Opinion pieces

2019

July

• Why do we need independent advocacy for consumers? (Jon Duffy) 19 Jul 2019
  Consumer NZ Board chair Jon Duffy on the new frontline of consumer protection – data.
  
• Consultation on a light vehicle fleet “feebate” announced (Paul Smith) 10 Jul 2019
  After I trialled a Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, I wrote “the next car I buy will be electric”. That was March 2017 and now I’m putting my money where my mouth is. A Nissan Leaf will be on my driveway next month.

April

• Guest column: Poor banking culture bad is bad for our health (Adrian Orr, Reserve Bank Governor) 9 Apr 2019
  The social and economic costs of bank and insurance failures are severe, causing stress and ill health, unemployment, and reducing quality of life.

2018

October

• Taking the insurance risk (Sue Chetwin) 18 Oct 2018
  I’m mulling over options for taking Dad to Western Australia for Christmas to be with my sister and her family. He’s 90 and in good nick, despite some serious “health challenges” this year. Much as none of us want to admit it, least of all him, we know this is probably the last time he will make this trek.

August

• Guest column: Are landlords asking too much? (Jon Duffy) 9 Aug 2018
  It’s a tight rental market. In some parts of the country prospective tenants are shuffled through rental property views in shifts due to high demand. In addition to paying higher rents, consumers are competing for fewer properties. This makes them vulnerable to requests for personal information that go beyond what’s necessary for assessing their suitability as a tenant.

• Very uncool (Sue Chetwin) 3 Aug 2018
  Just when we thought we could put a tick next to consumers being able to simply find out the country of origin of the food they were buying, politics came along and upset the apple cart.

July

• Opinion: The problem with product recalls (Jessica Wilson) 3 July 2018
  Already this year, close to 80 household products have been recalled because of the safety risk they present to consumers. That’s about three recalls every week.

June

• A new era for Consumer magazine (Sue Chetwin) 7 Jun 2018
  We hope you like the new-look Consumer magazine. It’s bigger, more focused, and more relevant to you.

April

• More of what you want (Sue Chetwin) 06 Apr 2018
  We put a bunch of 25- to 45-year-olds in a room recently to get a better insight into their world. They came from all walks of life and ethnicities, incomes and education levels.

2017

December

• The dying art of customer service (Scott Feehan) 15 Dec 2017
  My Vodafone plan expires soon so I thought I’d call regarding my options. I was keen to explore fibre plans.
• Consumer NZ in today's world (Richard Aston) 05 Dec 2017
  As 2017 closes, the Board continues to work with the executive team on a strategic review of Consumer NZ’s place in today’s world. We’ve run surveys and in-depth interviews addressing the questions: Is Consumer NZ relevant to today’s consumer and if not, why not? We are well down the track with this work and are now facing some challenging insights.

October

• Saved from a dud deal by tyres test (Karen McDonald) 06 Oct 2017
  I’m just about to shell out for 4 new car tyres. Apparently my old ones were in appalling condition. I had no idea.

July

• Fake review leads to PR firm (Sue Chetwin) 07 Jul 2017
  I’ve been around the traps long enough to know how the world of PR works. It’s not all Ab Fab, celebrity endorsements and vats of champagne. When a PR person is representing a company, they have to put the best spin on its activities – good or bad.
• Beware of the patter (Sue Chetwin) 6 Jul 2017
  We live in a time when it’s never been easier to find out stuff. If I want to eat only free-range eggs, dine on humanely raised pork, or eat probiotics because I’m told they’re good for me, I can. Or can I?

June

• Join the consumer movement (Sue Chetwin) 06 Jun 2017
  I was chatting to the chief press secretary for one of the political party leaders recently in the “green room” at TV3. He was waiting while his leader delivered his pearls, I was there to talk heating and switching power providers. We shot the breeze over electricity prices before he said fibre was being delivered to his street and he wanted to know which would be the best provider.

May

• Here’s the cold truth (Sue Chetwin) 05 May 2017
  There was an eerie quiet in the Consumer office one day this month. A silence that comes when you feel like you’re the only one there. That’s because I almost was. Half the team was off with a nasty head cold.

