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New Zealand's weekly whinge. Consumer affairs that blends investigative journalism and good advice to ensure Kiwis get a fair go.

Primary Title
  • Fair Go
Date Broadcast
  • Monday 3 October 2016
Start Time
  • 19 : 30
Finish Time
  • 20 : 00
Duration
  • 30:00
Series
  • 2016
Episode
  • 29
Channel
  • TVNZ 1
Broadcaster
  • Television New Zealand
Programme Description
  • New Zealand's weekly whinge. Consumer affairs that blends investigative journalism and good advice to ensure Kiwis get a fair go.
Classification
  • Not Classified
Owning Collection
  • Chapman Archive
Broadcast Platform
  • Television
Languages
  • English
Captioning Languages
  • English
Captions
Live Broadcast
  • Yes
Rights Statement
  • Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Copyright Able 2016 Tonight ` how safe is your car? We're hot. Ready, Justin? They've been labelled 'hand grenades on your steering wheel.' BOOM! Ooh, shit. ALARM It's the biggest auto safety recall in history, and the number of Kiwi cars affected is staggering. Over 300,000. 300,000? Plus ` Yum, a cup of tea. Enjoying one of life's simple pleasures just got a whole lot more expensive. I just feel a bit ripped off, really. Are you unwittingly paying more for less? So there's less in this than that? Yes. Yeah. And ` Oh, brilliant house, Lucy. They saved hard for the best glitter chalk money can buy. They don't get to buy a whole pile of junk, except maybe in this case. All that's gold might glitter, but this chalk is a real dud. I was absolutely gutted for them. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Welcome to the show. We open tonight with a question ` are the airbags in your car dangerous? Serious concerns have been raised about the safety of airbags made by the Japanese supplier Takata. A crash can cause them to rupture, spraying metal shrapnel into drivers and passengers. That hasn't happened here ` yet. But this is a major problem that could affect hundreds of thousands of Kiwi motorists. Here's Garth. It's a device we rely on to save our lives in a crash. We're hot. Ready, Justin? Yep. And I've often wondered ` what happens when you set off an airbag? They say it's quite loud. BOOM! Ooh, shit. CAR ALARM AND LAUGHTER A good airbag explodes with enough speed and force to crack the windshield, but deflates just in time to spare you the worst. This one never had to do its job, but it looks like it would have performed. You wouldn't want to be in a car without an airbag these days, but some of them are part of the world's biggest auto safety recall in history. One US lawmaker labelled the suspect airbags ` ...a live hand grenade in front of a driver and a passenger. Is that hype or an honest fear of the worst? The global recall is focused on Takata airbags. In hot, humid conditions, hundreds have failed with age. The part that inflates the bag has exploded when the airbag deployed in an accident, sending shrapnel flying, or it's failed to inflate the bag evenly enough to provide protection. Overseas there are reports of at least 10 deaths. Here, Takata supplies airbags to at least eight big names ` cars we all know and drive. This is a story about safety recalls, so of course, we're taking a few precautions ourselves. All right. So this is more than a stunt ` letting off some perfectly safe airbags in old Mazdas. BOOM! Fair Go has been investigating. We have some troubling news ` the number of cars affected here is quite staggering. Over 300,000 vehicles at last count. 300,000? Between NZ new and used imports, and as more used import vehicles come in, it could increase. That's, like, one in every 10 cars on the road. It is` It is 10% of the vehicle fleet. And the time it's taking to ensure they're put right is also worrying. It's over one year for me. For my understanding, it seems too long. So worrying that Vincent Liu wants shot of his 2004 Toyota Corolla ` but he won't part with it until it's fixed. If something happened to the next driver, I would feel guilty for the whole of my life. If there was a serious, serious problem, they would have told you by now and would've got it off the road. Hm? I don't know. You see, this problem is big ` and growing. Reports in 2013 talked about just a few thousand here. By last year, that number had grown to nearly 27,000 for Toyota alone in the statement that Vincent saw, so he emailed them. They said, 'Ah, yes, your car` 'according to the register information, your car is definitely in the range of the recall.' Toyota told him to wait ` they'd be in touch. Months would pass. Vincent