Episode 14 Cowboy Trap

Today, we're in Rotherham,

where one cowboy builder cleaned out a hard working family.

Basically we were shocked.

We were like, "We can't afford it, you know, it's too much."

Leaving their home and finances in tatters.

They just said, "I'm sorry, Mrs North, you took out the loan, you're responsible to pay it."

And I said, "But my toilet doesn't work."

I'm travelling the length and breadth of the country

and witnessing for myself the devastation cowboy builders cause.

When the toilet fell off the wall, we tried ringing him, and that's when the number was dead.

My team of experts will be righting the wrongs and giving people their homes back.

It's not even the same room, is it?

Stick with me and I'll help prevent you from falling into the Cowboy Trap.

On today's Cowboy Trap,

we'll reveal why you should be very wary if your builder offers to lend you money to pay his bill.

This young couple fell into one trap and then another, when their builder sold them a loan

and then a shower room they didn't even need.

We knew we had to get it paid off quickly,

so Steve was working longer hours.

We didn't feel no benefit from Steve working longer hours,

because we were just using it to clear this loan quicker.

This young family wanted central heating to improve their sick child's health,

but ended up with years of debt for a job the builder didn't even do.

We was gutted, but we knew, well we thought we didn't have a leg to stand on.

If you're thinking of borrowing money to make improvements to your home,

I've got lots of advice to help prevent you making the same mistakes.

We're in Rotherham. Becky and Steve North got their first foot on the housing ladder four years ago.

The young married couple couldn't afford much,

and the dilapidated three-bedroom house required lots of work.

It was really old and dated.

Walls were pink and green with a red and gold carpet.

No central heating.

The Norths were getting by on modest incomes.

Becky is a teaching assistant and Steve a call-centre worker.

When they moved in, Abigail and Owen were just toddlers, so they hoped

most of the work on the house could wait. But then, Owen fell ill.

Owen was in and out of hospital with asthma attacks all the time and at night, the more it got colder,

the worse his asthma got in the evening.

No central heating and a family to keep warm.

They needed an answer, and they needed it fast.

And they thought they'd found it in their local newspaper, with an offer that seemed too good to be true.

We'd seen an advert in the paper.

Full house central heated and it would cost from £9 per week.

We thought, "Well, we can afford that."

So we decided to give that guy a ring.

The advert said £1,700, but the cost more than doubled

when the tradesman came calling one evening.

By the time the chap had got to the house,

it must have been ten past eight.

We'd spent nearly an hour discussing where things would go,

where radiators, which rooms and everything else.

The tradesman worked out how many radiators were required, and where the boiler would go.

Then, when he finished doing his sums, he delivered the Norths a big surprise.

It turned out to be 3,500.

Basically, we were shocked. So we were discussing how we could pay it,

and the realisticness of whether we could afford it.

But, before we'd actually had a chance to

speak to each other about it properly, he'd already started filling out this booklet.

Becky and Steve were staggered to discover that the

quote to install central heating was twice as expensive as the ad said.

Worried about their young son's asthma they were about to make a terrible mistake.

He didn't have any figures to hand, because he was just the man what signed the paperwork.

He said it would have to all go back to the office.

On the night, everything was just so fast, it was so professional.

We trusted him. We really believed that he was looking after us.

He said, "I know how you're feeling, it's awful seeing your kids poorly."

At the time he was genuine.

We thought he was really a nice man.

He asked us to sign them, so he could take them away and complete them back at home. Oh, my God!

It sounds so bad when I say it back to myself.

Now, here's the good news. Becky and Steve did get their central heating.

A few days later, they discovered they could get it free from the Government's Warm Front scheme

for people on low incomes.

2 million homes have already benefited.

I was excited, I was like, "Ooh, we haven't got to take a loan out."

It was a relief.

So, a happy ending for the family. Or so they thought.

We phoned the man and said, "Oh, we can have it for free.

"Can we cancel it?" And he said we couldn't cancel the loan, the finance had already been approved.

Here's a very important tip.

When you take out any kind of loan, the law is on your side.

To protect borrowers who are talked into signing,

a "cooling off period" is compulsory. Usually 14 days.