March

• The $68m sting (Jessica Wilson) 16 Mar 2017
  They masquerade under various guises. The “booking fee”. The “service fee”. Even the “print your own ticket fee”. They’re the extra charges retailers, particularly online traders, are fond of adding to the advertised price of goods and services.
• Staying safe online (Hadyn Green) 15 Mar 2017
  The focus of today’s World Consumer Rights Day is data security and we’re here to remind you to stay safe online.
• On the highway to help (Sue Chetwin) 13 Mar 2017
  If you’re in the market for a car, you’ve probably seen the flurry of ads enticing punters to pick up the latest model on finance deals from as low as 1%.

February

• Smart, but not always secure (Hadyn Green) 08 Feb 2017
  Don’t buy WiFi light bulbs. In fact, don’t buy any IoT (internet of things) devices. They may sound like useful gadgets to have in your home, and if I’m fair they can be, but they will annoy the heck out of you every single day.

• What happens to your data? (Hadyn Green) 08 Feb 2017
  I ended 2016 attending a series of conferences and seminars that did their best to make me scared of what 2017 may hold. All of them involved personal data and internet-connected devices, and other people using the latter to get to the former.

• What’s on your mind (Sue Chetwin) 01 Feb 2017
  What better way of sinking your teeth into an election year than asking consumers what’s on their minds. Our latest consumer survey shows home ownership concerns high on the list, but they were topped by worries over healthcare costs. Just half had confidence in the healthcare system.

January

• Don’t gift vouchers to shops (Sue Chetwin) 30 Jan 2017
  Warning! Do not leave your Chrissy gift vouchers stuffed in a drawer. Because before you know it they may expire. If they are from companies with stingy expiry dates, such as Kiwibank’s Prezzy Card (12 months), the clock will be ticking. The card might have been a couple of months or more old before you even received it, so don’t hang about.

2016

December

• It’s hard to get good advice (Sue Chetwin) 23 Dec 2016
  A Consumer NZ technical writer was taken aback when a member told him a sales assistant at a Noel Leeming store had said not to bother with Consumer advice as it was paid to do product reviews — specifically phone reviews.
• Consumer matters at Christmas (Paul Smith) 22 Dec 2016
  With freshly unwrapped gift cards and every store offering a sale, Boxing Day is heaven for bargain hunters. But the satisfaction from saving dollars soon dulls if your bargain doesn’t perform as well as expected. That’s why you should check our test results before temptation takes over — a savvy consumer saves money on a great appliance or device, rather than wasting it on heavily discounted underperformers.
• Plenty to choose from (Sue Chetwin) 06 Dec 2016
  We’re a contrary bunch at Consumer NZ. We launched the Bad Taste Food Awards this year to bring prominence to the far-fetched marketing claims made by some manufacturers. What we hadn’t expected was more than 200 entries. We’re not sure whether that makes us happy or sad!

October

• High levels of bad taste (Sue Chetwin) 31 Oct 2016
  Our Bad Taste awards have attracted plenty of nominations. Under conventional rules of running a competition you would say that was great news — the more entries the merrier. But the ease with which people find unhealthy foods to nominate somehow seems unsavoury.

September

• Charitable thought (Sue Chetwin) 09 Sep 2016
  It may not have been top of mind this week (or in your mind at all), but it was “Include a Charity Week”. To be frank, I didn’t know about it myself until I stumbled upon a reference online. The week is to encourage people to include in their will a gift or bequest to charity.
• Hold off buying new iPhones (Hadyn Green) 08 Sep 2016
  The press release starts: “Apple Introduces iPhone 7 & iPhone 7 Plus – Our Best, Most Advanced iPhone Ever”. Despite the tautology (no manufacturer releases a phone that’s worse than its previous one), the word it should have used is “controversial”. There are several changes from the iPhone 6S, but they’re mostly minor.
• What could be simpler? (Sue Chetwin) 08 Sep 2016
  It’s fashionable to cite “Uber” when someone has a grand plan to disrupt a fat, overblown fees-driven industry. “We’ll be the Uber of this or that,” proponents claim as they hawk their new service. Usually these new services are online-only, promise lower fees and that they will be more consumer friendly.
• Marking gift cards (Sue Chetwin) 05 Sep 2016
  By the time you read this, there will be just over 100 shopping days until Christmas. Scary! For those, like me, who are imaginatively challenged when it comes to buying presents, a gift card might seem like the perfect answer.

