Episode 16 Cowboy Trap


Episode 16

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Transcript


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We're exploring the UK, leaving no stone unturned to discover

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some of the worst building disasters you've ever seen.

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Me or Jim, we could have a shower, if there's an electrical fault, we could be killed.

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Cowboy builders are in business everywhere.

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So, beware, they could be waiting for you.

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Within a couple of weeks, you could physically see that it was starting to sink.

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We've got the good guys on our side, repairing those building bodges

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these cowboy builders leave behind.

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It's brilliant!

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It looks really... I don't want to get upset on camera.

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Make notes of all my hints and tips.

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That way, you should avoid falling into the cowboy trap.

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'Today, we're crossing the country to meet two sets of homeowners

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'who were left with that sinking feeling.

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'For Mark Parker, all he wanted was to replace his driveway.

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'He didn't expect to wear wellies when he went outside.'

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It flooded outside my door. It was an inch of water. It wouldn't go.

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I had to sweep the water away. That's still happening.

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'And Judith and Jim were left with electrics

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'which could burn down their house or, even worse, kill them!'

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I wanted a nice modern bathroom.

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What I ended up with was a nightmare.

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We're in sunny Staffordshire, where Mark Parker wanted to sort out his sunken driveway.

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'Mark lives with Caroline, children Brandon and Adam, and dog Roo.

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'They wanted to add the finishing touches to their home

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'by replacing their tired sunken drive with a new tarmac finish.'

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You could see that the driveway needed doing, so that was the first place to start.

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Mark turned to his phone directory to find his builder,

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then looked on the fancy website for more information.

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'And when he met the builder, he was won over.'

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He was very chatty.

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He'd come across as a lovely person. He told us a lot about himself.

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He seemed full of character.

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He'd had an adventurous life, from what he told us.

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He came across that friendly, we decided to go with him.

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'Mark was charmed by the sales technique.

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'The builder even convinced him that he wanted something different.'

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What a salesman! He convinced us to change to a block paved drive.

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'To get a special price, Mark agreed to pay a deposit.'

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I gave him £1,000.

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Cash. That was the provision of him knocking some money off.

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It's got to be a cash job. I said, "Not a problem."

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I've paid for cash jobs and never had a problem.

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He did state that you'll still get the ten-year guarantee, everything on his website.

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He said, "You'll get a professional job."

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Mark took a gamble that didn't pay off.

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Work was delayed from the start.

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He said the job would be completed within three weeks.

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After about six weeks, he hadn't even started.

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'Mark's mum was upset for her son's hard-earned loss.'

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Mark worked overtime to get the money to pay for the drive.

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He doesn't like to go into debt.

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It backfired on him and he's lost a lot of money.

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'Mark's mistake was handing over money with nothing in writing.

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'He put too much trust into his builder.

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'Make sure you get a written schedule of work

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'and a breakdown of how long each stage with take.

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'Always get a signed contract.

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'Download these from the Federation of Master Builders' website.

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'But Mark's builder was still full of smooth talk.'

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We asked him to come round, which he did.

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He apologised. Same again, very professional.

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Said, "We've experienced a lot of problems but we're going to start next week."

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For three or four weeks, nothing happened. Continuous phone calls.

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Continuous excuses.

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Then we were going on holiday, just going away for a week.

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He said to us, "If your driveway isn't complete when you come back, I won't charge you for it."

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I thought, "Well, I've got you now. You've got to do the job."

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'Mark was taken in by the lure of getting his driveway for free.

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'So he forgot another of my rules - don't let builders do work on your home while you're not around.'

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On the day we came back, he phoned us. We'd only been here an hour.

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He says, "Are you happy with your driveway?"

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We'd just literally walked through the door and, "Yeah."

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'Mark paid £2,400 for his brand new block paved drive,

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'and was left with a depressed drenched driveway disaster.'

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Within two to three weeks, I thought, "That doesn't look right."

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You could see a dip in the driveway.

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Mark replaced one sunken driveway with another.

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It's time for me to find out where it all went so badly wrong.

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-Hi, are you Mark?

-I am.

-I'm Clive from Cowboy Trap.

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-I've already trodden the path of your cowboy builder.

-Yeah.

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Show me what all the problems are.

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Well, Mark, I can see the problems.

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First, how long has this been laid?

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-It's been coming on to 11 months.

-Is that all?

-That's all, yeah.

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That has faded so bad. That looks like a five-year lay minimum.

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-What are the main problems?

-It started straight after the job.

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Three weeks later, it started sinking towards the edge.

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-Three weeks after?

-Yeah.

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I pulled on the drive one day and thought, "That doesn't look right.