This allows you to cancel the agreement without penalty.

But the tradesman didn't tell the Norths this.

Instead, he told them to think of some other building work to spend the loan on.

So I suggested a kitchen, because it's quite dated.

But, for 3,500, we didn't have enough money

to have a new kitchen, because it meant him employing other contractors to come in.

So, between the three of us we came up with different ideas,

and we suggested in the end having a shower room put in downstairs.

Becky and Steve had tried to cancel the loan they could ill afford.

And now they were about to be conned into having a shower room fitted instead.

I had this dream in my head, what it was going to look like.

We picked the colour of the tiles, we said we wanted the tiles to match the floor.

Now Becky and Steve may have thought that their builder was a real hero,

by providing them not only finance, but sorting out that bathroom, too.

But I've got to say he went quickly from hero to zero.

But, even though the central heating was installed for free, the builder refused to cancel the loan.

And Becky and Steve were forced to embark on improvements they could ill afford.

The day after, the young guy came by himself.

I asked where the boss was, because they were both doing the work together.

But he never came back to do any work, the young guy did it all by himself.

And on the day he said that we didn't have enough money for the shower,

and the tiles and the floor, we could only have a toilet and sink.

So we was gutted, but we knew, well we thought we didn't have a leg to stand on,

so we just had to let it go ahead.

He'd had the money already, the finance company had paid the money directly into his bank.

So we was paying for something, so we just went ahead with the toilet and the sink.

This is one of the most depressing stories I've heard.

A builder shamelessly exploiting a young family trying to care for their sick child.

Coming up, I'll be inspecting the most expensive toilet and sink I've ever seen.

This is all you've got? This is what we've got, yep.

A toilet, and a sink for £3,500?

We're in Rotherham, with the North family.

Not only has their new bathroom thrown Becky and Steve into terrible debt,

it's creating a terrible stink.

You can imagine what it smells like. It's just stale...

Ugh, it's awful. You can smell it from the dining room, and it comes all the way in here.

That's what all this brown stuff is around the bottom of the toilet. As it's leaked, it's stained.

So we're forever scrubbing it.

Family friend, Simon Millington, says the bodged bathroom has left the family embarrassed.

Having a room that you don't go into

because you're so embarrassed to go into it.

Embarrassed even to have people come into your home

because there's a smell in the property from,

you know, sewage and one thing or another.

No wonder there's a big stink.

Look at this bodged pipe work, it's like follow the yellow brick road.

It goes out of the toilet, up there, down here,

back of the sink, through my cupboard at the back, through this wall.

It goes on the floor down here, and then in this corner it goes down.

Then it comes all the way through here.

And that's where it goes up again into the down pipe outside.

Becky and Steve's friends are appalled

that anyone could so mercilessly take advantage of the young couple.

I came round and saw it, and it just looks shocking.

I was genuinely gutted for them.

Becky, she was every two minutes apologising for the smell.

We were like, "It's not your fault.

"It's obviously dodgy builders that have done it."

There's not a lot you can do about that, is there?

This family have been treated appallingly.

First they tried to cancel their loan, and then their new bathroom ends in disaster.

But just how bad did things get?

It's time for me to meet the Norths.

-Hi, Becky. I'm Clive from Cowboy Trap. How are you?

-Fine, thank you.

I hear you've had problems with cowboy builders?

-Yes.

-Do you mind showing me the mess?

-Yes, come on in.

OK, so this is the area that you wanted work on?

What's the plan for this room? Because obviously there's lots to do in here.

-This wall was supposed to be knocked out.

-Right.

He said it's just a stud wall.

Yes, it is. You can hear that.

A door was supposed to go on that wall there.

Yes, you've got to have a door separating into the living room.

-Shower just way you're stood in that corner.

-OK.

All these cupboards were going to be knocked out, plastered everywhere.

Splash tiles, a new floor.

OK.

Out of all of that dream, all you've got is the toilet and wash basin?

-Yes.

-What happened to the rest of it?

-We didn't have enough money.

-As far as I'm aware, he's taken £3,500?

-And this is all you got?

-This is what we got, yes.

A toilet and a sink for £3,500?

-But nothing else?

