Darlington AssociationConsumer Issues Guide
Shopping can be a pleasure or a pain, whether for household goods and services or for the latest gadget or fashion.
This section aims to assist you to make the best of your shopping experience, by guiding you towards a range of accessible shopping options.
Contents
High Street Shopping
Home Shopping and Banking
Utilities
Other Sources of Information
Contacts
High Street Shopping
More and more retailers are making their shops and services more accessible. Newly built shops and shopping centres are more likely to offer accessible services. Services/facilities can include wheelchair hire, accessible trolleys, staff assistance, accessible parking bays, accessible toilet facilities and information in different formats.
The Cornmill Centre in Darlington is a fully accessible shopping centre, which has accessible toilet facilities. The Metro Centre in Gateshead is the largest shopping centre in the region. It is fully accessible and provides a wheelchair hire service for shoppers.
Darlington Shopmobility Service, run by Darlington Association on Disability, hires manual/electric wheelchairs and scooters to enable people to access shops, shopping centres and town/city amenities. Equipment is available free of charge on a daily basis, although regular customers are encouraged to join D.A.D. Free parking spaces are provided and a map is available outlining the drop curb route in Darlington town centre.
Darlington Association on Disability also provides the innovative Wheelygood website. It allows town centre visitors find wheelchair and scooter accessible premises, accessible parking and dropped kerbs within Darlington Town Centre.
Shopmobility schemes provide manual/electric wheelchairs and scooters throughout the country. Each scheme offers different services, so it makes sense to enquire first. Contact the National Federation of Shopmobility or Darlington Association on Disability for a free national directory of Shopmobility Schemes.
ServiceCall enables greater access to services, regardless of how accessible/inaccessible facilities or buildings may be, with a transmitter like a TV remote control. It can be used at outlets fitted with a ServiceCall receiver, such as banks, filling stations or post offices. The receiver notifies staff inside a building that a disabled customer is outside. The receivers are becoming increasingly common at supermarket filling stations, motorway service areas and high street banks. At the moment only one site in Darlington is equipped.
The National Key Scheme(NKS) offers independent access for disabled people to accessible public toilets. Around 4000 toilets have been fitted with the NKS lock. You can buy a NKS key for these toilets from Darlington Association on Disability or from RADAR, which also publishes a guide to all NKS toilets across the country.
Return to ContentsHome Shopping and Banking
The internet and improvements in systems to deliver goods to your door means that it is often easier to shop from home. The possibilities are almost endless, from your regular grocery shop to a new car. Useful websites, which may assist you to find what you are looking for include:
Shopping.com and Kelkoo.co.uk are free online shopping search engine that enable you to compare products, prices and stores across the Web.
Google.co.uk : an internet search engine;
Tesco.com and Sainsburystoyou.com offer home shopping and delivery.
Several banks now offer a home banking option. This enables you to carry out transactions over the telephone and the internet; in some cases this can also include a bill payment facility. Contact your bank for further details on the services it offers. Money Extra is an on-line service giving an overview of what's on offer.
As with any purchase it is worth checking how reliable the company is and whether there are any additional costs, for example VAT or carriage. Choose the company with delivery and returns systems that suit your own situation. You can also help to protect yourself from unwanted marketing, junk-mail and internet spam by making sure that you tick the boxes on your orders saying you don't want to receive any material. You could also register with the Telephone and Mail preference schemes, which help reduce this sort of activity.
The Consumer Support Network in Darlington aims to give people the advice and support to exercise their consumer rights. It is a partnership of local services, including Trading Standards, Citizens Advice Bureau, Council for Voluntary Service, libraries and First Stop.
Return to ContentsUtilities
Gas, electricity, water and telephones are vital to everyday life. Contact your utilities suppliers for their publications about the assistance they can give you, for example how they send their bills to you or what are the most appropriate tariffs for you.