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"This doesn't feel level."

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It's got progressively worse.

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I was kicking the top of the manhole cover

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cos the blocks around it had sunk.

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Where the cars are parked,

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it's discoloured because the water's settling, it's not draining away.

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A year in, roughly, and you've got it looking like this! It's bonkers!

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-Yeah.

-It's time to find out a bit more. Shall we pop inside?

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-OK.

-After you, mate.

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'Mark's dipping driveway has left him depressed, too.

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'His money gone. He's fed up. But now we're here to help.'

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In the short space of time we're here, what would you like us to do?

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Basically, I'd just love to get the...iron out the lumps that are in the middle of my driveway.

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I don't want my kids tripping over the manhole covers that are protruding from the ground.

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Well, we've got the good guys coming in.

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We've done our background research and we're going to put it right.

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Excellent. It would be the end of a nightmare to get it complete.

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'We've got a big job on our hands, lifting up the bricks and relaying them on a solid foundation.'

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It's time to bring in the good guys and sort this driveway out once and for all.

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'Coming up, our independent chartered surveyor gives us the lowdown.'

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From what I've seen, I don't think I'd even give them one.

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'Now we're heading east to Milton Keynes,

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'where houseproud Judith Roberts has lived with Jim Davison for four years.

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'Judith remortgaged her home to restyle the bathroom,

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'making the most of the space and to complete her dream interior design.'

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All I wanted was a new bathroom suite, fully tiled,

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and the toilet and sink fitting into units with a bit of cupboard space.

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Judith and Jim hired the builder that was working on their next-door neighbour's bathroom.

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I'd been popping home lunch time, seeing them in there, working.

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So I popped round and got his card.

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He'd given me details of his website so I had a look at that.

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'Only part-way done, her neighbours were happy with their job so far.

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'So Judith got him in for a quote.'

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I checked the website. Some of the bathrooms looked gorgeous.

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When he'd given me the quote, I thought, for over £6,000,

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I'd get a really nice bathroom suite, good tiles and nice units, whatever.

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So I decided to go with him.

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'Their builder agreed to fit a new bathroom suite

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'with vanity unit, storage and floor-to-ceiling porcelain tiles.'

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Once the work had started, it was over in a matter of days,

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but after the builder had left, they realised something was badly wrong.

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After he'd finished, I felt sick.

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I couldn't sleep. I kept saying, "Jim, it doesn't look right."

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The toilet's dominating the room. It looks smaller than it did before.

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'It wasn't until they started to use the bathroom

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'that they realised their problems were bigger than that.'

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The toilet was blocking up and coming to the top of the pan. The shower wasn't getting hot.

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Then we found out that the work was poor. Everything was getting worse.

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The toilet wasn't working properly.

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It wasn't flushing properly cos it wasn't connected.

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'Bus driver Jim was shaving in the downstairs cloakroom

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'and going to the gym to shower.'

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I've been annoyed that I can't have a hot shower,

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I couldn't wash in the sink because the water pressure wasn't good.

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It's just been uncomfortable for me, having to go to the gym to have a shower.

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'Judith's work friends noticed how much it was affecting her.'

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She's come in, totally distraught that the builder hasn't turned up.

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She's constantly e-mailing and ringing him.

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He's just so relaxed about it.

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He doesn't understand how this has affected somebody's life. It's so traumatic.

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'For their £6,100, Judith and Jim got a bodged bathroom,

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'an ill-fitting toilet and a cold shower.

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'They got straight on to the builder.'

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I e-mailed and said, "Could you please sort out the shower and the toilet?

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"I spent over £6,000. We should be able to use it as a bathroom."

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'Judith and Jim made a common mistake.

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'They were taken in by a flashy website and seeing a half done job.

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'Take my tip - do your homework.'

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Even if your builder's been recommended by family member or colleague, do your own research.

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That way, you'll stay clear of the cowboys.

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'Judith's first builder ignored her calls.

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'She decided to hire a second builder to fix his mistakes.'

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After being in touch by e-mail and phone ten, 12 times, whatever,

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I decided to have the bathroom done myself.

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'Judith's builder had been working at the neighbour's.

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'He'd bodged that job, too.

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'They'd hired a second builder.

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'Judith hired the same guy, too!'

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He tried fitting the toilet and the sink.

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The sink turned out to be a nightmare. It was far too big.

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That didn't go in very well.

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Then we had an accident. He went through a water pipe.

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'Judith has suffered at the hands of not one, but two bodging builders.

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'The first guy fitted it and the second one ripped half of it out.'

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-Are you Judith?

-Yes.

-You've had a problem with a bathroom.

