Complaints focus on lawyers, accountants

Press, 24 August 1988, Page 19

Complaints focus on lawyers, accountants

Plumbers and electricians are no longer the bane of the little people. “Fair Go,” Television One’s consumer affairs show, has registered a shift in complaints away from the humble tradesperson towards the professional — in particular lawyers and chartered accountants. “We have had at least 15 letters detailing major complaints against lawyers and the Law Society," says “Fair Go” editor Chris Harrington. “Some may be vexatious but I don’t think so.” He believes this latest batch of complaints is a result of last season’s Little versus the Law Society programmes. Harrington believes “Fair Go’s” impressive showing in the ratings last series was a direct result of the Little case and the other major investigations mounted. “I think ‘Fair Go’ has shifted inexorably over the past four or five years, hopefully rapidly in the past two since I’ve been in control, towards major investigations, better journalism. “I feel we’ve kept the best of the light tongue-in-cheek items. We had a lot of fun last series with the advert awards, and at the same time mounted major investigations in all but two of our 14 programmes.” Harrington also attributes “Fair Go’s” popularity to outside factors. “In these days of the free market more and more people are getting themselves into rip-off situations. The end result of freeing controls is we are seeing an increasing number of people bitten by peripheral traders ... the growth of the fringe finance and insurance markets. “A lot of letters we receive involve fringe or high-risk insurance and car dealers. There is one type of dispute the show will not touch. It will not handle any matters relating to matrimonial or family wrangles. “Included in the latest crop of letters we’ve received,” says Harrington, “are a lot of domestic complaints. These are out of our orbit. We have no expertise to become involved in domestic proceedings. “Obviously we will help to the extent that we will refer people to the proper channels. But ‘Fair Go’ in the end is a current affairs programme involved in consumer concerns.” “Fair Go” screens Tuesdays at 7.30 p.m. on One.