Episode 2 Cowboy Trap

Up and down the country, cowboy builders and rogue tradesmen

are making people's lives a misery

with missed deadlines, shoddy workmanship and daylight robbery.

You go into the kitchen and you see the devastation.

You go to have a bath and you see the devastation. It's always there.

Cowboy builders and rogue traders cost UK home-owners tens of millions of pounds every year,

but it seems to me that they just keep getting away with it.

He's got our £30,000 savings and we're still paying the bank back for something that never happened.

Our team of experts are on hand to right the wrongs

and give hope to those who have been tricked by the con men.

-Wow!

-Oh, wow! It looks really spacious. It's tiny, but it looks really good.

-Yeah.

If you take on board all my advice, hints and tips and stay vigilant,

together we can prevent you from falling into the cowboy trap.

Today, on Cowboy Trap, we're in Blackheath, London,

where Kevin and Cosetta had high hopes for their dream kitchen extension,

but were horribly tricked by a cowboy con man.

Since the house has been left as it is now,

we've not really enjoyed the house any more and we tend to just live in our little bedroom upstairs.

Kevin and Cosetta had saved up to £30,000 over ten years to build their dream kitchen

and then borrowed another 25 grand from the bank,

but their builder wrecked their once lovely home and ran off with all their money.

We never normally argue,

but we had a few moments when...

Because it's obvious, especially at the beginning

when we had no water, no electricity,

no heating, no nothing downstairs.

We had to eat upstairs. We had a microwave in the bedroom and we washed up in the bath.

Later, we'll meet Elaine Nduka who lives in Stratford, East London,

with her children Harmony and Christopher.

Her dreams for a kitchen extension and complete redecoration of her modest home

also lured her into the cowboy trap, not once, but twice.

We thought we could trust him because apart from the promises that he gave,

he'd had a loss as well.

He'd been working... It's like we were in the same boat together.

We'd both lost out, so you had that in common.

And then he was just so comforting and couldn't do enough for us.

I've travelled thousands of miles up and down the country

and I've been appalled at the level of bad building practice that's gone on

and the total disrespect for those that have handed over their hard-earned cash.

First, we're in Blackheath where house-proud Kevin and Cosetta had architects' plans

and builders' quotes ready to build the kitchen extension they had fantasised about for ten years.

Then they received an unsolicited email.

We'd almost picked a builder,

but a circular arrived saying if we were ready to go, all the documents were in place,

they were going to give us a bit of a discount because a customer of theirs had postponed.

And they were going to take six weeks to do it

and that was so attractive because everybody else had said 12 weeks.

Cowboys often post circulars or send unsolicited email.

Make sure you get recommendation,

rather than rely on flyers to find your builder.

Kevin is a paramedic. Dealing with distress is part of his everyday world.

But he never imagined a builder could turn his happy home life upside down.

Just before the job started, we were so excited. We were going to get the extension we'd always wanted.

We'd seen all the programmes on the television, the big building programmes and the lovely finishes.

We wanted to be part of that and have our own little kingdom downstairs.

And everything was wonderful. They looked after us, they made sure we were happy.

We trusted them implicitly.

There was a good feeling between all of us

and we couldn't wait to get it started and crack on with it.

The couple signed the contract and paid £16,000 deposit

and £4,000 more each week.

But after two weeks, the work looked nothing like the architects' plans.

The project manager, who's got all the plans, decides to go on holiday.

We had no idea that he was going on holiday, so everybody else who was left had no idea of the plans.

I kept giving them plans and I found them on the floor or in the rubbish bin.

But the bogus builder saw the opportunity to take even more of the Lawlors' money

when he heard about the £18,000 designer kitchen they were ordering.

He came back with a price of £13,000 for the kitchen which we thought was great. We'd save a bit more money.

And we gave him the money for the kitchen.

He never ordered it. No order for a kitchen was placed.

We phoned the company.

So from then on, the trust and everything that had been built up just disappeared straight away.

Beware of builders offering discounts. The bad guys will use it as a chance to make a fast buck.

Sadly, it wasn't long before the smooth-tongued builder turned into a monster,

demanding more and more cash.

The fourth week when, um...

God, just thinking about it!

He kept phoning us up and he actually threatened you, didn't he?

-He did, yeah.

-He said, "I'm getting very, very angry, Kevin. Where's my £4,000?"

Cosetta's son Danny couldn't bear to see his parents suffer these threats.

They're really good people.

I wouldn't change them as a result of what's happened

and I don't think they'd want to change either.

