What irks people most? New data show that consumers complain most about having to deal with cars — whether false sales ads or repairs, according to the Consumer Federation of America and the North American Consumer Protection Investigators.

The groups analyzed more than 250,000 complaints to 40 agencies across 23 states last year, finding that consumers are peeved about their auto experiences but also consider home improvement a nightmare, with issues ranging from roofing rip-offs to new home defects.

Here are the top 10 consumer complaints, and some MarketWatch tips on how to avoid having to make them.

1. Auto: Misrepresentations in advertising or sales of new and used cars, lemons, faulty repairs, leasing and towing disputes

Here’s the typical car repair saga: You go in for a simple oil change or tire replacement and they spring surprise repairs on you, claiming that your car is a death trap without those extra fixes — and a bill to match. Some ways to avoid getting cheated by car mechanics: Take your owner’s manual out of the glove compartment and actually read it. It sounds obvious, but the manual is a guide as to what maintenance your car actually needs, and it helps to know what you’re talking about when facing a mechanic who is peddling more repairs.

2. Home improvement/construction: Shoddy work, failure to start or complete the job

Americans shell out $275 billion a year on home improvement work - patching roofs, repairing plumbing, remodeling and more, according to a Harvard University survey. And in that process, they’re scammed out of at least $17 billion, according to some estimates. Projects like deck improvements and basement remodeling offer solid returns on the investment, if you’re taking on the challenge of home improvement. Home Depot and Lowe’s account for 80% of the home improvement industry’s $153.8 billion annual revenue, estimates show, but bigger isn’t always better. Here are 10 things you should know before embarking on a project.

3. Credit/debt: Billing and fee disputes, mortgage modifications and mortgage-related fraud, credit repair, debt relief services, predatory lending, illegal or abusive debt collection tactics

Debt collectors sometimes say anything to get you to pay, but it’s even worse when the debt’s not yours and your credit report needs a correction. To fix an error on your credit report, file a dispute directly with the credit bureau.

If the debt is yours, be wary of services that offer to help you pay it down. Here’s how one couple managed to wipe out $125,000 in debt.

4. Retail Sales: False advertising and other deceptive practices, defective merchandise, problems with rebates, coupons, gift cards and gift certificates, failure to deliver

We get it: Retailers can be sneaky. One of the most frustrating aspects of shopping is that the original store price is often an inflated lie to trick you into thinking the marked-down price is a steal. We’ve found five stores where you should never pay full price. Learn the ridiculously simple way to save on everything through legitimate promotions, coupon websites and cash-back rewards: the quadruple-dip.

5. Services: Misrepresentations, shoddy work, failure to have required licenses, failure to perform

The complaints in this category included cases where tax preparers illegally deducted fees from customers’ tax refunds, or charged people for services that were never performed. It’s pretty much up to you to vet tax professionals you hire and as odd as it sounds, the Internal Revenue Service doesn’t have the authority to regulate them.

6. Utilities: Service problems or billing disputes with phone, cable, satellite, Internet, electric and gas service

Customer service calls from hell are no fun, and to make matters worse, they could cost you more than $750 a year. Always ask customer service representatives for their name and direct line in case you get disconnected or to a transfer dead-end, and try to build a positive relationship with that person so they want to help you, says Shep Hyken, author of “Amaze Every Customer Every Time.”

7. Landlord/tenant: Unhealthy or unsafe conditions, failure to make repairs or provide promised amenities, deposit and rent disputes, illegal eviction tactics

It may feel like landlords have all the power and while your home is still their property, there are some laws and tricks that favor tenants. Do a background check on your landlord to spot issues related to building negligence, or lawsuits that describe tenant misery. Read the 10 things landlords won’t tell you, including that you really should be paying less rent.

8. Home solicitations: Misrepresentations or failure to deliver in door-to-door, telemarketing or mail solicitations, do-not-call violations tied with Internet Sales: misrepresentations or other deceptive practices, failure to deliver online purchases

People are often left to distinguish the real from the themselves when online shopping, making purchases a gamble. Avoid buying products off websites that are based overseas, and insist on documentation for antiques and memorabilia.

