RTÉ RTÉ Radio 1

Tina Leonard, Consumer Affairs Expert.

With Tina Leonard 

If you opened your fridge and saw a few five euro notes on the shelf inside, it’s unlikely that you’ll pick them up and throw them in the bin.

But that’s exactly what we all do when we throw food away.

In fact the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that between the cost of the food we throw away and the disposal costs, each household bins an average of €700 each year!

Tina Leonard has been looking at how we can stop wasting food and our hard earned cash.

Assessing your food waste

Almost one third (30%) of the food we buy is thrown away – this costs households on average €700 every year (source Environmental Protection Agency). Yet in a survey conducted for Safefood the majority of consumers underestimated how much food waste costs them, guessing it was about €300 a year.

So given the truth is more shocking than that, it may be time to start thinking about how much food you waste.

Given most people seem not to realise just how much food they waste, the first step is to find out how much you throw away.

Keep a note of what food you put in the bin for one week. Add up the total cost and then multiple it to say how much money you are potentially wasting each month or year.

Taking action

In the Safefood survey, bread was the food consumers said they wasted most (43%), followed by fruit (15%), dairy products (12%), vegetables (10%) and cooked packaged meat (4%).

When asked why the majority (34%) said they had bought too much in the first place. After that 11% said they bought either food that wasn’t “very good” or that was fresh and went off quickly, 11% said they had fussy eaters in their household and a further 11% said their lifestyle/plans often change and they don’t cook/eat what they buy.

Knowing what food you waste and thinking about why will enable you to cut down on waste. Essentially it’s all about good planning, storage and good food use.

Planning

This is about planning your weekly meals, and buying accordingly. Don’t go shopping while hungry as you’re likely to buy more and only avail of the ‘buy one get one free’ or ‘two for one’ food offers if you know you can eat them or freeze to eat at a later date.

Look at the use by dates but remember that the ‘best before’ date is an indicator of quality and the food is still safe to eat after that date.

In fact in the Safefood research more consumers (69%) said they checked the ‘best before date’ compared to the ‘use by’ date (35%). Also one in three thought both labels meant the same thing. They do not. It’s the ‘use by’ date that is the important one, and one that must be present on fresh foods that are highly perishable. After this date the food could be unsafe and so shouldn’t be eaten.

But, you do not have to throw food out after the ‘best before’ date. Instead use your eyes and nose to tell you whether the food is good to eat or not.

Also, you can forget entirely about any ‘sell by’ or ‘display until’ dates on packaging. These are merely for stock control and just add to the confusion.

(As part of Safefood’s current Cut Food Waste campaign they have a Facebook App where you can enter the food name and it’s ‘use by’ date and the App will send you an email or text when the ‘use by’ date is approaching.)

Storing

This is where you can really avoid throwing out food that you’ve already bought but aren’t going to use.

Put fresh food away as soon as you get home. When you’re putting it away check ‘use by’ dates to see what you should use immediately and what you should freeze.If you’ve bought things like chicken breasts in bulk, put whatever you’re not likely to eat straight into the freezer to use later. The same goes for a big casserole you’ve made. Portion any that remains and freeze for later.If that chicken beast, for example, is still in the fridge and is now close to its ‘use by’ date and you’re not ready to eat it, cook it, cool it and put it back in the fridge. This will extend its life by a number of days.Of course you can freeze raw meat too, and the best thing to do there is check the manufacturer’s instructions on the pack about how long it can be frozen for. Your freezer will have one, two or three stars (cooler with more stars), so that will affect the length of time too. Bear in mind though that the maximum freeze time stated is a quality indicator and once properly frozen there should be no food safety issues.Freezing is the best way of preserving fresh vegetables to enjoy later. When properly frozen, vegetables retain all their flavour and nutrients. To freeze fresh vegetables, blanch them and when chilled, drain them, dry them and then transfer to a freezer bag. Later you can cook the vegetables from frozen in a large pan of boiling water. Don’t steam though, as they tend to go soggy.Some things don’t freeze well like raw or cooked eggs, or water based veg as they will go soggy but other freeze really well. For example cut your slab of butter in two and put half in the freezer if you take ages to use it, peel and grate ginger and put in a freezer bag or even chop some parsley and freeze that for later. You can even grate hard cheese and put in the freezer to sprinkle over a dish later. Bread freezes very well and you could even slice it first and take a slice out to thaw or toast as needed.

