Motorists who compare breakdown cover save more money in the long term
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- Car and bike owners who get themselves covered online save more than those who don’t.
Breakdown insurance has been growing even more popular in the last five years, as more and more car owners see the benefit of having roadside assistance as part of their insurance plans. The motorbike breakdown cover market in particular has grown, as more motorbikes than ever populate the roads of the country, and people are using bikes more and more as their primary way of getting about rather than a simple leisure activity.
Of course, motorcycle breakdown cover could be seen as even more vital than regular car breakdown cover – if you break down on a bike you’ve got the weather to contend with as well as a broken vehicle!
With all these consumers buying up breakdown cover, it’s no surprise that the amount of people offering a service has also grown. There’s double the amount of cover providers than there were in 2001, so there’s a lot of choice available for motorists. In a recent study it was found that motorists that decided to compare breakdown cover from these different companies and packages online were more likely to end up with a cheaper deal than those who didn’t. Furthermore, the study found that people who compared online were more likely not to be paying for features they didn’t use.
Comparing online for the best breakdown cover is no different from comparing broadband, or comparing other forms of insurance. All of the same rules and advice still apply. Never just look at the prices as they won’t tell you the whole story, and always make sure you that you find out exactly what you’ll be receiving under each different level of policy from a company.
Most car breakdown companies now also offer motorbike breakdown cover as well, so you won’t need to go with a special bike company unless you have special circumstances, but don’t forget that the priorities for motorcycle users, like a quick callout time, might not be exactly the same as those for car users!
About BreakdownChoices.co.uk:
Launched in 2005 the BreakdownChoices.co.uk website has provided a wide range of features for people who wish to either find new providers or to switch from their existing provider, including motorcycle breakdown cover and European breakdown insurance…
While the main function of the site is to provide the facilities to do a breakdown cover comparison the features of the site extend well beyond that, giving deal hunters unparalleled access to community features, guides and FAQs, as well as providing regular new updates about the industry and one time deals.
Smart businesses save money through business energy price comparison
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- Using a switching provider can stop you spending hundreds going ‘out of contract’
- General business energy saving tips
When you’re running a business, keeping on top of your energy bills is probably the last thing you really want to worry about, but making sure you are an active consumer and your business is making the most of the best energy tariffs around could give you an edge over competitors and even a little more cash to spend on more important parts of your business. The small savings of switching over a home energy supplier are multiplied many times in even the smallest office environment.
Even better, there are plenty of companies that can take most of the work out of business energy price comparison. You can compare business broadband just like you would home broadband, and then you can inform a switching provider of your new choice, and they’ll do all of the paperwork.
Crucially, you can even set up an out of contract reminder with many companies, which means they’ll be able to send a notice to your current supplier that you are leaving before you switch. Failing to send notice could mean spending a lot more money sticking with your current provider, who are even able to raise prices without informing you as your contract is automatically renewed.
Company Energy Tips:
Switching is one part of saving money on your business energy prices, but actively making sure you aren’t using more energy than you need is also important. It can also save you money, but at the same time it can also help save the planet, and it doesn’t hurt to make your business be seen as a company that’s doing the most it can to cut its energy usage.
Replace your light bulbs – Replacing standard lights with energy saving bulbs might not make a dramatic difference individually, but over an entire company and on an annual basis, the saving is noticeable and it’s usually worth the slightly dimmer light.
Be aware of your thermostats – Putting your thermostats in an usually cold area, in direct sunlight or anywhere near equipment that is likely to give off heat will throw the readings and could make the entire building a lot more energy efficient, so be aware of their location.
Install Timers – Not all your employees will turn off their equipment when they leave the office, so putting a timer on anything that doesn’t need to be online 24/7 will ensure that computers, monitors and any other electrical equipment stays offline overnight.
About Energychoices.co.uk:
Launched in 2005 the Energychoices.co.uk website has provided a wide range of features for people who wish to change their electricity and gas supplier. The site offers a large range of information about the world of moving providers and saving money on one of the biggest monthly outgoings most families have to face; everything from energy saving tips to how to find the best gas and electricity prices.
While the main function of the site is to compare different service providers the features of the site extend well beyond that, giving deal hunters unparalleled access to community features, guides and FAQs, as well as providing regular new updates about the industry and one time deals including exclusive offers.
GAIA DOESN’T LET THE WEATHER DAMPEN THEIR SPIRIT
Tuesday 16th November 2010
Immediate Release
Game Angling Instructors Association
A lesson in the five essentials
The Game Angling Instructors Association (GAIA) held its Autumn CPPD (Continued Personal and Professional Development) weekend at Caer Beris Manor Hotel from the 11th to 14th November. This year we had a record intake of people wishing to take assessment. This is a testament to the work GAIA has done in promoting its new syllabus. The following people were successful, despite the wet and blustery weather:
Rob Bowen – GAIC single handed
Justin Connolly – GAIC single handed
Gareth Lewis – GAIC single handed
Phil Ratcliffe – GAIC single handed
Chris Price – APGAI single handed
Chris Aldred – APGAI single handed
Rob Doyle – APGAI single handed
Charlie Dutton – GAIC double handed
Geraint Jones – GAIC single handed re-certification
Louis Noble, GAIA’s Chair of Assessments, said of the weekend, “This was the highest number of assessments so far and I think it’s only the shape of things to come – GAIA marches onwards!”