would ask again ` still no parts to fix this alarming safety recall. It's surprised me ` such a big company to process this so slow. More emails, one reply reassuring him ` If it doesn't have the potential risk, why would you recall all these cars? He hasn't lost all faith. Do you drive the car much? No. I got a new car ` also a Toyota. (CHUCKLES) I just use this car occasionally on weekends. And never with his family in it. I just drive slowly. BOOM! Vehicle distributors have told Fair Go ` Nearly as many Mazda vehicles, more than 50,000 Hondas, Subaru has 35,000, Nissan closer to 30,000, BMW nearly 13,000. Fiat Chrysler ` who also bring in Dodge and Jeep ` say they only know about the NZ new cars, while Mitsubishi knows of 12,000 new imports affected and an unspecified number of used ones. David Crawford knows a lot about recalls ` even his beloved 1200cc road bike has been through one ` but it was tiny compared to the Takata airbag recall. It's a mammoth task. David represents the major car companies ordering recalls. None wanted to appear on camera. None feel they alone should be the face of such a huge safety problem. So David speaks on their behalf collectively. How safe are these vehicles then? They're not free from risk. Meaning what, exactly? The airbags will probably operate perfectly OK, but we can't guarantee it with the ones that have the Takata inflator. He says the faults and fatalities are concentrated in places that are hot and humid all year round ` not conditions you'd find here in NZ. And yet you're doing this enormous expensive recall, which suggests this is a serious problem. A very small number have exploded. People have been injured. Some people have been killed ` reportedly ` from faulty airbag inflators going off during an accident, so that's why we're replacing them. But slowly. Some companies tell us it could be two to three years before they have all the parts they need to fix every affected vehicle. Worldwide, it's 40 million vehicles ` we've never seen a recall of this scale. In the meantime ` Our advice is to continue to drive safely, cos if you drive safely, you're not going to have an accident and you're not gonna set the airbag off. And hope no-one crashes into you. It's a very mixed message for consumers. It's going to take some years to get everything fixed, and it's serious, yet it's still OK to drive them now? It's a very challenging message to sell. Mm, and that challenging message is clearly putting people off. About half of those that have at least been contacted to say, 'Bring your car in for the recall work,' just haven't yet, even though the parts and labour will cost them nothing. If people choose not to bring it in, we can't force them to do it. There's another thing troubling David's ride. Remember what he said earlier? Over 300,000 vehicles at last count, and as more used import vehicles come in, it could increase. Because if they have a recall and it wasn't fixed in Japan ` It's quite easy for them to slip through the cracks. At least for Vincent, the end is in sight. Toyota found him a replacement part right after we called them. He dropped it off straight away, and in no time the inflator is out of his car and on its way back to Japan. Vincent's conscience is now clear, and that's one less suspect airbag, but hundreds of thousands are still out there on our roads. I can't really believe this. I mean, wow ` what a huge issue. Why haven't we heard about this before? We've since learned American Fords, GM, Isuzu, Daihatsu and Ferrari are also affected according to the NZTA. They say there is no immediate safety risk. The delay is disappointing, but understandable given the size of the problem. So, the million dollar question is ` what do you do? You may be wondering, 'What about my car or mum's car or the car the kids are driving? Is it affected?' If it is, chances are you may not even have been contacted yet because of that trickle of parts to fix the problem. It's even more likely if it's a used import because that car may not be on the distributors' database that tracks recalls here. So you first stop is probably here ` recalls.govt.nz ` which hosts safety recall notices for cars and lots of other things, and displays them for a lot longer than the companies often keep the same info up on their websites ` if they share any there at all. Then you need to get hold of the manufacturer's rep here, or if you can't find their number, try the local authorised dealer. Car companies can be a bit tricky to get hold of sometimes. The law says the importer has to ensure that a vehicle is fault-free, but if you