August

• Replace vs repair (Paul Smith) 31 Aug 2016
  It started with an intermittent groan that soon became louder and more frequent. It was joined by a regular and annoying squeak. The last straw was an awful grinding, graunching noise that had me running to shut off my clothes dryer before it made my ears bleed.
• Do food standards matter? (Sue Chetwin) 08 Aug 2016
  The New Zealand and Australian food standards regulator (FSANZ) recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. I attended a day-long event and, there being no such thing as a free lunch, gave a presentation on what food standards and safety mean from a consumer perspective.

July

• Poor advice at a premium (Sue Chetwin) 5 Jul 2016
  If there’s one time you shouldn’t be taking your life into your own hands, it’s when you’re considering a life insurance policy. But that’s exactly what you could be doing if you buy a policy from some financial advisers.

June

• Warming up in winter (Sue Chetwin) 14 Jun 2016
  At a recent dinner party, a couple from Paekakariki on the Kapiti Coast chatted about the sale of their family home. The interesting point about this, other than the fact their home sold quickly, was that the most popular question the real estate agent was asked was whether the house had double-glazed windows.
• Stay vigilant online (Hadyn Green) 10 Jun 2016
  Phishing attacks are increasing and New Zealanders are seen as easy targets by scammers. We have lots of advice for keeping safe online, but as users learn what to avoid, the scammers move on to new and slightly more sophisticated schemes.

May

• A driving concern (Sue Chetwin) 19 May 2016
  Consumer tech writer Hadyn Green recently went for a spin in the all-electric BMW i3. There was lots to like, but what really pressed his buttons was taking his feet from the pedals and letting it park itself.
• The electric vehicle revolution (Paul Smith) 13 May 2016
  In five years, two percent of the cars on New Zealand roads will be electric. That’s the goal announced by Minister of Transport Simon Bridges last week.

April

• One from the heart (Sue Chetwin) 18 Apr 2016
  Every bite of your Easter chocolate or treat could be helping another orang-utan on its way.

March

• Home truths (Jessica Wilson) 15 Mar 2016
  Aspiring homeowners hoping 2016 will be the year they make it on to the property ladder won’t find much encouragement in the latest statistics.

February

• Working out unfair terms (Sue Chetwin) 05 Feb 2016
  As part of our campaign against unfair contract terms, we’ve taken a good look at gym contracts.

2015

December

• Make your consumer voice count (Consumer board) 22 Dec 2015
  Your Board has been working hard this year, alongside the staff at Consumer NZ, grappling with the challenges the rapidly changing consumer environment brings for both consumers and their representatives.
• Using your block (Sue Chetwin) 17 Dec 2015
  It was just over a year ago I got a Kiwibank MasterCard. That was as a result of my experiences using an ANZ Visa card overseas.
• Great expectations – not (Sue Chetwin) 10 Dec 2015
  For your edification, here’s my list of 10 businesses or industries that need to try harder.

October

• Not over for Harvey Norman? (Sue Chetwin) 28 Oct 2015
  Harvey Norman has gone to ground since its biggest ever retail sale turned to custard. It leaves a sour taste.
• A lifehack for tying shoes (Hadyn Green) 19 Oct 2015
  I never thought I’d say changing how I lace my shoes would significantly improve my life … but it has!
• Watching sport in UHD (Hadyn Green) 12 Oct 2015
  So far the Rugby World Cup has been looking great. And it looks even better for those with a big full-HD (1080p) or UHD (Ultra-High-Def) TV.
• Why we back TPPA court action (Sue Chetwin) 01 Oct 2015
  We support free trade and the benefits trade brings to all of us. What we don’t support is secrecy. Obsessive levels of it.

September

• Businesses you can trust (Sue Chetwin) 24 Sep 2015
  The release of the Commerce Commission’s Consumer Issues 2015 report highlights the important role Consumer NZ’s Trusted business programme plays.
• Switch off incandescent bulbs (George Block) 23 Sep 2015
  Incandescent light bulbs are virtually unchanged from the carbon-filament lamp patented by Edison in 1880. They still convert less than five percent of the energy they use into light, with the rest wasted as heat, and only last about 1000 hours.
• Advice for installing a child’s car seat (Paul Smith) 18 Sep 2015
  New Zealand Police spot checks consistently show that more than 50 percent of child seats in cars are either the wrong size for the child or fitted incorrectly.

August

• BYO shopping bags (Sue Chetwin) 04 Aug 2015
  I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of weeks in Aspen, Colorado this February. A number of features in this wonderful part of the world caught my attention.