Good food use

This is really about knowing how to cook and making the most from the food you have rather than wasting it. There is a deficit of knowledge in this area but it is easily learned. For example, it’s about getting into the habit of using a whole chicken for a roast today, and sandwiches or another meal tomorrow, and then use the carcass for stock.

Leftover can make great dishes and are where you can be inventive. Use to make ‘one pot’ dishes like currys, casseroles and stews, and save your cash while you’re at it.

For further information:

http://www.safefood.eu/Home.aspx - use the ‘cut food waste’ diary, and access recipes for leftovers.

http://www.stopfoodwaste.ie/

Irish consumers spent over €27 million on sports drinks last year. They are endorsed by our biggest sports stars and the link between athletic excellence and the consumption of sports drinks has become fixed in the public mind.

But are they of any use and do they do what they say they do?

In this evening’s Consumer Show, Kathriona Devereux puts them to the test and she joined Pat this morning.

With Tina Leonard

Broadband choice and prices

When it comes to broadband, price and reliability are as important as speed to a majority of customers. That’s according to research that also found 40% of Irish adults find current broadband packages confusing.

That is not surprising given that download speeds and usage caps vary between providers even though it’s the headline price you may notice first.

Added to that, depending on where you live you may not have much choice at all as to what broadband servcies you can access.

So what are the different types of broadband on offer, why do you need to keep your eye on the market and are bundled packages cheaper?

Tina Leonard is here to explain.

The different ways to get broadband

There are myriad ways to receive broadband:

Cable (i.e. UPC)DSL (i.e. via phone line – Eircom, Vodafone, Sky, Magnet, Digiweb etc)Wireless (i.e. Imagine, Digiweb, Ripplecom, Net1 etc)Satellite (i.e. Onwave, Qsat etc)Dongle (i.e. usual phone providers)

Before we start talking about prices and what solution might be best for you, the crucial thing to know is that you may not have a choice.

If you are in an urban area you should have a choice however, both for cable (UPC delivers to approximately 800,000 homes) and for DSL via several providers to over 1 million homes.

But if you are in some areas, mainly rural, you may not have access to cable but you most likely do have acess to DSL broadband (over the phone). However you may noy yet have access to fibre powered broadband and in some cases, your phone line may not be not strong enough to support DSL and so you might only be able to choose between wireless or satellite for example.

Given the gaps in coverage nationally, there is a National Broadband Scheme that is operated by 3. Under this if you’ve no other options you can avail of a €20 per month deal for broadband via satellite or dongle.

Key 1: You may not be able to get what you want, depending on where you live.

How do the various types of broadband differ?

The different methods of receiving broadband differ in the main on speed, usage caps and uninterupted access.

So, cable (i.e. UPC) offers the fastest speeds (150Mb) and has installed fibre powered broadband. They say that you are never more than 300 metres away from their fibre ‘box/hub’. The DSL providers on the other are reliant on phone lines. This means that the copper lines may be old and may be several kilometers away from the exchange, resulting in less fast speeds and possible interuptions. This is why speeds are advertised as ‘up to’ as really the speeds you receive will be as fast as your line can go. Having said that, Eircom is launching fibre powered broadband later this month as is Magnet, and it’s coming soon from Vodafone too, so speed service and reliability should improve as a consequence.

When it comes to wireless and satelite broadband for example, you are at the mercy of bad weather.

It’s not surprising then that Amarach research (conducted for Sky) found that 93% rate price and reliability as important as speed. After all you may not even be able to access the speeds offered.

So in order of best speeds offered your options are 1. Cable, 2. DSL, 3. Wireless, 4. Satellite / dongle.

Now, speed may be relevant for you if you watch a lot of TV online for example (RTE and TV3 players for example) and download or stream movies and TV programmes via Netflix or through your subscriotion service with Sky or UPC.

Even so, an average speed should be absolutely fine for these activities.

But if you are a very light user, just checking websites and sending emails, speed may not be an issue at all.

This is also relevent for any usage caps on a deal. Some offer unlimited use but other cap the amount you can download. For example, if there is a usage cap of 2GB you will probably need more than this if downloading movies and so on.

Key 2: Speed varies depending on broadband type and usage caps vary. So, what do you use the internet for?

Why you need to keep your eye on the market.