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-Do you mind showing me the damage?

-No.

-Let's have a look.

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-It's a bit unfinished!

-It wasn't like this when he left it.

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It did look... The units were all fit in.

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It didn't look bad but it didn't actually work.

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-Why is the toilet...? That's not the position it's staying in?

-No.

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The original builder had the toilet down here and he moved the sink

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over onto that wall.

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There was no water pressure, and the toilet kept blocking up.

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So I had a second builder come in.

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I said, "Move it back to where it used to be."

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At least the taps will work. So he's put the toilet there.

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He was going to put a sink on top of here.

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I don't want him to put a sink on top of that.

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That vanity unit... I've got to be honest. It's a bit cheap and nasty.

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It's basic chipboard and in a water environment,

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that's just going to blow out.

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What other problems do you have, other than the things I can see?

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The bath, well, the third plumber came.

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He put new pipes in.

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These are what were in originally.

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There's three of these, loads of pipework.

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Push-fits - not a big fan of them.

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They were all round the back and looped.

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There's no planning gone into it.

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Now, with your light fittings, especially the ones over the bath,

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they have to be Zone 1 light fittings.

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I need to get up and check behind to see if it's got any fire hoods

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to protect it.

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And I reckon I've seen enough.

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Well, I have as well!

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It's been there since last August. A complete nightmare.

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-So, nearly a year?

-Yeah.

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No sink, no toilet.

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It's horrible. I hate coming into this bathroom.

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'No wonder Judith called us in.

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'I need to know what we can do.'

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What could we do that would make you smile again?

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A bathroom that looks nice and I can use.

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I can't wait to lie in the bath, put my candles on and chill out.

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It's high time we sorted this bathroom out for Judith and Jim.

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Not just because it's unusable. It's downright dangerous, too.

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Let's bring in the good guys.

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'Coming up, the independent chartered surveyor gives us his verdict.'

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The installation is non-compliant and could be dangerous.

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'We're travelling west to Cannock in Staffordshire.

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'Mark Parker wanted to replace his old sunken drive with a tarmac one.

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'He was left with a bumpy cracked nightmare with no drainage system, and £2,400 worse off.

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'The good guys are ready to knock up a dazzling driveway,

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'but before they crack on,

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'I want a verdict from independent chartered surveyor David McGuire.'

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You've had a look. What have you found that's not to your liking?

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First, has the driveway been laid to the correct level,

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-in relation to the dampproof course of the house?

-Yeah.

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Which, in this case, it hasn't.

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David, we've got an undulation there, a deflection there.

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That occurred within three weeks of the lay.

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The installation of a block paved or brick paved drive,

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as well as any drive, really, is only as good as its preparation.

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And, for this type of surface,

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you need a minimum sub-base of 150mm, well consolidated

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crushed stone.

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Yes.

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I've not seen underneath here, but I would bet that it hasn't got that.

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More important to us is your verdict

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and your mark out of ten you'd give these guys for laying driveways.

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From what I've seen, I don't think I'd even give them one.

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Are we saying that these guys get a big fat zero?

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Why not? They don't deserve anything else.

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Thank you for your input, squire. Much appreciated. Thank you.

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Zero out of ten? This guy is certainly no hero with a score of zero!

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'Our good guys will make it ten out of ten.

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'They'll remove all these blocks, sort out the sub-base and drainage.

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'Leading our team today is Rob. What's the plan?'

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We're going to take all the blocks off, take all the sand up,

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to see if there is any hard core. I've took a couple of blocks up.

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-I know that some of the sand goes nearly to 150mm.

-A lot of sand!

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-They say 25mm, don't they?

-Yeah.

-So it's way over.

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We'll take all the sand up, get it out the way, then we're going to put lines through, some string lines.

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Then we can go along and measure down

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and see how much hard core has got to go in place.

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Then we'll put the sand down, level it all off

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and start putting our block paving in.

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What about drainage? There was loads of problems.

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We've got some drains and we'll put them down the path of the house

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and dig soakaways for the water.

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'While the good guys get stuck in, I track back with Mark

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'and find out how his driveway dreams became a paving palaver.'

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How long after these guys left did you find a major problem?

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-Three weeks.

-The three weeks he said he'd take to do the job.

-Exactly.

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It was about three weeks. I pulled up one evening from work.

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I looked at the drive and something didn't quite look right.

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I started kicking the blocks and thought, "They look like they've sunk."

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Straight away, I phoned him. He says, "We'll come and have a look."

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That night, it rained for the first time we were in since it was done.

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I've no idea why I did it, but I popped my head out the front door.

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That was when I noticed that my driveway was flooded.

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-You'd got a little swimming pool?