-Nothing else.

And it only lasted six months.

-What did?

-The toilet, we had to stop using it.

Because it was incorrectly fitted?

It leaked. The water level was too high, so it leaked down the back, and made the wall damp.

So it fell off the wall. That's why it's propped up with pieces of wood.

I can't believe it.

-I can see the wood now. I didn't know what that wood was for.

-To keep it in place.

So that's holding the cistern in place?

-Mm-hmm.

-Why a Saniflow, by the way?

It's to do with the pipe work, apparently. We couldn't have a normal toilet because there's no downpipe.

The downpipe is at the back of the house, not the front.

Right.

But surely there must be some drainage out there into the sewer?

Because you're on the front of the road here.

Yes. Everybody else has got their drainage pipe at the front.

Right, OK. I don't get it.

Certainly, it's not £3,500 worth.

That's for sure. You're looking, in terms of materials, £500.

And that's it. That's all you got?

That's all we got.

It's not really the dream, is it?

No, it's not my dream, no.

We just shut this room off and pretended it doesn't exist. We couldn't bear to come in here.

-More your nightmare.

-Yes, it's a nightmare.

-Unbelievable.

I can't believe what they've actually left you with.

And the smell is from... nothing leaves that box.

Everything stays in that box, because the pipework goes upwards.

Right, so you've got no fall line?

No. That's why we thought the cats were doing their business in the house,

but they're not, it's come back to this room.

To be fair,

whoever installed this didn't have a clue.

I'll be honest, I'd go as far as to say I'd rip it up and start again.

It's just a complete and utter waste.

It's had a whole new cistern inside as well.

Wow.

£3,500. And you're paying for that, still paying for that?

Still paying for it, yes.

A £3,500 loan to pay for this?

With all the interest added, the Norths calculate the job

will finally cost them £11,000 by the time the debt is cleared.

So what they've got for their £3,500 is a toilet

that's not worth a penny any more, they've got a sink and a pedestal.

That's your lot. £500 tops.

Just an absolute nightmare.

I personally can't get over it.

I don't think I've ever been in a situation like this that's exasperated me so much.

To think that somebody could do this to a vulnerable young couple.

It's nothing that I could comprehend.

I'd like to put things right, so it's time to bring on the boys.

These macerator toilet systems are specialist kit, and do require care.

Before we rip out this bodged installation, I want to show how they're supposed to work.

The manufacturer has a special demo rig.

The macerator system is an absolute gem when it comes to toilets.

Now, if you're short on space or you haven't got room

to put a standard toilet in, and cistern with the pipe work,

this is brilliant because it works on a small bore pipe, rather than a large bore pipe.

At the back you've got a little box with a system of blades in there.

When the waste goes in, it's macerated and liquefied.

And it can actually be the system that forces water up rather than down as a gravity fed system would.

Let me just show you what I mean. Let me just lift the toilet seat.

I'm going to put in a bit of dye so you can see it.

For this purpose, we've actually put in some clear pipework so you can see this going.

I'm going to put some toilet tissue in. A few pieces.

It's a simple system.

When you flush the toilet,

you'll hear the motor come on.

There it is.

And then, up through that clear pipe there,

you can see it all whisking away to the soil system outside.

Simple, easy to install, but you must get the professionals to do it.

Before our good guys get stuck in, I want to hear from independent building inspector, Colin Harrop,

and get his verdict on this cowboy job.

What are the main problems that you've actually found in here,

that aren't to your liking?

The problem is here, Clive,

that somebody has basically turned up and put in a bathroom into a room

that was never designed to be a bathroom.

One thing I didn't understand about the toilet was, just

outside you've got a soil pipe, or a waste, out there.

And they've decided to put the Saniflow in, and I think take about nine metres of pipe

out the back. I just didn't understand that at all.

No, I'm a bit curious as to why that decision was taken as well.

But why ever it was taken, I don't think it was the right thing to do.

I don't think they knew what they were doing.

The work that has been done has been pretty shoddy and there's a lot of problems with it.

But one of the main problems is, it hasn't been thought through

in the way that I'd usually expect work to have been thought through.