I’ve just mentioned that Eircom and Magnet are rolling out fibre powered broadband soon, meaning speeds and access are getting better all the time. In addition Sky recently entered the broadband market.

This means there is increased competition and also that the offerings of providers continually change.

For example, Sky’s entry to the market acted as a catylst for price change in the guise of special offers from Vodafone, Eircom and UPC. If you are with these providers you might be on a more expensive deal and could change.

So, you must not fall into the trap of hanging on to a deal you signed up to four, two or even one year ago (legacy deals). The prices keep changing and so too does what’s available. For example, Sky broadband is now available to over 1.5million homes and Magnet’s rollout of broadband at the end of this month starts with 500,000 homes and will extend to over 1 million.

Key 3: Increasingly you have greater choice on types of broadband, speeds and price. So don’t fall into the intertia trap!

Ditch the landline or bundle?

If you don’t use a landline you don’t need one to get broadband. But there are two crucial things to consider.

Firstly, if you use the landline you’ll be able to access a better broadband product and secondly, the bundled deals offer best value in the marketplace so you may even be able to get better value by having both.

For example, let’s say you are an Eircom customer and pay €30 a month for unlimited off-peak local and national calls. For the same amount - €30 per month, you can get the same off-peak calls and broadband from Sky.

Key 4: Bundling phone and broadband will net you the best deals.

Price examples – basic:

The following price examples are the four best for landline (inc off-peak calls) and broadband at a basic or entry level.

However, they are not actually directly comparable as speed and usage caps vary. This is a problem that consumers have in making comparisons accross this sector and why you need to look not only at price but also at speeds and usage caps and know what you need in that regard. All below (apart from Vodafone) are for 12 month contracts.

Sky - €360 for the year (€30 per month)

Off-peak local and national calls, speed up to 24MB, usage capped at 2GB.

Vodafone - €360 for the year (€20 for first six months, €40 after)

Off-peak local and national calls, speed up to 24MB, usage capped at 40GB.

*However, this is a 24 month contract so will €480 in year two.

UPC - €402 for the year (€25 for first six months and €42 for following six)

Off-peak local and national calls, speed up to 50MB, unlimited usage.

Eircom - €420 for the year (€30 for first six months, €45 thereafter)

Off peak local and national calls, speed up to 8MB, usage capped at 10GB.

(If you want higher speeds the best at the moment is Sky at speeds up to 24MB download speed, unlimited usage, off-peaks phone for €480 per year (€40 per month).

Bear in mind also that even if the advertised speed you buy is ‘up to’ 24MB for example, the average download speed you’ll get is somewhere between 5MB and 10MB, and there is no point in paying for extra if you can’t avail of it. In other words, the download speeds advertised may not even be relevant to you.

Price examples – Broadband (wireless / satelite)

Maybe you live in an area where you don’t have access to cable broadband and your landline cannot support DSL.

Here are some price examples for basic broadband only packages. Note that some of these providers offer bundles deals too (including phone).

Remember if wireless or satelite the download speeds may vary due to weather conditions. In addition there tends to be a set-up or installation charge with this type of product.

Qsat - €34.99 per month, 6GB usage, €149 installation fee. (satellite)

Ripplecom - €34.99 per month, 20BG usage allowance, up tp 2GB download speed, €149 installation fee. (wireless)

Onwave - €39.95 per month, 10GB usage allowance, up to 20GB download speeds. €229 set up fee. (satellite)

Digiweb - €39.95 per month, 10GB usage, up to 20MB download speed, €249 set up fee. (satellite)

Bundles with phone (but without landline):

Digiweb: €29.95 per month – off-peak calls, 5MB download, 30BG usage cap, €29.95 set up.

Imagine – phone and broadband for €25 per month – anytime calls, up to 3MB download speed. €100 connection fee.

Net1 – phone and broadband €35 per month – pay as you go calls, 5MB download spees, €149 installation.

+

There are far more bundles and offerings available than I can mention here, so you need help.

Go to callcosts.ie (Commission for Communication Regulation) for interactive comparisons.

Also go to Bonkers.ie for intercative price comparisons based on your data (including phone check re availability in your area) and useful blogs on related topics, changes in prices / offers etc.

+

One crucial piece of advice:

If you are thinking of switching provider DO NOT leave your current one mid contract, as you’ll still have to pay the monthly charge up until the contract ends.

Last night, in the Clarion Hotel in Limerick, the group New Beginning
hosted a seminar aimed at persons who find themselves in debt or mortgage arrears.

