On Your Behalf BBC Radio Ulster
-
- Negócios
Linda McAuley champions the cause of consumers in Northern Ireland, helping them to solve their problems, make the right choices and avoid the pitfalls - contact the show with your consumer and benefits queries:
Write to: OYB
BBC
Ormeau Avenue
BELFAST
BT2 8HQ
-
Careers, Childcare and Cash
There is still no sign of a Childcare strategy for Northern Ireland and we receive less government support for parents than anywhere else in the UK.
Linda speaks to Casey McGivern from Melted Parents and Aoife Hamilton from Employers for Childcare about how parents are coping.
Do you know how to fill in a CV or job application? Consultant Helen Todd teaches Linda her to beat the robots and get to the interview stage.
And Linda talks to Laura Dowie from Timely Careers about the help and support available for those going back to work or changing career.
Finally your money may be safe in the Bank but can you get it out when you want? - not according to our listener John who is not at all happy. We discover how new Financial regulations can make it tricky to withdraw cash. -
Property Management Companies, Carers and Passports
Simon Murray from The Law Society gives advice for people living in apartments and town houses that have communal areas like car parks and green areas. These are normally maintained by a management company but what happens if the company goes bust? Listener Tom encountered just such a problem when he came to sell his house.
Carers in England, Scotland and Wales are going to be entitled to 5 days unpaid leave from their employers under a new law, but not in Northern Ireland. We hear from carer Natasha about how her job is a lifeline for her to take a break from the pressures of caring for her two children and Craig Harrison from Carers NI calls for the legislation to be introduced here.
And, are you going to an EU country on holiday this year? Make sure you check your passport as it is no longer possible to enter the EU if your passport was issued less than 10 years from the date you enter the country. The price of a UK passport is also going up next week on Thursday 11 April. Money Saving Expert’s Peter Lekarski has the details. -
Cars, Greenwashing and Helplines
On the programme this week - Everything you ever wanted to know about cars but were afraid to ask!
Consumer guru and car aficianado Jimmy Hughes and Motor Ombudsman Bill Fennell talk to Linda about everything from wear and tear to finance, leasing and breakdowns.
Have you had a bad experience with the health service but don’t know what to do?
Linda goes to the Helplines NI annual awareness day and speaks to Una McKernon from the Patient Client Council about their role in fixing problems.
We also visit the All Ireland Sustainability conference and find out why the Competition and Markets Authority are looking at greenwashing!
And while Jimmy is here we also look at the tale of Goldilocks and the 3 mattresses.
Would it be the soft, the medium or the firm that was just right! -
Ageism, Taxes and Travel
The workplace has changed forever and employers now have to offer flexible working as part of the job. But are a new generation of workers missing out by working from home?
Emily and Martin came to On Your Behalf when Amazon said the One Time Code had been scanned and therefore they'd got their orders. Spoilers - they didn’t, but things changed once we got involved.
Easter Travel - The CAA tell us the pitfalls to avoid!
The strange case of HMRC's helpline. On Tuesday it was being shut down for 6 months but the next day that decision was reversed. Linda talks to Tax expert Adrian Huston. Is the future of tax online?
And Challenging Ageism - a fifth of older people feel they're treated differently because of their age. Eddie Lynch Commissioner for Older People talks to Linda about their latest research. -
Episode 1 - Spain
Every week On Your Behalf hears about problems people in Northern Ireland are having with broadband, travel, scams, banks, shopping and more. Everything from getting a refund for a cancelled flight, to making a complaint about a product or a service you're not happy with, or being kept on hold for hours.
Most of the issues we hear about relate to companies in the UK and many of them are fixable - particularly when On Your Behalf gets involved.
But, we want to know - Is it just us?
Is it just us being kept on hold or unable to get broadband in rural areas?
Is it just us losing bank branches in small towns or being bombarded by scam texts and emails?
Presenter Linda McAuley is having conversations with consumer experts from around the world to find out how consumers are treated where they are.
In this episode we’re heading to Spain to find out what issues and topics people there are struggling with, and what support is available when something goes wrong?
Welcome to On Your Behalf - Is It Just Us? – Spain
Presenter: Linda McAuley
Producers: Daniel Lynch & Rhiannon Mulligan
Assistant Editor: Séamus Boyd -
Episode 2 - Germany
Every week On Your Behalf hears about problems people in Northern Ireland are having with broadband, travel, scams, banks, shopping and more. Everything from getting a refund for a cancelled flight, to making a complaint about a product or a service you're not happy with, or being kept on hold for hours.
Most of the issues we hear about relate to companies in the UK, and many of them, we're happy to say, are fixable - particularly when On Your Behalf gets involved.
But, here's something we want to know - Is it just us?
Is it just us being kept on hold, or unable to get broadband in rural areas?
Is it just us losing bank branches in small towns or being bombarded by scam texts and emails?
Presenter Linda McAuley is having conversations with consumer experts from around the world to find out how consumers are treated where they are. In this episode we're heading to Germany to find out what issues and topics people there are struggling with, and what support is available when something goes wrong?
Welcome to On Your Behalf - Is It Just Us? - Germany
Presenter: Linda McAuley
Producers: Daniel Lynch & Rhiannon Mulligan
Assistant Editor: Séamus Boyd