ZPS Portal

Mobile telephony market, tests: canned tuna in olive oil, video cameras, external hard drives, Test: dishwasher tablets. 

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In the Spotlight
Mobile telephony market
The price war at first, then back to cruel reality! Competition stimulated competitiveness, which eventually led to a price war. In the short run it seems we have all gained from this, however in the long run things are not looking too good for the mobile telephony users, as the operators have started to increase the prices of package deals and have been changing their offers one after another. We have prepared information about the situation in the field of mobile telephony in Slovenia, had a look at services and products on offer and have prepared advice for our readers about what package deals to opt for (in view of different types of users).

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VIP's Test
Test: canned tuna in olive oil
We have had a closer look at 13 samples of canned tuna, of which eleven were canned in olive oil and two in extra virgin olive oil. More than a half of the tested samples did not earn the ''good'' mark!

Tunas that did best in our test were the following: the "Tuna chunks in olive oil", Safcol, "Tuna chunks in olive oil", Almare (Hofer), "Tuna in olive oil", Rio mare, Rio mare extra virgin olive oil, Thon Blanc, "White tuna chunks in extra virgin olive oil", Marque repere – all with the "good" mark.

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VIP's Test
Test: video cameras
The last video cameras test has revealed that both the quality of the picture (which often features high definition - HD) and the sound have been improved considerably.  Cameras in the price range between 300 and 1500 Euro have been tested.

International Consumer Research & Testing

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VIP's Test
Test: external hard drives
We have tested the 3.5-inch (8.9-cm) external hard drives with a capacity of 1TB (1,024 GB) and 2.5-inch ones with a capacity of 500 GB.

International Consumer Research & Testing

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VIP's Test
Test: dishwasher tablets
Tablets, which protect the environment, mostly do not do a very good job washing the dishes. For years, tests have been pointing out that the classic tablets wash better than the so-called multi-functional ones, which do not only contain the detergent, but also rinsing agents and salt for water softening. However, as far as the newer versions of multi-functional tablets, which have been tested this time, are concerned, the results have been in their favour. Manufacturers have namely managed to do away with deficiencies. Two Slovene products have been included in the test.

Stiftung Warentest

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Current news
We are presenting the latest trends in the field of television: the biggest flaw of HD and 3D televisions is the lack of footage in HD; Google has decided to have a go at the television field – in the summer they announced they were preparing Google TV, an open-source platform which would allow users to access any website from their television.
Fair trade is based on ethical and democratic principles and aims for the development of underprivileged producers excluded from the mainstream trading channels, most commonly from Africa, Asia and South America. It strives to provide disadvantaged manufacturers with equal access to the developed markets of the western world.

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Foodstuffs / Safe food
Acrylamide in food
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has included acrylamide in the list of substances of very high concern. Acrylamide is a neurotoxic, genotoxic and carcinogenic hazardous chemical, which occurs in heat-treated starchy foods, in cooking and also in the food-processing and hospitality industries. The Slovene Consumers' Association tested some foodstuffs for the content of acrylamide last year, while in the spring, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published the first results of monitoring of the acrylamide levels in a range of foods across Europe, which was done in the course of two years - we are presenting the results.

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Personal hygiene / Cosmetics
Mouthwash
Mouthwashes can prove effective! Even a few years ago, mouthwashes were considered a waste of money. It was even believed they were harmful, as supposedly they were doing damage to the oral flora. However, some recent research has pointed out mouthwashes can protect from tooth decay and dental plaque, and are also beneficial to the gums.

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Insurance
Accident insurance for children
When the school year starts in September, Slovene pupils come home with a number of accident insurance offers. We have prepared some essential information which might prove useful when making decisions about what offer to opt for. A good price should not be the only thing to consider.

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Insurance
Liability insurance
We have prepared information about liability insurance, i.e. various types of liability insurance, rules and conditions, and advice about when it is reasonable to take out insurance of this kind in the first place. Throughout life we may face numerous situations which involve someone claiming us to pay compensation for the damage we have unintentionally caused to that person, their vehicle or real estate.

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European Consumer Centre Slovenia
Luggage-related difficulties when travelling by air
During the summer, there was no shortage of consumers asking for advice about difficulties experienced with various airlines, as many holidaymakers travelled to their destinations by air. Most problems had to do with the luggage and our ECC Slovenia colleagues have hence decided to prepare some relevant advice.

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VIP's Paragraph
The European small claims procedure
It has been more than a year and a half since the legislation regulating small claims procedure took effect in the EU member states. The procedure is supposed to help consumers deal with cross-border claims up to a value of 2,000 Euro. In comparison with formal litigation in the court of law, it is supposedly faster, cheaper and simpler. However, not everything with regard to the small claims procedure has been cleared up yet and there seem to be quite a few difficulties not obvious at first sight. This is most likely the reason why people in Slovenia do not often opt for settling their small claims by means of this procedure.  

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You Have Asked
We have provided answers to the most interesting issues of the previous month.