With less than three weeks to go until 25 December, you may be starting to plan your Christmas dinner, or stocking up on seasonal items like crackers, puddings and snacks. The Jersey Consumer Council has recently launched our Christmas page on prices.je, to help you shop around for the best festive deals. Whether it’s turkey and all the trimmings, dessert and cheese that you’re after, or chocolates, savoury snacks and seasonal accessories, make sure you check out our price comparison website first to avoid paying over the odds this Christmas. We monitor prices across six supermarket chains – Waitrose, Marks and Spencer, the Coop. Alliance, Iceland and Morrisons. Stores are likely to have promotions on different products at different times, so it’s always worth comparing prices before heading out to buy your Christmas essentials. And remember – ‘three for two’, or ‘buy one get one free’, are only a good deal if that’s how many you actually need. Products surveyed on our new Christmas page include turkey, Pigs in Blankets, stuffing balls, sprouts and roast potatoes, as well as chocolate sharing tubs, snack caddies, Christmas puddings, mince pies, cheese selections, and Christmas crackers.   If you haven’t visited prices.je yet, then here’s what you need to do:   On a computer When accessing our new price comparison page on a computer, simply type prices.je into your browser (you must type it into your browser, rather than into a Google search window). Alternatively, you can access it via the link on our main website, consumercouncil.je.   On a smartphone or tablet If you’re using our new site on your smartphone or tablet, it’ll work most effectively if you use it as a web app on your home screen. Simply type prices.je into an internet browser, and you will see a message pop-up saying ‘Install Prices.je – Add this app to your home screen for easy access and a better experience. It will then prompt you to press the centre button below the browser (a square with an arrow pointing up out of it). Tab the relevant button below the browser, then scroll down and select the option to ‘Add to Home Screen’. A screen saying ‘Add to Home Screen’ will then appear. Click the ‘Add’ button and Prices.je will then appear on your device as an App, which you can move to the most suitable folder or screen. If you still have our old PriceComparison App installed on your phone, please delete it as we will no longer be updating it. Similarly, if you still have our old price comparison website saved as a favourite on your browser, you can now remove it and replace it with our new site, prices.je.

With the nights getting colder, it may be time to dig out your water bottle. But did you know that the actual bottle needs to be replaced every two or three years, or you could risk being seriously scalded. It’s easy to check if yours needs replacing – simply remove the cover, and look for the daisy flower imprinted on the bottle. Inside the daisy will be a number such as ‘21’ which indicates 2021. Around the edges, some of the petals will be filled with dots. Four petals filled, such as above, indicates April, nine indicates September etc. This is how you know when it's time to replace your hot water bottle – and using it after that date could mean it's no longer safe and could lead to an accident.