The problem is not them, even though they'll be more careful from now on.

The problem is him and his company.

They're out to scam people and they were out to scam my parents from day one. I believe that.

'I've arrived here in Blackheath to see their wrecked home for myself

'and to find out what we can do to help the Lawlors get back their hopes of a dream kitchen extension.'

-You've had some cowboy builders?

-Yes.

-Show us around.

-I can see it's still in a good state of disrepair.

-It certainly is, Clive.

OK, now, this is a wall that wasn't supposed to come down in the first place because...

They were only supposed to cut the shape of the door and this bit at the end was supposed to come down.

-OK.

-For the new kitchen.

When I realised that they'd pulled the wall down, I looked at the plans

and even I could see that the wall wasn't supposed to come down.

I said to them, "Why have you destroyed a wall?" They said, "Because it was easier."

-It was easier?

-Yeah.

-It was easier to take the wall down?

-I don't think it was.

-That's what they said.

And this is what they've left behind, obviously, with the acros supporting the wall

because it is a supporting wall.

-Do you feel we'll take the acros down and run and hope that the house doesn't collapse?

-It seems like it.

That looks a mess. Where else in the property have you got problems?

We'll show you the extension that they've built us

and we'll take it from there

because it's just blockwork from what we can see and very cheap blockwork we've later found out.

Blockwork is blockwork, but it's the way it's been put up.

If I'd put kids on this from kindergarten, I think they'd have done a better job. It is that bad.

-Thank you.

-Please don't thank me because this is an absolute disgrace.

-Yeah.

I'm grinning, but inside I'm angry that people would actually do this sort of thing.

My guess is this actual extension would have to be brought down.

'Kevin and Cosetta were hoping for an open-plan living space and designer kitchen.

'They didn't know that the builders would take their £46,000,

'rip out a supporting wall and then do a runner.'

Just so that we can get you on the right track and put a smile back on your face,

what can we do in the short space of time we've got?

The thing that worries us the most is the fact that the supporting wall has come down.

And we're very worried that the house could collapse on itself

because we don't know how strong or how long those acros are supposed to stay in situ.

-They've been there a few months now already.

-Yes, six months.

We just feel that at least if we got the supporting wall built back up

that the house at least would be safe.

OK, this is my deal. I'm going to get our guys in, the good guys.

We'll sort that wall out, take those acros down and give you peace of mind.

-You've got a long way to go, but hopefully, we can point you in the right direction.

-Fantastic.

'To demolish this mess and lift the foundations will cost a small fortune

'and that's on top of the £46,000 the Lawlors have already lost.'

It's high time we got things sorted. The Lawlors have lived in this mess for way too long.

Kevin's job is to save lives.

It's now our chance to save this property and I know just the guys for the job.

'Coming up, what score out of ten will the independent expert give this cowboy con job?'

Can I go negative?

'Meanwhile, in Stratford, East London, Elaine Nduka and her two young children

'also hoped for a new kitchen extension, along with a complete refurbishment throughout,

'but their home was wrecked by not one, but two cowboy builders.'

I had kind of like a showroom kind of thing in my head.

I didn't know if that's how it would end up, but that was my vision.

My daughter's room, which is quite small, would become a study

and we'd have a loft conversion. I'd move into the loft.

Everybody would just move along and have a much bigger bedroom.

Downstairs, I would have had the kitchen-diner

and this room would have been left as a quiet room.

My mum, she kept getting leaflets put through her door, advertising builders,

and I said to her, "No, I want somebody who is recommended.

"I don't want to just take anybody because you hear of the horror stories."

Then she told me about some builders who were doing some work next door to her.

And they were doing work for... I think it was going to be part council, part housing association,

so you would think that people doing that kind of work would be reputable.

'Once everything was agreed, Elaine's builder couldn't wait to get started.

'There was lots to do all over the house and work began quickly. A bit too quickly.'

I had to pop out very quickly and I was told that they were getting the paperwork together

cos there were no contracts or anything as yet.

When I got back, one of the builders had started taking the plaster off my bedroom wall.

He hadn't covered anything, so there was dust all over my bed, everywhere.

He apologised and said the other guy was coming back with the plastic sheets to cover everything over.

'The builders continued to start lots of jobs all around the house.

'But there was still no contract and now they wanted thousands of pounds up front.'

They originally wanted 15,

but my mum, who was paying for the work, she said the most she could get at that point was 12.

They accepted the 12.

We got the money, stupidly, in cash.