July

• Sweet talk doesn’t work (Sue Chetwin) 17 Jul 2015
  We’re fat and getting fatter. In fact, we’re one of the fattest nations on earth. How do we solve a problem like obesity?
• Mystery of the milk price (Sue Chetwin) 10 Jul 2015
  That infernal question of are we paying too much for milk has come up again. On the face of it we are.

June

• Internet safety tips (Hadyn Green) 26 Jun 2015
  As Connect Smart week draws to a close, Consumer technology writer Hadyn Green decided to share his top tips on improving your online safety.
• Choose tyres wisely (Paul Smith) 10 Jun 2015
  For safety’s sake, tyre grip shouldn’t be sacrificed.

May

• Opt out of airline pricing (Sue Chetwin) 20 May 2015
  Some airlines have taken drip pricing into the stratosphere.
• Shop at the source to save (Libby Manley) 15 May 2015
  Some online research can help you identify big mark-ups.

April

• In store or offshore? (Kate Newton) 23 Apr 2015
  Local stores need to conjure up loyalty in savvy online shoppers.
• Strike one for services (Hadyn Green) 21 Apr 2015
  This isn’t baseball and we aren’t calling strikes but if we were, Neon and Lightbox would definitely be on strike one.
• 3 repairs and a funeral (Paul Smith) 16 Apr 2015
  The funeral was short and free of emotion. The dishwasher had a relatively short life – just 7 years.
• Our take on Global Mode fight (Hadyn Green) 10 Apr 2015
  Consumers have right to move with the times.

March

• That wasn’t the plan (Scott Feehan) 27 Mar 2015
  I spent more than 10 weeks watching Genesis Energy and Contact Energy make a complete dog’s breakfast of a simple electricity and gas switch.
• We need your help (Sue Chetwin) 20 Mar 2015
  We’re asking you to do something none of us enjoy. But hey, it’s not as bad as asking you to go cold turkey on a root canal!
  
• Help us get rid of unfair contracts (Sue Chetwin) 18 Mar 2015
  If you read through the terms and conditions of many standard-form contracts, you may get a rude awakening.
• Watches upstaged by MacBook (Hadyn Green) 11 Mar 2015
  The new smart watch has obscured everyone’s view from Apple’s real star: their new MacBook.

February

• Putting our trust in the best (Sue Chetwin) 05 Feb 2015
  For more than 55 years we’ve been testing products and services. It was not until the launch of our Trusted scheme last year we moved into assessing whole businesses.
• Cut the food marketing hype (Sue Chetwin) 03 Feb 2015
  If anyone doubts the need for effective regulation to protect consumers, they should look no further than their supermarket.

January

• Google Translate app (Hadyn Green) 20 Jan 2015
  The problem with travelling overseas is not speaking the language. Google, and a number of other companies, are trying to make the world a smaller place by creating translation apps.
  
• Sony’s new range (Hadyn Green) 16 Jan 2015
  I am an unapologetic fan of the Sony Xperia Z series of phones and the third iteration is the perfect improvement on the previous model. This is partly because there are two new phones!
  
• Shopkeepers need wake-up (Sue Chetwin) 06 Jan 2015
  It’s time the regulators had a good look at how consumer laws are working and warn a few retailers about their obligations because some shopkeepers need a wake up call.

2014

December

• My ill-fated YouShop experience (Kate Newton) 22 Dec 2014
  I’d been meaning to try NZ Post’s YouShop service for a while, so when my foundation ran out in November I thought I’d see if I could get it cheaper from the US.
• Editorial: It's a wrap (David Naulls) 08 Dec 2014
  The major highlight of the year is the long overdue changes to the Consumer Guarantees Act and Fair Trading Act that became law in June.
  

November

• Tupperware a mystery to me (Libby Manley) 25 Nov 2014
  Tupperware parties. They’ve been taking place in homes since the 1950s and still appear to be as popular as ever.
• Supermarkets drop ball on unit pricing (Sue Chetwin) 24 Nov 2014
  I don’t want to be seen to be harping on, but how long do we have to give supermarkets to up their game in displaying unit pricing before they’re regulated?
• A tale of two pitches (Sue Chetwin) 21 Nov 2014
  An awkward encounter helps Consumer's CEO decide where to buy her TV.
• Buying boiled eggs a cracking idea? (Karen McDonald) 17 Nov 2014
  Karen McDonald writes in defence of the convenience of this pre-packaged product.
  