9. Health products/services: Misleading claims, unlicensed practitioners, failure to deliver

What can you expect from different health and medical professionals? The different specializations, regulations and credentials vary across fields. Don’t expect the emergency room to cure you. As far as cures go, rehab center success rates mean very little. And regardless of what fertility doctors fueling a $3.5 billion market claim, they can’t change basic biology, and sometimes don’t have a good handle on the health risks involved. As for plastic surgery, you could be better off spending that money on a therapist who can help you be less concerned about your appearance, especially since these specialists are often unaware of the long-term effects of procedures.

10. Fraud: Bogus sweepstakes and lotteries, work-at-home schemes, grant offers, fake check scams, imposter scams and other common frauds

Who still loves paper checks? Crooks. Guard your checkbook because it’s easier than ever to print fake checks using a printer at home. Identify the biggest scams of the year, which include various permutations of telemarketing abuse, and defend yourself by learning the 10 secrets of scam artists. Hint: They’re Facebook-stalking you.

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On first Rumaila visit, oil minister Adel Abdul-Mehdi's charts  progress and hears plans

Basra,17 December:  South Oil Company, BP, PetroChina and SOMO, which together form Rumaila Operating Organization (ROO), today pledged to ensure Rumaila continues to expand its contribution to Iraq over the next 20 years.

Iraq’s new oil minister Adel Abdul Mehdi today attended an event at the Rumaila oil field to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Rumaila Technical Service Contract.

Salah Mohammed of SOC and Rumaila General Manager said: “We welcome His Excellency Adel Abdul Mehdi to Rumaila to celebrate a highly successful five years of partnership with BP and PetroChina.  We believe this is an historic moment in this giant field’s history.  For all those involved it is clear that the Technical Service Contract developed by the Ministry of Oil and SOC has had a huge impact on the Iraqi oil industry over the last five years.

“A 50 percent increase in production by 2020 is a major undertaking but thanks to the technical expertise and support of BP and PetroChina, we are ready for the challenge ahead.”

Under a recently revised technical service contract signed by SOC, BP, PetroChina and SOMO, Rumaila’s plateau production target is to reach 2.1 million b/d by the end of the decade. This represents more than 50 per cent increase from current production or by some 800,000 b/d and will account for nearly three per cent of global oil production, according to BP’s Energy Outlook 2035.

Rumaila’s Deputy General Manager Marc Hornbrook said: “The achievements of the last five years demonstrate how BP and its partners are working together to rehabilitate and modernize this super giant field. I am so proud of the 6,500, mainly Iraqi, staff working here who continue to oversee major changes through a substantial level of investment and technology application which are resulting in continually increasing production.

“This will continue for the next two decades as we work to transform this field into a truly world-class oilfield through a combination of technology transfer and investment in training, staff development and new equipment.”

Wang Guihai, Rumaila’s Deputy General Manager, said:  “Those loyal workers needed support to make the most of resources available; they needed investment in new technologies and access to new thinking. It must have taken a huge effort for them to adjust to all the changes but they have always made us feel welcome.”

Nearly $3 billion awarded to Iraqi contractors

Rumaila’s importance to the Iraqi economy will continue to grow as production increases. As well as providing about $1 trillion to Iraq in government revenues over the 25 years of the contract, Rumaila also boosts the local economy, especially in Basra.

Since 2009, over 2000 contracts worth nearly $3 billion have been awarded to Iraqi companies. The majority of these companies are based in Basra, and employ an estimated 22,000 local Iraqis who have played a significant role in the redevelopment of Rumaila. Over this time, Rumaila’s production has increased by more than 300,000 b/d to around 1.3 million b/d today.

Rumaila’s transformation brings considerable benefits to the Basra economy today. It also helps build Basra into a major oil-field services hub for Iraq, and for the wider Middle East into the future.

Chairman of Basra Provincial Council, Sabah Al-Bazuni said:  “We are proud of everything related to Basra: our Basrawi citizens, our abilities, our goodness, our large resources and strategic location. Rumaila is absolutely part of Basra and Iraq’s resources, so we are very proud of it.”