Typically, if you've got a room which is a store room or something similar,

and you want to turn that into a bathroom,

you should speak to your local authority about getting building regulations approval.

-As far as I know, that hasn't been done here.

-Right.

And therefore there are arrangements in the design of this that really, really, we wouldn't recommend,

and are potentially even dangerous.

The other thing that worried me, and I don't know if it worries you, is, well,

I know it's going to worry you! And that's a circa Noah's boat, shall we say,

that that come off.

About 1958/1960, old, rewireable fuse board.

-Which is nowhere near modern standards.

-Absolutely, you're right.

The fact that you have an old fuse board in the house isn't necessarily a problem in itself,

but when you introduce then a sink near it, where people can touch it with wet hands, it's a real concern.

So this isn't an arrangement that we'd recommend at all.

When you're dealing with electrical components, you can't mess around. You can't take a shortcut.

Get an electrician and your council involved because you could come up with something dangerous.

It's important that these things are done properly.

What mark out of ten would you give them for the work?

I think, for the work that's been done here, I'd give them a two out of ten.

For the way in which it's been approached in terms of regulations, it's none out of ten.

None out of ten? Shocking.

Follow my tip when changing the use of rooms in your home.

If you want to install a toilet in a room where wasn't one previously,

you must comply with building regulations

to ensure the work meets all the safety and hygiene rules.

Becky and Steve's installation would never be approved,

because it's too close to the main electrical fuse box.

Water and electricity just don't mix.

The building control officer for the Norths' area explains how the cowboy builder broke the rules.

Basically, you have a wet area,

and there are limitations under the IEE regulations,

which is the electrical regulations

for installation of domestic electrics.

And they've put too close to what was the sink unit.

If you convert it back into a not wet room, back into the type of room it originally was,

which was a habitable room to start off with, then you don't need building regulations.

There's no contravention.

So this room would never have been approved as a shower room.

But if the basin and toilet are removed, there will be no breach of the rules.

We'll have to break that news to the Norths.

Coming up, I'm shocked to discover Becky and Steve

are going to be paying back their loan for a very long time.

We thought it was to be over three years, it turns out it's over ten.

We're in Rotherham, with Becky and Steve North and their children, seven-year-old Abigail

and six-year-old Owen.

Four years ago, a cowboy conman sold them a loan to install central heating.

But then they discovered they could get it for free.

But when they tried to cancel the loan, the tradesman refused, and sold them a bodged bathroom instead,

which should never have been installed near the main fuse box.

We can't move the fuse box, because the wiring is too old.

So, they can't have a shower room.

But Becky and Steve have come up with a great idea

that'll be a wonderful surprise to their children, Abigail and Owen.

The children would love it being a toy room.

They would think it's fantastic being able to go in there

and not having to have the small space around the table.

They'd have somewhere to call their own, and they don't know yet.

They think it's still going to be a shower room, so they've got no idea

that there's a surprise in it for them as well.

A new toy room is a great idea.

The room should never have been converted into a toilet in the first place.

Mark is running our job today, so what's the plan?

Just come and explain to me exactly what the plan is,

in terms of take out and refit, what are you going to be doing?

We're going to take out the toilet and wash hand basin,

patch up the walls where there's holes in the walls.

Put some new flooring down.

And just decorate, and tidy everything up in there.

Wonderful. In terms of time, how long?

Obviously, time is of the essence for us guys, we're all over the country.

We want to get the job done right. How long do you think it will take?

We should get a lot of it done today.

We'll have to come back and finish things off.

Two, maybe three days.

Brilliant. Thank you, sir. Good to see you.

Let's get cracking, come on.

We've got a big job ahead to transform this horrible, smelly facility into a toy room,

which is safe for Abigail and Owen.

We'll strip out the plumbing and cap off the water supply.

Then we'll make good all the walls and decorate in a colour scheme the kids will love.

Finally, we'll fit new laminate flooring so the floor is warm, clean and inviting.

While the good guys get stuck in, I want to track back with Becky and Steve

and find out more about that loan.

We needed central heating. We knew when we bought the house it would take us

quite a few years to save up, but Owen got too bad the first Christmas we were in.

We saw an advert in the paper where it said, have your full house central heated for £1,700.