There was a particular focus at the seminar on dealing with stress and how to apply rational thinking to difficult situations.

Brian O’Connell attended the seminar last night and spoke to some of those who attended. He joined us from our Limerick studios.

With Tina Leonard

Banking charges and switching banks

We pay around €120 a year on banking charges; clocking up the charges each time we take money from the ATM or make a lodgement.

With transaction charges from Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Bank and Danske Bank only introduced in the past year, many people are still coming to terms with these new charges and wondering if the days of free banking are well and truly over.

Well, one bank - Permanent TSB - has just shaken up the market by introducing free banking.

So, now is the time to assess just how much you pay in banking charges and to see if you should switch banks to save.

Tina Leonard is here to explain.

+++

This time last year we discussed current account bank charges in light of the re-introduction of current account charges by Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Bank and National Irish Bank (now Danske Bank).

One year on, while the charges for current account transactions with those banks remain, the general landscape does looks different. Permanent TSB has introduced free banking and Ulster Bank is set to introduce fees from 1st July.

So it’s time, once again, to review and consider how much you pay in banking charges and whether you should switch banks to save.

The charges

Free banking

If you are a student or over 60 you should be availing of free banking on offer with accounts in all banks. If not the following are your options.

Two banks now offer free banking. They are Permanent TSB, who introduced now charges from the start of April and Ulster Bank.

However, Ulster Bank had planned to introduce charges last summer but postponed that move following the IT fault that paralysed their payments system last year. But they are now introducing charges from 1st July this year.

Ulster Bank’s new charge will be a fee of €4 monthly. There are two ways of avoiding this: 1) lodge €3,000 to your account in a calendar month or 2) have a cleared balance of at least €3,000 in your account.

So, this leaves Permanent TSB who launched their no fees banking on 1st April.

With Permanent TSB the only condition is that you lodge at least €1,500 to your account each month. You don’t have to maintain that balance and it does not have to be lodged in one lump. Once you do this, there are no fees for transactions etc, or monthly or quarterly fees. In addition 1% interest is payable on balances to €1,500.

Note that if you are an existing PTSB customer you will not automatically be switched to free banking. You must actively sign up so do that as soon as you can.

Banks that charge (with more stringent criteria)

Allied Irish Bank

No charges if you maintain a balance of €2,500. If not debit card transactions 20c; ATM cash withdrawal 20c; paper / staff assisted transactions in branch inc. cheques, counter withdrawals and lodgements 30c; quarterly fee €4.50 or €18 per annum.

Bank of Ireland

No charges if you maintain a balance of €3,000 in your current account or lodge at least €3,000 and make nine payments using Banking 365 in one quarter to avoid fees. Otherwise it’s 28c per transaction or €11.40 per quarter for 90 transactions.

Danske Bank

There are three current account types; the basic ‘24/7 package’, ‘Easy Plus’ and ‘Prestige’.

‘24/7 package’ costs €5 a quarter plus 25c for any debit card payments or ATM withdrawals. Other current accounts are Easy Plus for €18.75 a quarter and Prestige at €31.25 per quarter, and these latter two have no common transaction charges.

EBS

If you lodge at least €1,500 to your account each month and a minimum balance of €500 is maintained monthly you get five free withdrawals per month. Otherwise, it’s 30c per ATM withdrawal or in-branch transactions.

Are there any other fees to consider?

Yes there are. ‘Free banking’ essentially means free day-to-day banking when it comes to transactions, i.e. ATM withdrawals and card payments, lodgements etc. So while Permanent TSB now offers free banking there are still other charges you might incur exactly as you would with the other banks.

For example, if a cheque is returned unpaid or a standing order is unpaid that costs €10 with PTSB. The equivalent costs are €3.30 and €12.70 with BoI and €4.44 and €10 with AIB.

Similarly there are still costs for a ‘stop payment’ instruction (€5) and getting a duplicate statement will cost you between €2.50 to €3.80 depending on the bank. Setting up or renewing an overdraft will cost you €30 with BoI, €25.39 with AIB and €20 with PTSB. Bank of Ireland charges €8 to replace a lost or stolen card, that is free with AIB or PTSB. And there are other charges too.

So, know that these additional charges associated with your current account still exist, whether you fulfill the criteria to avail of ‘free banking’ or not.