-I had. I took a picture, videoed it.

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People wouldn't have believed me, it was that bad.

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'Mark's video shows just how serious his water woes were.

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-'They affected his entire family.'

-There were puddles outside the door.

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They tried to get the children not to walk in it and into the house.

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After a while, everybody was upset.

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-You approached the builder? Said, "This is what's going down." What did he say?

-I texted a picture.

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He wouldn't answer his phone. I kept trying. I e-mailed him, pictures.

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After a while, he got in touch and said he'd been on holiday.

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Apologised, said he was going to get the fitter back to have a look.

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Which he did, eventually, after three appointments that he missed.

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He had a look at the driveway and the fitter that laid the blocks, straightaway said,

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"I apologise, but it's a mess. The lot's got to come back up."

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The sub-base that's been applied before he put the blocks down isn't substantial.

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"It's got to come back up."

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-So you thought it's going to get sorted, get lifted back up.

-Yeah.

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-What happened?

-He gave me a date.

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I says, "When can it be done?" He got his diary out of his van.

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He said, "Next Wednesday." I thought, "Brilliant!"

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Next Wednesday came, he didn't turn up.

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I phoned him. He answered. I said, "Are you coming today?"

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He said, "Look, Mark. I've sought legal advice.

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"It isn't down to me. I only laid the bricks.

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"The person that laid the sub-base, it's their fault." The original company.

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He said, "You need to get back in touch with them." All of a sudden, his phones are unavailable.

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His number on the letterhead was an account that had been discontinued.

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'Mark's builder refused to take responsibility

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'for the job he'd taken money for.

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'If you find yourself in this situation:

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'Even if you don't get your money back,

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'you may help other homeowners being stung.

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'Mark was about to discover he wasn't alone.

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'The local paper was onto his builder.'

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A friend said, "Have you seen the free paper?" I said, "No."

0:22:090:22:14

And there is his picture on the front page.

0:22:140:22:18

He's done it to that many people, the local paper felt they needed to get involved.

0:22:180:22:24

There was a catalogue of people that had been affected by him.

0:22:240:22:29

Bad news. How do you feel about him now?

0:22:290:22:33

I'm angry, but also a bit embarrassed that he took us in.

0:22:330:22:37

He introduced us as a friend,

0:22:370:22:39

and we were in constant contact with him during the period that he was letting us down.

0:22:390:22:46

We just thought, "He's having problems. Nice guy. It'll be OK." Just let down.

0:22:460:22:52

'I want to find out what Mark's Trading Standards Officer did about the complaints.'

0:22:520:22:58

We knew where his home address was. That was vacant.

0:22:580:23:03

And has been vacant for a long time.

0:23:030:23:07

We got various mobile numbers. We rang them.

0:23:070:23:11

They were dead.

0:23:110:23:13

You did a thorough search to try to track this guy down.

0:23:130:23:17

When he dropped off the scene, he well and truly dropped off the scene.

0:23:170:23:24

I spoke to a number of people who'd paid

0:23:240:23:27

quite a substantial amount up-front for various jobs.

0:23:270:23:32

What do you think the chances are of Mark getting any success of chasing this guy down for his money?

0:23:320:23:38

In my personal opinion, the way it looks today

0:23:380:23:42

is that it's remote because we can't find the owner of the business.

0:23:420:23:46

You know who you are, and now we know who you are.

0:23:460:23:50

If you ever decide to ride back into town, we know your dodgy tricks and we'll be prepared next time.

0:23:500:23:58

'I hope Mark's going to be happy when he tests his new driveway.'

0:23:580:24:03

You can walk on this without tripping over!

0:24:030:24:07

'Back in Milton Keynes, we're helping Judith and Jim get the bathroom they paid over £6,000 for.

0:24:070:24:14

'Instead, they got a cold shower, a blocked toilet and an unusable sink.

0:24:140:24:20

'Before the good guys get started working their magic,

0:24:200:24:23

'I want the verdict from independent chartered surveyor Philip Kentish.'

0:24:230:24:27

Before we say anything, let me first tell you

0:24:270:24:31

that Judith has spent over six grand on this compact and bijou place.

0:24:310:24:36

What isn't to your liking?

0:24:360:24:39

When I first came in, nothing sticks out in your face,

0:24:390:24:44

but scratch beneath the surface and there are a number of things I would be concerned with.

0:24:440:24:51

First, I would ask for a copy of the electrical test certificate

0:24:510:24:55

to prove that the installation was in accordance with regulations.

0:24:550:24:59

That hasn't been forthcoming, so I assume that it is non-compliant and therefore could be dangerous.