• A look at Samsung's latest offerings (Hadyn Green) 12 Nov 2014
  The Galaxy Note 4 is the latest in Samsung’s series of gigantic phones that nearly everyone said were way too big for normal humans.
• Knocked out (Sue Chetwin) 07 Nov 2014
  Tired of intrusive purveyors of electricity or telecommunications services knocking on your door?
  
• Snapper penalties worth questioning (Erin Bennett) 06 Nov 2014
  I moved to Wellington about a year ago and was introduced to the world of Snapper. In my first week I had clocked up 2 penalties on my card.
  

October

• Selfie stick surprises (Hadyn Green) 31 Oct 2014
  When does something go from being stupid to being genius? For me it was when I first slotted my phone into a “selfie stick”.
  
• Coffee bags - the pros and cons (Paul Smith) 24 Oct 2014
  In the back of beyond, any coffee is good coffee.
• The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, two weeks on (Hadyn Green) 21 Oct 2014
  I gave the iPhone 6 Plus a good try, I really did. But I hated it.
• Rural broadband + iPad = disaster (Hamish Wilson) 21 Oct 2014
  The tech world assumes we all have access to unlimited data, fast data. But 20 minutes east of Masterton, we don’t.
• Power down (David Naulls) 06 Oct 2014
  Using less power as households reduces the need for further generation and means savings on consumers’ power bills.
• 24 hours with the iPhone 6 and 6 plus (Hadyn Green) 02 Oct 2014
  Hadyn Green takes the new iPhones for a test ride.

September

• Local footy gear couldn't compare (Paul Smith) 29 Sept 2014
  Summer is around the corner and my 6-year-old boy Fred has the football bug. As the dad who cares most about football, it has fallen to me to organise the team.
• Ditching the chemicals (Aneleise Gawn) 25 Sep 2014
  Consumer Advocate Aneleise Gawn is in the process of removing harmful chemicals from her life. Her latest project is homemade deodorant.
• Savings at the supermarket II (Kate Newton) 23 Sep 2014
  This instalment is all about questioning those preconceptions you might have when you do the grocery shopping.
• One decline too many (Sue Chetwin) 16 Sep 2014
  I’m changing my bank credit card. It’s not often I get so angry I make changes on the basis of “customer service”, but this time the bank went too far.
• Fight the internet slowdown (Hadyn Green) 11 Sep 2014
  Consumer New Zealand is part of a global coalition calling for a neutral internet.
• Europe all worked up over vacuum rules (Paul Smith) 11 Sep 2014
  Now Europe wants to make it harder to clean your carpets with new rules BANNING powerful vacuum cleaners. So reads a recent headline in the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper.
• It's on the house (David Naulls) 08 Sep 2014
  It’s a paradox of consumer law in this country that you can buy with greater confidence a $50 toaster or $5000 car than you can a $500,000 house.
• Experimenting pays off (Hadyn Green) 05 Sep 2014
  The Note is a perfect example of Samsung’s strategy in the mobile market: try new crazy stuff all the time.
• Landline still needed in the country (Hamish Wilson) 03 Sep 2014
  The death of landlines? As Mark Twain once said of rumours that he had expired – “greatly exaggerated”.
• Save at the supermarket (Kate Newton) 02 Sep 2014
  I thought I’d kick off a series where ideas for saving money at the supermarket can be shared.

August

• Love makes us blind to faults (Paul Smith) 27 Aug 2014
  There are some products I love to use despite them being far from perfect.
• At wit's end over hotel Wi-Fi (Karen McDonald) 22 Aug 2014
  I was staying in a hotel in Christchurch last week. A very mid-range hotel for which I was paying an exorbitant price.
• What were they thinking (Hamish Wilson) 21 Aug 2014
  Today, I’m washing the dishes, and while trying to get a bit of grub off the benriner (OK, google It - enough to say there are very sharp bits involved) I cut my thumb.
• Forgetfulness comes at cost (Karen McDonald) 05 Aug 2014
  Karen McDonald recently discovered what it costs when you show up at the airport with luggage you hadn't booked to take.
• Seeking honest view (Sue Chetwin) 01 Aug 2014
  A restaurant struggling with negative online reviews has taken matters into its own hands. It’s offering two VIP entries to the movies plus a $200 voucher to eat at its restaurant.
• About time sunbeds went R18 (Kate Newton) 01 Aug 2014
  Health (Protection) Amendment Bill will protect those most at risk.
• The lowdown on Lightbox line-up (Hadyn Green) 01 Aug 2014
  Telecom (soon to be Spark) has released more information about its upcoming on-demand video streaming service, Lightbox.

