State agencies caught in map deal

Schools, government agencies and hospitals across Norway complain they’ve been lured into uncharted financial territory by a company selling them digital maps. They admit they’ve been paying large sums of taxpayers’ money for marketing services they didn’t need, didn’t realize they were agreeing to, and probably could have received for free on the Internet. The company, which refers to [...]

DNB to cover customer losses

Rune Bjerke, chief executive of Norway’s biggest bank DNB, has had to deal with angry investment customers, borrowers and government officials in recent weeks. Now he’s decided to at least compensate some of the bank customers who lost money on misleading investment products, after the bank itself lost a landmark case in the country’s highest [...]

Economy prospers despite EU crises

UPDATED: Revised forecasts suggest that the Norwegian economy will do better than originally expected this year, giving many consumers more money than they may otherwise have had. Nonetheless, Norway is not immune to the destabilizing forces in the world economy as the Oslo Stock Exchange fell for the seventh day in a row on Thursday [...]

Dentists subject to consumer drilling

An investigation by the Norwegian Consumer Council has exposed widespread irregularities among Norwegian dentists, who already have been under criticism for their high prices. Four test subjects visiting five dentists each received wildly different, and mostly incorrect, treatment options. Going to the dentist is an expensive exercise in Norway, prompting many Norwegians to seek treatment [...]

Frustrations at the grocery store

EXPATRIATE MUSINGS John Shealy, a former grocer from the US now living in Mandal, sounds off on the grocery business in Norway. Shealy’s piece suggests it’s not just the high prices that can shock foreigners, but the lack of consumer-driven selection. When I read the article headlined “Government mulls grocery probe,” it opened up something in [...]