0:24:590:25:06

I think it's best that we check it out. Anything else you found?

0:25:060:25:10

Of particular concern, looking above, the recess light fittings.

0:25:100:25:14

Fittings of this type should have a fire hood.

0:25:140:25:18

They will heat up in the roof void

0:25:180:25:21

and potentially cause fire, mixing with the insulation above.

0:25:210:25:26

They haven't. Therefore, it's a fire risk.

0:25:260:25:30

What mark would you give these guys, bearing in mind, over six grand?

0:25:300:25:35

It's a lot of money.

0:25:350:25:37

The bathroom does work, but it works appallingly, in my view.

0:25:370:25:42

The water pressure's poor, the usability is poor,

0:25:420:25:47

but the finishing is OK.

0:25:470:25:49

In my view, I would score this a four out of ten.

0:25:490:25:53

Four out of ten it therefore shall be. Thank you very much, Phil.

0:25:530:25:57

What about that? Four out of ten. No more than they deserve.

0:25:570:26:01

This job could have ended up truly shocking.

0:26:010:26:04

'Steve and his team are ready to get started.

0:26:040:26:07

'Let's find out how they're going to turn this into a haven of relaxation.'

0:26:070:26:13

There's loads of problems. What is your plan to put that right?

0:26:130:26:18

We're going to rip all the tiles that need to come off.

0:26:180:26:23

We're going to put nice edging for the tiles on.

0:26:230:26:27

We're going to take the shower screen off cos it was leaking,

0:26:270:26:32

make sure that fits better.

0:26:320:26:34

A new vanity unit, a new sink, new toilet and generally just...

0:26:340:26:38

-Make it look good.

-Yeah.

0:26:380:26:41

-On the electrical side, we need somebody to check that over.

-Yeah.

0:26:410:26:45

-You've got that base covered too?

-Yeah.

0:26:450:26:49

We've got our guys coming in to make sure it's Part P, everything's safe.

0:26:490:26:54

I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do for her, because she's lost so much confidence.

0:26:540:27:01

For now, mate, great to have you on board.

0:27:010:27:05

'Judith and Jim have been without a proper bathroom for almost a year.

0:27:050:27:09

'Their first builder charged £6,100. I want to know why they thought it should cost so much.'

0:27:090:27:15

The job that he's done up there, or was planning to do,

0:27:150:27:20

you should have got for anywhere between £2,800 and £3,500.

0:27:200:27:25

To have a real quality bathroom for the size of bathroom, that's the price it should be.

0:27:250:27:31

-It makes me feel ill thinking about it.

-So, £6,100 is monster.

0:27:310:27:37

You could have almost had two bathroom suites.

0:27:370:27:41

'Judith believed one of the reasons the quote was so high was because of the porcelain tiles.'

0:27:410:27:47

-You selected the tiles that you wanted.

-Yes.

0:27:470:27:51

You physically went to the shop.

0:27:510:27:54

The builder said to me, "Go to whatever shop.

0:27:540:27:57

"I'll meet you there and you can show me which tiles you want."

0:27:570:28:02

I met him in the shop, pointed them out.

0:28:020:28:05

When he e-mailed me the invoice,

0:28:050:28:08

he said the tiles were 2,000, with his discount, 1,100.

0:28:080:28:12

Then, since all the problems, having the sink and toilet moved,

0:28:120:28:17

I thought I needed some more tiles so I went back to the shop

0:28:170:28:21

and mentioned the builder who'd done the bathroom.

0:28:210:28:25

He goes, "Oh, yes. I remember."

0:28:250:28:27

I said, "He says the tiles were £2,000, with a discount, 1,100."

0:28:270:28:31

He went, "No. About half that."

0:28:310:28:34

I just left the shop in tears. I couldn't even talk to the guy.

0:28:340:28:39

It's a good point because I would suggest

0:28:390:28:43

that, if you want tiles, buy them yourself. Get the tiles.

0:28:430:28:49

Take your measurements, they will give you enough tiles

0:28:490:28:54

and a few extra, allowing for breakages.

0:28:540:28:57

You're better off doing it that way.

0:28:570:29:00

In real terms, you could have saved 600 quid there, if he said £500 would have been the price.

0:29:000:29:07

Because he was getting his discount, I was getting them cheaper.

0:29:070:29:11

Obviously, he was adding more on for himself.

0:29:110:29:14

'Judith's builder changed the electrics but she has no certification to show they're safe.

0:29:300:29:36

'We now know he wasn't qualified to do the work,

0:29:360:29:40

'so we're having the work checked by certified electrician Lee.'

0:29:400:29:44

-The fire hoods have gone in on the lights.