Finance was arranged by him.

Because that advert stated how much it was, we rang him.

When he got here, he came in and said no, it's just going to be just short of 3,500,

because you're not a two-up and two-down.

What it does is, it allows him in and once he's in, then he goes "No, this is going to cost X."

The other interesting thing is, £1,700, and he'll organise the finance

if you can't afford 1,700 quid?

Owen was ill, so we thought we was doing the best.

-Everything tipped towards the goal.

-Yeah.

It just felt so right, didn't it? He said, "I can give you the finance."

We thought the finance was coming from his company.

At the top of that letter head it would have had a company on it.

-Did you notice it?

-No. We didn't get...

We didn't actually have it in front of us to see.

He was sitting here, covering it over, just filling in all the bits?

We filled in part of it. Because of Steve didn't finish work until eight, it was quarter to nine by this time.

He said, "This is all duplicated, if you were just sign it I can fill it in at home."

He was so smooth, he was so professional.

This is what they are. That's the way they do it, Becky.

From a financial point of view, he's not even telling you

what the repayment plan is or what the APR is.

We thought it was going to be over three years and it turns out it's over ten.

That's thousands now, double what it is, nearly 11,000 by the time we've finished paying it back.

It's something we tried cancelling.

So 3,500 was your original loan and it's now going to turn into

over 11,000?

Just short of £11,000.

It went straight to him from the finance company.

It never came to our bank.

-So that money didn't even come to you?!

-In his pocket. We didn't get any of it. No change, nothing.

So, while he was busy filling in those forms, he was actually filling that form in

for the money to come into his bank.

Did you at that time not think that you could go to Citizens Advice Bureau?

We did, but we didn't have no paperwork.

They said without paperwork, who do we contact?

You are, I'd imagine, to this moment in time financially strapped for cash.

Steve's working long hours, missing out on seeing the kids and putting them to bed,

which is getting to Owen. Owen misses his Dad.

I think you need help.

We've got an extra challenge here.

As well as the work our good guys are doing transforming the washroom into a toy room,

we're going to see what we can do to help the Norths with their loan.

It turns out the loan is with a well-known firm, but was sold by an agent.

We've asked them to investigate the way the loan was sold.

Coming up, the Norths have done everything they can to repay their loan.

But it's just not getting any smaller.

No matter how much actually we paid, it went down by pence.

We're in Rotherham to help the North family, who were not only sold a loan they didn't need,

but a bathroom which was installed without regard for this young family's safety.

Our good guys are on the job now, stepping back the room and making good all the walls.

We've already removed the illegally installed toilet and basin,

which put water dangerously close to the main fuse box, and broke all the rules.

I want to know what happened between the Norths and their builder

when they complained about the quality of the work.

Steve complained while they were still doing the work, because all the pipework was showing.

The young guy said, "Ring my boss.

"I'm doing what I'm told to do, I'm just following orders."

Steve rang the boss, who signed the finance with us, and he was just really rude to Steve.

He said, "Well, I'll take my lad out and you'll have nothing."

Because the work was only half completed, we had to shut up

and put up, because otherwise we'd end up with a toilet and no sink.

We didn't take it out on him because he was following orders.

He was really quite nice to us saying, "I'm just doing as I'm told." He gave us the boss's number.

At the time, we weren't on the telephone, so he the even let us use his mobile phone to ring him up.

We didn't take it out on him.

He did advise us that when we get our satisfaction questionnaire, to fill it out and be honest,

and put all our concerns on the questionnaire.

We never received a questionnaire to fill out.

The loan company required the builder to fill in a satisfaction questionnaire by the customer

before they hand over the money.

The Norths say they were never asked to fill one in.

They've been paying the loan for three years,

but were shocked to discover their debt wasn't decreasing.

When we found out it was going to take 11 years to clear the loan, not four,

the man on the phone talk to us about if we up our payments to this,

that's a way of getting it down quicker, because it goes on how much you've got left each month.

He said, if you pay more it goes down quicker.

You've got less interest to pay.

So we'd be paying for 7 years, not 11.

We knew we had to get it paid off quickly, so Steve was working longer hours.