They said that they would give her a receipt. We didn't get anything.

'Elaine was worried about the lack of paperwork and took advice,

'but was told if she stopped the work, she could be at fault, so she confronted the governor instead.'

He came in saying, "Oh, sorry," there'd been a loss in his family.

He stunk of alcohol and just said he'll go and get the paperwork now.

My brother said that he would go with him because at this point we were very suspicious.

He said, "I have to get some supplies first. When I get back, we'll go together."

That was the last we saw of him.

'One worker took pity on Elaine.

'He couldn't do the loft conversion, but would finish the extension and decorating for what money was left.

'Elaine accepted because by now she was 12 grand worse off

'and she and her two children were living in just one room.'

We were basically eating, sleeping, doing everything in this one room.

And he would come round and say, "Don't just sit in that room.

"My wife's got dinner on. Come round for Sunday dinner. Bring the kids."

'But Elaine's Good Samaritan turned out to be yet another con artist.'

What he originally thought he could do it for, he couldn't, so the price would go up a bit.

He took another 5,000. The deliveries came.

And he disappeared.

'Elaine and her family have been stitched up in Stratford.

'I want to check out just what damage he's done for myself.'

I always feel a bit nervous when I'm coming into properties because I know you've had bad building work.

I know you've had some bodging builders.

Yeah. This was an internal door.

It still is an internal door!

It's just that it's...

-It's used for exterior now.

-Yeah.

Basically, I have to plug it at the bottom with newspaper

-to stop any creatures getting in and the rainwater, but the newspaper gets really soggy and horrible.

-OK.

But yeah, they had a mishap.

It was fully glass from top to bottom. I've ended up with horrible plywood and duct tape.

'Elaine's bathroom has also suffered at the hands of cowboy builders

'who started plenty of jobs, but finished none.'

They put down these floor tiles, but obviously, they didn't lay them properly

because now they're breaking underneath your feet.

-I can see you've got a tap missing on the actual shower area of the bath.

-Yeah.

The taps were fine before they came.

-Right.

-And then as they were leaving, the taps...

-Were not fine.

-Yeah.

-OK.

-And I did have hot water coming out of the sink tap.

But now I have no water at all.

That definitely needs taking a look at.

'These jokers have left behind quite a mess inside the house, but it's even worse outside

'where they were supposed to be building the new kitchen extension.'

-It's an obstacle course and a builders' yard.

-It is.

Where am I actually looking now?

I'm taking it that these are from the builder?

Yeah, they came one day and left the next and left their stuff behind.

-Wow! OK.

-Because obviously I've supplied them with enough money, they can buy fresh.

-Of course they can!

I'm glad you've got that attitude because that is exactly what they've done.

'So what should our good guys do inside the house to help Elaine and her young family?'

-I'd like a nice bathroom.

-You'd like a nice bathroom?

I'd like to be able to get out of the shower and not have to stand there for 10 or 20 minutes,

-trying to turn off the tap.

-OK.

-Yeah.

-I tell you what. This is my promise to you.

We'll sort you that bathroom out, OK?

-And that can be your little piece of...a haven.

-My tiny bathroom will be my tiny haven.

-Yeah, exactly.

'Coming up, we'll discover just how bad Elaine's builder really was.'

Have a look here how easy that goes!

'Back in Blackheath, the Lawlors also fell victim to a cowboy con man.

'He was paid £46,000 to build an open-plan kitchen extension,

'but before he scarpered with their cash, his team knocked down a wall supporting the upstairs.

'Kevin and Cosetta are reduced to living in their bedroom

'because their downstairs was destroyed by a builder who took every penny they had.'

Did they ask for any specific money up front?

Yes, they did.

The contract was given to us and they wanted £16,500 as a deposit,

even before they started to buy materials.

And then it was £4,000 a week until the job was finished.

That amount of money up front is so unusual really when you think that...

Looking back in hindsight, which is a great thing...

-Hmm.

-You look at 17 grand almost, say...

-You're giving that to a total stranger.

-Yes.

'Follow my top tip - never pay money up front.

'A bona fide builder will have accounts at builders' merchants

'and he will not have to pay for at least 30 days.

'Agree to pay in stages. Don't pay weekly.

'I didn't like the look of the Lawlors' half-built extension,

'so let's see what independent building surveyor Arnold Tarling makes of it.'

Arnold making copious notes!

Indeed, Clive. I've run out of sheets of paper almost. It's appalling.

I was going to say, "Pick out the highlights," but if you don't mind, pick out the lowlights.