-Explain what they do.

0:29:440:29:50

If you haven't got fire hoods,

0:29:500:29:52

with the insulation resting on the lamps,

0:29:520:29:56

they can overheat and turn into a fire.

0:29:560:29:59

So we use the fire hoods for that protection for building regulations.

0:29:590:30:04

Also, the extractor fan in the bathroom

0:30:040:30:08

is 230 volts and it's above the bath, which is very dangerous.

0:30:080:30:13

You could be standing in water with no RCD protection on the unit,

0:30:130:30:18

and have an electric shock.

0:30:180:30:20

It has to be low voltage, 12 volts, and then it's safe.

0:30:200:30:25

Fantastic. That is a top deal.

0:30:250:30:27

Sorry to disturb you. You can carry on now. Cheers, buddy.

0:30:270:30:31

'Judith's first builder took £6,100 to install her bathroom.

0:30:310:30:35

'When it didn't work, he didn't want to know.

0:30:350:30:38

'Even worse, his electrics are lethal.

0:30:380:30:41

'It's time he gave us answers.'

0:30:410:30:43

What would you ask him, Jim?

0:30:430:30:45

Why the shower wasn't getting as hot as it should have been.

0:30:450:30:49

What about you, Judith?

0:30:490:30:52

I'm more concerned about the electrical work that he's completed.

0:30:520:30:56

Even in the loft, all the cable work that he's done could have caught fire at any time.

0:30:560:31:02

-Yes.

-And the plumbing.

0:31:020:31:05

I'm going to give you an opportunity to speak to your builder right now.

0:31:050:31:10

Are you ready? Here we go.

0:31:100:31:12

PHONE RINGING

0:31:150:31:18

'The person you are calling is unable to take your call, please leave your message after the tone.'

0:31:220:31:28

Hiya. It's Judith. Can you give me a call as soon as possible on this number, please?

0:31:280:31:34

Interestingly enough, he knows that we're on the case.

0:31:360:31:42

Our office have spoken to him.

0:31:420:31:46

He's given loads of detailed explanations as to why.

0:31:460:31:51

I'll pick out some points and I'd like your reaction.

0:31:510:31:55

He said that he's not a cowboy builder.

0:31:550:31:59

And he's saying that he's got loads of references from happy customers. What do you think to that?

0:31:590:32:06

Has he done the electrics and put somebody else's life in danger?

0:32:060:32:11

The thing is, my next-door neighbour is proof that he's a cowboy.

0:32:110:32:16

He's done exactly the same to her bathroom.

0:32:160:32:19

She's getting her electrics checked in case her house burns down.

0:32:190:32:24

I think that's important.

0:32:240:32:26

'Coming up, Judith gets a shock about her electrics.'

0:32:260:32:29

How can it be legal for him to put a shower in, lighting,

0:32:290:32:33

then say you've got to get someone to check it?

0:32:330:32:37

'We're travelling to Cannock in Staffordshire.

0:32:380:32:42

'Mark Parker wanted rid of his bumpy drive and ended up with a bumpier one - and nearly £2,500 worse off.

0:32:420:32:49

'Our guys are on the case.

0:32:490:32:51

'I want to know why Mark's drive gave him that sinking feeling.'

0:32:510:32:56

When you stripped it back, what did you find?

0:32:560:32:59

Loads of sand! We've taken out a skipful of sand

0:32:590:33:03

and replaced it with hard core.

0:33:030:33:06

-How many tonnes of hard core?

-Four.

-Four tonne?

0:33:060:33:09

It's unbelievable. We can't believe it. We're really shocked.

0:33:090:33:14

-It's rock solid now.

-Yeah.

-You've relaid the blocks.

-Yeah.

0:33:140:33:18

Most importantly, I can see drainage.

0:33:180:33:20

Yeah. They had major problems with water, stepping out into a puddle.

0:33:200:33:25

We put drains all the way down.

0:33:250:33:28

There's a soakaway at the end. There's a soakaway behind you there.

0:33:280:33:33

It'll all soak away nice for them.

0:33:330:33:36

It looks superb. You and the boys have done a great job. Well done.

0:33:360:33:41

-I cannot wait to show Mark what the top guys can do.

-Thanks a lot.

-Cheers, Rob.

0:33:410:33:48

'As they're open to the elements, driveways need maintenance.'

0:33:480:33:53

When you've had your driveway laid, or patio slabs, maintain them.

0:33:530:33:58

With patio slabs, if they've got mortar lines,

0:33:580:34:01

you'll get moss growing.

0:34:010:34:04

That isn't growing from underneath. The seeds land on top and take root.

0:34:040:34:09

High pressure washer, blast it off.

