Episode 1 Cowboy Trap

We're in Clacton, Essex, but no-one would want to be beside the seaside

if they had to live like this.

I opened the door. I looked around and I just burst into tears.

Carol's builders had more front than Clacton pier.

I didn't feel I could speak to them. I knew that I was really in trouble.

We're about to show you some unbelievable building disasters that occur across Britain.

I'm terrified now that if I don't get my money back,

that I'm going to remain like this for all time.

My team's here to address the mess those cowboy builders leave behind.

-EMOTIONAL:

-It's absolutely fabulous.

It's a British trait that we wish for the best but fear the worst.

My science is a bit more exact.

If you take on board our advice and tips,

we'll prevent you from falling into the cowboy trap.

'Today, we're beside the seaside in Clacton, Essex.

'Carol Roberts hoped she'd have a happy retirement here, but then she fell into the cowboy trap.'

I'd just lost my husband.

Trying to do things on my own, I was finding quite difficult.

Then all this on top of it was really...just no good.

'After Carol's husband died, she dreamed of a retirement bungalow

'with no stairs to climb, a nice new kitchen and a lovely shower.

'The only bungalow she could afford was dilapidated

'and required total renovation.

'She needed some reliable builders.'

I felt they were quite trustworthy. I'm afraid I was a little gullible.

'During the search for her new home,

'Carol received a circular from some small-time developers

'who befriended her.

'When she found her bungalow,

'they said it would take their builders a week to renovate, so she could move in.'

When I sold my flat, the money that I had left,

he said, "It will be paid up-front.

"It's only going to take a week and we like to get that sorted."

I said, "I've never paid money up-front before."

He said, "Have we said anything wrong to you?

"No. We wouldn't dream of it. I think you can trust us, don't you?"

I said, "Yes, you've been very fair to me."

'Carol's budget was small and the tiny bungalow required lots of work.

'A dream kitchen, new windows, a lovely shower,

'plus changes to improve the layout.

'Carol was excited.'

They came around to the flat.

They discussed with me what I would like in the bungalow,

what colours I would like.

They brought pictures of kitchens.

In my bathroom they said, "Would you like it tiled from ceiling to floor?"

I said, "Yes, please. I would."

'For £8,300, Carol's heaven-sent developers could fit

'a black and white ex-display kitchen,

'a wall-mounted shower and floor-to-ceiling tiling and screen.

'The list covered two pages. They promised a big team of workers.'

I came up here on the end of the first day and was amazed.

They'd knocked walls down

and done what they said they were going to do.

I thought, "This is really going to be great." I was so excited.

'Although she was excited to see her dream take shape,

'something troubled Carol.'

I did think one thing was strange. There was only one gentleman here.

I said, "Where are the other builders?"

He said, "They'll be here tomorrow."

'Carol's next visit to her bungalow confirmed her worst fears.

'She'd been conned.'

He said, "The kitchen's in the bedroom."

I said, "That's not black and white. That's cream."

He said, "We saw this and thought it would be much better.

"It's going to look beautiful."

When I looked at the kitchen properly,

I thought... I opened the oven door.

And I thought, "Strange. There are crumbs in here."

This kitchen, they told me, was going to be ex-display.

I said, "What? From somewhere like B&Q?"

He said, "Yes, that sort of thing. So we can keep the price down more."

I said, "Ex-display is virtually new, then?"

He said, "Yes, it will be."

Not at all. This kitchen was second-hand.

I said, "Has this kitchen not come out of somewhere?"

He said, "Yes. Ex-display."

I said, "I don't think so. There were crumbs in the oven."

He said, "There can't be."

I said, "I don't think I'm going potty, but there were."

'Coming up, an independent inspector assesses the work done on Carol's bungalow.'

It's not the highest quality.

There's a lot of mistakes, things that should be done.

'Before we bring in our good guys,

'I want to see the mess Carol's dodgy developers left behind.'

I hear you've had some problematic builders.

-Er, yes. Just a little.

-Would you like to show me...?

-Well, I can see some already.

-There was a door here.

They said that they'd block this wall up.

Then I would have just this entrance to go into the kitchen-diner.

