relations disaster for Ford South Africa. The siblings of Reshall Jimmy, who died in his Ford Kuga when it caught alight in the Wilderness area in December 2015, have documented those 44 Kuga fires, with first-hand accounts and photos, on the Facebook page they created in September in a bid to raise awareness of the Kugas on Fire issue.

Whatever you do this Christmas period, don't buy yourself more debt, warns Wendy. Listen here...