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
76 – 96

The truth about disinfect tunnels

Tunnel vision - disinfectant tunnels continue to be erected in transport hubs, schools and residential estates, despite growing warnings - from very high places - that they are ineffective and unsafe.
4 Jun 2020 14 min

Clothing, fees, and selling and buying cars

So you can buy winter clothing now, but you can’t try anything on first - is that legal? Your daughter’s ballet teacher is demanding full payment of her fees, 40 days into lockdown - what are your rights? When will you be able to buy or sell a car again?
7 May 2020 22 min

"Can I move on Friday?"

Friday is the 1st of the month, traditional moving day, May 1 is also Worker’s Day, marked this year by milions of workers being unable to work, and, of course it’s the day we move from level 5 lockdown to level 4.
30 Apr 2020 13 min

Pay now, enjoy later

Missing your local restaurant, pub or neighbourhood business and wondering how if they going to survive lockdown? There’s a way to help, says Wendy Knowler
23 Apr 2020 9 min

COVID-19 - are you covered if you want to cancel your overseas trip?

COVID 19, commonly referred to as the corona virus, is causing major havoc in the travel industry: international conferences are being cancelled, and flights to many destinations are being cancelled, because people are too terrified to travel, even to places like Cyprus which hasn’t had any confirmed cases; and airlines…
5 Mar 2020 9 min

What if your Valentine's Day flowers are delivered late?

For florists, Valentine’s Day is their Black Friday and Christmas all rolled into one. There’s big money to be made, but the risk of reputational damage for service delivery fails is also massive. What are your rights as a consumer when you don’t get what you paid for, at the…
13 Feb 2020 4 min

Cracked TV: Who is responsible?

If you buy a new TV and when you remove the packaging at home, you discover the screen is cracked, who is responsible? Well, that depends. Best to get clued up on how to avoid such a horror show in the first place. Wendy Knowler explains how in today’s Consumerwatch.
6 Feb 2020 6 min

What to do with an excessive municipal bill?

What do you do if you open your municipal bill and discover you’re being asked to pay ten times your usual monthly amount, because you’ve been using a massive amount of water for the past two months?
30 Jan 2020 9 min

How dare you?

Wendy Knowler asks what it’s going to take to nab the airport baggage handlers who can’t keep their hands off our stuff…
23 Jan 2020 10 min

Return of the original Rice Krispies

Not being a commercial breakfast cereal kind of person, I didn’t realise quite how many South Africans felt really strongly about their Rice Krispies until about 18 months ago when Kellogg SA replaced the original version with something very different - Rice Krispies which were no longer made just of…
9 Jan 2020 7 min

Got a garnishee? You’ve been overpaying, says Wendy

Friday the 13th of December was anything but unlucky for the more than a million South Africans whose take-home is reduced every month because of garnishee orders. What a Western Cape judge had to say on that day will bring massive financial relief, says Wendy Knowler.
19 Dec 2019 9 min

Credit Card agreements during the festive season

If you’ve got debit order agreements with various companies, there’s a good chance that some of them will take their money from your bank account early next week instead of at month-end date, as usual, anticipating that you’ll get paid early for Christmas. But can they do that?
12 Dec 2019 10 min
76 – 96