Transferring best-in-class technology and expertise

During his visit His Excellency Abdul-Mehdi saw demonstrations of a wide number of best-in-class technology applications being used on the Rumaila field to boost recovery and increase production. Two primary examples are the 3D seismic survey that was completed in 2012 and the real time data monitoring of wells being drilled to optimize well locations.

Other major achievements include drilling more than 165 new wells and completing more than 300 work overs. And late last year the first horizontal well was piloted in Rumaila. In addition nearly 200 electrical submersible pumps (ESPs) have been repaired or installed from new.

In September 2014 Rumaila achieved the significant milestone of producing 2 billion barrels of oil. Of the estimated 70 billion barrels of oil initially in place, approximately 14 billion barrels have already been recovered. Assuming a conservative recovery factor of 40 per cent, the partnership estimates that there are approximately 20 billion barrels still available for recovery.

Protecting the base

Rumaila plans to continue building on the solid foundations of the first five years. Installing digital oilfield technology such as real time monitoring of all production and injection wells is a priority. In 2014, 240 production wells were retrofitted with sensors and wireless communication technology to allow the wells to be monitored from the Rumaila headquarters. All production wells, which are spread over an area of some 1,600 square kilometres, will be monitored by the end of 2015. These are vital in Rumaila’s modernization as they provide vital real time data to help maximize production from the field.

Drilling new wells and working over existing wells is key to the development of this super giant field. As with any oilfield increasing production means first replacing natural decline. The underlying decline rate at Rumaila is about 17 per cent a year. Once that is replaced then any addition increases the fields overall production.

In 2015 there are plans for around 25 rigs to drill about 41 new wells and complete 83 workovers. Water injection capacity is set to almost double to more than 900,000 b/d to raise reservoir pressure which is vital to keeping Rumaila’s oil flowing. Brownfield projects will continue to develop new infrastructure and enhance the existing facilities to support the production growth. A new 235 MW power plant construction will commence; this will provide early power for the redevelopment of the field. Capital investment in Rumaila is expected to total around $1.7bn in 2015.

Longer term, SOC, BP, PetroChina, and SOMO continue to discuss with the government future plans to redevelop the field following the amendments to the technical service contract agreed in September. This will include drilling hundreds more wells and installing new ESPs, building a new 1.25 GW power plant, building new Integrated Processing Complexes and expanding water re-injection capacity.

Developing Iraqi staff

The minister was also shown the benefits of mentoring and training the breadth of skills and capability of the 6,500 mainly Iraqi staff, mostly from the Basra area. Over 1.5 million hours of training across a range of skills has been completed to date with some sessions conducted overseas, including the UK, China and neighbouring Middle East countries.

In the five years since the contract was signed safety has improved enormously.  And safety training extends beyond facilities: for example 8,517 staff and contractors have attended safety driving training which benefits them at work and outside the field.

Notes to Editor

• The 2009 Technical Service Contract signed between SOC and BP, PetroChina and the State Oil Marketing Organization was amended in September 2014 and extended to 2034.

• In September 2014 Rumaila produced its 2 billionth barrel under the TSC

Further information:

Office: Rumaila press office

Email: ROOPressCentre@roobasra.com

BP, er på vegne av Kinnoull feltet co venturers, glade for å kunngjøre oppstart av produksjon fra feltet Kinnoull i den sentrale delen av Nordsjøen. Kinnoull er bps syvende og siste store oppstrøms prosjekt oppstart i 2014.

Kinnoull reservoaret utviklet som en del av en bredere foryngelse av Andrew feltet er knyttet til bps Andrew plattformen, 230 kilometer øst for Aberdeen, og forventes å aktivere produksjon skal forlenges med ytterligere ti år.

For å få tilgang reservoaret, er en ny subsea system installert, sammen med en 700 tonn topside behandling modulen på Andrew plattformen. Produksjonen er nå gjennomført fra feltet Kinnoull Andrew plattformen via en 28 kilometer undervanns rørledning bunt-lengst slikt system i verden-for prosessering og videre eksport via Forties pipeline system (olje) og kattene pipeline system (gass).