After two days of assessments came the CPPD day. This was a really successful day with attendees treated to a very diverse choice of workshops.
Unfortunately our keynote speaker William Van Der Vorst was unable to make it so our very own Phillip Maher stepped up to the plate and hosted a very amusing and informative workshop on ‘The 5 Essentials’. Other sessions were hosted by Leslie Holmes and Mark Roberts on ‘ Mends, Bends, Curves & Wiggles’, Mike Marshal and Mike Heritage of the BFCC (British Fly Casting Club) on ‘Distance Casting with Specialist Rods’ and ‘Distance Casting 5 and 7 Weights’ respectively. Frank Williams and Jim Gill covered ‘Effective Instructi 57 ways to say the same thing’. During the afternoon Gwylim Hughes and Paul and Sue Sissons debated ‘Bumbles or Blobs’, a light hearted debate on traditional versus modern techniques. There was fly tying by Wendy Gibson, Alberto Laidlaw and Gwylim Hughes indoors and there was a chance for a 1-1 with GAIA top assessors for anyone that wanted it outdoors.
Before dinner there was just enough time for a couple of presentations including a very interesting one by Colin Bradshaw of Fish and Fly. This was followed by our annual dinner and award presentations.
Philip Maher shows a novel aproach to creating slack line.
Relax its only fly casting.
Sunday, as ever, was reserved for the GAIA AGM. The most notable part of this was the election of Alberto Laidlaw, formally the regional coordinator, to the position of Chairman. On his appointment Alberto said, “Our assessment weekend and AGM was a great success with candidates displaying a very high standard of technical skills.
I was particularly delighted that younger candidates were coming through indicating that GAIA will be in safe hands in the future. I personally consider it an honour and challenge to have been elected the new chairman of GAIA and look forward to continuing our superb growth by working with the committee and members.”
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Sky: Sky HD Box services are the “future”
- Sky is now installed in over 10 million homes
- A third of sky customers now use a Sky HD Box as their main way of accessing the service
Sky has always been a popular alternative to normal terrestrial broadcasts, but as the digital switchover starts to affect more and more houses and people who had previously never bothered to buy a digital service now being forced to switch over to freeview anyway, the company is enjoying more interest than ever, despite increased competition from both rival company Virgin Media and on demand television services like iPlayer and 4oD.
This week Sky revealed that the service is now available in over ten million homes, giving 25 million people access to the service. This means that more than a third of all households currently use Sky as their main television provider. Chief Executive of Sky, Jeremy Darroch, announced the news and emphasised that the company will continue to develop and focus on new technology as it moves forward:
“Sky has always been a forward-looking company and we will continue to invest in content and innovation. That’s the best way to satisfy existing customers and create new reasons for people to join in and take more from us.”
With a third of Sky’s customer based now using the Sky hd box as their selected method of viewing the service and many more planning to switch soon, it’s not surprising that Sky see digital and 3D television as a wide open market that will likely be developed in the future. It hopes to target more of it’s customers who are still using the service through the Sky plus box and bring them over to 3D in the next few years.
Meanwhile Virgin Media are running their own 3D content service, but it doesn’t have access to the amount of content that Sky does, while freeview and other services simply don’t offer any content in 3D at all, leaving Sky as the leader of the market for the foreseeable future.
With the recent announcement of the brand new on demand Sky+ Anytime service being rolled out across the network, now may be a good time for both viewers with Sky and rival companies alike to take time to compare tv packages and make sure they have access to the best deals and content in the digital television world.
About DigitalChoices.co.uk:
Launched in 2005 the DigitalChoices.co.uk website has provided a wide range of features for people who wish to learn more about the often complicated world of digital television; everything from where to find the best cable experience to the latest Virgin HD Box deals.
While the main function of the site is to compare different technology and service providers the features of the site extend well beyond that, giving deal hunters unparalleled access to community features, guides and FAQs, as well as providing regular new updates about the industry and one time deals.
For further information please contact:
Taking the heat off rising gas and electricity prices
How to avoid massive increases in energy prices in the next six months by taking action now
It was predicted that Gas and Electricity Prices prices would begin to rise in the first few months of 2011, but unfortunately this has is happening much sooner than expected, and even before Christmas most consumers are starting to see their energy prices shooting upwards.
Only last week, Scottish provider Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE) announced that their prices would be rising by a massive 10 per cent in the run up to Christmas this year, which could lead to an increase of nearly £100 a year on the average consumers energy bill – a big number to deal with, considering pay and inflation doesn’t seem to rise nearly as fast!