Jersey's Government has announced that the Danish ferry operator DFDS is its preferred choice to take over routes to and from the Island. The firm was up against Condor Ferries' parent company, Britanny Ferries, in vying for the contract. The Government says choosing DFDS will bring several benefits for Islanders, including: More frequent ferries to the UK and France at peak times Faster ferries to the UK Three brand new ferries delivered in the next six years Two dedicated high-speed ferries during the summer Freight firms have also been offered a flat rate card instead of volume-based pricing, which the Government says will 'provide greater certainty and improve freight competitiveness'. The decision was made by Jersey's Minister for Sustainable Economic Development, Deputy Kirsten Morel, and backed by the Council of Ministers. Deputy Morel said: “We have run a robust procurement process that has been independently moderated, and the results show DFDS to be the strongest strategic partner for Jersey. "A partnership with DFDS will deliver new investment, including new highspeed vessels, more sailings in peak periods and a reliable and resilient service for Islanders, visitors and businesses." The Chief Minister, Deputy Lyndon Farnham, added that the decision comes after "very careful consideration" and believes it presents "the best possible ferry service for Jersey long into the future.   What does this mean for Islanders? For the first time in decades, Jersey and Guernsey's ferry routes are being operated independently. Condor Ferries is expected to disappear as a brand early next year, with Guernsey's routes operated as Brittany Ferries instead. Brittany Ferries has already announced plans for one return inter-island sailing a week, but both operators' final schedules are yet to be announced. DFDS' Jersey schedule is due to be announced by the end of next week (Friday, 13 December). Condor Ferries will continue to serve Jersey routes until the end of March 2025.   Why have Jersey and Guernsey chosen different operators? Both governments are elected to make what they think are the best decisions for their respective Islanders. For ten months, both islands attempted to run a joint tender process, but after Guernsey's government announced it preferred Brittany Ferries, Ministers in Jersey decided to run its own tender process instead.   Where will DFDS sail to? The ports DFDS will sail to from Jersey are yet to be confirmed, but the Danish ferry firm currently operates out of many European ports, including Dover, Dieppe and Newhaven. Further, DFDS has a busy network operating in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, and Holland, as well as in Spain, Gibraltar, and Morocco. Could its new presence in Jersey be the start of expanding the company's operations in the English Channel?   How much will travelling with DFDS cost? Prices for passenger sailings to and from Jersey are yet to be announced, but we know DFDS plans on charging a flat rate for transporting freight, rather than volume-based pricing. Booking through DFDS' website, a family of four could take their car from the UK to France and back for around £125.   What is it like on board a DFDS ferry? While it may depend on the ferry you travel on, reviews say DFDS ships are comfortable and well-equipped. On its current routes, the company offers free on-board Wi-Fi, a range of eateries, duty-free shopping, a play area and a Premium Lounge. They provide a range of cabins for longer journeys, including their economy range (sleeping 1-4 on bunks), doubles (sleeps 1-2 on a lower bed with luggage storage below), and accessible cabins (sleeps 1-2), which include an en-suite bathroom with a seated shower). Inside a DFDS economy cabin. (Image: DFDS) DFDS offers two ticket options when you book: Economy, which lets you change to another ferry within four hours of your scheduled departure time or amend your booking for a fee. Flexi, which lets you travel on another ferry within 72 hours of your scheduled departure time, amend bookings up to 48 hours before you travel free of charge or get a full refund on your purchase up to 48 hours before you travel.

Have you started planning what you need to buy and – most importantly – how much you can afford to spend this festive season? With lights now adorning the town centre, it’s a good time to start planning, if you haven’t already. We’ve created a Christmas Budget Planner to help you work out exactly what food, gifts and other seasonal must-haves you’ll need to buy over the coming weeks. Decorations, wrapping paper, Christmas cards, gifts for family and friends, trips to the pantomime or ice rink, Christmas dinner ingredients, chocolates and other festive snacks – it all adds up, and it doesn’t take long for seasonal spending to get out of control. Although it’s possible for Christmas spending to be scaled back – Secret Santa can replace individual gifts, while lunch doesn’t have to be turkey and all the trimmings – a recent national survey found the average British consumer is predicted to spend almost £600 (£593.90) on Christmas-related products and activities this year. The majority (55%) of UK adults expect to spend most of their Christmas 2024 budget on gifts for others, followed by food and drink (18%), travel (6%), gifts for themselves (4%), socialising (4%) and decorations (2%). Avoiding the financial hit of paying for everything in December is always a sensible idea, and many of you may have already started your shopping, to spread the cost. To help you with both your festive preparations and money management, we’ve created a Christmas budget planner, which includes a breakdown of many Christmas items that you may need to buy and some tips on how to keep the cost down. Some other tips to remember at this time of year are: Don’t forget your everyday bills still need paying.   Check and track prices using sites such as camelcamelcamel.com who monitor Amazon prices throughout the year.  Don’t rely on an overdraft or borrow from unauthorised lenders.  Always buy from a reputable company and do your research.    Postage costs can be high - why not consider delivering some of your local cards by hand? Annual Black Friday sales start in stores and online over the coming weeks – use price-tracker websites to see if they’re really a bargain. Sign up to store newsletters and follow your favourite brands on social media to see their offers and discounts. If you’ve got a store account or membership which offers loyalty points, now’s the time to cash them in.    Posting parcels abroad will add to your costs. Consider buying from stores (usually online) that offer free delivery directly to the present recipient. If you have some of your budget left over, why not buy next year’s gifts, cards or wrapping paper in the January sales. To help the environment and your budget, buy brown paper rather than expensive Christmas paper. You can make it personal by decorating it by hand.    Take advantage of retailers, both in-store and online, offering a free gift-wrapping service.  Download our Christmas Budget Planer.