Since the deregulation of the utilities in this country it is often difficult to know who provides the best service. Energywatch is the independent consumer watchdog for gas and electricity customers. It can help you find the most suitable supplier for you needs and deal with a wide range of related issues. It provides a RNID Typetalk service for people who cannot use the telephone. Energywatch has also approved nine companies providing price comparison services both via the internet and on the telephone. These services will help you find the cheapest supplier. For example, uSwitch.com offers an impartial overview of energy, home phone and digital TV tariffs. Its website provides consumers with tools to compare different services and to help you switch if that is desirable.
Ofcom is the new regulator for the communications industry. It regulates the entire UK communications industry. As well as using Ofcom for advice about your telephone service, you can complain to Ofcom about TV programmes or adverts, bad TV or radio reception, or mobile phone masts.
RNID Typetalk is the only national telephone relay service which enables deaf, deafblind, deafened, hard of hearing and people with a speech impairment to communicate with hearing people anywhere in the world. It is run by the RNID and funded by British Telecom. RNID Typetalk's relay service links a textphone user and a hearing person through a trained operator who provides a discreet and confidential service. Typetalk also enables direct access to emergency services for fire, police, ambulance and coast guard services. The Text Users Rebate Scheme provides 60% rebate on British Telecom and Typetalk bills to compensate for the fact that typed calls are generally longer.
Northumbrian Water offers a variety of services to its disabled customers. These include guaranteed minimal disruption of supply; a nominee scheme, so a friend or relative can deal with your bills; a meter reading service and a password scheme. Information and bills are available in large print and braille. Bills can also be read to you over the telephone. Staff can offer advice on specialist equipment for your kitchen or bathroom and advice regarding ‘bogus’ callers. Trained staff can assist customers who are deaf, or who have a hearing or a speech impairment. A textphone service is also available. All of these services are outlined in the booklet ‘Are you a customer with special needs?’
WaterVoice represents the interests of water company customers in respect of price, service and value for money. They also investigate complaints from customers about their water company. If you have followed the company's complaints procedure but are still not satisfied, you can ask Watervoice to investigate your complaint.
Return to ContentsOther Sources of Information
Other sections of the Darlington Association on Disability Information Guide may contain further information relevant to Consumer issues.
The Equipment section gives information on choosing, buying and borrowing equipment.
The Legal Rights section gives general information on how to access legal advice.
There are a number of local and national organisations providing broad information and advice resources. Please refer to this guide's Introduction for contact details.
Contact Darlington Association on Disability's Information Service for assistance with searching for information about any subject in this guide or for support in dealing with your information requests.
Return to ContentsContacts
Consumer Support Network
Darlington Borough Council
Trading Standards
11 Houndgate
Darlington
DL1 5RF
Telephone : 01325 388 989
Fax : 01325 388 555
Minicom :
E-mail : nigel.green@Darlington.gov.uk
Website : www.csnconnect.org.uk
Cornmill Shopping Centre
Priestgate
