Rip Off Britain presenter Gloria Hunniford: There’s an awful lot the individual can do
PRESENTING Rip Off Britain has made Gloria Hunniford and her team much smarter with their own money.
Since becoming a presenter of Rip Off Britain six years ago, Gloria Hunniford has learned so much from the consumer show that she’s saved herself thousands of pounds.
For example, Gloria clawed back £1,500 from her bank after challenging them about their charges. She also fired her solicitor as executor of her will after discovering they can charge six or seven per cent of the deceased’s estate.
In other words, Gloria, 75, is the poster girl for Rip Off Britain, which she co-hosts with Angela Rippon and Julia Somerville. The show takes up the cases of viewers who feel they’ve been treated badly by companies.
We’ve all been around the block and experienced these things for ourselves
“People write to us saying, ‘These goods are faulty but the company’s ignoring me,’ or, ‘My insurance company isn’t paying out,’” Gloria says.
“We say to people, ‘Never give up. Go to the person at the top and use that lovely phrase of Trading Standards: ‘not fit for purpose’. It generally works.”
This seventh series of the show has a lot to boast about – it wins its biggest payout ever for one complainant, in a tussle with a medical insurer.
But Gloria points out that punters need to be proactive in trying to protect themselves from being ripped off.
“There’s an awful lot the individual can do, too, like changing energy supplier,” she says. “Just this morning a viewer phoned in to say she had saved £200 a year by switching.”
While Rip Off Britain fulfils its brief of helping consumers, it also does great work in representing older women on TV.
In this era of TV ageism, it’s refreshing to see a show presented by women of a certain age – Angela is 70 and Julia is 68. That and the fact that they’re all respected figures with backgrounds in journalism gives the show its authority.
“Our credibility as slightly older women helps,” says Gloria. “If we were three 21 year olds it wouldn’t have the same ‘trustability’ factor. It’s because we’ve all been around the block and experienced these things for ourselves that the show’s so popular.
“You just have to be realistic about the age factor – as you get older, you know you’re not going to be pre-eminent all the time because the Ant and Decs and Holly Willoughbys come along,” she muses, before adding with a cheeky smile, “but there’s no budget in daytime TV and no clothing allowance.
We’re doing 50 Rip Off Britain shows this year – you learn how to get creative with a jacket and scarf!”
But Gloria has no intention of stepping away from the limelight any time soon. “I’m glad to be still working – I have a zest for it,” she enthuses. “I have a saying that if I sit down for too long, I’ll rust!”
Rip off Britain, weekdays, 9.15am, BBC1
