The News

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

BUSINESS LIVE: Boohoo sales slump; Wetherspoon’s lifts profit expectations; Workspace boss exits

May 08, 2024 0

 

The FTSE 100 is up 0.4 per cent in early trading. Among the companies with reports and trading updates today are Boohoo, JD Wetherspoon, Workspace, Direct Line and Informa. Read Wednesday 8 May Business Live blog below.

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Direct Line customers faced higher prices in the first quarter

Direct Line Group saw own-brand motor customer numbers fall in its first quarter, as price hikes drove some policyowners away but delivered double-digit premium growth.

In a trading update, the company said its average premium for motor and home insurance stood at £599 for new customers and £515 for renewal customers, against £478 and £373 by the same point a year ago.

BUSINESS LIVE: Boohoo sales slump; Wetherspoon’s lifts profit expectations; Workspace boss exits

My Isa has shares, trusts and ETFs – what is the cheapest platform?

The rise of online brokers and DIY investing has delivered a revolution in buying shares, investment trusts and funds.

Investors can now make huge savings compared to the old days of using their stockbroker, financial adviser, or going straight to a fund manager.



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How long will your cat live? Eerie charts predict the life expectancy of popular breeds – and it’s bad news for Sphynx owners

May 08, 2024 0

 

They say cats have nine lives.

But now, owners can work out exactly how much longer their beloved pet is expected to live.

For the first time, researchers have produced ‘life tables’ for companion cats in the UK which can estimate the remaining life expectancy of different breeds.

To do this, a team from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in London along with researchers from the National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan analysed records from 7,396 cats in the UK that died between January 2019 and March 2021.

The results were then broken down by breed and sex and presented in life tables.

How long will your cat live? Eerie charts predict the life expectancy of popular breeds – and it’s bad news for Sphynx owners

They say cats have nine lives. But now, owners can work out exactly how much longer their beloved pet is expected to live (stock image) 

For the first time, researchers have produced 'life tables' for companion cats in the UK which can estimate the remaining life expectancy of different breeds

For the first time, researchers have produced ‘life tables’ for companion cats in the UK which can estimate the



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Take That concert at Co-op Live has moved venue. Can I reject my new seats? DEAN DUNHAM replies

May 08, 2024 0

 

I booked to see Take That at the new Co-op Live venue in Manchester. 

The concert has been moved to the AO Arena, Manchester, but the new seats I’ve been given are 53 rows behind those on my original tickets. What are my rights?

L.M., Derby.

Dean Dunham replies: This is a common complaint among those who have elected to transfer their tickets to the alternative venue following the delay in the Co-op Live arena opening.

Firstly, it is understandable that the organisers have had problems issuing like-for-like tickets, as the AO Arena is not comparable to the Co-op Live because the seating configuration and venue sizes are completely different.

Take That concert at Co-op Live has moved venue. Can I reject my new seats? DEAN DUNHAM replies

Back row: A reader isn’t happy with his news seats after the Take That concert at the Co-op live in Manchester was moved to the AO Arena  

However, this does not diminish your consumer rights.

Your obvious right is to demand a full refund before the concert. Some readers have queried if they can do this after initially choosing replacement tickets rather than a refund. The answer is yes.

The Consumer Rights Act says consumers should get the goods or service as described. 

And, if the trader (here the venue or ticket seller) must give you a replacement (here replacing the Co-op Live tickets with AO Arena tickets), the replacement must be like-for-like. 

This means your seats should either be exactly the same, comparable, or better — anything less entitles you to a remedy.

If you have already attended the concert you cannot demand a full refund, but you still have rights. 

Section 24 of the Consumer Rights Act provides consumers with the right to a ‘price reduction’ (basically a partial refund) in situations where the goods or service received are not in accordance with the contract, and are worth less than what the consumer paid. 

This is the situation here, as seats 53 rows back will be worth less than the originals.

If you haven’t yet attended the concert and still want to go, you could tell the ticket seller you will keep the tickets if you are given some money back to reflect the fact they are inferior to the originals.

They may say no and only offer a cancellation and full refund. If this is so, you could say you are entitled to a price reduction, as under the Consumer Rights Act they had the right to invoke one remedy and exhausted this when they gave you the replacement tickets, meaning you now have the right to demand a reduced price.

Can’t return damaged trainers 

I bought two pairs of trainers online for £104.99 on my credit card. 

I have tried to return one pair (costing £42) as they are damaged, but the seller will not assist. Can I claim on my credit card?


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