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A simple solution to service rage

Abysmal customer service is reaching epidemic proportions, and now our collective blood pressure is paying the price. Apparently two-thirds of us have suffered from a bout of service rage at some point in the last year, according to a report by the National Consumer Council, defined as feeling "angry and upset" by poor-quality customer service.

The temptations of overseas property

This month’s launch of the New Star International Property fund promises to be one of the most significant of the year for the industry as a whole.

Hips operation bungled, again

Who’d have thought it? With just over a week to go before their grand introduction, the government has decided to delay the birth of Home Information Packs (Hips).

Prepare for mortgage rates of 8%

I wrote an article that appeared on the front page of the Money section last Sunday which warned that if interest rates hit 6%, which an increasing number of economists believe will happen, borrowers on their lender's standard variable (SVR) will be paying interest of around 8% - the highest level for nearly a decade.

Thankfully only around 2.5million of the 11million households with mortgages are paying SVR as most are on cheaper fixed or discounted deals. However, 2.5million is still a significant number, and if you are one of these people you should really be looking to remortgage.

Is the market too hot or too cold?

Anthony Bolton, the venerated manager of Fidelity's Special Situations Fund, has once more taken the role of gloom and doom merchant. In the midst of the hyperbole over the appointment of Sanjeev Shah as his successor as navigator of the UK's most successful retail equity fund, Mr Bolton has voiced another warning over the parlous state of the four-year-old bull market.

In defence of bank charges

No doubt about it. The frail, honest consumer must be defended against the machinations of ruthless, conniving corporations. It's just when it comes to "the battle against bank charges" currently being waged , my sympathies are limited.

One channel that now costs a bundle

One of the problems with my local Tesco Express is that it doesn’t sell vegetables individually. If you want an apple, you’ve got to buy a bag, tomatoes come in sixes, and pears come in, well, pairs.

Broadband blues

I have not had any problems with my broadband connection since the trauma of getting it set up four months ago, (see here) but I can't help but wonder if it is luck - or the fact I have only logged in twice.   So many of you have told us of the dreadful service/expensive call centres/unreliable connections that you have had to endure that it seems as if there are hardly any broadband companies offering a decent service.

Tills are out but queues are in at your local HSBC

HSBC decided a few months ago to remove most of the staffed tills in it’s Ealing Broadway branch, west London, replacing them with automated machines which let you deposit cheques and notes, take out cash and order statements.

Finding the best mortgage - should you use a broker?

More than a million borrowers will be looking to remortgage as they come to the end of cheap two or three year fixed and discount deals in the next few months. I’m one of them, and in the process of searching out a new loan, I’ve learnt an important lesson.

Fund managers are like fine wines

When Tony Blair steps down as Prime Minister next month after a decade in Downing Street he will be the longest-serving Labour premier in history and one of the longest-serving of all time from any party.

Entitled to cash in?

Ever feel undervalued? Perhaps a title like Baron would get you the respect – and freebies – you deserve. Along with instant PhDs and impotence cures, the net offers noble titles at knock-down prices. Shame that most are the figments of fraudsters' imaginations.

Green energy scams

The government is encouraging us all to be greener and advising that we make as many energy saving changes to our houses as we can, but there is growing evidence that this drive towards environmentally friendly lifestyles is being exploited by door-to-door salesmen offering energy saving equipment that doesn't work.

Go West young man?

The pound's strength may be prompting some investors to think about shifting some of their portfolio overseas. After all, just like tourists in New York these days, anyone thinking of buying shares in the US stock market should see their pound go further than it did a year ago. But before you leap offshore, consider that all may not be what it seems in foreign parts.

Brian finally sees the light...

Here at Times Money HQ we love nothing better than to hear that our readers are happily saving money switching utilities suppliers.  This week we got a call from Mr Brian Fallon, a retired reader from the leafy London suburb of Ealing who has a salutary tale to tell.

BT gets tough over payments

BT has infuriated some Times Money readers recently with plans to penalise its customers for paying their bills by cash or cheque, rather than offering a reward for paying by Direct Debit, as it used to do.

The Energy War - End of Round One

Congratulations to both Scottish Power and EDF Energy for at last getting off the fence and stepping into the UK’s “energy price war” arena, albeit somewhat begrudgingly.