Page 19 - Lucy Hooker News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

BBC News By Lucy Hooker image captionCraig Dodd is still waiting for his tests to be delivered Hundreds of people who have booked private Covid tests say the firms providing them are "scamming" them, delivering test kits and results late, or not at all. Under lockdown rules people must take two tests when they return from abroad. But several of the firms on the list are the subject of furious complaints from customers. Craig Dodd returned from France eight days ago but still hasn't received either of the two tests he paid £182 for. He tried contacting the firm he booked them with, but has ha...

BBC News By Lucy Hooker image copyrightGetty Images Even once the lockdown is over, even when shops are open again, Ellie Philpott won't be rushing back to the High Street. "I haven't bought clothes in a shop for two, maybe three years," says the 27-year-old customer service advisor. She lists her objections: "I can't get what I need. Shops don't cater to people of my stature. "I detest queuing. There are people everywhere. Changing rooms are cramped and often the lighting is really unflattering." Like a lot of her generation, she does almost all of her shopping online, even when there isn't ...

BBC News By Lucy Hooker Some mornings Susan Booth, a property developer in Yorkshire, doesn't bother getting dressed. Instead, she makes herself two cups of tea (to save going up and down the stairs for more) pulls on her favourite baggy grey jumper and, laptop at the ready, watches through the window as the sun rises over Swaledale. Ms Booth, who until last March worked full-time in an office, but now works for herself, never stays in bed longer than a few hours. Once she's had her sixth cup of tea she knows its time to get up and get on with the rest of the day.

BBC News By Lucy Hooker image captionLili Piraki was sent earrings from Greece, but had to pay to receive them A couple of weeks ago Lili Piraki, a London-based journalist, was surprised by a text out of the blue from delivery firm DHL. She was delighted to hear a friend had sent her a present: a pair of gold earrings from Greece. She was less impressed that she would have to pay nearly £30 in taxes to receive the gift. The extra charges are a result of new post-Brexit rules that came into force on 1 January. Despite the free trade deal agreed before Christmas, which promised to smooth the...

BBC News By Lucy Hooker image captionGraham Flannigan and his daughter Emma currently have a backlog of crabs and lobsters Two weeks into the UK's new trading relationship with the EU, there appear to be teething troubles. Logistics firms have paused deliveries to the UK. Exporters point to huge increases in documentation required. And firms dealing with perishable produce say they have lost money over delays at border crossings. Some of these hurdles are likely to be overcome as the new rules bed in. Others may prove to be more persistent. To find out the current state of play, we spoke to f...