Latest news with #ConsumerChampion
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
‘I paid easyJet £363 extra to avoid a five-hour delay and it horribly backfired'
Has a company treated you unfairly? Our Consumer Champion is available to help. For how to contact her click here. Dear Katie, Back in March I was flying back from Geneva with a couple of friends. We had been scheduled to fly at 6.50pm, but about 1.30pm that day I received a text from easyJet saying that the flight was significantly delayed. Instead it was expected to depart at approximately 11.20pm. My heart sank as 11.20pm is very late and I have been caught at Geneva airport twice before and had to stay overnight because of delayed easyJet flights and crews running out of roster time. This delay seemed unlikely to change as a follow up communication from easyJet made it clear that the bag drop would remain open for the delayed 6.50pm flight to 8pm. It was not the usual instruction given of 'despite the delay, please check in bags by the original check in time'. Based on this information and previous experience of travelling with easyJet, I made what felt like a reasonable decision to move all three passengers to another easyJet flight departing at 8.35pm. To do this, I was required to pay a total of £363 in flight change fees. Upon arriving at the airport, and sitting in the bar for a short while, the departure boards changed to show that the 8.35pm we were now booked on was now also rescheduled to 11.20pm, while the 6.50pm flight we were originally booked on was reassigned to the departure time of 8.35pm. Gallingly, this meant we had paid £363 to arrive home later than we would have done had we done nothing. We rushed to the assigned gate only to find several other passengers equally irate at the situation. Many had made the same switch and, on talking to them, I found they had managed to switch for free. As I was travelling with no luggage fortunately I was able to switch back to the 6.50pm flight, now departing at 8.35pm. However my friends could not, and had to wait until 11.20pm to fly as they had checked in bags. I claimed compensation, but easyJet refused. It said that it was my choice to re-book and pay. It is my belief that the flights were switched so that no passengers originally booked flight would be delayed for more than three hours, after which compensation is due. Either way, I am very unhappy that I had to pay £363, especially as my friends were delayed for more than three hours as they were denied boarding and departed at 11.20pm instead of 6.50pm. EasyJet did offer a £100 voucher for use on one of its flights, however I have not redeemed it as I do not find this acceptable. – AG, via email Dear AG, No wonder you were enraged, having made what you thought was a good decision to pay to escape this intolerable delay, only to find that you would have been better off if you had done nothing. When I asked easyJet it said that your original flight was scheduled to depart at 6.50pm and was initially delayed until 11.20pm, because of a technical issue. This meant a replacement aircraft needed to be flown from the UK to operate the flight. When flights are delayed by more than five hours, EasyJet said, it advises customers that it provides the option to transfer to an alternative flight for free by contacting its customer services team. However since your flight was delayed by just less than five hours, this didn't apply in your case. You changed your booking to an earlier flight scheduled to depart at 8.35pm. However, as you made this change yourself online, this meant you incurred a change fee and a fare difference that amounted to £363. Then, because of the knock-on impact to the schedule of flying an aircraft from the UK, the decision was made to bring forward the delay for the 6.50pm flight, so that it could depart at 8.35pm. Meanwhile the 8.35pm departure was then delayed to fly at 11.20pm, but with a different aircraft. EasyJet subsequently transferred you back to your original flight for free, to ensure you could depart as early as possible, however, of course, this ignored the fact that your poor friends, who you had also paid to fly at 8.35pm, were still stuck on the later flight. The airline said it did not deny boarding to your friends as they did not reach the gate or expect to board the aircraft. In line with security requirements, it said, they would have needed to re-check in their bags and go back through security and passport control. Unfortunately it would not have been possible to do this in time for the earlier flight, it said. EasyJet said it fully understands the frustration this will have caused in the circumstances, however it 'always endeavours to bring forward delays where we can and this meant that both flights were able to operate with as reduced delays as possible for all customers on these flights'. In line with regulations it is unable to provide compensation as the flight you travelled on was delayed for less than three hours, however following my involvement, as a gesture of goodwill, it will now be reimbursing the fees incurred from the flight changes that you made yourself. A spokesman said: 'We are sorry for the delay to Mr G's journey from Geneva to London Gatwick, due to a technical issue with the aircraft scheduled to operate his original flight. 'We always work to reduce delays where we can and as it was possible to bring his original flight delay forward, our team in the airport transferred Mr G back to his original flight for free. 'Due to security requirements, this was unfortunately not possible for his friends, who were travelling with hold luggage as there was not enough time to re-check their bags and pass through airport security before the scheduled departure time.'