We didn't feel no benefit from Steve working longer hours

because we were just using it to clear the loan quicker.

When the statements arrived, Becky and Steve were gutted

to read their sacrifice had virtually been worth nowt.

Every time I got a statement, no matter how much extra we'd paid, it went down by pence each month.

The extra overtime and the extra money only made it come down by pence

and pounds each month, not hundreds like we were expecting it to do.

We couldn't see it taking seven years like they said. We knew it was going to take longer.

Follow my top tip to cope with loans and debt.

If you can't find a way to reduce your debt,

seek expert help from a debt counselling service.

You can get in touch by your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

In some circumstances, they can reschedule and renegotiate payments

with your loan provider.

I want to know from Becky and Steve's local Consumer Direct manager, John Field,

but they should have done to avoid all this heartache.

They should have gone to the finance company and said, initially, we didn't have cancellation rights.

At that stage, that would be a major concern to the finance company

as to what happened and for them to look at

the paper trail, so to speak, to see when they received that documentation,

what was sent to the consumers at that time either by a builder or by themselves in terms of cancellation.

They should have gone back to the finance company and said, we do have a problem with this.

It's like, because of the size of these organisations,

the finance company could then get in touch with the builder.

Clearly they've got more clout, so to speak, that with the builders then you or I do as an individual.

Because they can say that to that builder,

you're not going to use our loans and finance facilities in future unless you redress this problem.

If you're thinking of taking out a loan for home improvement, then follow Clive's five top tips.

Shop around the best interest rates.

Compare interest rates from at least three different providers.

Here's an idea - if you only want to borrow a small amount of money

for a short period of time,

it may be cheaper to put the loan on a credit card,

which offers a special low introductory rate.

Sometimes, even interest free.

Make sure you pay it off on time by setting up regular payments.

Make sure you know the total cost of the loan, not just the monthly repayments.

Here's an example.

Paying £50 a month for two years

is cheaper than a lower monthly payment of £40 for three years.

If you choose the lower monthly figure for the same loan,

you'll pay back 220 quid more!

Don't forget to factor in any penalty charges for early repayment,

in case you ever want to pay the debt off before the time is up.

Make sure you avoid loans that are secured against your home.

Secured loans can be cheaper, because the lender knows it can

force you to sell your home if you can't pay.

Don't put your home at risk when you don't have to.

Only the very largest loans should be added to your mortgage.

Be wary of loans offered by home-improvement companies.

Loans offered by home-improvement companies aren't necessarily bad,

but they may not be the cheapest.

It can be convenient to take out a loan from them but remember,

the sales team will almost certainly be earning commission on that money.

Always shop around. No matter how attractive the first offer seems.

Think very carefully before paying extra for payment protection insurance.

Payment protection insurance may be a good idea,

if you were unable to pay back the loan,

if you lost your job, or fell ill.

But you can buy these insurance policies separately,

usually much cheaper than from a loan company.

Back at the house, our good guys are cracking on at great speed, righting

some of the many wrongs this cowboy contractor left behind.

The finance company are investigating the circumstances of the loan now.

They sent their own independent inspector to look at the work, before we got started.

So how are things developing? The toilet's gone, and the sink.

We stripped all that out. That's the easy bit.

Demolition, taking things out.

We took a shelf off here and we filled this channel in where the shelf went into the plaster.

When that is set we're going to skim this whole wall with finish plaster.

That can be set and Paul can paint it later on when it sets.

Do you reckon, I'm going to throw this at you now, because obviously this is going to be at play area

for the kids too, a playroom.

This fuse board, that's supposed to actually have a screw in it, right? It hasn't.

Which means the kids can get at the fuses and the master switch.

D'you reckon there's any chance we could build something, just

maybe out of MDF or whatever, just to go round that?

Something that the adults can get access to when they need to?

Yes, we'll just make a little wooden box which just goes round the front.

Yeah. It'd be great if you could.

It just protects it from the kids' little fingers. Great. OK, cool.

It's amazing, isn't it? Things are taking very good shape.

I'm always interested to hear how home owners tackle their builders when things go wrong.

So I want to know what Becky and Steve did when their bodged bathroom job fell apart on them.

