A TYNE Valley consumer rights expert is celebrating five years of helping consumers reclaim thousands of pounds.

Scott Dixon, originally from Prudhoe but now living in Edinburgh, has helped countless consumers to fight back against unscrupulous traders.

Scott first started to write about consumer issues based on a lifetime of unique and bad experiences that he had been able to successfully resolve single-handedly - enough to fill a book! His book was started in October 2015 and the first edition published in the September of 2016. He also started a blog – www.thegrumpygit.com – in May 2016.

A second edition of the book was later released in March 2019, updated for GDPR, which BBC Radio Scotland bought and read within two weeks, leading to a feature on their consumer programme ‘Clever About Cash’ shortly afterwards and ranked by the Daily Mail as one of five of the best Consumer Champions in the UK.

The biggest claim one reader has won from reading Scott’s book and following his advice is £23,000. He said: “That is close to the UK average annual salary and quite a result!

“I have saved consumers hundreds of thousands of pounds over the past five years and made a significant difference to many people’s lives. It is an achievement I am proud of.”

A follow-up book was also published in September 2019 titled ‘How to Complain: The Consumer Guide to Cancelling Parking Tickets and Winning Pothole Claims’.

“It’s been quite a journey”, said Scott. “And I never knew what it would involve when I set about it all. If someone had said that this would consume your life and explained what was involved, I may have had second thoughts. No regrets though!

“We have some of the best consumer rights in the world and helping consumers assert their rights is the cornerstone of what I do. I have come across some amazing people who have helped me in so many ways.”