A MAN was duped into parting with €10,000 after falling victim to a Spanish lottery sting circulating Ireland, it emerged yesterday.

THE Government’s National Consumer Agency is facing the threat of strike action just weeks after becoming an official body with tough new powers.

TRADERS who cheat consumers will face jail terms of up to two years and fines of up to €100,000 under the Consumer Protection Bill.

FOR those driven demented by the Crazy Frog and his infuriating mobile phone companions, it may finally be safe to take off the earmuffs.

ON the face of it, the comprehensive reform of consumer legislation announced by Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin yesterday certainly is impressive.

WHILE yesterday’s proposals include stiff fines and jail terms for traders, Enterprise Minister Micheál wants to go a step further and shutdown businesses which repeatedly flout consumer law.

IRISH holidaymakers have been warned about being duped into buying bargain-price cameras abroad which they mistakenly believe to be top-quality brands.

Consumer protection should undergo a radical change with the introduction next year of the new National Consumer Agency (NCA), which is due to have significant powers in line with a bill just published by Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin.

THERE are 473 million consumers in the EU and you would assume that such a huge number would make a powerful lobby.

THE importance which the Irish Government places on consumer rights can be very simply measured by its representation at a recent conference in Brussels dealing with those same rights.

RICHARD BARTON has my sympathy on the frequent lack of transparency in relation to the additional taxes and charges levied by airlines.

PASSENGERS will face delays until the summer in getting their complaints sorted out at Aer Lingus, it emerged last night.

FRESH attempts are to be made to secure a recall of a defective car seat following pleas by a young mother whose baby died after her seat shattered in a car crash.

THE Director of Consumer Affairs is to prosecute two well-known Galway hotels for charging more than the displayed prices for specific drinks during the busy race week.

The Minister for Enterprise today defended the decision to appoint the Taoiseach's former partner to the new National Consumer Agency.

THE Government was accused of “political cronyism” last night following the confirmation that the Taoiseach’s former partner Celia Larkin will be appointed to the interim board of a new powerful State consumer agency.

A MOTOR dealer in Tipperary has become the first person to be convicted of “car clocking” — selling a second-hand vehicle after reducing the reading on the milometer.

A German company selling mobile phone ringtones has been accused of overcharging some Irish customers.

A NEW consumer czar was appointed yesterday to champion the rights of ripped-off Irish customers.

The Government is due to launch a new national consumer agency today to replace the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs.

A new national consumer agency due to launched by the Government this week will reportedly have the power to close businesses that breach consumer protection legislation.

The establishment of a new consumer protection agency will be announced on Wednesday.

CHECK the price, then pick the pub.

Publicans should show some seasonal goodwill and end the post midnight practice of hiking up drink prices in Dublin’s pubs and clubs, according to the Consumers’ Association.

THE financial regulator yesterday defended its internal procedures, after the Competition Authority report into banking found consumers suffered from foot-dragging by regulatory staff.

PUBLICANS who are blatantly in breach of price display laws will be prosecuted in the New Year, the Director of Consumer Affairs has pledged.

Consumers were today warned to be vigilant about being charged higher prices for drink at Christmas parties and functions.

AIB could only have been fined a maximum of two days’ profits for its customer charging failures, even if current legislation to penalise banks for overcharging had been in place at the time.

MOTORISTS can save up to €300 a year on average by shopping around for petrol, according to the results of a major survey on fuel prices.

MOTORISTS are being warned to be on the alert for a price rip-off at petrol stations.

THE Financial Services Regulator says there may be evidence that AIB officials tried to cover up the bank’s overcharging scandals.

TICKETMASTER stand to make up to half a million euro in service charges alone from ticket sales to Madonna’s concert in Slane Castle in August.

CONSUMER protection should be given top priority by the financial regulator in the wake of the AIB overcharging scandal and the mis-selling of investment products, according to the country’s leading financial expert.

AIB chief executive Michael Buckley has described overcharging on foreign exchange as an ‘administrative cock-up’.

The Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs has reported a 20% increase in the number of calls received by its consumer hotline last year.

IRELAND’S consumer affairs watchdog secured 14 convictions for breaches of consumer law even though it fielded 39,000 calls from consumers and carried out 5,000 investigations during the year.

RAISING the cap on supermarket size is not in Ireland’s interest and there are other means of achieving more competitive prices that should be implemented instead.

BANK customers should be able to move their accounts to another bank without charge and without having to change account numbers and details, the Consumers Association of Ireland (CAI) has said.

CONSUMERS have no regard for their rights and do not complain enough, according to Consumer Director Carmel Foley.

Most of Ireland’s retailers are ready for the changeover to the euro currency on January 1, the Government revealed today.