Certain food products, which we may have assumed had been thrown into the great skip in the sky, are making a comeback on British shelves. Whilst TV chefs yell at us to rummage in hedgerows for seasonal nuts and berries and lifestyle supplements extol the virtues of scallops, it seems that British people are flicking the Vickies and going straight for processed gunk! How brilliant!

The BBC have reported that sales of Arctic Roll are on the rise and that people are going mental for Supermousse again. Even Findus Crispy Pancakes are (slowly) making a comeback, seeing the need to get a specially designated Twitter account.

Does this mean that we’ll get a return of Vienetta (the poshest of all desserts, surely?) Or maybe we’ll all start getting cravings for Angel Delight so bad that we’ll find people guzzling it, dry from the packet, in the aisles of Britain’s supermarkets?

As long as people don’t start squirting Primula Cheese or thinking that Sodastream is a good idea, we should be okay. So. Who is up for a can of Quattro and a bag of Hedgehog flavour crisps then? Stick your sorbets where the sun don’t shine… okay? I’m off getting wasted on Party 7’s.

“Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag ‘em down to your level. It’s cheaper.” – RipOffBritain

Coined originally in 1997, the phrase “Rip-Off Britain” has been used to reflect the vast difference in the UK’s car prices, when compared with the rest of Europe. But since that time, the phrase has been integrated into part of our everyday language, especially when we’ve been diddled out of our hard earned cash by crappy goods, poor service or shoddy business practices with exorbitant charges that leave most of us feeling pretty frustrated and angry.

So does ‘Rip Off Britain’ still exist, compared to the rest of the world?

We decided to look at the actual figures and price difference by comparing 5 popular consumer products, well known and mostly identical all over the world, ranging from Apple Macbooks to the Sony Playstation 3.

We compared the high street price index in the UK, US and France (as a major port of EU purchases), using search engines Pricegrabber, Kelkoo, and Froogle to look for any major deals, but when possible, doing a direct comparison through a universal eCommerce merchant such as Amazon US/UK/Fr to minimize external factors. The currency exchange rates are based on XE.Com.

Here are the results:

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In recent months, we’ve watched airlines, banks, and big chains go bust, with plenty more are projected to follow in the near future.

The economic recession has led to plenty of businesses going under, and consumers are often left dealing with the mess and financial loss that’s left behind.

If you’ve recently purchased airline tickets with your debit card or cash to escape these dark winter nights, beware.  Should your airlines follow in the footsteps of Zoom, Silverjet or XL, you’re unlikely to be getting your cash back without a long, arduous good fight to the death.

The Credit Card To Your Rescue

We all been warned of the dangers of going overboard with credit, ending up in debt, etc.  But what you may not know, is that buying with credit cards vs debit cards give you a huge advantage with consumer security, thanks to Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act of 1974.  This small-print less known secret method is the superhero to your rescue.

Section 75

It sounds almost like Area 51, and it stems from Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act of 1974. In a nutshell, the section essentially states that all purchases valuing between £100 and £30,000 have automatic liability protection jointly responsible by the retailer/supplier and your credit card company:

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That online shop over in Poland that screwed you over?  No problem.  The European Commission is here to your rescue.

The BBC reported new EC proposals for increasing online consumers’ shopping rights across the borders of the 27-nation EU. 

Currently, about 150 million people in the 27 EU countries shop online, of which, 30 million cross borders.  Of the 27 countries, half have no more than 7 days to change their mind after a purchase.

The proposals are looking to change all this.  The result of the proposal may include a ‘nationalised’ 2 week cooling off period for consumers to back out of a sale, better guarantees for repairs/replacements, and the right to refund for delayed deliveries. 

(That is, assuming, you’re not a jerk.)

I’m all for controlling and dictating prices.  It has a distinctly old fashioned socialist feel about it.  Hail, Chávez.  Then again, it’s about time that companies like Paypal and eBay get more regulated.

But what’s with nancy pancy EU directives? What’s wrong with the current system of getting my boys from the hood rollin’ uptown in da white van with their brass knuckles, pick axes, and M-16s from Romania?

(Wait.. Romania is in the EU now, right? Does that mean we soon get 14 days to refund ‘em shooters?  I’ll wait.)

BBC NEWS | Europe | EU to expand e-shoppers‘ rights [BBC]

Here at Bitterwallet, we do our best to bring justice to UK consumers like yourself.  Yes, we really do care about your well being.

But our American counterparts, The Consumerist, proves that there’s a fine line to be drawn.

One of their readers, Bryan, crossed that line recently, when he sent in a ‘tip’, confident that they would take his side:

“Okay…. Here’s an awesome email exchange between an adorama.com camera customer service rep and myself. Yeah, I’m an asshole, but this ignorant woman actually suggested that I become “born again”. All this because they put all kinds of restrictions on MY package which won’t allow me to pick up my package at the UPS office. Enjoy!”

…they did not take his side.

Why?

Saying that this guy is a ‘jerk’ is probably the understatement of the year.

Read the exchange between him and the customer rep.  You will understand why.

And well done to The Consumerist, standing up for a business when the consumer is a total a**.  There is justice in this world after all.

Complaints, anyone?

Customer Service: The Worst Tip We Have Ever Received [The Consumerist]