July

• It's time we talked about making tax fair (Susan Guthrie) 31 July 2014
  The Fair Tax for Savers campaign launched this week raises the profile of an important but often overlooked issue – how New Zealanders' savings are taxed.
• Change brings better value for consumers (Sue Chetwin) 22 July 2014
  This month Consumer NZ launches a suite of digital services designed to deliver the best value for consumers and businesses.
• Design follows use (Paul Smith) 15 July 2014
  During my career in product design and engineering, I’ve learnt a couple of key lessons that have shaped my philosophy of product design.
• Breaking up is hard to do (Scott Feehan) 01 July 2014
  Switching the family’s energy provider Genesis Energy to Contact Energy proves difficult.

June

• Dreams do come true (Sue Chetwin) 20 June 2014
  Mr Ko Tseng has written to me explaining my long-lamented cousin Albert Chetwin has disappeared leaving US$87.5 million.
• Editorial: Gazumped (David Naulls) 19 June 2014
  What happens when you’re competing against the real-estate agent you thought was working for you?

May

• Neutral parties (Hadyn Green) 29 May 2014
  When you sign up to an ISP you want access to the internet, not access to parts of it at varying speeds. So let's talk about net neutrality.
• The numbers game (Hadyn Green) 20 May 2014
  How much does it cost to make a TV show? Game of Thrones is reported to cost in the region of $6m per episode.
• The long wait (Hadyn Green) 07 May 2014
  TV shows (especially dramas with long storylines) are susceptible to spoilers, with each episode containing at least one large plot point.
• Editorial: Not so sweet (David Naulls) 07 May 2014
  The amount of sugar Kiwis consume on a daily basis is startling and sobering – between 10.5 and 17 teaspoons depending on age and gender.
• Shop trading hours (Sue Chetwin) 02 May 2014
  Rubbish was collected as normal on Anzac Day and transfer stations were open all day. So what’s with the piety about shops having to shut on Good Friday and Easter Sunday?

April

• Getting inside the walls (Hadyn Green) 28 April 2014
  Geoblocks are a type of technological protection measure that stops you from accessing media unless you are from the correct country
• Happy trails? (Hamish Wilson) 17 April 2014
  Are you irritated by the flight “reviews” which populate the travel columns of our daily papers? Most can only dream about this. It’s not the experience most of us ”enjoy”.
• ESC - mandatory at last? (Hamish Wilson) 17 April 2014
  We’ve been telling you of the benefits of electronic stability control (ESC) since 2006. ESC applies brakes to individual wheels to straighten out a skidding car.
• Is this a fair price? (Hadyn Green) 16 April 2014
  Some of you may have noticed I made a mistake in my first blog when I calculated the per-episode cost to watch Game of Thrones legitimately in New Zealand.
• Across the Narrow Sea (Hadyn Green) 14 April 2014
  The last season final episode of Game of Thrones was the most downloaded TV show ever according to statistics compiled by the site TorrentFreak.
• Bring down the king, Sky 08 April 2014
  Did you see Game of Thrones last night? If you did you saw it only one of two ways.
• Editorial: Power to your bills (Sue Chetwin) 03 April 2014
  The cost and delivery of electricity to your home is an election issue worth your interest.

March

• Why we should love unit pricing (Sue Chetwin) 19 March 2014
  This is a morality tale of why we should love unit pricing and why we should be pushing supermarkets to do unit pricing much better.
• Editorial: Supermarkets decoded (David Naulls) 10 March 2014
  The Commerce Commission has announced it will formally investigate a complaint against Countdown laid by Labour MP Shane Jones.

February

• Code a must for supermarkets (Sue Chetwin) 14 February 2014
  Is it time for the country’s two supermarket chains to agree to operate by a Code of Conduct?

January

• "Shucks" and thanks (Sue Chetwin) 10 January 2014
  I received a very moving card before Christmas. A woman had bought a copy of Consumer magazine as part of what she described her “mental health” spending while attending to her father’s affairs.
• Substantiation … it can’t come soon enough! (Hamish Wilson) 08 January 2014
  Recently I’ve dealt with a few questions about products people think we should test. They’re the sort of products we won’t test, because ...