bought a used import from a small trader, it can be a nightmare to try and get some action. Helpfully, the manufacturers' representatives ` who handle all of the new cars here ` have volunteered to take care of the used ones as well, so it shouldn't cost anyone to get this recall fixed ` once they can get around to doing the work. BOOM! But that work is moving slowly. Honda has replaced nearly 40,000 suspect parts, but didn't say how many cars that represents. Toyota and Lexus say about 8000 cars have had the work done, Nissan nearly 6000, BMW more than 2000 of their new imports, Fiat Chrysler under 200. Mazda didn't provide a number. Subaru have fixed 300, and say they've been chasing one customer to come in for the recall work since last year. That's something they all say ` sure, it's taking way too long, but people have to get on to it once they get their chance. The risk may be small ` so they tell us ` but if that airbag does malfunction, the consequences could be serious. So one of the points here is be proactive. I mean, if you have a second-hand car in particular, get hold of the dealership so they know that they can deal with you. Yep. Your car, and unfortunately, it's gonna be your problem. All right. After the break ` smaller products, bigger prices. Why do companies think they can get away with it? Yum, a cup of tea. It's the cuppa that's got consumers steaming. I just feel a bit ripped off, really. There's less tea, more packaging and a heftier price tag. Why would you do that? And why would you think you'd get away with it? And ` Oh, brilliant house, Lucy. All that's gold might glitter, but this chalk is a real dud. I was absolutely gutted for them. Welcome back. We return with an update and some really good news. Our story about the pitfalls of dating agencies has got quite a reaction. Turns out Keith isn't the only one who thinks Love Success puts the broke in broken-hearted. Last week, Keith was unlucky in love, and unhappy about his bank balance. He'd signed up to the Love Success dating agency, and thought he'd paid a $4000 fee. But Keith's bank account told a different story ` Love Success took more than $25,000 out of his bank account in just four days ` well over his credit card limit. He came out of it that confused ` he doesn't even know what he signed up for. So Keith's been trying to get copy of the voice recording where Love Success says he agreed to the whopper fee. They just really will not give up that voice recording, no matter how much we ask. Fair Go viewers were all on Keith's side,... ...and some had similar experiences with Australian-based dating sites like Love Success. Another seven people say they lost more than $30,000 to companies like Love Success and Bridges Dating. Well, at least Keith got some good news this week ` BNZ has refunded all the money taken out of his account ` but we're all still waiting for that recorded phone call from Love Success. That is really good news, and good on the bank, too, for stepping up to help Keith. Right, we all know the saying, 'less is more'. It was popularised by minimalist designers in the 1950s. More recently it seems to have been embraced by food manufacturers, who are leaving sharp-eyed shoppers with that shrinking feeling. Here's Melissa Stokes. EDVARD GRIEG'S 'MORNING MOOD' There's nothing like sitting back and taking in the view, enjoying one of life's simple pleasures ` a good cuppa. Yum, a cup of tea. But Jude's latest tea discovery has left her steaming. KETTLE WHISTLES I just feel a bit ripped off, really. This story starts where many do ` in the kitchen, with Jude's daily tea requirements. When I wake up in the morning, I like English breakfast. I've got a 70-minute commute to work, so I have an Irish breakfast, cos that's a bit stronger. (LAUGHS) Tea is Jude's vice. It's an all-consuming passion. On my lazy days at home when I'm not working and I get to lie in bed and drink cups of tea and do my sudoku and code crackers, I drink lemon-scented, and my afternoon tea is Lady Grey. But one afternoon, not all was as it seemed with the Twinings Lady Grey box. See for yourself ` the old and the new. The new box is quite a bit bigger, so I thought, 'Oh, wow, I must be getting 40 or 50 tea bags now.' Nope. The bigger box holds 20 tea bags. The smaller, older version held 30. The box ` I would say ` is probably a third bigger, and I'm getting a third less tea bags. And the price? Even Twinings admits it's more expensive. I just think it's all a cunning, psychological way of making us think ` at a glance ` that we're getting more, and just not looking at it any further