Eventually the cistern fell off the wall.

So it bent all the pipe work, there was water everywhere, the floor was a mess.

So we had to put it back together.

I did the best we could, but at the minute, it's held up with two bits of wood.

We tried ringing him up to fix it, there was just a dead tone on phone call.

The number we rang originally, it was just a dead tone. There was no number recognised, basically.

Yeah, we rang them and they just said, I'm sorry, Mrs North,

you took out the loan, you are responsible to pay it.

And I said, "But my toilet doesn't work."

He went, "You need to contact the plumber."

So I asked for his details, because the number we had didn't ring any more.

But they couldn't leave it to us

because he had gone through a broker who then went to the finance company.

So they only had the broker's details, not the actual man's details.

Coming up, following the visit by the inspector, the Norths receive a letter from the loan company.

It's nice that somebody's actually admitted that we have been almost robbed.

We're in Rotherham, busy transforming

a bodged bathroom into a toy room for little Abigail and Owen North.

A cowboy conman sold the Norths a loan for £3,500,

but installed just a toilet and sink, leaving them with years of debt.

He took advantage of a young couple who, I'm amazed to learn, were once homeless and living by the canal,

but through sheer hard work, managed to turn their lives around.

One day I just went into a nursing home and just asked for a job.

And she said, where's your address?

I said, "Erm, we don't really have an address." And she got us on our feet, didn't she?

She gave me work straight away, gave me some money for some new shoes so I could start work.

She looked after us.

And lot of people wouldn't be able to stay together through that.

-Because we're best friends as well.

-Yes. It does help.

It does, yeah.

If I'm down, he's the rock.

When it's his moment, I have to step up and be the rock for him.

Discovering this about Becky and Steve has made me understand

just how important their home is to them and what a terrible strain this ordeal must have been.

Family friend, Simon, says the debt has really tested the strength of their relationship.

I think the general strain basically revolved around what had happened.

Obviously, they were blaming each other.

A lot on the monetary side, which does cause anxiety.

And they just didn't know which way to turn.

Fortunately, we've got the good guys in now, and after a couple of

days of hard graft, they're well on the way to transforming this room

from the smelly, bodged bathroom, into somewhere Becky and Steve's young children can keep their toys.

We're removing the glass panels from the door, making good the walls, installing shelving,

and marking out the decor to create separate storage for Abigail and Owen.

I tell you what, it's looking bright in here, boys! It's nice.

-It's a bit better now.

-It is.

-We've got some pink and we've got some blue, which is a good combo. Who chose that?

-You.

-Did I choose it?

-Yeah.

Did I choose pink and blue? I think that's a brilliant idea, don't you?!

-That's what you suggested.

-D'you know why pink and blue?

-It's turned out better than I thought it would.

-Listen, mate. I know my colour schemes!

-Right!

Pink and blue, because we've got a boy and we've got a girl. Simple as.

The children have no idea mum Becky has planned this treat for them.

But there's even more good cheer coming to this house, because Becky and Steve have had some amazing news

from the loan company, which they can't wait to share with me.

Oh, here you are!

Catching some rays, eh?

Do you mind if I come and join you?

Because I hear you've had some good news?

-Oh yes.

-Tell me about it.

-You can read about it, if you want!

-Read all about it!

-There you go.

Brilliant.

Let's have a check.

I can confirm that payment of...

..£3,523.84 is coming back to you.

And we also recognise

that you would have earned interest on that payment, so

we're given you an extra 300 quid!

Ha ha! They're giving you an extra at 300 quid!

Well, that...what about that?

That's got to be a result!

All thanks to you guys.

Listen, it's an absolute pleasure. That is a definite result!

-I'm well chuffed.

-100 percent.

So the thing is, is that a real load off your mind?

Yes. Not just that we've got money back, we haven't got too worry each month that we've got to pay

the finance for something we haven't even got any more.

-It could have gone on for years as well, couldn't it?

-Yes. Another seven years.

-Another seven years?

And has that gone now, that seven-year itch has gone? Brilliant.

They even said to cancel our direct debit, to make sure they didn't get an extra payment.

Oh, back of the net!

