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Online dating, Council bailiffs, Booking holidays online

Consumer affairs programme. A dating website is offering people for dates long after they have cancelled their memberships.

A You and Yours listener complains that an online dating site continued to use her personal details, years after she had cancelled her membership. She is concerned that existing members are being misled into believing that she is still available as a date, when she is not. The website, Match.com, told us that anyone can erase their details from the site but cancelling a subscription doesn't automatically remove personal details. The company says they are explicit about that on their website. We ask how clear dating sites should be about how they use personal data, when people have cancelled their membership.

Another anti-poverty charity is calling on councils and the government to change the way they recover debts. Christians Against Poverty says councils are much less likely than commercial companies to give people breathing space when they fall behind with payments, which can push some vulnerable people to their limits. Councils in England and Wales passed more than two million debts to bailiffs in the last financial year, an increase year-on-year of 14%. We hear what happens when council bailiffs appear at your door.

An investigation by You and Yours has found evidence that cleaning a computer of electronic 'cookies' that track your browsing habits can save you money when searching for holidays online. The travel industry denies cookies are responsible but says 'dynamic pricing' is a legitimate tool and prices can change for a variety of reasons.

Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Jonathan Hallewell.

Available now

45 minutes

Chapters

  • Not dating

    The dating website offering people dates, long after they've cancelled their membership

    Duration: 08:05

  • High Street Part 1

    Three personal stories of running a small shop on Britain's struggling high streets.

    Duration: 03:22

  • Debt Collection

    Councils accused by charity of too quickly resorting to bailiffs when collecting debts.

    Duration: 07:11

  • High Street Part 2

    Three personal stories of running a small shop on Britain's struggling high streets.

    Duration: 03:18

  • Dutch Groceries

    The Dutch online shopping firm using milk floats to reduce the cost of deliveries

    Duration: 05:06

  • Cookies

    Is it cheaper to book a holiday on a computer cleared of cookies?

    Duration: 07:27

  • High Street Part 3

    Three personal stories of running a small shop on Britain's struggling high streets

    Duration: 03:24

Broadcast

  • Wed 4 Jul 2018 12:15

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