Moral expectation has as big a part to play in regulation as the rules
THERE’S a great scene in the classic Humphrey Bogart film Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Bogie, playing a gold prospector, is surrounded by a bunch of tough guys who claim to be sheriffs.He asks to see...
View ArticleCash Q&A: Staff must keep track of pension changes if their company closes
Q: My company went into receivership last year. I was in the company money purchase pension scheme. One of my former colleagues told me that our pensions were transferred but I am unsure about what has...
View ArticleJeff Salway: Banks do deserve some blame over the CPP scandal
PAYMENT protection insurance (PPI) may be at the centre of the biggest mis-selling scandal of all time, but at least it had something going for it. On a standalone basis PPI – designed to pay out in...
View ArticleConsumer watch: credit unions can clip the wings of loan vultures
MY GENERATION was the last to have the image of Jesus clearing the money-lenders from the temple burned into our consciousness in primary school. But my generation was the one that matured into the...
View ArticleClaire Smith: Power profits are on the up, so tell Sid
IF YOU remember the eighties you might recall those Saatchi campaigns for the great utility sell-off – which came with the catchphrase: “If you see Sid… Tell him.”Selling off nationalised industries...
View ArticleCarphone offers new data deals on iPhones
MOBILE retailer Carphone Warehouse this week introduced a new set of deals for fans of Apple iPhones.Customers will now be able to get their hands on an iPhone 5 for £39 a month with 02 – in a deal the...
View ArticleGetting goods from abroad can be tricky, but a legal track exists
SOMETIMES even Consumer Helpdesk is stumped. So we didn’t really know what to make of a complaint from a reader in Germany who ordered a kilt but did not receive it. The company concerned maintained it...
View ArticleCo-op takes wind out of giants’ sails
ENERGY companies should start putting customers before profits say Co-operative Energy which this week became the first energy company to buck the trend and reduce tariffs for customers.The news is a...
View ArticleCall for island fuel price probe
AS THE UK government comes under increasing pressure to postpone the 3p increase on petrol prices, an Arran islander has written to David Cameron and Alex Salmond to ask them to investigate fuel prices...
View ArticleScotch trade is seeing the benefit of a diplomat’s steady hand
BEHIND the twinkling smile and the ready laughter there is the precise and considered logic of a man who has enjoyed a distinguished career as diplomat.Before taking over as chief executive of the...
View ArticleTop Ten Tips: Be smart and follow these tips when you go to the sales
JUST as Christmas advertising now seems to begin in March the traditional January sales are striding backwards across the calendar.As a way to beat the retail slump many department stores begin January...
View ArticleScottish entrepreneurs turn to overseas markets
SCOTLAND’S entrepreneurs are increasingly turning their attention overseas in the search for opportunities, according to new research.More than half of entrepreneurial businesses already export or have...
View ArticleJeff Salway: Equality rules will cut men’s pensions
TIME is running out for men nearing retirement to avoid being hit by new rules reducing the income they can get from their pension savings.In just over a month’s time, financial services companies...
View ArticleJeff Salway: Savers forced to become borrowers
CHRISTMAS can’t come quickly enough for payday lenders, preparing to cash in as yet more people turn to short-term borrowing.For many households, Christmas is as much about debt and financial stress as...
View ArticleNew social network aims to help its users break down language barriers
A SCOTTISH entrepreneur who launched a website allowing people of different nationalities to talk to each other is hoping that his business can revolutionise social media after being adopted by users...
View ArticleCommercial property deals double to £307m
INVESTMENT deals in Scottish commercial property over the past quarter have more than doubled to £307 million in a tentative sign the sector may be improving.A particularly strong market in Aberdeen...
View Article‘Bradley Wiggins effect’ helps Halfords bounce back
HALFORDS will this week insist the so-called “Wiggins effect” is keeping the business on track despite a likely double-digit slide in profits.The retail stalwart previously said it expects pre-tax...
View ArticleMarket watch: Olympics boost for EasyJet
EASYJET is expected to reveal this week that profits took off thanks to a last-minute rush for holidays following the Olympic Games.The carrier upped its profit guidance in October as London 2012...
View ArticleSupermarket success for island brewer Colonsay
THE owners of the remote Colonsay Brewery are hoping to capitalise upon an expanded audience following a successful craft ale promotion with discount supermarket chain Aldi.The Hebridean brewer’s...
View ArticlePlan to swap employment rights for shares slated
CHANCELLOR George Osborne’s plans to see workers swap employment rights for company shares have come under attack by a firm of accountants that is in the process of becoming employee-owned. Accord...
View Article