Investeringen inkludert omfattende oppussing av Andrew plattform å forbedre sin integritet og driftseffektivitet.

Trevor Garlick, Regional direktør for bps Nordsjøen business sa: "50 år etter BP fikk sin første lisenser i Nordsjøen, en vellykket oppstart av Kinnoull demonstrerer våre fortsatt forpliktelse å maksimere utvinningen fra bassenget.

"Kombinasjonen av brownfield og greenfield utviklingsarbeid-gjennomføre materielle oppgraderinger, bedre påliteligheten av eksisterende anlegg og ettermontering nye fasiliteter på en eksisterende plattform-lagt betydelig til kompleksiteten i prosjektet. I kunne levere den, har vi gjennomført en av de mest utfordrende offshore prosjektene BP har foretatt i Nordsjøen."

"Når vi ser nå for å fortsette våre investeringer og møte utfordringene i et toughening marked, vi må også fortsette å forbedre effektiviteten og konkurranseevne av Nordsjøen virksomheten."

Produksjonen fra Andrew og Kinnoull er prognosen topp på over 50 000 fat oljeekvivalenter per dag, og er ventet å gjøre et betydelig bidrag til BP og forpliktelse til å vokse sine operative cash flow.

Lamar McKay, bps oppstrøms konsernsjef kommentert: "Kinnoull prosjektet er viktig å både Nordsjøen virksomhet og BP grundigere og er et klart eksempel på vår strategi i aksjon. Fremskritt i vår forståelse av reservoaret, distribusjon av det aller siste i UK subsea engineering ferdigheter og et større prosjekt å oppgradere og trygt å starte Andrew plattformen var viktige faktorer i denne vellykkede utvikling."

Rundt oppstod 90% av prosjektets investering i Storbritannia og på topp prosjektet opprettet sysselsetting for over 1000 mennesker i Storbritannia.

UK energiminister Matthew Hancock sa: "Kinnoull prosjektet er et godt eksempel på forplikter vist av regjeringen og offshore industrien å gjøre det meste av Nordsjøen gjenværende ressurser. Samarbeider er vi maksimere potensialet i våre nasjonale olje og gass-reserver, sikre både arbeidsplasser og energi rekvisita."

BP opererer og har en eierandel på 77.06% i Kinnoull, sammen med co venturer JX Nippon leting og produksjon (Storbritannia) Begrenset (22.94%). Andrew er operert av BP, med en eierandel på 62.75%, med co venturers JX Nippon (27.39%) og Talisman-Sinopec (9.86%)

Merknader til redaktører

BP i Nordsjøen:

• Nordsjøen er et viktig område for BP og det forventer å opprettholde en betydelig virksomhet her på lang sikt.

• Sammen med sin co venturers investerer BP over £7 milliarder i Nordsjøen de neste fem årene, inkludert i en rekke store prosjekter i sentrale Nordsjøen og Shetland.

• BP har en aktiv lete- og avgrensningsbrønner program i Nordsjøen, og annonsert i oktober Vorlich funnet i den sentrale delen av Nordsjøen.

• Fjorårets 27 licencing runden i Storbritannia var bps mest vellykkede siden 1990 har blitt tildelt lisenser i over 14 blokker.

• BP har så langt blitt tildelt sju lisens blokker over nordlige og sentrale Nordsjøen som en del av årets 28 lisensiering runde.

Andrew området utviklingsprosjekt

• Siden det startet produksjon i 1996, har bps Andrew plattformen behandlet og eksportert over 200 millioner fat olje og tilsvarende en ytterligere 40 millioner fat assosiert gass.

 - Nye subsea system har følgende nøkkelkomponenter:

 - Tre subsea trær over Kinnoull reservoaret for å kontrollere de nye produksjonsbrønnene.

 - En samling manifold nederst Kinnoull rørledningssystemet, bolig ventiler for å avlede væsker langs bunt og måling for å samle produksjonsdata. Nærmeste til Andrew, bunt ender i rørledning slutten manifold som inneholder subsea isolasjon ventiler. Midtveis langs bunt er en tilknytning struktur for potensielle fremtidige utviklingen av oljefeltet Arundel.

