2006 in review: Consumers get a spring in their step

Easter eggs were sweet for consumers but sour for service providers in the second part of the quarter

Easter and the surrounding months were for consumers the equivalent of a chocolate egg, filled with positive and sweet news. Yet banks and mobile operators were left sucking lemons.

First came the news that Ofcom was threatening to fine companies behind annoying ‘silent calls’ that are often derived from telesales systems.

The system automatically rings numbers from a list until it gets a reply and at this point the call is switched to a call-centre operator.

If the operator is not available, the line simply hangs up – frustrating if you have jumped out of the shower to answer the phone. Ofcom obviously agreed with us as they decided to fine these nuisances up to £50,000 if they did not follow a list of measures.

Consumers' luck continued all the way to golden shores, when judges ruled that credit card guarantees should apply to goods and services purchased abroad as well as in the UK.

The Court of Appeal case brought by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) overturned an earlier decision in a test case that ruled in the credit card companies' favour.

On the topic of golden shores, spring also brought with it the welcome news that several mobile operators had begun to bow to pressure from the EU by reducing their roaming charges.

Vodafone, O2 and Orange all promised to introduce lower prices for customers calling to or from abroad.

The European Commission said this was a step in the right direction, but insisted that the cuts were not enough to bring down international roaming charges. Fingers crossed...

Another key move for consumers came in late May when the first Digital Community Centre (DCC) in mainland UK opened in Scotland.

The initiative is part of a global initiative by HP and is supported by the Govan Initiative, a local development company.

The DCC provides locals with the opportunity to gain basic IT skills and show how information and communications technology can be used for a range of activities from job seeking to the management of community projects and running small businesses.

The centre, located in Govan, one of Glasgow's most deprived areas, digitally connects 12 local community centres to provide job growth and entrepreneurship.

Users can access a wide range of multimedia technology including computers, scanners, digital cameras and data projectors, all provided by HP.

See also:
2006 in review: Post Christmas cheer came with things to fear