What you should do to save

Look at a few statements from your current account and check how much you’re paying in fees. The average amounts to €100 to €120 per year.See if you can reduce this. Can you make less transactions, for example less visits to the ATM to cut down on charges. Carry out more online and phone transactions to cut on charges; these are free with all main current accounts mentioned above apart from AIB where the charge is 20c per internet or phone transaction.What about missed standing orders or direct debits. This is where the charges really add up as the fee for a bounced cheque or unpaid standing order can be as much as €12.70, overlimit fees could be €3.50, €5.50, €10 or more per item and a stop payment instruction could cost around €5. You can see how it all adds up so make sure you have enough cash to pay the standing order, don’t go over limit and so on.Switch banks to reduce transactional charges.

Switching banks

The bank you are switching to arranges with your existing bank to transfer everything over, cash, standing orders and direct debits, so they do the work. But you will have to provide them with your banking information and help in deciding on a switching date.

Due to their introduction of free banking Permanent TSB has a dedicated switching team that will remain in place. In the month since they introduced free banking they report a 55% increase in new accounts opened compared to the previous month. They say customers are mainly in the 20 to 35 age bracket and with an even spread of BoI and AIB customers.

You should also know that there is a Central Bank Code of Conduct on switching current accounts, which all banks must comply with as it is a statutory code. It was designed to make switching easier and quicker.

What you do:

Choose the provider

Once you choose what bank you’re switching to you should be provided with a switching pack that contains a description of all the current accounts and what you need to do to switch to them.

You should also receive a copy of the terms & conditions; full details of any fees and charges; details of any interest that applies; a point of contact for any assistance.

If you have an existing overdraft don’t forget to ask about transferring it. If the new bank will not allow this you’ll have to talk to your existing bank about clearing it first.

Fill out the application form

You fill out an application form and supply documents to prove your identity and address (even if you already have an account with the same bank).

For your identity you’ll need a valid passport; current Irish drivers licence; ID form with a photo signed by a Garda; documents issued by Government departments showing your name and verified by a person in a position of responsibility (i.e. doctor, solicitor, social worker etc), who must accompany you to the bank.

To prove your address you need a current utility bill; a current car or home insurance policy showing your address; a document issued by a Government department that shows your address; a current balancing statement from the Revenue Commissioners; a letter from your employer or licensed employment agency stating that you have recently arrived in Ireland and have started work but cannot yet provide evidence of your Irish address (you will have to provide evidence of your address at a later date). You also need to supply a PPS number if the account pays interest.

Choose the switching date

You’ll need to agree a switching date with the new bank and it is crucial that you choose a time when there is least activity on your account.

You have to complete an account transfer form and your new bank will send this to your old bank, who will supply all details of direct debits, standing orders, transfer the balance etc.

Under the Code the new account must be up and running within ten working days of the switching date and it might be less, say seven days for example, but bear this switchover time frame in mind.

During this period you’ll need to make sure that you have access to cash, and that no standing orders or direct debits are due from your old account. The bank you are switching to will help and advise on all this and give you your switching date and send you a new banking card.

You do have the option of keeping your existing account open and you may want to do this for a further couple of weeks to make sure that mortgage payments and direct debit payments for phone, electricity, TV subscription etc are paid, in order to avoid any risk of a short window where one account is closed and the other not yet in operation and a payment is missed.

Don’t forget also to give your new bank details to your employer.

Advice

For comprehensive information and comparisons on banking charges go to the personal finance section of the National Consumer Agency’s website www.nca.ie.

If the bank has refused your application ask first to speak to a senior staff member of branch manager. If the response isn’t satisfactory you should write a letter of complaint and if you’re still unhappy with the response, you can complain to the Financial Services Ombudsman www.financialombudsman.ie.

Dental complaints

When you go to the dentist do you think of yourself as a patient rather than a consumer, and do you see the dentist as operating a dental practice rather than a business?

But you are a patient and a consumer, and you should get what you pay for and be given accurate information.

So, if something goes wrong and isn’t sorted out, you should complain. And if it isn’t resolved you can go to the new Dental Complaints Resolution Service.

Tina Leonard is here to explain what the service entails and the sort of dental complaints received.

++

Having less cash to spare means that people are visiting their dentist less often. And research commissioned by the Irish Dental Association at the end of last year showed that almost 1 million people were postponing dental treatment due to cutbacks in state schemes.

