Vivienne Westwood, Bereaved consumers, Right to buy

Available for over a year

Insensitive, rude and incompetent - that's how one You & Yours listener describes how she was treated by a string of big companies and organisations after her husband died. The charity Cruse Bereavement Care says it's common for bereaved people to find that banks, mobile phone companies and others just don't know how to respond appropriately when a customer calls to say their relative has died. Trading standards officers in North Yorkshire have teamed up with detectives and social workers to set up a new unit, dedicated to protecting vulnerable people from financial abuse. By working more closely together, it's hoped that people can be prevented from becoming repeat-victims. The "right to buy" for Housing Association tenants was a promise made by the Conservatives before the last election and the government says it is still committed to the idea. But the organisation that represents Housing Associations is negotiating a voluntary deal with the government, which would avoid the proposals going through parliament. What will this mean for tenants, and how is it likely to affect the supply of social housing? The fashion designer Vivienne Westwood got in touch with You & Yours when a letter landed on her doormat, offering her the opportunity to inherit a huge sum of money. Her suspicions were justified. Dame Vivienne gives a warning to all of us about the dangers of replying to "scam letters". Producer: Jonathan Hallewell Presenter: Winifred Robinson.