大象传媒

Four out of five homes in Wales already have broadband, but those internet speeds aren鈥檛 always what they should be. So how can we get the best out of our broadband and beat the buffering?

According to telecoms regulator Ofcom, there are simple fixes within our own home that can improve those sluggish speeds.

鈥淲e鈥檙e finding that about one in five users aren鈥檛 getting the speed they鈥檇 otherwise get because of problems associated with their Wi-Fi router,鈥� explains Rhodri Williams, Director of Ofcom in Wales.

鈥淓lectrical devices such as dimmer switches, halogen lamps, cordless phones and even baby monitors, can all interfere with the Wi-Fi signal.听 That means what鈥檚 getting to your computer is slower than what you鈥檇 expect.鈥�

The advice?听 Consider where your place that all important router.听 Make sure it鈥檚 not surrounded by electrical equipment.听 What鈥檚 more, Wi-Fi signals don鈥檛 travel well through water, so if you have a 听fish tank move it as far away from the router as you can

Even Christmas trees prove problematic.听 The electrical field caused by those twinkling fairy lights can play havoc with your Wi-Fi performance.

Engineer and telecoms trouble shooter Dickon Payne has three more essential tips to improve your broadband.

鈥淭ry rebooting the router so it picks a less busy wireless channel,鈥� he suggests.听 鈥淚t鈥檚 as simple as unplugging it and plugging it back in again.

鈥淎lternatively, use a broadband filter.听 They鈥檙e inexpensive and you can get them from most shops.听 You need to ensure that it鈥檚 plugged between every telephone and the line. It鈥檚 what splits the broadband and telephone signal and stops them interfering with each other.

鈥淔inally, and simplest of all, don鈥檛 stuff your router behind the TV.听 Bring it up and into the open.听 Just putting it up on a shelf will make a huge difference. Be proud of your router!鈥�

Horse-riding is a popular pastime in Wales. And if you enjoy galloping through our countryside, you need transport to get you from A to B. But some customers of one company have been disappointed when the trailer they ordered hasn鈥檛 turned up.

In March, June Howells from Newport thought she鈥檇 found the perfect trailer when she spotted one from Titan Horse Trailers online.听 When she called the company she was told the trailer would only take six weeks to arrive and cost almost 拢14,000. But then company director Mandy Moore called with an offer June couldn鈥檛 refuse: a 10% discount on her trailer plus a brand new trailer every two years if she became an Agent for Titan. All she would have to do is show her trailer to potential customers.

June signed an Agency agreement and paid a 50% deposit upfront via bank transfer. But six weeks later there was no sign of the trailer. As more time passed, blamed the long delays on problems with 听their production line in Spain. June says she hadn't even realised they were based overseas, because they route their UK calls through a Manchester number 鈥� although the company say their paperwork makes it clear they鈥檙e based in Spain

Tired of the delays, June cancelled her order and asked for a refund, but so far she鈥檚 only received 拢1000 of the 拢7000 she paid.

Catherine Lovatt from the Wye Valley had a similar experience. She needed a new trailer for her wedding carriage business and placed an order with the company in March, signed an Agency agreement and used all her savings to pay a 50% deposit of 拢5,045. But Catherine didn鈥檛 receive her trailer either and now wants her money back.

It鈥檚 now more than 8 months since June and Catherine first placed their orders with Titan Horse Trailers. Catherine now has a County Court Judgement but director Mandy Moore told us it was taken out against the wrong company, UK based Titan Horse Trailers Ltd, which she also owns and will soon be liquidated. Mandy Moore told X-Ray that the Spanish based Titan Horse trailers will issue full refunds eventually, but cashflow problems mean she can鈥檛 say exactly when that will be.

Consumer law expert Professor Margaret Griffiths has been looking at Catherine and June's paperwork and it seems there are hard lessons to be learnt.

• The Consumer Rights Act 2015 no longer applies here. Once you become an agent you step across the line and you cease to be a consumer, you are a business and your rights are different.
• Less protection as a business. You would still have rights under the Sale of Goods Act, but there is far less protection because it鈥檚 assumed that as a business you are capable of looking after yourself.
• Suing overseas. As a consumer, you have a right to sue in the UK. But as a business, if you wish to sue an overseas company then you have to do it in their country.

Read more about your rights from buying overseas or .

Find out about the and what's changed.

Or call Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 04 05 06

Many of the toys children are unwrapping this Christmas will need batteries - and as consumers we spend around 拢300 million pounds a year on these products.

With the cost of the big brands you may be tempted to go for the cheaper alternatives but discount chain Poundstretcher has just been prosecuted a fourth time, for selling unsafe batteries.

Rhys Harries from Swansea Trading Standards led the investigation. He showed X-ray the estimated 85,000 faulty batteries that they seized from stores across Wales. : He said they found many of them "actually leaking on the shelves and it would be quite clear to anyone working in that store and stacking them on the shelves that these batteries are leaking and dangerous." He also said that "any product that's put on the market, in the UK or Europe, needs to be safe, especially if they're in young children's toys.."

The Poundstretcher brands affected were Hyundai and V2 Xtreme Power batteries, and more than 3 million were sold by the high street chain.

When Public analyst Alistair Low tested the batteries for Trading Standards he found nearly all of the samples leaching dangerous chemicals - Zinc Chloride and Ammonium Chloride. He warned that "on the skin and the hands, they will form discomfort, reddening and itchiness, they're classified as corrosive and they shouldn't be on the outside of batteries."

Poundstretcher has been prosecuted three times previously for similar offences, including a case in 2012 when a Swansea grandparent complained to Trading Standards after finding chemicals leaking from their batteries onto his grand-daughter's hands.

In November, Poundstretcher admitted to 37 charges of selling unsafe batteries. Swansea Crown Court handed them, and their parent company Crown Crest, a massive fine of more than half a million pounds. Poundstretcher has apologised 'unreservedly' and say all affected batteries have been withdrawn from sale, they've reviewed their supplier arrangements and improved safety testing.