 - Ryggraden i subsea system er 28 km rørledning bunten, som bærer væsker Andrew-plattformen for prosessering. Gruppen inneholder 3 interne rør: en 3-tommers metanol linje, en 6-tommers gassledning heis og en isolert 14-tommers produksjonslinje. 28 km rørledningssystemet ble installert som fire separate 7km deler.

 - Caisson, en 130 meter lang riser som inneholder alle rør å bære væsker og signaler mellom plattformen og havbunnen.

• Konstruksjon ble utført i Aberdeen ved JP Kenny og Wood Group Engineering. Over 2 millioner arbeidstimer ble brukt til å fullføre designarbeid. Viktige elementer ble fabrikkert og levert fra:

 - Wick: Subsea 7 fabrikkert og lansert fire bunt seksjoner;

 - Aberdeen: Enterprise fabrikkert rør spoler og tilhørende rør støtter strukturer for offshore oppkobling av nye modulen.

 - Aberdeen: Wood Group PSN levert offshore konstruksjon;

 - Aberdeen: Cape levert stillas, maleri, Brannvern og isolasjon for offshore hekte og endringer;

 - Leeds: Cameron maskinert og samlet subsea trær;

 - Aberdeen: Qedi leveres ferdigstilling støtte;

 - Aberdeen: Subsea 7 subsea konstruksjon;

 - Bristol: Vetco Gray produsert og testet subsea kontrollsystem;

 - Invergordon: Isleburn fabrikkert stigerør Caisson og undervannsstrukturer;

 - Newcastle: Duco produsert den 28km navle og Bel fabrikkert subsea ventilene;

 - Hartlepool: Heerema bygget og oppdrag 700 tonn prosessen modulen.

 - Aberdeen: Baker Hughes/Hydratight leverte lekkasje testing og flens ledelse;

 - Aberdeen: Prosafe gitt flotel Safe Caledonia;

 - Aberdeen: Isleburn leveres caisson riser fabrikasjon og loadout.

Ytterligere informasjon:

Navn: BP Nordsjøen pressekontor

Telefon: 01224 833056 / 07917 307430

Navn: BP pressekontor, London

Telefon: 020 7496 4076

Utsagn: forbehold uttalelse:

Denne pressemeldingen inneholder visse prognoser, anslag og andre fremtidsrettede uttalelser om bidrag av Kinnoull reservoaret med forlengelsen av produksjon; om toppen i produksjon fra Andrew og Kinnoull på over 50 000 fat oljeekvivalenter per dag; om produksjonen fra Andrew og Kinnoulls bidrag til BP og forpliktelse til å vokse sine operative cash flow og om bps tilstedeværelse, investeringer og aktiviteter i Nordsjøen. I sin natur omfatter fremtidsrettede utsagn risiko og usikkerhet fordi de er knyttet til hendelser og avhengig av omstendigheter som vil oppstå i fremtiden. Faktiske resultater kan avvike fra de uttrykt i slike uttalelser, avhengig av en rekke faktorer, inkludert fremtiden nivåer av industrien produktet; etterspørsel og priser; driftsproblemer; økonomiske og finansielle forhold generelt eller i ulike land og regioner. politisk stabilitet og økonomisk vekst i aktuelle områder av verden; endringer i lover og statlige regler; regelverket eller juridiske handlinger; valutakursendringer; tidsberegningen og volumet av raffineriet tillegg og avbrudd; tidspunktet for å bringe nye felt onstream; den timingen, quantum og visse avhendelser; utvikling og effektiv bruk og vedlikehold av ny teknologi; handlingene til konkurrenter, handelspartnere, kreditorer, ratingbyråene og andre. naturkatastrofer og ugunstige værforhold; endringer i public forventninger og andre endringer i virksomhetsforhold; kriger og terrorisme, cyber-angrep eller sabotasje; og andre faktorer dis "viktigste risikoer og usikkerheter" i våre børsen kunngjøring for perioden endte 30 juni 2014 og under "Risikofaktorer" i årsrapporten og Form 20-F 2013 som er arkivert med US Securities and Exchange Commission.