Some bank customers pay over €270 a year in commissions

MADRID -- A recent study by the consumer group Facua reveals that clients of Barclays, Santander, Unicaja and La Caixa are the ones who pay highest commissions, which can reach a hefty €270 per year or more. According to the survey, the median amount paid is €168.73 if your paycheck, benefits or pension are not automatically credited (domiciliado; here we use 'domiciled' for no reason except convenience). Below is a sample listing of the costs:

Abusive practices by some car rental companies

MADRID – In cooperation with the British consumer organization Which?, one of Spain’s several similar organizations, Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios (better known by the acronym OCU), put together a campaign to denounce practices by part of the car rental business that are not in line with current legislation. The campaign was launched in mid-June, in time for the tourist season, these business peak time in Spain. One of these, according to OCU, is that some Rent-a-Cars oblige the customer to buy a full tank of petrol, without giving any details as to its price in the original offer, neither from the company nor in the final rental contract itself. Some of them who do show this detail charge for petrol at well over the market price.