-Who actually opened the letter?

-I did.

Were you confused, or...?

When I first read it, I had to read it again because I thought I had misread it.

When I read it again, I started jumping about.

I wish I'd been here! I wish I'd been here for that!

Yes, it was very welcomed. Put it that way.

Becky and Steve can look forward to spending much more time with the children,

because all the loan repayments have been cancelled and the money paid to date refunded, with interest.

The loan provider, GE Money, told us:

Coming up - I can't wait to see the family's reaction when we show them the surprise new toy room.

It's not even the same room, is it?

Our good guys are putting the final touches to the new toy room at the Norths'.

For such a small room, it's been a surprisingly big job

to make everything safe, colourful and inviting.

The final task is to lay this practical new floor, which is hard wearing and easy to keep clean.

It's been a busy couple of days, but the room is unrecognisable now.

First of all, what was that when like before we could get here?

It was a sham. It was an unusable toilet/sink area.

It was a waste of space, more than anything. That's what it was.

Completely unusable, especially for the amount of money that you spent on it.

And you were continuing to spend on it.

So, it's that exciting time now. What are you hoping for?

What are you really hoping we've done in that room?

I'm not hoping for anything, I just want to see it nice and clean and...

-Usable?

-Yes. And fresh. Yeah.

OK, listen, I can't wait any longer now.

Let's go check it out. Come on.

After you!

Wow!

It's nothing like I expected it to be.

-Are you chuffed?

-Yeah!

-Are you chuffed with that?

-Yeah.

-It looks good, doesn't it? Now it's a usable room.

It's not even the same room, is it?

We've got pink, we've got blues going on, we've got the flooring down.

-The stickers - cars.

-Yeah.

You've got stickers all over the place.

I just think it's going to be a fantastic escape, bolt hole, for the kids.

Gives you a bit of free time too.

-Yes.

-So they can come in here and enjoy themselves, watch telly, play the games consoles,

or just play with toys.

We can still monitor them because they aren't upstairs with the bedroom door shut.

Exactly. It really is brilliant.

It's so child-friendly all the way round as well.

It's a fantastic little area. Something they can show off to their friends as well, and to family.

I have to say, you've had some bad news in the past with your builder.

You've also, of course, the loan company have put their hands up and gone you know what,

we've made a mistake here. As an extra bonus, they've paid for this as well, just as a bonus.

I love it. Thank you.

I have to say, you guys are very, very important people.

However, there are two other people in this family that I'm sure are going to love to see

what has gone on in here.

-Steve, can I leave you to go and get the guys?

-Absolutely.

While I just stay here with Becky.

Give us a shout when you're ready to come in and I'll try and move out of the way.

-In general, it just looks so fantastic.

-So different.

You can't even imagine a toilet and sink being there, can you?

-How did it fit?!

-Exactly.

Now, that's a safe, clean place for the kids to play.

-I think they've going to love it. Your big problem will be getting them out!

-That's the problem!

To go to bed, that sort of thing...

-Mum, can we have our tea in here?

-That's what it's going to be.

I think they're ready.

I'm going to back out.

Shut your eyes, shut your eyes!

Look at your shower!

-Where is it?

-You said they were for Nana!

-What do you think?

-Hey! Look at that!

-What do you think, guys?

-Good!

Do you like it?

This is for Mummy and Daddy, this room.

-You can't use it.

-It's just for me.

It isn't. It isn't! I know they're Owen's.

Our good guys have completely transformed this room from a smelly, illegally installed washroom

to a bright and fresh toy room for Abigail and Owen.

We've given them a brand new colour scheme in co-ordinating his and hers colour waves.

There are cupboards and shelves to store all their toys and games, and a smart new floor

so that children can be comfy lying on their co-ordinating beanbags, reading their books.

This family have had to put up with botched building work from a cowboy builder,

who also took them to the cleaners.

We've put it right, and I think you can see for yourself, they're a very happily family indeed.

Before you go into any financial transactions, always be wary and do your research.

That way, you won't go falling into the cowboy trap.

If you've had a problem with builders and you'd like

to tell your story on Cowboy Trap, then please call us on:

Help us round up the cowboys.

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