However, remember that there is one benefit left for PRSI patients; that is one dental exam per year, so people should avail of that.

Medical card holders also have reduced benefits. They can now only get one dental exam, up to two fillings per year in emergencies and unlimited extractions.

This is the context of ever increasing pressure in the dental sector and also increased competition.

Consumers are free to travel abroad to avail of cheaper prices, there is more advertising from dentists, competition on prices charged, and increased use of social media and deal sites to market dental businesses and gain new customers.

But historically, when it comes to buying professional services, there hasn’t been a strong practice of seeing such purchases in much the same way as you would any other consumer purchase. That is to say, there has been limited price transparency and display and limited complaint handling mechanisms. In addition, consumers of say a dentist or doctor aren’t as used to complaining or as experienced in seeking redress when something goes wrong with their purchase.

But one area where improvements for consumers have been made is in the dental sector.

For example since June 2011 dentists must display their prices, thanks to a Code of Practice produced by the Irish Dental Council. And exactly one year ago the Dental Association of Ireland established a Dental Complaints Resolution Service, the first of it’s kind.

It is very important that consumers realise that as with any other purchase they have a right to get what they pay for and to transparent and accurate information. You are a patient but also a customer that is buying from a business.

Complaints are always a minor aspect of any service provision but nonetheless need to be dealt with appropriately in order to assist the consumer and improve the service reputation of the business in particular and sector in general.

Having a complaints procedure in place is of benefit to any business; it sends a message that we stand over our work, we know that occasionally things can go wrong and if they do, we’re here to help because we care about you and we’re proud of our work and reputation.

This new dental complaints service has now published a report for it’s first year (9 months), when 115 complaints were received. Michael Kilcoyne, who runs the service, says that for the most part dentists are happy to engage with him. He also says the most important thing is that dentists listen to their customers. He feels that some have lost or forgotten about the ‘common touch’ but that all customers need to be re-assured if something goes wrong.

How the Dental Complaints Resolution Service works

The service is independent of the Dental Association, is impartial and voluntary.

It is free to any consumer. It is also free to dentists who are members of the Association and costs €90 for dentists who are not.

As with any service, you should always complain to the service provider (in this case the dentist) first. Bear in mind that Dental Council guidelines prescribe that a complaints procedures be in place.

If your complaint hasn’t been resolved you can fill out a complaint form for the Service. After that, if your complaint isn’t satisfactorily resolved it can go to the Complaints Panel, which is made up of an independent member of the public and a dentist.

What type of complaints?

Complaints that can be dealt with cover a broad range but the service cannot deal with complaints relation to medical card treatment.

Your complaint might relate to poor treatment or it could be about misleading or inadequate advice or even poor communication between you and the dentist.

From the complaints received so far, the following were the main areas of complaint and this will give an idea as to the range that can be dealt with.

Standard of work: crowns, bridges, veneers, braces, implants, etc.Access to recordsCostAttitude of dentistAfter-care serviceTime delay in having work completedNon-response to letters, emails or phone callsDifficulty in obtaining dental records.

Case example 1:

A woman in the North East had attended her dentist for manufacture and

fitting of new full dentures. However, after several fittings the lower dentures

remained extremely painful, so much so that the patient attended her GP for jaw pain and sores on her gum, and her GP told her to remove the dentures. There had been no fittings of the top denture.

In addition the patient had been asked to pay 100% of the cost (€750) up front, rather than paying a deposit and final payment on completion of treatment.

The patient had asked for a refund on several occasions to no avail. No

effort had been made to inform the patient about how many fittings would be needed, and she felt that her complaints of pain had been dismissed.

The patient’s daughter, who submitted the claim on her behalf, felt that the practice had taken advantage of a vulnerable older person.

The Dental Complaints Resolution Service wrote to the practice on their behalf. At first there was no response but later the dentist offered to refund the full amount and this was accepted.

Key issues: Poor work not addressed, failure to fully inform the patient about the treatment and no engagement with concerns.

Case study 2:

In the east of the country a patient was advised that she needed her crown replaced and was told that first a temporary crown would be fitted and then root canal treatment performed before replacing the crown.

To her surprise, at the end of the first treatment the patient was told that the dentist had done three-quarters of the root canal and that two further visits would be required to complete the treatment.

She was then given an invoice for the full cost (€1,350), was shocked at the cost and advised the receptionist that she hadn’t been told of the cost prior to treatment or indeed that the root canal work would be started on that first visit and she did not have the money to pay the full cost straight away.

