The power of the individual to compete with companies that do them wrong has for many been small compared to the power of the big corporations.

When individuals managed to get the refunds or apologies for bad service, it made the headlines - especially if the original events that triggered the consumer response were beyond both belief and common sense.

The consumer and the individual was the little guy beating the big guy.

Now the tides are beginning to change, and they are changing for two reasons. The first is a social change - people are getting fed up of having to tolerate problems that should never have occurred in the first place. I think that safety and knowledge has come from a combination of TV shows and newspapers that help the consumer. They show people that it is possible to complain and get a reasonable response, although for some the only time they get a reasonable response is when the newspaper or TV get involved.