Press Release

Issues August 11th 2008

Crossing Borders for Bargains…
Consumer Choice investigates why so many Irish Consumers are travelling to make savings on everyday goods.

The August issue of Consumer Choice magazine - Ireland’s only independently written, researched and published consumer affairs magazine - is available now from the Consumer Association of Ireland. Packed full of information and expert opinion for the Irish consumer, this month’s edition examines the increase in the number of Irish Consumers going north of the border to gain discounts on their shopping bills, and asks why the price differential is still so great. Consumer Choice looks at digital downloading and investigates if consumer rights are being infringed by the recent measures to clamp down on piracy. Each month the consumer experts at Consumer Choice magazine undertake extensive product testing and comparisons. In this month’s edition, the results of the Euro NCAP crash tests are revealed and we find out which car is truly the safest. With new figures showing that more people are switching mortgage providers than ever before, Consumer Choice asks are there really savings to be made?

Historically Irish Consumers have crossed the border to gain savings on goods and services, this month Consumer Choice looks at why in recent months has this phenomena sky rocketed, and asks how much are retailers really ripping of consumers in the Republic. Mark Channing strips away the VAT of a shopping basket of 30 everyday products and uncovers the actual cost of the goods - with shocking results. Price differentials of up to 50% occur on day to day branded products, including coffee, shampoo and washing detergents. “The traditional mantra of many politicians and others in authority is that consumers should vote with their feet and shop around”, Consumer Choice’s Channing continues “But the reality is that the government needs to start applying serious pressure to retailers.” Channing believes that to make a difference to prices we require “a government backed list that names and shames, that would act as a deterrent to the practice of overcharging as well as enabling consumers to know what retailers and goods to avoid”.

Consumer Choice’s Jenny Harrow examines music downloading and digital rights in the light of new measures to combat piracy. Harrow looks at the various methods of legally downloading music online and asks if the anti piracy crackdown is effecting consumer rights? DRM (digital rights management) can be applied to any media which is protected by copyright, to give the copyright holder more control of how their work is used and distributed. DRM software can be added to files meaning that tracks can only be authorised on a certain type or number of players or cannot be copied. “When we buy a book, we are not told how many times we can read it, or forbidden to lend to friends, or forced to wear one specific brand of glasses to read it”, Harrow continues, “this would be ridiculous. However, this is what is happening in the digital environment”.

In this month’s edition of Consumer Choice magazine, the Euro NCAP crash test results are published with a breakdown of how each car scored in the various categories.  The Euro NCAP safety tests are stricter then the standard safety tests which cars have to pass. Their aim is to encourage manufactures to think more about car safety and exceed the minimum requirements. Since the NCAP was formed in 1997 it has been instrumental in encouraging safety improvements in new car design. Manufactures are being increasingly guided by their rating, following poor scores for the Nissan Navara, Nissan have announced a service campaign with the intention of improving the airbag software of every Navara on the road.  In light of the incidence of road deaths in Ireland the NCAP is something we all need to take notice of, with comprehensive testing across all motor categories these results are something all motorists should be aware of.

Consumer Choice’s financial reporter, explores the savings that can be made by switching your mortgage provider. Mark Channing examines the market at present and compares the deals from five leading mortgage providers. In the past, many people were discouraged from switching mortgage providers as the process was complicated and costly. However today with an increased level of competition in the lending sector, many of the banks have introduced specific switching products, which subsidise most or all of the fees associated with switching. “Switching to a provider with a more competitive interest rate can create savings of thousands of euros over a lifetime of a mortgage” explains Mark Channing.

Also in this month’s issue low fares airlines come under the microscope as Choice examines who really is offering the best value and how air lines hidden charges can result in a not so cheap flight. Consumer Choice guides readers through the range of digital media players on the market and dishwashers are also rated.

For further information, or to request an interview with any of the editorial team, please contact any of the following at McConnells Fusion:
Marc Kelly: 01-476 4342 marc.kelly@mcconnells.ie
Abigail Gaskin: 01-476 4345 abigail.gaskin@mcconnells.ie
or Kerrie Hartnett-Ryan: 01-4177605  Kerrie.hartnett-ryan@mcconnells.ie

Editors Notes:-

• Consumer Choice is published by the Consumers’ Association of Ireland, Consumer Choice magazine’s team of dedicated researchers use their expertise to provide 8,000 subscribers with impartial reporting on household consumer goods, personal finance, automotive, health, safety and the environment as well as giving useful contacts and websites for each topic they report on.