0:34:090:34:11

The driveway, that's got kiln-dried sand between the gaps.

0:34:110:34:16

Each year, you need to rake those out and refill it back in.

0:34:160:34:20

It's cheap enough to do and it'll stay looking great for years.

0:34:200:34:25

'Mark has been left feeling ripped-off with his dodgy driveway.

0:34:250:34:30

'He's much more prepared to ward off potential cowboys coming to town.'

0:34:300:34:35

If you've learned anything from having a cowboy builder what would that be?

0:34:350:34:41

I'd watch him do the job. He did it while we were on holiday.

0:34:410:34:46

He did what he wanted.

0:34:460:34:48

What he told us isn't what he did. That's plainly obvious.

0:34:480:34:52

Next time, I'd watch him like a hawk.

0:34:520:34:55

Somebody to be here. A bit of supervision keeps them on their mettle.

0:34:550:35:01

Remind me what it was like before we arrived.

0:35:010:35:05

I got seasick when I walked on it.

0:35:050:35:08

The worst part was that it flooded outside the front door.

0:35:080:35:12

There was no drainage.

0:35:120:35:15

It was all over the place. It was terrible.

0:35:150:35:19

Now, this is always my favourite bit, putting things right.

0:35:190:35:24

-Let's go and have a look. Are you ready?

-Yeah.

-Come on, mate.

0:35:240:35:28

Come and have a look at this.

0:35:300:35:32

Oh! Yeah!

0:35:320:35:35

Wow. Straightaway, a lot better!

0:35:350:35:38

It's much better, isn't it?

0:35:380:35:40

Definitely. You can walk on this without tripping over!

0:35:400:35:44

You've got the drop there, as the curvature goes down.

0:35:440:35:49

But it's what you can't see, Mark!

0:35:490:35:51

It's what's underneath that counts.

0:35:510:35:54

And do you know what? They've got four tonne of hard core under here.

0:35:540:36:00

This is going nowhere.

0:36:000:36:02

Have you noticed something else?

0:36:020:36:05

The drainage. That's the important thing for us.

0:36:050:36:09

The water's got somewhere to go.

0:36:090:36:12

Explain to us what was happening.

0:36:120:36:14

The water was just stopping where it fell, congregating in puddles.

0:36:140:36:20

Outside the front door was terrible.

0:36:200:36:23

All the drainage has been set in. The box drainage has been set in.

0:36:230:36:28

-I think, all in all, this is a fantastic driveway.

-It is great.

0:36:280:36:34

-Thumbs-up for the good guys?

-Yeah.

0:36:340:36:37

'The original builder left a driveway that had no drainage

0:36:370:36:41

'and no solid foundations.

0:36:410:36:43

'It needed ripping up and starting again with a hard core structure,

0:36:430:36:47

'for an end to the lumps and bumps.

0:36:470:36:50

'The gaps are filled with sand to prevent weeds,

0:36:500:36:53

'and the drainage system will stop flooding.

0:36:530:36:56

'Another job well done.'

0:36:560:36:58

This is going nowhere. You can drive on and off knowing full well

0:36:580:37:04

that underneath, the foundations are solid.

0:37:040:37:07

-Enjoy your driveway.

-Thanks very much. Thank you.

0:37:070:37:11

After a year of living with this dire driveway,

0:37:110:37:14

Mark and his family are on the pathway to happiness.

0:37:140:37:19

'We're hoping for more happiness in Milton Keynes.

0:37:200:37:24

'After living here together for four years, Judith and Jim wanted a fresh contemporary bathroom.

0:37:240:37:30

'They were left with a room that they couldn't use, and left in danger cos of dodgy electrics.

0:37:300:37:38

'I need to tell Judith and Jim some more disturbing information about their first builder.'

0:37:380:37:45

I have to bring this to your attention.

0:37:450:37:48

On his website, he has disclaimers for both gas and electricity.

0:37:480:37:54

In your case, it's the electrical side of it.

0:37:540:37:57

That he will either, or you will need to,

0:37:570:38:02

-bring in somebody that is minimum Part P...

-Didn't know about that.

0:38:020:38:07

-It's true.

-I didn't read it on the website. Do you believe that?

0:38:070:38:11

He's carrying out work...

0:38:110:38:14

How can it be legal for him to put a shower in, lighting and everything

0:38:140:38:19

and say you've got to get someone else to check it?

0:38:190:38:22

Let me just put it to you like this, that any electrician, qualified,

0:38:220:38:28

who gets a phone call from somebody to go, "I have done the electrics."

0:38:280:38:33

Say you've done it, Jim. You've put the cables in, all the connections.