The whole of the back addition is going to have to come down.

What about the inside where those acros are?

No need to have demolished that wall. That was a structural wall holding up a wall above.

Fortunately, you've got a couple of acros in, otherwise it would have been coming down on people's heads.

-What would you give their work as a mark out of ten?

-Can I go negative?

-You can go negative by all means.

-OK, negative four.

I'll give them half a mark for turning up, but let's say negative three and a half. It's appalling.

'Negative three and a half! Wow!

'Kevin and Cosetta's builder caused real structural damage to their home which Pete is putting right

'by erecting a strong, new, load-bearing wall.'

-In terms of time, because time is of the essence, how long do you reckon it's going to take?

-A good day.

-A very good day.

-Yeah, OK.

-Yeah, a good day.

I reckon that would be, to me, a great day's work

and it's going to give fantastic peace of mind to Cosetta and Kevin.

-And we can take these acro props out the way.

-Yeah, definitely.

When they're gone, that signals to them things are on the move forward for the good.

'Tragically, Kevin and Cosetta were conned out of their life savings for their dream kitchen extension.

'They were gutted to discover where their hard-earned money really went.'

-He bought himself a nice car the same day.

-We did some investigations after all this went the wrong way.

And we found out through the DVLA because we took his number plate and we did a trace on his car

-and the day he acquired his car was the day Cosetta gave him the £13,000.

-Wow!

Since then, he's sold the car or transferred it into somebody else's name, so we can't go after that.

'The Lawlors only found out their builder was a wrong 'un after he had driven off into the sunset.

'Son Danny says they found out too late.'

Suddenly, we're checking out the company online

and checking out the individual's name itself

to find out any history or background

about him and his company.

We found a few things, previous criminal convictions

and just companies that had been started and then folded.

'Here's a tip the Lawlors wished they'd followed.

'Now it's time to give Kevin and Cosetta the opportunity to phone their builder.

'What will they say in the unlikely event he answers the phone?'

I'd like to say to him, "How can you sleep at night?

"And how can you not at least give us the money back for the kitchen that is in fact theft?"

-What about you, Kevin?

-I'd just like to ask why has he done this to us.

What right has he got to come into our lives, promise us something

and just completely take all our savings and leave us with nothing?

So there's the phone. If it goes to answer-phone, just leave a message for him to get back to you.

-OK?

-OK. Right, here we go. Let's try it.

And if you can put it on speaker phone for all to hear, that would be great.

'This person's phone is switched off. Please try later or send a text.'

'Cowboys this bad never answer their phones.'

They might come in their nice suits and have all the nice dialogue, but they lack a couple of things.

And that's the stripy shirt and the old mask.

Because they are no better than daylight robbers, if you like.

I really am sorry you have had to go through this.

'Coming up, I discover the Lawlors did hear from their builder after he conned them,

'but his phone call left them fearing for their lives.'

"If you think I'm giving you £45,000, I'd rather kill the pair of you first." He threatened our lives.

'Back in Stratford, Elaine Nduka's first builder ran off with 12 grand

'and the worker who took over the job made off with another 23,

'making a grand total of £35,000

'for a kitchen extension which was never completed and a refurbishment that was rubbish.

'So what score does independent building inspector Arnold Tarling give the builders on this job?'

-Hi, Arnold. Busy amongst the debris, I see.

-Oh, yes, once again.

-How are you?

-I'm fine, Clive. How are you?

-Not too bad.

-You've taken a look around Elaine's property.

-Yes.

What have you found that's sent alarm bells ringing?

One thing I'm going to pick up I've just found, which is just here with the wall.

I'd come away from there. Feel that in the wind.

Any greater wind and that is going to be over. That's for sure. So what's the plan?

Well, I've got a solution to that.

-Let me get out the way. I'll just take that brick off the top.

-Get the brick off.

-You have a look here how easy that goes.

-Whoa!

-So here goes...

-I didn't realise that.

Whoo, baby!

It was unforgivable leaving it like that.

Could you imagine if anybody had been under...? That is where I was standing a minute ago.

So what mark would you give them out of ten?

-Two.

-Two out of ten. That is seriously all they deserve.

'But thankfully, our guys are on the job now, helping to right some wrongs.'

Let's check out these boys.

-All right, boys?

-How are you doing?

-Not too bad.

I'm just really catching up on what you've been up to.

It was in a bit of a mess when we got here.

-It was a mess all right!

-We've put new ply down to stable it.

The tiles won't be moving now. And then re-decorate and add the finishing touches.

