Unit 5 - 5.1 - Exercise 2
Paula: Good morning. On the programme today we have Mike James, a familiar face on television as the champion of consumers' rights. Mike, you've been doing Pricewise a long time now, is it something you set out to do?
Mike: Far from it Paula. It all began in 2002, when I was a reporter on a nightly news programme. They wanted a consumer slot, so l took it on. It wasn't until nearly ten years later that it became a programme in its own right. Now, we regularly get more than ten million viewers.
Paula: Where do the stories you look into come from?
Mike: Well, from you, the public. We get thousands of letters, phone calls and emails that tell us about poor service, ridiculous small print, malpractice and the need for information. We actually read all the correspondence and we follow up some stories immediately but most are filed for future use on our database.
Paula: What happens when you get a particularly juicy story?
Mike: We check it out thoroughly of course, and then we contact everyone involved, write the script and arrange filming. Sometimes we use actors and sometimes real people. Of course, it's essential that our lawyers check the script over. lt's all done to very tight deadlines.
Paula: Do any particular stories stand out in your memory?
Mike: Oh, yes, many. There was one about an advert which promised to give you a title for anything up to £1,000. So, Bob and Trace became Lord Robert and Lady Tracy de Vere. You also get a piece of land but that only measures 20 cm by 20 cm. One of our researchers handed over the cash and tried to find out if being a lord would help him out in London.
Paula: And did it?
Mike: He went to Harrods, the department store, and they were very nice to him, but then they're nice to everyone. He then tried to book a table in a trendy restaurant and he got one — but not in a prime position next to the window — but by the kitchen door! So, really, it won't do you a lot of good being a lord nowadays.
Paula: Any other interesting stories?
Mike: Well, we did a programme not long ago about shopping on the Internet. The big supermarkets will deliver to your door if you order online, as you know.
Paula: Yes, it's a great idea, but I've not actually tried it out.
Mike: Well, it does usually work well. However, we did find that some customers hadn't received quite what they'd ordered. One poor man had asked for apples and got hairspray! The supermarket was very apologetic when we pointed out these problems and sent the customer some shopping vouchers.
Paula: Do you think consumers are more ready to complain these days?
Mike: Oh, yes. Research has been done that shows that attitudes have changed remarkably in the last forty years. Take a well-known brand of trainer. You could understand if they leaked, but actually these particular ones squeaked. Now, as they cost upwards of £100, people weren't prepared to put up with this, but when they returned them to the shop, the shop didn‘t want to know.
Paula: So they wrote to you for help.
Mike: Yes. We bought a pair of the trainers and sent them to be inspected by an expert who said that some of the glue inside the shoe had come unstuck. We contacted the manufacturer with evidence of the problem and they were more than happy to back down and refund the money paid by the purchasers.
Paula: Another success then.
Mike: Yes, it's funny how quickly manufacturers and retailers react when they think they might attract bad publicity.
Paula: Indeed! It just shows what a good job you're doing. Now next week...