0:38:330:38:38

"Do you mind checking it and giving me a certificate?"

0:38:380:38:42

Anybody who's worth their salt is going to say, "You've got no chance."

0:38:420:38:48

Because they need to check all the work that's been done, and test it.

0:38:480:38:53

Any cables that are hidden, any junction boxes they can't get to,

0:38:530:38:58

they're going to need to check.

0:38:580:39:00

You will not get them to do it, anybody worth their salt.

0:39:000:39:04

-And he's put that disclaimer in...

-Can't believe that.

0:39:040:39:09

So you've got no guarantee that the electrical work has been done

0:39:090:39:14

to the regulation standard,

0:39:140:39:17

because he is not qualified to do the work in the first place.

0:39:170:39:22

'Judith and Jim's first builder bodged the installation.

0:39:220:39:26

'The second builder made it worse, trying to mix the mistakes.

0:39:260:39:30

'I hope they won't be hiring any more dodgy trades people.'

0:39:300:39:34

What lessons have you learned from having a cowboy builder in,

0:39:340:39:39

that would make you think twice next time?

0:39:390:39:42

-I want to see certificates.

-Yeah.

0:39:420:39:44

And probably work they've already completed.

0:39:440:39:48

-Probably?

-I mean definitely.

0:39:480:39:50

-You mean definitely!

-And about four or five quotes.

0:39:500:39:55

Yes. As many quotes as you can get.

0:39:550:39:58

But the guys you decide on, or the girls, choose them wisely.

0:39:580:40:02

Doing your research properly is very, very important.

0:40:020:40:06

One other important thing. No money up front.

0:40:060:40:09

-Yeah.

-No need. Certainly no need.

0:40:090:40:12

-And when you think things are going wrong, halt it there and then.

-Yeah.

0:40:120:40:17

Before we arrived, describe to me what the bathroom was like. Come on!

0:40:170:40:23

A complete wreck.

0:40:230:40:26

A hole in the floor. No toilet. No sink. No side panel on the bath.

0:40:260:40:32

Which leaked as well.

0:40:320:40:34

The shower door leaked. The shower didn't get hot. It was just a mess.

0:40:340:40:40

So, what are you hoping for?

0:40:400:40:42

I'd be able to have a nice hot shower!

0:40:420:40:45

You're always going down the gym, Jim, to have your shower.

0:40:450:40:49

I just want a bathroom that works, that looks nice.

0:40:490:40:53

I just want to put me candles on and lie in the bath and chill out.

0:40:530:40:58

-Are you ready?

-Yeah.

-Let's go and have a look.

0:40:580:41:02

After you, my girl. Go on, Jim.

0:41:020:41:04

It's brilliant! That looks really...

0:41:070:41:10

I don't want to get upset on camera!

0:41:100:41:13

-Have a look.

-It looks completely different. Absolutely gorgeous.

0:41:130:41:18

The border's straight.

0:41:180:41:20

-Yeah.

-The cheap tacky edging around the tiles is gone.

0:41:200:41:24

-It just looks a lot bigger.

-Thanks, Clive. That's great.

0:41:240:41:29

It looks great, but I've got to tell you things that are hidden.

0:41:290:41:34

Those light fittings didn't have any fire hoods and left you in danger.

0:41:340:41:39

Those fire hoods are now on.

0:41:390:41:42

That's peace of mind. All the electrics have been sorted.

0:41:420:41:45

A Part P certificate will be coming to you in the next couple of days.

0:41:450:41:50

Again, that's peace of mind.

0:41:500:41:52

Toilet's in now, the vanity unit, the bath, the tiles.

0:41:520:41:55

I can't thank you enough. Thanks.

0:41:550:41:59

You're seriously welcome.

0:41:590:42:02

-Thanks Clive.

-You're welcome, sir! You can shake a hand.

0:42:020:42:07

'Judith and Jim wanted a high quality modern bathroom

0:42:070:42:11

'and ended up not being able to use it.

0:42:110:42:14

'We've removed all the units and dangerous electrics

0:42:140:42:17

'and replaced them with this sleek and stylish suite and shower.

0:42:170:42:22

'Judith's tiles are professionally laid

0:42:220:42:24

'and the units fit perfectly.

0:42:240:42:27

'Exactly what she'd asked for in the first place.

0:42:270:42:31

'It's another cracking job from our good guys.'

0:42:310:42:34

Judith and Jim have got their life back and the bathroom they dreamed of, thanks to the good guys.

0:42:350:42:42

Remember, they are out there.

0:42:420:42:44

Do your research and you won't go falling into the cowboy trap.

0:42:440:42:49

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