to see that we're actually not. You don't have to read the tea leaves to know that us consumers are getting a bit miffed with the 'less is more' trend. Uh, I think it's shit. Yep, can't get much more honest than that, which is what we're wanting from manufacturers. I guess they think that you're stupid enough to buy it cos it looks like it's a bigger product. Everyone's got a bugbear product. Packets of chips are terrible, cos you get this gigantic big packet, and there's, like` only about a third of it's actually filled with chips. Actually, I just opened a tube of toothpaste ` a new tube ` and it was smaller than what I'm used to, but the packaging was exactly the same. Sue Chetwin from Consumer NZ's heard it all before, and says it's a growing phenomenon. Well, we've had complaints in the past about, um, chocolate ` uh, the packaging staying the same but, um, being less in the packaging ` and also chips ` the packets getting bigger, but fewer chips in there. From a manufacturer's perspective, less is more ` more profit. Look, you know, I guess it's a tactic that's used by manufacturers to make it look like there is actually more in the packaging. Unfortunately, they do have to put the net weight on, but it's a bit disappointing that they would do something like that, where consumers are basically being duped into buying something that, um, they're not getting. So is the consumer really being fooled? There's two boxes. Yeah. Which one do you think has the most tea bags in it? Oh, the big one. Well, the bigger one, you'd think. Obviously this one has more tea bags. No, it doesn't. That one's got 20 and that one's got 30. That's strange. So if you're used to it, then you would think that that was gonna be way more than 30. So there's less in this than that? Yes. Yeah. No, no, I want the old box with 30, please. It's appalling marketing. So you don't like it? No, it's a scam. It's a bit deceptive. You'd presume that's got more. Think you've been ripped off, buying a bigger box and getting less for it. Big packets, half full ` we're going that way. You know, trying to` trying to make us think that there's more in it than it really is. She's pretty much nailed it, so what does Twinings have to say about it all? They admit ` The apology all well and good, but it's the apparent sneakiness that's got Jude steamed up. I think they spend a lot of time and money working out how to` how to rip us off and get away with it. Is this the part where I can make some general comments? Yes, please. Twinings make nice tea, but this is not on. This is ridiculous ` makes me grumpy. Bit cheeky, isn't it? Interestingly, no packaging rules have been broken. Both boxes have the weight, and that makes them OK. Not in my books. If you've spotted a down-sized product, please send us a picture. Let's see if we can keep them honest. Absolutely. After the break ` unicorns bathe in it, kids love it, I hate it ` we're talking glitter, or glitter chalk, to be more exact. That's actually really good. They saved hard for the best glitter chalk money can buy. Oh, brilliant house, Lucy. But it's failed to put the sparkle in their artistic creations. I was absolutely gutted for them. And ` You're on the Internet and ads pop up based on your previous searches or purchases. Is that cool or creepy? 1 Welcome back. Do you feel like you're being stalked on the net? I do. Have you ever wondered why online ads seem strangely relevant? The practice is called 'retargeting' or 'remarketing'. Your online behaviour, age, sex, income, purchasing behaviour and location is constantly being recorded. Like Pippa buying shoes on the internet all the time. That information is then used to determine what ads are shown to you when and where. So what do you reckon? Is it cool or creepy? Our 'Cool or Creepy' road trip continues through the northern parts of the Auckland region. Take a look at that ` Orewa. One of those places where it always feels like summer, and one of the places we're visiting to test the mood of the people. The question today ` You're on the Internet and ads pop up based on your previous purchases or searches. Is that cool or creepy? Creepy. Creepy. Oh, well, you know, so-so. I'm used to it. Would you say that's a little bit creepy? Cos they know what you've been doing and stuff. Have you noticed that? BOTH: Yeah. Yeah, I have that all the time. It's a little bit weird. So-so. Yeah. Really creepy. Have you noticed that? Yes. I don't know. I have Russian ladies that pop up. LAUGHTER Should be here ` so-so. It's bit creepy, yeah. That's pretty normal, isn't it? Yeah, it's not OK, but yeah, I'll