2013

December

• First time campers (Belinda Allan) 19 December 2013
  After Christmas our family is going to enter the unknown world of camping!
• Would you choose a better deal over good service? (Scott Donaldson) 17 December 2013
  Recently I received a cold call from internet service provider (ISP) Slingshot wanting my flat to switch our telecommunication services to them.
• Editorial: Top year (David Naulls) 10 December 2013
  We've gained traction on several major consumer issues this year. The most important is the Consumer Law Reform Bill, which will mitigate long-running sources of consumer detriment.
• Wedding invitation etiquette (Scott Donaldson) 06 December 2013
  What’s proper etiquette when it comes to wedding invitations?
• Editorial: Let the good times roll (David Naulls) 05 February 2014
  It’s been a good start to the year. Both the Fair Trading Amendment Act 2013 and the Consumer Guarantees Amendment Act 2013 were passed into law just before Christmas.

November

• Air points update (Kate Sluka) 19 November 2013
  Air New Zealand has today announced an overhaul of its Airpoints programme – and on initial reading it seems most members will be better off.
• Editorial: Another try (David Naulls) 07 November 2013
  The perennial problem of loan sharking is back on the agenda.
• Travel agent or DIY? (Scott Donaldson) 01 November 2013
  Planning an overseas trip online can be easy with so many helpful websites and deals available. Is it ever worth using a travel agent?

October

• Feel safe buying that new game console (Hadyn Green) 22 October 2013
  What are your consumer rights if the next generation of consoles develop the problems that tend to plague new hardware?
• Food for thought (Sue Chetwin) 09 October 2013
  When I learned most of our farmed salmon was fed a diet containing abattoir by-products - off-cuts from poultry processing and bloodmeal from cattle, pigs and sheep - I blanched.

September

• Death of a piggy bank (Kate Sluka) 27 September 2013
  The piggy bank was going to be 'retired' in favour of her own bank account and a card.
• Fighting the Good Fight (Kate Sluka) 19 September 2013
  Have you ever been so annoyed with the lack of service in a store that you've put down the items you wanted to buy and walked out? I have.
• New Zealand is different (Andrew Smith) 17 September 2013
  New Zealand is different. Spend enough time working in areas like household efficiency, energy supply and house design and construction and you'll hear that catch-cry a lot.
• A shopper and her money are easily parted (Sue Chetwin) 05 September 2013
  now a lot more than most about the cunning ways people are separated from their money - legally and fraudulently. But many of us don't need a snake oil salesman to part us from our earnings. We voluntarily part with it.

August

• Toughen up (David Naulls) 08 August 2013
  The Consumer Law Reform Bill now wending its way through Parliament contains many wins for consumers.

July

• Moving to the front (Sue Chetwin) 15 July 2013
  Something significant is happening to New Zealand's response to front-of-pack food labelling.
• Don't shut the door on online shopping (Sue Chetwin) 11 July 2013
  If ever a tax looked difficult to collect, a GST on items bought from overseas online sites would head the queue. But that's what a working group of IRD and Customs officials has been tasked with trying to achieve.

June

• Calling earth (David Naulls) 06 June 2013
  Our view on the unfairness of the Reserve Bank's proposed "haircut" of bank deposits in the event of a registered bank failure in this country has struck a chord.

May

• Warming up this winter (Belinda Allan) 27 May 2013
  Ideally the temperature in our houses during winter should be between 20°C and 24°C – and not drop below 16°C for bedrooms. But for our family that's been a challenge.
• Exploding tables - what next? (Hamish Wilson) 03 May 2013
  One of our members got a serious fright when his glass table "exploded". When you're over 80 you really don't need this sort of shock – so he asked us to put out a warning.

April

• Dodging Air NZ surcharges (Hamish Wilson) 12 April 2013
  There've been quite a few complaints recently at the way Air New Zealand hits customers with surcharges when they pay for flights by credit card. Recently I found an easy way to avoid copping these fees when booking flights to Canada.
• Doggy day care (Luke Harrison) 04 April 2014
  A few weeks back, my mother asked me to dog-sit Louis while she was away. “No bother,” I said. How hard could it be?

March

• Switching power (Sue Chetwin) 08 March 2013
  It's no coincidence that a slew of electricity price rises comes amid the warmest and sunniest summer we've had in ages. I bet the electricity companies are hoping we won't notice.