And as you can see,

-no way is it finished.

-Nothing like finished.

'Carol's dream bathroom is far from finished.'

There's supposed to be a shower and a shower door.

The sink, the bath and the toilet were here.

They did say, "The toilet doesn't flush very well, but don't worry."

They said, "We'll sort it."

This is the dialogue of trying to be like the good guys. "We'll do that for you!"

What about that window?

It should be toughened glass and it isn't. It's low to the bath.

If I slipped in there,

-I wouldn't be in a very good state if I went through that window.

-No.

That doesn't look like it's toughened.

That certainly needs addressing because if you did fall,

if you slip in the bath, I dread to think if you hit that head-first.

'Carol's dream bathroom never materialised, nor did her dream kitchen.'

-This kitchen was supposed to be brand new.

-Right.

-It was supposed to be black and white.

-Oh!

-Black and white?

-Yes. As you can see, we have cream.

It was supposed to be ex-display.

When they brought this magnolia version along,

cream or whatever you call it,

you said what?

-You said, "OK?"

-No.

I said, "I thought this was... I asked for black and white."

-He said, "We saw this and we thought it was really nice."

-Wow.

-I cannot believe it!

-If that wasn't bad enough, it isn't ex-display.

-It's come out of somebody's house.

-Oh, no! Does that person know?

I bet it's their own! They've got a lovely black and white kitchen.

That really wouldn't surprise me.

I've heard of wrapping your customer in cotton wool, not wrapping your windows in cotton wool.

This is absolutely ridiculous.

Because the windows have been so badly fitted,

there is no trim at all, but there are gaps.

The draught! I couldn't stand at the sink and wash up.

-It was so cold.

-I can feel the wind. It's blowing me hair!

-Show me more things. Are there more in the kitchen?

-Yes, actually.

They did supply a hob. The oven doesn't work properly.

There's an element that's not working. How can this be brand new?

I have no certification for the electrics that have been done.

I have no certification for the gas hob.

'Carol knows she needs certificates from building professionals

'to show the work is safe.

'She's scared, because she has no proof they've been done properly.'

I've noticed, as well, you've got gaffer tape on your French doors.

-The draught is just unbelievable.

-It looks horrible.

They said they would try to sort those doors out cos they were loose.

-Not with gaffer tape.

-It's pretty grim.

Anywhere else we need to see?

As you come through the dining room to the archway...

-Was this opened up?

-No. It wasn't.

I said it would be nice if... Could it be opened into an archway?

-They said, "Yes, that's no problem."

-Into an archway?

-Yes.

The first day, that wall was down from the kitchen and so was this.

Lift that up Clive, would you?

Ooh, it's moveable.

-We've even got dog-ends.

-Oh, dear.

There is nothing there. The draught, feel that.

-Yeah. Wow.

-It's crazy.

-I've got cotton wool in there.

-They've tried to secure the top...

It's an end panel off your kitchen!

I don't know what that is at all. It looks like sort of a filler.

-I had to do all this.

-Where would you be without Bubble Wrap.

-Look!

There's a word that rhymes with the end of Bubble Wrap. That's it.

There's another one on the floor.

They didn't know what they were doing.

'The developers promised miracles but delivered misery.

'Poor Carol had to move into the unfinished bungalow and live among her shattered dreams.

'Our good guys have got a big job to make Carol's home habitable.

'We've got to test the gas and electrics,

'sort out the kitchen and bathroom, and make the windows safe.

'Ian owns a respectable local firm.

'He can't believe Carol's guys wanted cash up front.

'He doesn't expect a deposit

'and uses the industry standard Joint Contract Tribunal,

'or JCT contract, for every job.'

We never take any money up-front. We do a stage payment scheme.

We do monthly payments

and hold the retention for three months at the end.

Any defects, we go back and put right to get the 2.5% retention.

That's how we operate all our work.

'Here's a tip. Good builders don't expect money up-front.

'Ask for a written contract and hold back money to fix snags.

'Ian and his team have got a lot of work ahead

'to right these cowboys' wrongs.'

We've got the electrician.

-We've got the gas heating engineer on his way.