put it on OK. Creepy. I don't like people knowing every bit of my information, so they've obviously kept it from somewhere. I have to say, when this first started happening to me, I found it so creepy, but I guess I'm used to it now, so I'd have to sit somewhere around there, and there are things you can do about it. Netsafe says ` It says ` So you're not OK with me being OK? No, I'm certainly not OK with that. (LAUGHS) Let's move on to something sparkly, eye-catching and irresistible to kids. We're talking about glitter, or ` to be more specific ` glitter chalk. It caught the eye of two young artists who wanted to add some sparkle to their driveway. The packaging said it was loaded with glitter, but it failed to chalk the talk, if you know what I mean. Here's Anna Burns-Francis. UPBEAT MUSIC Every artist has their own unique style, and when it comes to sidewalk sketching,... This one's coloured. Um, the inside's the white bit. Oh, so this is coloured. ...Sophie and Katie Pickering definitely know what they like and don't like. What is that? So when they saw a bright new pack of Crayola Glitter Chalk in the shop, they were keen to show off their own artistic flair in a sparkly kind of way. The girls decided they wanted to spend their money on this product. We got home, and they went out to the front yard, and they were playing with the chalks for a bit, and then suddenly they were inside. I said 'Why aren't you playing with the chalk still?' They said 'Oh, they're really disappointing. There's hardly any glitter in them.' This is the product they bought with their hard-earned money ` Crayola's Glitter Chalk. Now, as a kid, you rely on the packet to tell you what it's going to look like inside, and this chalk looks pretty promising. I looked at the packet and I thought, 'What do you mean, there's no glitter in them? These look awesome!' The box is bright and glittery ` even says you can 'bling it up' ` so you can imagine the girls' disappointment when they opened the pack and saw this. There's no` there's a tiny bit of glitter. Yep, it was a tiny bit of glitter. This is what it looks like on their driveway. This isn't normal old chalk ` this is supposed to be glitter chalk. So where's the glitter? I actually thought they had the wrong chalks. They just looked like normal chalk. Turns out all that glitter was just a waste of gold ` coins, that is ` seven bucks' worth of savings for nothing. Glitter chalk is three times the price of Crayola's normal chalk. The driveway's got sparkle in it and it was no different to the driveway. Sarah Pickering ` their mum ` wrote to Crayola, but never heard back. I was absolutely gutted for them. I really was. But Crayola says there's nothing wrong with the chalk ` it delivers bold lines with glittery effects, just as it says on the package. Now, to be fair, when we stood on a certain angle, facing the sun, we could get the chalk to sparkle. And the girls' sister also got a pretty good effect colouring in this love heart ` but she went through a whole stick of chalk, layering it on thick. Crayola says the chalk went through strict safety, quality and performance testing before it went on sale. The Pickerings just want to see the picture on the packet match the chalk inside. Should've just bought the plain chalk. I'd like them to get that glitter going in the chalk. That would be amazing. In the meantime, these budding artists will have to make do with regular chalk. Can I just make a small statement to the children of the nation? (CHUCKLES) Please. It's not our fault as parents if the packaging doesn't match the product. Don't blame us. No. No, although I have to say, I'm quite fond of the glitter-free glitter product, because glitter is the bane of my life. (LAUGHS) Before we go, time to start sending us your picks for the best and worst ads of 2016. Yeah, we've gone all-out. We have a special email address for this ` And for those of you who can't email, send us a letter. Haydn loves letters. Always in your best handwriting. As always, we'll announce the winners ` and losers ` in our Fair Go special, the Ad Awards. It's gonna be later in the year. Yes, very exciting. So get thinking what ad makes you laugh or scream at the TV. Got a couple in mind. So that's the show, but we'll be on Facebook for the next half hour to answer your questions. Our programme is all about your problems, your thoughts. We do love to hear from you. We're on Facebook. You can also email us at fairgo@tvnz.co.nz or you can write to us ` Private Bag 92038 in Auckland. The post code is 1142. And that's our show. Good night. Copyright Able 2016