There are two ways that consumers can avoid an increase this high. Firstly, by remaining competitive and being an active consumer, you can switch to a more sensible energy plan – often one that’s more tailored to your own specific needs or you families size, which can end up reducing the rising cost of energy bills.
This method has been made much easier by the rise of the internet and comparison sites, that can not only give a direct price comparison between the standard Energy prices but can also give you access to special online only deals that are designed to appeal to savvy consumers that are used to being able to find the cheapest deals at the click of a button.
The second solution to cutting costs is simply to cut energy usage. This can involve simple things such as turning devices off or making sure lights are always turned off when not in use, switching to low energy alternatives. You can also consider taking showers instead of baths, turning down your thermostat or even turning your central heating on 15 minutes later each evening. These are only small changes that don’t require a huge lifestyle change, but over the year can result in enough savings to offset the cost of rising energy prices.
About Energychoices.co.uk:
Launched in 2005 the Energychoices.co.uk website has provided a wide range of features for people who wish to change their electricity and gas supplier. The site offers a large range of information about the world of moving providers and saving money on one of the biggest monthly outgoings most families have to face; everything from energy saving tips to how to find the best Boiler insurance.
While the main function of the site is to compare different service providers the features of the site extend well beyond that, giving deal hunters unparalleled access to community features, guides and FAQs, as well as providing regular new updates about the industry and one time deals including exclusive offers.
Now Your Unwanted or Scrap Car Can Help Charity – Giveacar.co.uk
There can be very little doubt that we all want to do our bit for the environment and help charities as much as possible. It is what makes us feel like we are helping the planet and its people. But with the economy the way it is and the pressure on the family income, it can be a difficult task to do either these days – never mind both. So what if there was a way that you could not only be green by responsibly disposing of your scrap or unwanted family car, but at the same time make a donation to your favourite charity – ALL without opening your wallet or purse.
That scenario sounds almost too good to be true, yet it is all possible thanks to an amazing service offered by a UK company called GiveaCar.co.uk. They have been running this amazing social enterprise since January 2010 and it is going from strength to strength. But what is it? I hear you cry.
The company have teamed up with the biggest national car recycling network to provide an opportunity for anyone that needs to get rid of an unwanted or scrap car. It’s just like taking your clothes or books to a charity shop, except that this scheme takes cars instead (and they collect!). One call to giveacar.co.uk, and collection is arranged for free, the car is then taken away to either a salvage auction to be sold for the best price possible, or to a local licensed vehicle dismantling yard for recycling and destruction. Either way the charity of your choice receives a donation.
The scheme has allowed many hundreds of people, so far this year, to dispose of their old and unwanted cars without having to pay for a lorry to come and take it away, or waste time tracking down a proper licensed dismantling yard. The partners that work with GiveaCar.co.uk are fully licensed, responsible and will always strive to get the best price by the best means, for any car they are donated.
The implications for those of us that are harried by the pace and stresses of modern family life are all positive, with one phone call we can now be sure that we are disposing of our cars in a responsible and environmentally correct manner and know also that a sum of cash will arrive at the door of our favourite charity very soon after the old jalopy has left the premises. A ‘win win’ for all concerned, and these days win-wins are becoming quite hard to find!.
About GiveaCar.co.uk:
The framework around this system contains national, responsible and trusted companies. The cars are collected by CarTakeBack, who are one of the market leaders of the UK car salvage industry. The disposal of the cars that are to be recycled is handled by one of three hundred Authorised Treatment Facilities nationwide. GiveaCar can be contacted through their website http://www.giveacar.co.uk/.
BT Fixes Broadband Issues For Northern Ireland and Northern England & Areas of Scotland.
BT has commented on the weekends broadband outage, saying that the broadband issue has now been entirely fixed.
Around 20 thousand homes were said to have been effected by the internet outage over the last weekend, with troubles initially noticed at around 7pm on the 29th (Friday).
The areas most hit were northern England and Northern island, as well as Southern Scotland, & the Highlands and Islands.
BT states that the broadband outage was caused by a fault at it’s Edinburgh ‘node’.
The Edinburgh node was also said to have been related to trouble in September of this year, with a loss in broadband services that lasted a full day.
Although there have been reports that telephone services were not effected, other reports have suggested that some people were in fact unable to make phone calls via their landlines.
BT has now stated that all should be back to ‘normal’ now.
Restart Your Router
BT has however said that, although the troublesome node has now been fixed, some customers may need to turn their broadband modems off (at the power socket) for several minutes, and then turn them back on again (Editor note: From experience, the modems may then may take a few more minutes to reboot, so go grab a cup of tea whilst waiting!).
So if anyone if the effected areas is still having broadband connections issues (which unfortunately means you may not be anble to read this!) then please turn your router off for around 10 minutes, then turn it back on, leaving it alone for a further five minutes should give it time to ‘reboot’ itself, and reestablish your broadband connection.
Source: Broadband News