-Fantastic.

The plasterer's already in there.

The carpenter's in there. The floor tilers are on-site tomorrow.

What about in the kitchen?

We're going to test the electrics.

-Her cooker doesn't work, so we've got a new cooker.

-Wonderful!

Great to talk to you.

I'll catch up with you and the boys as we progress. Seriously, I cannot wait!

'Before we start, independent building inspector Graham Driver

'gives me his verdict on the renovation by Carol's developers.'

There's a lot of mistakes,

things that just shouldn't be done and made.

There's many reasons behind the problems with this window.

-That's incredible, isn't it?

-It is.

They should have filled it, packed it and covered it with a strip.

They've put a bit of foam in at one end.

That's not adequate for this position.

As our independent surveyor,

if I asked you to give this guy a mark out of ten, what figure comes to mind?

Er... Probably around three.

Well, I think three's fair. It's a fair figure.

It's about what I would have given it.

I'd have given one for turning up

and two for supplying some materials.

Obviously, we're going to rectify all that.

'Three out of ten is a shocking score.

'Coming up, I'll discover why Carol's bodged bathroom window

'is bad news.'

Three, two, one...

-SMASH

-It made me feel quite sick.

'After the developers had conned Carol out of her £8,000,

'son Neil became worried about his mum's health.'

She's been stuffing cotton wool in to stop the draught,

buying little heaters, and you see your mum...

You hear stories about older ladies sat in their houses freezing cold.

Until you see it happen to your own mum, it doesn't really hit home.

'The dodgy developers befriended Carol during her property search.

'She trusted their expertise.

'I want to discover when she realised they were swindling her out of her savings.'

-Did they say how long it would take to do the work?

-Yes. They were quite up-front about that.

When I explained the sort of thing I wanted,

they said, "That's no problem at all.

"Because we have got a TEAM

"of workMEN

"that we use all the time."

He said, "That sort of job will be done in a week, no problem."

-A week. How much?

-Well, originally it was £7,000.

Then it went up to eight.

'The developers gave Carol a two-page list of all the jobs

'their men would do for £8,000.

'New windows, an ex-display kitchen,

'changes to the layout, a tiled bathroom and a shower.

'It sounded great. On the third day, Carol visited again.

'She wondered where all the men were.'

I spoke to the gentleman and said, "Where are the other gentlemen?"

He said, "There are none." I said, "What do you mean there are none?"

He said, "There's only me.

"Don't say I said anything,

"but they've only paid me for four days' work."

Well, my heart sank.

I really started to panic because I looked around me and thought,

"There's absolutely no way this is going to be done in a week."

I questioned them. "Don't worry. It will all be done, we assure you."

'Before she moved in, Carol handed over every penny -

'£8,300.

'The developers promised their team could finish in one week,

'but they paid just one builder £750 to do the job.

'When he finished, Carol had no choice but to move in.'

On the Saturday afternoon, I got a phone call to say,

"It's now ready for you to move in." I said, "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Your carpets are fitted. All your furniture's in.

"You can move in. There are a couple of little snagging jobs to be done.

"The builder will be back on Monday to do them."

I said, "OK, fair enough.

I came up here. I opened the door.

I looked around and I burst into tears.

I could not believe what I was looking at.

When they said, "We'll be back on Tuesday,"

my mum said to me, "No, they've still not come yet.

She phoned them. He said, "I'm just waiting for my builder.

"He's got other jobs. He'll be there next week."

Next week turned into next month.

I said, "What the hell's going on?" It made me so angry.

They literally just disappeared.

It was shocking, really was shocking how they left it.

I really don't know, to this day,

why I did it.

The only thing I can say is, because of my situation...

Um...

Yes, I was grieving. I was a bit round the bend, I think.

It had been a very, very traumatic experience and...

-They knew that, didn't they?

-Yeah.

They knew that you were unbalanced and upset.

-VOICE BREAKING:

-It's very, very hard...

As I say, I'm the sort of person, as you said,

that I do trust.

I trust rather too readily, I think.

Um... And I just...

I just believed what they said.

I can understand that.

There are many people... Give me your hand.