The Sun
21-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
Bargain supermarket beats out big name brands in blind sausages taste test just in time for BBQ season
A BARGAIN banger has beaten big-name brands in a blind taste test, just in time for BBQ season. Consumer champion Which? put a variety of supermarket and branded sausages to the test, including premium labels Heck and The Jolly Hog. 4 The panel was made up of 65 people, and multiple factors were taken into consideration, including the texture, taste, and price. Of the 12 tested, three superior sausages stood out and were made Which? Best Buys. The testers crowned Lidl's Deluxe Pork Sausages the winner with a score of 77 percent after they ticked all the boxes. The juicy texture got people's taste buds tingling, and the flavour of the sausages was marked as "perfect" by an impressive 80 per cent. Lidl's sausages were also the cheapest of the 12 tested - so it's good news all round. The herb and spice seasoning also hit the spot with two-thirds of our tasters. Around three-quarters liked the salt levels and two thirds said the texture was good – neither too coarse nor too fine. The Which? team did point out that Lidl's sausages are pretty high in saturated fat. Two sausages contain 11.5g, which is more than half the recommended daily maximum for women and more than a third for men. Lidl Deluxe Pork Sausages are £2.49 for 400g, which works out as 62p per 100g. Save with secret codes Coming in second place was M&S Collection British Outdoor Bred Pork Sausages with a strong score of 75 percent. Almost double the price of Lidl's at £4.50 for 400g, the sausages are £1.13 per 100g. The flavour, juiciness and salt levels won three-quarters of the voters over. Two-thirds enjoyed the all-important texture, but while 58 Pper cent said seasoning was well-balanced, the remainder were divided on whether it was too much or too little. 4 These succulent sausages from M&S are a Best Buy, but note that they are also joint priciest on test. They are available in store only and at Ocado. In third place is Sainsbury's Taste the Difference British Pork Sausages, scooping 75 percent. These are £3 for 400g, which works out 75p per 100 - so they are an excellent all-rounder. The pork flavour was highly rated, while more than 70% said the juiciness, saltiness, and herb and spice seasoning were perfect. The texture was also enjoyed by two thirds. They lost a few marks on plate-appeal compared with the other Best Buys, and around a third said these sausages looked too pale. They are available in store and online. In fourth place is the first brand, The Black Farmer Premium Pork Sausages. Costing £3.50 for 400g (88p per 100g) they were well liked across the board. More than three-quarters liked their juiciness, while around two-thirds said the pork flavour and salt levels were good. A few points were lost on seasoning, as a third of our tasters wanted this to be punchier. These UK-based artisanal sausages are available on Amazon, Asda, Co-op, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's and Tesco. Last but not least, in fifth place was Asda with its Exceptional Classic Pork Sausages. These are pretty good sausages at a pretty good price, third cheapest after Aldi and Lidl. More than 70 per cent enjoyed the pork flavour and pleasing texture. A similar proportion thought they looked the part and that the salt levels were right. Herb and spice seasoning didn't always hit the spot, though: nearly half felt this was lacking. So if you prefer a spicy sausage you might find these ones a bit bland. They cost £2.98 for 400g (75p per 100g) and are available in store and online at Asda. Here is how the rest of the supermarkets did: Morrisons The Best Thick Pork Sausages – 70 percent. Mostly well-liked sausages that scored well on flavour and aroma, though barely a half were fans of their somewhat coarse texture. £3.25 for 400g (81p per 100g). Aldi Specially Selected Pork Sausages – 69 percent. Worth considering with a satisfying texture, but somewhat bland compared with the higher-scoring sausages. £2.49 for 400g (62p per 100g). Co-op Irresistible Pork Sausages – 69 percent. These juicy bangers were reasonable all-rounders, though a bit on the pale side. £3.60 for 400g (90p per 100g). The Jolly Hog Proper Porker Sausages – 69 percent. Pretty good all-rounders, though no particular highlights. Around a third of our tasters wanted a stronger meaty flavour. £4 for 400g (£1 per 100g). Iceland Luxury The Ultimate Pork Sausages – 65 percent. Fairly juicy, but rather pale and bland compared to the higher scoring sausages. They come in eight-packs, rather than the standard six. £4 for 400g (£1 per 100g). Waitrose No.1 Free Range Pork Sausages – 62 percent. Juicy sausages, but they lost marks for looks and aroma. Less than half of our tasters found the texture and the seasoning worked for them. £4.50 for 400g (£1.13 per 100g). Heck 97 percent Pork Sausages – 54 percent. Low in saturated fat, but also low in enjoyment factor for our tasters. More than 60 percent said the pork flavour of these pale sausages was too weak while over half wanted more seasoning. Note that the casings of these sausages are made from beef collagen. £3.25 for 400g (81p per 100g). Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said: 'Sausages are a summer barbecue staple for many, so it's important to pick the right ones that will have your guests queuing up for more. 'Lidl came out on top for our taste tests, impressing with their juicy texture and meaty flavour. While pricier than Lidl's, M&S and Sainsbury's also dished up impressively succulent sausages.' The sausages were tested in April 2025 at Which?'s specialist test lab. The sausages were cooked according to pack instructions. The taste test was blind, so the testers didn't know which brand they were trying. They tasted the sausages in a fully rotated order to avoid any bias. Each tester had a private tasting booth so they couldn't discuss what they were tasting or be influenced by others. The tasters rated the flavour, aroma, appearance, and texture of each sausage, and told Which? what they liked and disliked. The overall score was based on: 50 percent flavour, 20 percent appearance, 15 percent aroma and 15 percent texture. How to save money on your food shop Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save hundreds of pounds a year: Odd boxes - plenty of retailers offer slightly misshapen fruit and veg or surplus food at a discounted price. Lidl sells five kilos of fruit and veg for just £1.50 through its Waste Not scheme while Aldi shoppers can get Too Good to Go bags which contain £10 worth of all kinds of products for £3.30. Sainsbury's also sells £2 "Taste Me, Don't Waste Me" fruit and veg boxes to help shoppers reduced food waste and save cash. Food waste apps - food waste apps work by helping shops, cafes, restaurants and other businesses shift stock that is due to go out of date and passing it on to members of the public. Some of the most notable ones include Too Good to Go and Olio. Too Good to Go's app is free to sign up to and is used by millions of people across the UK, letting users buy food at a discount. Olio works similarly, except users can collect both food and other household items for free from neighbours and businesses. Yellow sticker bargains - yellow sticker bargains, sometimes orange and red in certain supermarkets, are a great way of getting food on the cheap. But what time to head out to get the best deals varies depending on the retailer. You can see the best times for each supermarket here. Super cheap bargains - sign up to bargain hunter Facebook groups like Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK where shoppers regularly post hauls they've found on the cheap, including food finds. "Downshift" - you will almost always save money going for a supermarket's own-brand economy lines rather than premium brands. The move to lower-tier ranges, also known as "downshifting" and hailed by consumer expert Martin Lewis, could save you hundreds of pounds a year on your food shop.