Darlington DL1 1NH
Telephone :
01325 369111
Fax : 01325 362367
Email : management@cornmillcentre.co.uk
Website : www.cornmillcentre.co.uk
Darlington Association on Disability
Shopmobility Scheme
20-22 Horsemarket
Darlington DL1 5PT
Telephone 01325 489 999
Fax : 01325 488 188
Minicom : 01325 245 061
Email : mail@darlingtondisability.org
Website : www.darlingtondisability.org
Town centre accessibility website : www.wheelygood.org
Direct Enquiries Ltd
Amber House
Market Street
Bracknell RG12 1JB
Telephone : 0870 1620162
Fax :
Minicom :
E-mail : customerservices@direct-enquiries.com
Website : www.directenquiries.com
EnergyWatch
4th floor,
Artillery House
Artillery Row
London SW1P 1RT
Telephone : 0845 906 0708
Fax :
Minicom : 0845 758 1401
E-mail : enquiry@energywatch.org.uk
Website : www.energywatch.org.uk
Google
Website : www.google.co.uk
Kelkoo.co.uk
Kelkoo UK
1 London Bridge
London SE1 9BG
Telephone :
Fax :
Minicom :
Website : www.kelkoo.co.uk
Mail Preference Scheme
DMA House
70 Margaret Street
London W1W 8SS
Telephone : 020 7291 3310
MPS Registration line : 0845 703 4599
Fax : 020 7323 4226
Minicom :
E-mail : mps@dma.org.uk
Website : www.mpsonline.org.uk
Metro Centre
Centre Management Offices
MetroCentre
Gateshead NE11 9YG
Telephone, Information Line : 0191 4930219 or 0191 4605299
Telephone : Customer Services 0191 4930250 or 0191 4930251
Telephone : Wheelchair & Mobility Scooter Hire 0191 4930213 or 0191 4605299
Fax :
Minicom :
E-mail : metrocentre-information@capshop.co.uk
Website : www.metrocentre-gateshead.co.uk
Money Extra
Cambridge House South
Henry Street
Bath BA1 1JS
Telephone : 0845 0777 085
Fax: 01225 40 20 70
Minicom :
E-mail : customer.services@moneyextra.com
Website : www.moneyextra.com
On-line banking guide : www.moneyextra.com/guides/online-banking-011690.html
National Federation of Shopmobility
The Hawkins Suite
Enham Place
Enham Alamein
Andover SP11 6JS
Telephone : 08456 442 446
Fax : 08456 444 442
E-mail : Info@shopmobilityuk.org.uk
Website : www.justmobility.co.uk
National Key Scheme
RADAR
12 City Forum
250 City Road
London
EC1V 8AF
Telephone : 020 7250 3222
Fax : 020 7250 0212
Minicom : 020 7250 4119
E-mail : radar@radar.org.uk
Website : www.radar.org.uk
Northumbrian Water
Abbey Road
Pity Me
Durham
DH1 5FJ
Telephone : 0870 6084820
Fax :
Minicom : 0845 723 1254
E-mail : Contact through website
Website : www.nwl.co.uk
Ofcom
Ofcom Contact Centre
Riverside House
2a Southwark Bridge Road
London SE1 9HA
Telephone : 0845 456 3000
Fax :
Minicom : 020 7981 3043
Email : contact @ofcom.org.uk
Website : www.ofcom.org.uk
RNID Typetalk
PO Box 284
Liverpool
L69 3UZ.
Telephone : 0151 709 9494
Voice helpline : 0800 7 311 888
Fax : 0151 709 8119
Mincom : 18001 0800 500 888
Text relay, International : +44 151 494 1260
Voice relay, International : +44 151 494 2022 ()
Email : helpline@rnid-typetalk.org.uk
Website : www.rnid-typetalk.org.uk
Sainsburys
Website : www.sainsburystoyou.com
ServiceCall
Milford Lane
Bakewell
Derbyshire DE45 1EX
Telephone : 01629 581122 or 0800 214 045
Fax : 01629 581123
Minicom :
Email: info@service-call.net
Website : www.service-call.net
Shopping.com
Website : www.uk.shopping.com
Telephone Preference scheme
DMA House
70 Margaret Street
London W1W 8SS
Telephone : 020 7291 3320
TPS Registration line - 0845 070 0707
Fax : 020 7323 4226
Minicom :
E-mail : tps@dma.org.uk
Website : www.tpsonline.org.uk
Tesco
Website : www.tesco.com
Uswitch
uSwitch.com
PO Box 33208
London SW1E 5WL
Telephone : 0845 601 2856
Fax : 020 7233 5933
Email : CustomerServices@uswitch.com
Website : www.uswitch.com
WaterVoice Northumbria
Eighth Floor
Northgate House
St Augustine's Way
Darlington
DL1 1XA
Telephone : 01325 464222 or 08457 089 367
Fax : 01325 369269
Minicom :
E-mail: northumbria@watervoice.org.uk
Website : www.watervoice.org.uk