I'm really sorry you had this situation.

What I will say is that it's a big learning curve.

It was a very, very emotional time for you.

We're here to help you now. I promise you, Carol.

We're here to help you.

'If you're feeling vulnerable, like Carol:

'We've got a lot of work to restore Carol's faith in human nature.

'We've got just the right team on the job.

'We'll make sure she has safety certificates for gas and electric,

'and her windows and doors comply with safety and installation rules

'agreed by the trade body FENSA and building inspectors.'

Trevor, you're our man in glass. Nice to meet you.

We've had problems with the window

that's been put in the bathroom.

Describe the main problem as far as FENSA regulations are concerned.

FENSA are quite specific.

Any glass in a bathroom, where the glass is immediately above a bath, has to be toughened safety glass.

If you look on a corner, all toughened safety glass

has to carry the kite mark there.

Looking at that glass there,

there's no kite mark, which tells me that glass isn't toughened.

'We're going to see what might happen if Carol were to fall against standard glass.'

I'm going to back well away because glass shattering is dangerous.

He's going to use a lump hammer.

Three, two, one...

Ooh!

Dear!

Now, look at that.

They are absolutely sharp shards.

-Imagine if she'd fallen against it.

-Rip her to pieces, wouldn't it?

Terrible.

'Let's see what might happen

'if you should fall against toughened safety glass.'

Three, two, one... Drop the hammer.

'Toughened glass is the safest option.

'If it does break, it breaks in a special way.'

That's gone like a car windscreen.

Safe as houses.

I would not be doing that with this glass with my bare hands.

'We're ready to prove these cowboys have cut corners.

'I've expressed doubts about Carol's bathroom window.

'Let's see if I'm right.'

Three, two, one... Drop the hammer.

Yeah. For sure. Look at that!

-Not toughened.

-Not toughened at all.

Just look how sharp those shards are. That is a nightmare.

That was a nightmare waiting to happen.

-Carol?

-Yes.

That is from your bathroom window.

If I'd have slipped in the bath...

Look at the shards. That was cutting corners because it was cheaper.

Just to let you know the type of characters you're dealing with.

It's made me feel quite sick.

'Follow my tip and you don't need

'to smash the window to find out if it's toughened safety glass.

'Coming up, what would Carol like to say to her dodgy developer?'

"Why did you, after we built up a relationship,

"after weeks and weeks, do something so horrible and so despicable?"

'There's drama. I come face-to-face with the only builder

'hired to do this shocking job.'

I'd done one job for one of the guys and that was on his house.

Smokey...!

'So that our team can get busy fixing Carol's bungalow,

'we're packing her off to a hotel.

'First, we've got to find Carol's cat Smokey.'

Smokey!

Follow me.

'With Smokey the cat finally lured along with Misty,

'it's time for Carol to head off for some luxury and a much-needed rest.'

Off to the cat hotel.

CAROL LAUGHS

-I'll strap 'em in.

-Well, where am I going?

-The cats are going to the cat hotel. You're going to a nice hotel.

-Right.

-Bye.

-I don't want to see you again...

-Get in. I don't want to see you again until Thursday.

-OK.

-Have a nice time.

-Thank you.

-Pamper yourself.

-OK.

-But no going paddling in the sea.

-I won't.

-See you soon.

Missing you already!

'The dodgy developers promised to fill Carol's bungalow with builders.

'They lied, but we keep our promises.

'We're fixing the unfinished changes to the layout.

'There's tons going on.'

I've got a top tip with an envelope.

When you're drilling you get debris.

If you've got textured walls, it gets stuck in the texture.

Here's a simple exercise. Fold back the envelope.

You've got the sticky bit. Wet it so it's sticky.

Or use Sellotape. That's probably best.

I'm hoping this works.

Just below where the hole is, stick that up there

and purse out the bag.

OK, drill away. And it catches the bits!

Right, watch this. I'm going to take down the old envelope.

And inside... Et voila!

We have said debris.

Perfect little tip. Very simple.

'During her property search, Carol was befriended by developers.

'They said their tradesmen could renovate her bungalow in one week.