She reluctantly paid €300 for work carried out so far. She complained subsequently to the dentist; a payment plan was offered but her grievances regarding consent or fee information were not. The dentist offered to extract the tooth instead.

The woman decided to go to another dentist to have the treatment carried out, despite the fact she had already paid €300 to the first dentist.

Following intervention from the complaints service the dentist eventually agreed to refund the €300 and the matter was concluded.

Key issues: Lack of communication; recommending a treatment then doing something else without consent, and not advising as to cost.

Case study 3:

This case concerns a five-year old girl in the south of the country. She had two fillings done at one practice, both of which fell out, and follow up treatment didn’t resolve the issue.

So the family brought the girl to a different dentist who recommended the fitting of a stainless steel cap to prevent the fillings from falling out. The practice had recently started doing this treatment and it was explained that two visits would be required; one to put in separators, and the second to do the crown.

The first stage of treatment went well, but on the day of the second appointment the practice called to say that the dentist was unwell and another dentist would be carrying out the treatment and this was agreed to.

However, according to the mother, the second dentist showed a total lack of empathy, courtesy or respect towards her and her daughter, repeatedly telling the little girl to “stop whinging” when she became distressed.

On receiving contact from the complaints service the dentist gave references to show that the procedure had been carried out correctly and denied that he had been rude or that the child had been distressed, claiming he had been courteous at all times.

The mother felt this was inadequate and sought a signed apology. The complaints service recommended this and the mother of the child in question then received the apology and was happy with that.

Key issue: The attitude shown to a distressed child and her mother. A sincere apology at the start would have quickly resolved the issue.

Complaint breakdown statistics

Of the 115 complaints received the breakdown is as follows:

51 cases – either the consumer didn’t follow up with complaints service (23); advice sought but no further complaint (10); outside jurisdiction (6); referred to medical card / prsi scheme (12)

18 cases - resolved to the satisfaction of both parties (refund, additional work, apologies)

23 cases – nearing completion

18 cases – waiting for response from dentists

5 cases – referred to Complaints Panel

For more details of the service: www.dentalcomplaints.ie / 094 9025105

With Tina Leonard

Prescription Medicine Prices

At some stage we all have to buy prescription medicine, and some people have to purchase medicine on a regular or ongoing basis.

But did you know that the prices for medicine vary from pharmacy to pharmacy?

For example you could pay €6 more for your pain relief spray, almost €19 more for heart tablets and €27 more for medicine to treat stomach ulcers, depending on where you make the purchase.

But prices aren’t displayed or advertised so just what are the price differences and how can you go about spending less?

Tina Leonard has been going through the price survey on prescription medicines published by the National Consumer Agency.

++

The survey

The survey priced 42 common medicines (details provided by HSE). The prices quoted in the National Consumer Agency (NCA) survey refer to the price charged to a first time private customer for each of the specific medicines, purchased individually on prescription.

These prices won’t be of concern if you are a public patient, or indeed if you participate in the drugs payment scheme where your payment is capped at €144 a month (unless perhaps if the cost falls very close to that cut-off).

132 pharmacy stores were selected for inclusion in the written survey and from those, information was received from 45 (34%). This seems like a low response rate but the NCA says it was “in the expected range” and that they are “confident that the methodology and sample size are robust and that the results represent an accurate description of the levels of price variation in the sector.”

In the news

Following the publication of the survey an article in the Irish Times reported that there were inaccuracies in the prices published, and the NCA chief executive subsequently spoke about this on RTE’s Morning Ireland. Pharmacies who had provided the prices in question were contacted again and in two cases it turns out they had given incorrect quotes. (There were 1,750 quotes received overall). These have been amended in the report but to do not change the overall findings and headline prices published.

But it goes to show just how little transparency there is when it comes to prices for prescription medicine. Consumers are reliant on prices quoted by the pharmacy and cannot check as there is no price display. Further, we can’t assume what the cost price is and add an average mark-up and dispensing fee to that to ‘guess’ a retail price, as the cost price too can vary.

Why such differences in price?

As with other retail sectors, a pharmacy can charge what they wish for a product they sell and that contributes to healthy competition.

In general when it comes to prescription medicines, there is the cost of the medicine to the pharmacy; on top of that a pharmacy will add a retail mark-up and also their dispensing charge.