Last year, after a three-year battle, we finally got good news for consumers regarding credit cards, as States Members unanimously supported a proposal to allow credit reference agencies the access to the personal data that they need for us to have access again to all the normal credit cards. Since then, we’ve been meeting Government representatives regularly to get an update on the progress of this. The Government is currently working to link our electoral registration system to the wider UK system. As part of this work, they are also liaising with Guernsey and the Isle of Man, who are in a similar position to Jersey. As you might imagine, this piece of work is very complicated, lengthy, and costly – all meaning that this is not going to be a quick fix. At the moment, the Government isn’t able to give us a time frame of when it will be completed, but representatives say that this project it is very important to them, and that they are working hard to move it forward. Please be assured that we are hearing your concerns. Not having access to a wide range of credit card providers remains a very serious and important issue for Islanders – therefore, it is still an important issue for the Jersey Consumer Council and one we want to see resolved. We will continue to remind the Government of this and to ask for regular updates on behalf of consumers.

In case you've been living underneath a rock these past few weeks, you may have heard that this coming Friday (29 November) is Black Friday. With its origins set in the post-thanksgiving sales in the US and carried over to these shores via online retailers such as Amazon and eBay, the marketing phenomenon has been rapidly adopted by retailers who are attempting to get us to part with our cash a little earlier in the Christmas build up. You may have even seen some retailers in Jersey declare it to be ‘Black November’. While there are some genuine bargains to be had, are the deals on offer actually deals? There are laws in the UK and Jersey which mean a sale must be a genuine reduction in a previous price, but some retailers – in preparation or Black Friday - will have artificially increased prices in the quieter months before, or perhaps only offered the product at a much higher price on their website, in order to give the impression you are making a huge saving. In some cases, you’re paying exactly the same for the product as you would have done in the summer. So please do your research. If you are planning to head out and root for those genuine bargains, then here are some consumer tips for you and your families to bear in mind. 1. Don’t Panic The pressure of Black Friday can leave you feeling pressured into buying quickly. But you don’t need to hurry. Which? say that the majority of products remain the same price or even cheaper after Black Friday. So, take your time. 2. Check if the deal is real Shops will sometimes increase the price of goods before a sale to make the discount look more extreme. By using price tracking websites such as CamelCamelCamel for Amazon or PriceRunner for wider websites, you can see comparisons of what is the best deal before you commit. 3. Do your research Many shoppers admit that they don’t research the products they buy during Black Friday for fear of losing out on the deal. Shop calmly and use reviews and price trackers to make sure you’re getting the best product instead of a dud product. Black Friday sales are often on older models or the same as the previous year. Sales of newer products and models tend to be limited. You’ll find that most of the deals will be on older models that companies are trying to shift. Before you buy, consider whether the model of the product is important to you. Older models may not be a smart investment in the long run. 4. Watch out for hidden costs Unexpected extra costs may be added at the checkout to bump your price up. Some online retailers use a buy now or click and collect button. Always go into your basket and check out slowly, make sure you check your tax and shipping fees before you pay. 5. Know your rights Lots of consumers regret their impulse buys on Black Friday. Always check your returns policy. Buying online gives you more rights - you usually have the right to change your mind and cancel your order for up to 14 days from when you receive the goods. Make sure you keep all proofs of purchase.