'She paid them £8,300 up-front,

'but they gave just one builder 750 quid to do all the work.'

-Had you done loads of work for them in the past?

-I'd done one job.

That was no problem. That was on his house.

I didn't even know what the job was.

-Do you know if it was an ex-display kitchen?

-I was informed it was.

When I started to fit it,

my personal opinion was it looked more like a secondhand one.

-Did an electrician fit the oven?

-I fitted the oven into the housing.

-I was told they had an electrician to fit it cos I'm not qualified...

-..To do that.

What about the hob? That has to have somebody with a gas certificate.

I told them it had to be electrically and gas checked.

Are you saying, just to clarify,

that you installed it and wired it up and gassed it up...?

-It was all turned off and told it had to be checked before the person could come in.

-OK.

What she was left with you're saying you didn't finish it anyway.

-You got so far but there was lots of work...

-Loads of stuff.

There's more work there than...

They told me three days' work.

I did five days to try to get enough of the stuff inside done

so she could move in.

-Yes.

-Then I heard them promise they'd come back later and do it.

In your opinion, do you think, Richard,

-that this was done to a satisfactory level?

-Not at all.

What is your opinion, in the way they've handled the work with Carol?

"Cowboy" springs to mind.

'Richard says he's learned his lesson.

'He vows he'll never touch electrics or gas he's not qualified to work on again.

'Carol was left living with untested electrics, unsafe gas

'and dangerous windows.'

Eventually, I went to the Citizens Advice Bureau.

It was making me really ill.

Knocked her self-confidence in a big way.

She worries about the slightest thing.

She used to be quite a level-headed person,

a bit of a fighter, really.

Obviously, dealing with my dad and whathaveyou, it's taken the wind out of her sails.

I thought I daren't do anything,

if anybody wants to see what's to be put right.

So you can't dust properly. You can't clean properly.

My kitchen's a mess. I feel as though I'm living in a hovel.

'Carol's real beef is with the developer.

'She trusted them and they conned her.

'We invited him to speak to Carol.

'He said, "I bet she put on the sweet little old lady act."

'He said the kitchen was worth £6,500 and came from a show flat.

'There were a few small jobs left, but he'd done lots for Carol.

'What would she like to say to him?'

I'd say, "Why did you do what you did?

"Why did you not finish the work?

"Why did you, after we'd built up such a relationship,

"after weeks and weeks, do something so horrible and so despicable?

"You introduced me to your wife, your kids and left me in a mess."

All part of the cowboy builder's ploy, if you like,

to suck you in.

'Now Carol's ready to telephone the developer and tell him how she feels, there's a surprise.'

The number's unavailable.

'Since we called him, the developer has disconnected his phone.'

-It's rare that they'll close down their home number.

-That is amazing.

I'm truly surprised.

For me, now,

the future is looking bright.

You haven't seen what's been going on

because you've been ensconced in a hotel!

-I've seen the good guys at work and I'm excited!

-Are you?

I'm very excited, Carol.

'Coming up,

'I can't wait to see Carol's reaction back at her bungalow.'

GASPS

Oh, my God!

'We'll find out how organisations like Citizens Advice can help people

'like Carol, who are lured into the cowboy trap.'

If they need support or someone to fill in forms,

we'll help clients.

We can be a full support system.

'Carol's dodgy developer took over £8,000 to do the work we're doing.

'The state they left the gas and electrics in

'was an accident waiting to happen.'

I was talking to the builder earlier that did the original work.

He was saying that he fitted the electrics and he fitted the gas,

which he cannot do!

-He's not qualified to do that.

-No.

What he was saying was that he'd advised the developer not to use it

until somebody came in who was qualified to give it certification.

In my experience, normally, when you phone an electrician and say,

"Do you mind coming to pass the work?" What's the answer?

-Absolutely not.

-You wouldn't associate yourself?

-No.

'Follow my top tip and you'll stay safe.

'They should carry them on the job.

'Qualified guys won't sign off work they haven't done.

'When Carol realised she'd been conned,

'she turned to the Citizens Advice Bureau - their service is free.

'They point you in the right direction when you're in trouble.'