The cost price to the pharmacy may come from the HSE list price (as agreed with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association), or it may be different if sourced via ‘parallel importing’. This is where a pharmacy or group of pharmacies source from a different distributor, and many pharmacies employ a mix of both methods in order to source the cheapest cost price.

Given dispensing charges and margins can vary, this also contributes to price differentials.

For example, in relation to dispensing fees the NCA survey found that different policies apply across the pharmacies. Some apply a standard dispensing fee and others a dispensing fee varying with the price of the prescription medicines. Dispensing fees ranged from €3.15 to €7.00. But in a small number of instances a dispensing fee is not charged.

Other pharmacies charge no mark-up and just one ‘all-in’ professional / dispensing fee. For example Boots introduced this last year and charge a flat fee of €7.50 on top of their cost price. This can mean a lower end price to the customer but bear in mind that for lower cost medicine a pharmacy employing a percentage margin and dispensing fee may work our cheaper that this flat rate method.

The prices

Nationally, the average percentage price variation was found to be 56%. Prices differences ranged from 37% to 199%.

The most expensive area was Dublin with prices at 4.4% above the national average. But within Dublin the prices varied for individual products by a minimum of 34% and an average price difference of 44%, no doubt due in part to the presence or more pharmacies and therefore greater competition.

Galway was the least expensive with average prices 4.5% less than the national average. The average price difference in Galway was 30%.

In both Cork and Limerick the average price difference was 29% and in Waterford it was 27%, which was the lowest found nationally.

These high percentage differences show just how much prices can vary, especially in Dublin.

For a single prescription medicine within an area, the largest percentage variation in price was found in Waterford: Prices ranged from €22.43 to €49.69, a 122% difference (or €27.26), for the product Losec Mups 20 Mg (28) (used to treat stomach ulcers).

The second highest percentage price variation for a single product within a region was found in Dublin at 112% (or €22.37) as prices ranged from €19.96 to €42.33, for Zoton Fastab Tabs 30 Mg (28) (for stomach complaints).

How can you save?

Given the survey information the obvious solution is to shop around. This means visiting or telephoning pharmacists to ask what your prescription would cost. However, while pharmacies should be happy to quote you I have heard of situations where they will not, though that seems like poor business sense!

But, while price is always important, there are other considerations that may be equally or more important to you when buying medicine; your relationship with your pharmacist for example, or proximity. In any case, it is important to know that prices vary considerably so that you can also take that into account when making your choice.

This is why it is crucial that price display and transparency on dispensing fees etc is introduced for prescription medicine. In this regard the NCA has written to the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) and are calling for an inclusion of a specific reference to the display of dispensing fee policy by pharmacists at their premises in the PSI Code of Conduct or other relevant guidelines. Even so, displaying a dispensing fee or flat rate alone will not tell the consumer what the end price to them will be.

Don’t assume any pharmacy is cheaper, either independent or chain, so make sure that you include all pharmacies in your local area when looking for the best price for your prescription medicine.If you have a good relationship with your local pharmacist, try negotiating and ask for a discount. Some pharmacists reduce the overall cost for their customers by not applying the dispensing fee, or by applying just one dispensing fee on a number of prescribed products for example. In addition if you found a lower price elsewhere say so, and see will your pharmacist match it.

Also, if you buy say, six months worth of medicine at one time rather than one month’s worth, you’ll save on dispensing fees. Bear in mind that it would most likely not be appropriate for pharmacists to dispense in this way for some medicines like anti-depressants or sleeping pills for example.

Remember that generic medicines can be cheaper, for example if the specific medicine is just free from patent and relatively recent to the market. It isn’t always the case that generic is cheaper, but ask your GP to specify generic rather than brand on your prescription if relevant.You are entitled to have your prescription filled in other EU countries, so if you are a regular visitor to Northern Ireland, where medicine can be cheaper or to Spain for example, where medicine is subsidised resulting in prices being up to 75% cheaper that here, then you are free to shop there instead to you choose.

As we head into holiday season, you may be planning to travel by plane. And if so, you probably know that you have entitlements if your plane is delayed or cancelled.

But what if you are planning a cruise or to travel by ferry?

Well, you now also have passenger rights when traveling by sea and inland waterway and these include the right to assistance and in some cases, compensation for delays and cancellations. Pat was joined by Tina Leonard, Consumer Affairs Expert.