East Coast Radio - Catch Up ECR Consumerwatch

ECR Consumerwatch

Wendy Knowler is arguably South Africa’s most experienced consumer journalist. She’s helped more consumers over her 20 year career in consumer journalism than she could count. But while known as a champion of consumer rights, Wendy is also known and respected by corporates for her fair, accurate and balanced reporting. Want to be a more sussed consumer or corporate? Listen to Wendy's episodes here.
Weekly English South Africa Leisure · Business
239 Episodes
36 – 56

The big Salt and Vinegar tease

It’s a very curious story. Lay’s marketing director Agnes Kitololo said recently that the brand had listened to its customers, “so we wanted to give them another chance to indulge in this exceptional flavour experience that only Lay’s Salt and Vinegar seems to give them”. That begs the question: “So…
10 Mar 2021 5 min

Nil by Mouth (except water): Wendy Knowler explains why food on flights is done

South Africa has returned to level one lockdown, and while some restrictions have been lifted and things have been becoming more relaxed, it seems like one industry has now been hit with new constraints. Airlines are prohibiting travelers from eating or drinking on flights. Does that mean you'll be dehydrating…
4 Mar 2021 3 min

Wendy Knowler delves into why the cruise industry is sinking

It’s been a year of pain for cruiseliner operators and their passengers. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) announced a few days ago that it has canceled its 2020/2021 cruise season. Voyages for the remainder of the 2020/21 cruise season will be moved to the next local cruise season between November 2021…
25 Feb 2021 3 min

Identity theft is up by a massive 337% and Wendy Knowler explains why

Identity theft is no joke! Here's a not-so-fun fact: fraudsters had a field day in 2020 with so many people working from home, sending sensitive information across servers that don’t have the same level of security as the servers at their normal place of business.
24 Feb 2021 3 min

Car Payments: Are you keeping track? Wendy Knowler weighs in

Tracking contracts are easy to get into but harder to get out of. It may seem like a good idea to sign a three-year tracking contract for your car and avoid the upfront payment of the tracking device itself, but if you sell the car within three years or you…
18 Feb 2021 8 min

Travel operators have made some big changes to their penalty fees!

The travel industry, from its knees, is busy introducing the kind of flexibility into its fares that we would all have loved and appreciated all these years. Last month British Airways (operated by Comair in SA) announced that it has introduced new booking options, giving customers the flexibility to change…
11 Feb 2021 4 min

Wendy Knowler on why bigger local instituitions like Greyhound are having to close

While the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying regulations have put businesses like Citiliner, Greyhound, Musica, and more in danger, it was only contributing to escalating the inevitable. People are no longer buying music from stores, bus ticket sales have declined as well as poor regulatory compliance in the bus passenger…
3 Feb 2021 4 min

Battling to close your Edgars account? Wendy Knowler says you're not alone

Carol Fourie’s experience in trying to close her Edgars account is shared by many others. She wrote: "I have had numerous calls from Edgars/RCS agents since last year regarding non-payment on my account. During these calls, I indicated that I wished to close my account after paying the outstanding balance…
28 Jan 2021 4 min

Skyrocketing ginger prices & special tenant rights

In this, the first Consumerwatch feature of 2021, Wendy Knowler reveals why the price of ginger has skyrocketed, and why the government’s Disaster Management Act regulation preventing landlords from cutting off electricity to tenants who are in arrears is, in reality, hollow protection.
21 Jan 2021 10 min

Students' safety compromised and trip cancellations - Wendy Knowler investigates

It’s Christmas time and we’re experiencing a second wave of coronavirus infections. Not a great combo. Quite a few people have voiced their concerns to Wendy about employees in shops and restaurants not wearing their masks properly and making them feel unsafe. And yes, many consumers don’t do their bit…
17 Dec 2020 10 min

Dealership fees & other extras mandatory on your car deal? Nonsense!

Recently Tim shared with Wendy Knowler email correspondence he had with a salesman at the Honda & Suzuki dealership in Pinetown, part of the massive CMH dealership group.The salesman told him in an email that R1100 was for the licensing of the car - “an outsourced company does our licensing…
10 Dec 2020 10 min

Wendy Knowler offers solutions to Keri Miller’s municipal bill issues

Keri Miller was unexpectedly pushed into a tight budget this December after receiving a letter from the Municipality to settle a very big electricity bill, lest her lights are cut out by the 7th of December. This has been giving her sleepless nights and to get to the bottom of…
3 Dec 2020 5 min

It never rains but it pours - best you get your roof checked out!

With the rainy season well underway in most parts of South Africa, the office of the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance is bracing itself for a spike in complaints from distressed homeowners whose building insurance claims have been rejected. The office dealt with 1800 cases of rejected building insurance claims during…
3 Dec 2020 5 min

Paid then, fly later... much later

The good news for those holding Kulula or British Airways tickets for domestic flights they couldn’t use during hard lockdown is they can use the value of those tickets towards new bookings on those airlines, both owned by Comair. The bad news, says Wendy Knowler, is that while Kulula planes…
26 Nov 2020 8 min

Companies - get your own (throwaways) back!

FINALLY! Manufacturers will be forced to take responsibility for recovering their products or product packaging and getting it recycled. From cardboard boxes to electronic goods, lightbulbs, all forms of plastic and glass jars and bottles, the manufacturers or importers will have to make a plan to get it back from…
12 Nov 2020 12 min

Road Accidents - what’s driving them?

So what category of vehicles are involved in most serious accidents on South African roads? If you said minibus taxis you’d be wrong. The answer, shared by Wendy Knowler in today’s Consumerwatch, will probably surprise you. A renowned, Durban-based forensic accident investigator has shared his findings and road safety suggestions…
5 Nov 2020 13 min
36 – 56