We empathise but don't get emotional about the issues they're facing.

We would help her break it down and see it straight.

Now, Carol's out of pocket by £8,000.

What would your advice be,

in terms of legal action and the proceedings thereafter?

There are things you have to do before you take legal action.

You have to try to negotiate with the person that's ripped you off or owes you money.

You have to try that first, then you go with writing letters.

If they're not answered, you can take court action.

Citizens Advice can support you, or get the forms from the County Court.

How can we redress the balance, specifically,

and get after these guys?

Be wary of leaflets through the door. Act on recommendations.

Check out people who send flyers.

They may be targeting vulnerable people.

By you reporting it,

and through the evidence that Citizens Advice collect,

other people can become aware of these organisations

or people that are acting locally,

and help them stop targeting vulnerable people.

'Citizens Advice helped Carol write letters and complete court papers.

'Legal action is stressful and, with little chance of getting cash back,

'Carol's since decided life's too short to waste in court.

'It's taken Ian's team three days

'to do the jobs Carol paid her developer to do.

'The good guys are in.

'Carol can be confident all the jobs have been done safely.

'I can't believe the craftsmanship behind the rendering work.'

I am loving that! How did he do that?

He's done it freehand,

bevelled the edges out, so it matches to the original blocks.

It is a real piece of art, especially if he's done it freehand.

That is a talent.

-What's been going on inside? Tell me what you've been doing.

-Lots.

The boys have been working long hours and cracking on.

Hopefully, we're near the end.

We have put the bathroom suite in.

-We've tiled. A few more problems we didn't anticipate as well!

-Like?

The copper gas pipe went from the mains straight to the cooker with no turn-off cock.

That's, obviously, illegal, so we had to put one of those on.

More electrics, believe it or not.

-Lots of bad connections, lights, everything.

-Wow.

It took more time than anticipated.

-But no stop valve for the gas?

-No.

-No shut-off valve?

-No.

-Dangerous.

I can't wait. It's going to be a fantastic bit of kit to look at.

I'm sure Carol's going to be well excited.

-I can't wait to see her face!

-Nor can I.

'The electrics were lethal. The gas was dangerous.

'The windows were frightening but Trevor, who's amazing with glazing,

'has done more than we dared dream.'

Tell us exactly what you have done throughout the property.

We put new French doors and a new window in, toughened safety glass.

All with the low emissivity glass to help keep a lot of heat in.

-It reduces heat loss through the windows and doors.

-Crucial.

-Especially this time of year.

-And all part of FENSA regulations.

When you put in replacement double-glazing, you have to put in low-emissivity glass.

A key factor of the regulations.

Importantly, with the safety glass, you replaced that bathroom window.

A brand new bathroom window. Toughened safety glass.

We saw what happened in the test.

-It's not going to cause her harm.

-A cracking job.

Thanks, Trevor. Top man.

'Three days ago, Carol's bungalow was draughty and dangerous.

'The developers left a catalogue of disasters.

'Windows were badly fitted and potentially lethal.

'Electrics were unsafe and the gas untested. A door led to nowhere.

'Gaps let the cold come in all over.

'The toilet didn't flush and the promised shower never materialised.

'Trevor, Ian and the whole team have worked miracles.

'I can't wait to see Carol's face when she gets back from the hotel.'

She's here!

-Hello, Carol.

-Hello!

-Are you refreshed?

-Refreshed?

-In that hotel.

-Yes, I am.

-How are you?

-I'm all right.

Are you excited?

Yes, very!

-I'm excited, and I've seen it!

-Have you?

-Yeah.

Before we take a look at anything,

-I'm going to give you a quick reveal of outside before we go in.

-OK.

Remind me what the property was like before we arrived.

-Dare I say?

-Yeah. Say what you like.

An absolute disaster.

Gaps under the window sills. The toilet didn't flush.

A bathroom that nobody would want to go into.

-The kitchen was a disaster. Do you want me to go on?

-No more.

What are you hoping for?

A nice shower and a bathroom that works,

and a kitchen sink I can use and wipe down my window sills.

Oh, no! I didn't realise you wanted that(!)

