Have we no watchdogs?
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dozen schools: this was the most expen- sive, so they sent me here." Thus John Burnett in The Observer reports the disillusioning experience, at a language school in England, of a Greek student whose father pays 20 guineas a week for him to be badly housed, ill fed and scrappily taught. It's not easy to choose in a foreign country. The most expensive ought to be the best . . .
It's not always all that easy for the native English customer to know that he's getting his money's worth. A recent pamphlet by P.E.P. recommended setting up a national body to meet this need, and such an official burglar alarm might do a very useful job. Meanwhile, have we no watchdogs?
Well, one of our Sunday newspapers feels so strongly about the duty of dealing in a straightforward way with the consumer that it is making an outspoken policy of reviewing goods and services in his (or her) interest. When necessary, it steps clean over the tactful line preserving advertisers from open criticism— which some people think a very very daring thing to do. But if a newspaper, such as The Observer, can review books and plays without fear or flattery, by what sort of ethical code must it keep mum about other offers to the public? Here is a `convention' worth breaking.
So The Observer publishes regular con- tributions by the editors of both Which? and Shoppers' Guide. And, if you look into its other features, you will find that the people writing in The Observer aim just the same kind of searching questions at a manufacturer's press release as they do at a politician's manifesto. Patience Gray, writing for women, is a good example. So is Gordon Wilkins—his en- thusiasm for a new car never blinds him to its faults. Dr. Abraham Marcus's articles, examining the claims advertised by the proprietors of various types of patent medi- cines, are surprising quite a few people.
Houses, holidays, heducation Few items cost us more, or can be a greater disappointment than houses, holidays and schools. Turn to The Observer! You won't find every answer instantly, but you will find you're getting a stronger instinct for snag- spotting—and plus-pointing. (When holidays are concerned, I reckon Pierre d'Harcourt's personal information service is invaluable. If you write, he will reply with advice and ideas from his own experience. Did you know? All' free, bar the postage.) Not the least of the interesting things about this paper is its enquiring eye. And Sunday is stock-taking day.
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