Beware of Rogue
      Doorstep Traders 

  
    Click on the arrow to watch the video

While British weather cannot always guarantee sunshine, the longer days of light and occasional dry spells provide the best time to undertake outside building and home improvement work. Sadly the summer is also an opportune time for rogue doorstep traders to approach homeowners.

 Last year, the OFT funded consumer advice line, Consumer Direct, received more than 5,300 complaints, an increase of 16%, about doorstep traders offering home improvement or maintenance work on the doorstep with these complaints peaking in the summer months of July to September.

 Consumer Direct figures show that roofing jobs received the most complaints (28%) during 2009 with tarmacing and paving being close behind with 23%. Home insulation and guttering also received significant complaints. 

Unfortunately, it is often the elderly  and  vulnerable that are the target of rogue  doorstep   traders.   Whilst  it  isn’t  illegal  to  trade  on  the doorstep,  the  OFT  is   providing ways  to  help  people  avoid  being scammed by rogue doorstep traders:
. If a trader knocks at your door, do not agree to on the spot house repairs, or sign anything on the spot.

. Be wary of special offers or warnings that your house is unsafe.

. Do not make snap decisions.  Take time to talk to someone you trust before you make a decision.

.  If in doubt, call Consumer Direct on 08454 040506 or visit www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/doorstepselling    

            Three Quarters of
        55s+ Could Be Missing
      Out On Retirement Income

     

       59% could qualify for an enhanced annuity   

More than three quarters (77%) of British adults aged 55 and over are unaware that certain medical conditions could entitle them to a higher level of pension income though their annuity provider, according to new research from MGM Advantage.

The findings show that millions of people are potentially missing out on a higher income in their retirement because they’re not taking advantage of the higher rates that come with enhanced annuities if they suffer from certain medical conditions. Worryingly, according to the survey, 59% of people aged 55 and over claim they have or have had a medical condition that could qualify them for an enhanced annuity. 

However, only one in four people (20% of women and 26% of men) are aware that they could get more income when they retire if they suffer from certain medical conditions.

Four fifths (80%) of British adults over the age of 55 claim to have had a health check within the past year and 65% claim to have had one within the past six months but it seems people are not sharing their results with their annuity providers.

For example, 40% and 30% of people surveyed have or have had high blood pressure or high cholesterol respectively, which requires treatment or management by a medical professional, and would be considered for a higher level of income by an annuity provider.

The retirement income specialist warns that people who don’t mention any underlying health issues could risk losing out financially as enhanced annuities pay out on average 24.09% more for men and 22.69% more for women. For the first five years of retirement for example, the difference between the amount paid out by an average standard and enhanced annuity is £3,823.50 for a man buying an annuity with £50,000, and £3,407.65 for a woman.
 

Aston Goodey, Sales and Marketing Director, MGM Advantage comments, “Whilst it’s encouraging that so many people aged 55 and over are having regular health checks, it’s shocking that so few are aware that certain medical conditions would qualify them for an enhanced annuity and therefore increased retirement income.  In some cases, declaring a ‘medical impairment’ could result in an individual being thousands of pounds better off and make a real difference to their quality of life.”

Goodey continues, “Having a health check before purchasing an annuity is vital, and if someone discovers they have a medical condition, it’s really in their best interest to inform their prospective annuity provider. To ensure you are getting the best annuity rate possible, you should also exercise the Open Market Option and shop around for the best enhanced annuity rate.”

 Care Commission Must End Era Of  Means-Testing And Unfairness

Britain's biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) has called on the new Care Commission announced  by the health secretary Andrew Lansley, to end the era of means-testing and unfairness in the current care system and introduce a National Care Service funded through general taxation.

Dot Gibson, NPC general secretary said: "The establishment of a National Care Service that is universally available to all in need, free at the point of delivery and paid for by all, would be a tremendous step towards ending the era of means-testing and unfairness.

Around 1m older people are already receiving care at home or in residential care - and large numbers are faced with a lack of dignity, poor services and huge bills. A National Care Service would put an end to this."

"Care in the UK is in crisis. For years it has been the Cinderella service of the welfare state – under funded and overlooked, but the main proposal from the coalition is simplistic and unrealistic. Their figures just simply don’t add up. Suggestions that people should pay lump sums or take out private health insurance just won’t tackle the inequalities in the system or prevent pensioners from having to sell their homes.”

“Older people and their families have a right to ask: why when education, the NHS and many other public services can be funded by society as a whole – should the care of our most vulnerable pensioners be left to individuals?”

“We must do more and faster to give financial help to the army of carers, improve the regulation and standards of care provided and ensure care staff are properly trained and paid for looking after our loved ones."

"The proposed care commission must also ensure it adequately reflects the views of older people themselves and isn't simply taken over by the great and the good who have no real understanding of how older people live their lives. A national care service can be afforded if we share the cost across society as a whole and pay for it through general taxation. All political parties should commit themselves to this principle and act now to make it a reality."

Care Facts

A snapshot of social and long-term care provision in England shows the following :

Domiciliary Care 

• Around 1m older people receive some form of care in their own home, but around 2.5m have care needs. 

• 80% of those in need of care at home do not get it from the state. 

• The private and voluntary sector care providers receive around £9.3bn a year in public funding. 

• An estimated £5.9bn is spent by individuals on social care either through private contributions or through charges. 

• A huge unmet need and care gap exists between the services older people require and what they actually receive because services are being rationed.

As a result, only those with high care needs qualify for assistance. This unmet need places an additional burden and strain on many relatives and friends who provide unpaid care (eg. 1.2m men and 1.6m women over 50 are unpaid carers). 

• All care in the home is means-tested, and individuals need an annual income of less than £13,000 to receive services free. 

• The charges for those with income above this level vary widely depending on each local authority area, thus creating an unfair postcode lottery.

Long-term residential care

• In 2003, out of 500,000 care places: 69% were in the private sector, 17% in the public sector and 14% in the voluntary sector. 

• Private care is worth around £6.9bn a year. 

• There are around 448,000 care home residents, 60% of which are self-funders. 

• 1 in 4 care workers leave their jobs every year and this high turnover is almost entirely due to poor pay and conditions of employment. 

• Within care homes, only one member of staff is required to have an appropriate care qualification (but even they do not have to be situated on-site). 

• Those with assets (including the value of their property) of more than £23,000 must fund their own care. Those between £13,000 and £23,000 are means-tested and pay a proportion whilst those below £13,000 have their charges paid by their local authority. 

• In 2008, the average fees for care home residents across the UK were £34,528 per year for nursing care and £24,128 for residential care. 

Carers

• 2.8m people aged over 50 provide unpaid care.

• Adult children provide their parents with 36 hours of unpaid care each month, estimated at a total annual UK cost of £39 billion.

• Nearly a quarter of all carers aged 75 and over (24%) provide 50 hours or more a week of informal care.