Ha-ha!

Don't tease!

OK, Carol. Keep those eyes closed for me.

-Are you ready?

-Hm.

Three, two, one... You're in your new house.

GASPS

Oh, my God!

Look at my tiles!

SHE LAUGHS

Fantastic, eh?

Isn't it amazing what the good guys can do?

Oh, look! It's just how I imagined it in the beginning.

Fantastic. Lovely tiles there.

-They're beautiful.

-Paintwork that's matching your kitchen cabinets.

-Really lovely.

-I've got something else to show you.

-What's that?

I've got loads to show you. I want you to turn round...

-I've got a new oven!

-You've got a brand spanking new oven.

-Brushed stainless steel!

-Oh! It's beautiful!

-I don't believe it.

-It's great, isn't it?

That is absolutely wonderful.

-The hob is now working properly.

-Another light! That is so lovely.

-Again...

-It's all boxed in!

-All the pipework's gone.

That horrible plastic's now gone. All looking great.

-Let me tell you...

-I'm crying.

-Are you happy?

Are you chuffed with it?

-VOICE BREAKING:

-Yeah. I am.

-It proves what the good guys can do.

Do you think?

Has it given you a bit more faith?

Yeah?

'There's so much to take in.

'The lads went beyond even my wildest dreams.'

-Remember this little feature?

-Yes.

SHE GASPS

Oh, look!

-That's nice.

-Isn't that beautiful?

It's totally different.

Oh, that...! Oh, look!

It's all finished properly!

-It feels warmer in here!

-It does. Remember that gaffer tape...?

-GASPS

-Oh, my God!

No?

-It's all new!

-It is!

SHE LAUGHS AND SOBS

-LAUGHING:

-Oh, my God!

Brand new door, window.

The whole lot. Secure.

Oh, that is absolutely fantastic.

-VOICE BREAKING:

-Thank you so much.

It's not the end yet! It is great, though.

-Unbelievable.

-I dread to think what you'll say about the next thing.

I can't... I just can't...

-You can't believe it!

-I can't!

-Can't believe it. Well, believe it.

Believe it, OK?

-What we're going to do now is move on...

-Right.

..To. The. Bathroom.

-No?

-Oh, yes!

-You ready?

-Yes.

-Come on.

'And the grand finale, what Carol was promised and never got,

'the shower over the bath.'

GASPS

A shower!

Oh, my word!

And a new toilet! It flushes!

It's absolutely beautiful! Look at the tiles on the floor!

Oh, my God!

New light fittings. Nice, isn't it?

It's absolutely fabulous.

That horrible window has gone.

-Yes. That very dangerous window had gone.

-Indeed.

It's looking so beautiful. The guys have done a fantastic job.

Absolutely magnificent.

I just want to thank you all so very, very, very much.

What can I say? I'm overwhelmed. I really am.

'We fully installed Carol's kitchen with a new electric oven

'and made gas and electric safe - she's got certificates to prove it.

'The feature shelf in the archway is professionally finished.

'There are low heat-loss windows, and toughened glass where necessary.

'The bathroom has been tiled with a new suite and a wall-mounted shower.

'Finally, Carol has the retirement home she longed for.

'There's one final surprise we kept back for best.

'Neil is here to see his mum's dream come true.'

-She doesn't know you're here.

-Right.

Oh!

-What do you think, Neil?

-It's fantastic.

-It's good, eh?

-Yes.

-Pleased?

-Yes.

I am.

'Carol was conned by developers after the loss of her husband.

'Here's the tip. Be wary of new-found friends

'who promise to help you but help themselves to your cash.'

He's the best son any woman could ever want in this world.

What an accolade! Fantastic.

I want you to really enjoy your new home,

which is something you wanted to do for a long time.

I hope we gave you faith in the good guys cos there's lots out there.

I never, in the whole of my life,

ever had anybody do anything like this for me.

I am just... I'm just so grateful.

Far be it from me to state the obvious, but I think you can say Carol is very happy.

As far as I'm concerned, it's one up for the good guys.

'If you've had a problem and would like to tell your story...

'Help us round up the cowboys.'

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd