Why we do this work.
Big corporations have entire departments designed to wear individuals down: customer service queues, legal teams, complaint procedures that go nowhere. Most people give up. The companies bank on it. The thing that doesn't get banked on is the press.
A well-pitched consumer-affairs story can do what months of complaint letters cannot. It can move a refund through in 48 hours. It can prompt a regulator to start asking questions. It can force a corporate apology that wouldn't otherwise come. When the press is on the case, behaviour changes. Very few brands want to wake up to a Saturday-paper double-page spread on how they treat their customers.
When to call us
- A bank or building society has refused to refund you
- An insurer has rejected a claim on weak grounds
- An energy supplier has billed you incorrectly for months
- A retailer has sold a product that doesn't do what it promised
- A holiday company has cancelled and won't pay out
- An online platform has frozen funds with no explanation
- A landlord or letting agent is acting unlawfully
- A regulator's process is going nowhere
- You've spotted something that's affecting many people, not just you
- You run a small business and a big corporate customer is squeezing you unfairly
How we work consumer-affairs briefs
We start with a confidential call to understand what's happened and what you have on paper. We then make a judgement about whether there's a story the press will want to take on. If there is, we shape the case, find the right journalist (it's almost always a specific person, not a generic desk) and pitch it the way they prefer to receive things. We brief you on what to expect, sit with you through the interview if needed, and follow up with the corporation in parallel.
What we won't do is encourage you to pursue a story that isn't there. If we don't think the press will run with it, we'll tell you on the first call and save you the fee.
The press contacts that matter
Consumer-affairs work has a particular cast of journalists. National newspaper money sections, dedicated consumer columnists, the watchdog-style daytime TV slots, business radio. We have working relationships with most of the people who matter in this space, built over years of legitimate work. That's the leverage we bring.