Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport Written Evidence


Memorandum submitted by Consumer Direct

  On our database there are around 30 complaints for November 2004-November 2005 and 70 complaints from November 2005-November 2006 about TV Quiz channels. However, please bear in mind that we have only been a nationwide service for some weeks. This 70 in the last year would have been from eight of the 11 government regions, so I would expect to receive over 100 for the next year. They vary from people receiving bills for calls they haven't made to misleading advertising. This data relates to Call TV Quiz shows and was sourced from the CD Central Database which currently holds over two million records.

  Consumer Direct (CD) is a telephone and online consumer advice service, managed by the Office of Fair Trading. The first wave of contact centres were set up in 2004 and CD became a nationwide service in October 2006. It provides clear, practical, impartial advice to help you sort out problems and disagreements you may be having with suppliers of goods or services.

  From overcharging to faulty goods, from dodgy workmanship to reporting dishonest traders and scams, our advisers are ready to offer solutions for individual problems.

  It offers help and advice to every single consumer in Great Britain (regardless of age, gender, social background or ethnic group) who is buying or has bought goods or services. Consumers in Northern Ireland should contact ConsumerLine for advice and information.

  The advice and information we give is free and you can call as many times as you need to. Telephone calls are charged for via the 0845 number, which will cost no more than 4p per minute for BT customers (other networks may vary).

17 November 2006





 
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