-Fantastic. I bet she'll be well chuffed.

-I hope so.

-Well played, fellas.

-Thank you.

'And here's why the tiles the dodgy builder laid on Elaine's bathroom floor were all cracking up.'

Just to prove these guys were clueless doing the job at Elaine's house,

take the boarding they used under the tiles on the floor in the bathroom.

They used 3-mil thick ply and look at the flexion you're getting there.

If you lay tiles down on that and then let it set, grout it up and start to walk on it,

you'll always get movement.

That's going to pop up the grout, break up all the tile adhesive and the tiles are going to break too.

I think that's what happened in Elaine's property.

What should have gone down is what our boys are putting down now.

This is 9-mil thick WPB - that's weather-proof boarding.

Now, as much pressure as I can put on there, there's hardly any flexion at all in comparison to that.

That is what they should have used. They didn't, but we are.

If they were builders, I'm a clairvoyant.

'Downstairs, we're fitting a new, safe and sound outside door,

'so Elaine and her family will be secure at home.

'While we're hard at it, I want to find out how Elaine got conned out of her cash not once, but twice.'

He kind of drew me in because he knew that I was here with the two children.

-He knew you were vulnerable, you'd lost money and you wanted your dream.

-Yeah.

-But he also knew that there was more money in the pot to be taken.

-Yeah.

So you do the contract which is something I always say do.

There was a contract.

A few weeks before, he asked me can he have the contract because he's doing another job after mine

and he wants to copy it.

Why did he want the contract back? For obvious reasons, really.

-He knew he was going.

-Yeah, and he didn't want to leave any trace of a contract.

-Fortunately, you've got the contract still.

-Yeah.

So your copy of the contract you still have here in the property.

Until...I found the contract.

I just left it out in my bedroom. I remember it being in my bedroom.

And came home... Obviously, I didn't notice it was missing because I wasn't looking for it.

-But once they disappeared...

-He'd taken the contract.

-He'd gone into my bedroom and seen the contract.

'Follow my top tip.

'Keep your signed contract and your cash firmly under lock and key.

'If the builder scarpers,

'the contract may be your only chance to take him to court.

'So what would Elaine like to say to the builder

'who acted like a Good Samaritan while helping himself to her money?'

I would like to ask why, after he saw what had happened to me first-hand,

how he was able to do this to me again,

knowing what I'd been through,

how he was able to just walk away and not even have a conscience.

Basically, to try and remedy the situation. Can I have some money, please?

So we've got the number. If you'd like to dial it...

-OK.

-Once you've dialled it, put it on speaker phone for us, so we can listen in.

-OK.

And hopefully, if he's got anything about him, he will do something about it.

-OK, dial away.

-OK.

'Your call has been forwarded. At the tone, please record your message.'

Hi, this is Elaine in Stratford.

I just wanted to have a chat with you regarding the work that you did to my property

and remedying the situation.

Give me a call back at your earliest convenience, thank you.

Once they've done their bad deed, they go, as I call it, heading for the hills.

-Yeah, I've already witnessed him running off once.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah. So, um...

-How did that happen?

I was dropping my son somewhere and I saw this hunched-over figure I recognised.

I pulled the car over and I called out to him.

And he just went..."Hi" and ran off.

Some man. Some kind of man, yeah(!)

Who would do that?

-They haven't even got the backbone to come over and have a chat with you...

-Exactly.

-Even to say sorry.

'I never cease to be amazed by the cowardice these cowboy builders show when they're cornered.

'We'll beat them if you follow my advice.

'Coming up, I hope Elaine will be thrilled by the quality of work the good guys can do.'

Christopher, would you mind doing the honours and opening the bathroom door?

Take a look, Mum.

-Wow!

-Oh, wow!

'Back in Blackheath, we are reinstating the supporting wall the Lawlors' cowboy builders ripped out

'because, can you believe it, they thought it would be easier than following the architects' plans.

'Protected by their contract and a record of bank transfers,

'Kevin and Cosetta have tried everything to get their money back.'

My mum's written thousands of letters to everyone.

I was really disappointed in the lack of support,

apart from your good selves.

And I think they really kind of needed that pick-me-up.

We had to go to court and try and get something back.

We got the judgment from the Northampton County Court

and we subsequently took it to the Royal High Court of Justice

where it was given in our favour that he owes us £45,000.

The day he found out, he phoned me up. I was at work that day in London.

It was totally out of the blue.

The phone call was from... No number was listed on the telephone, so I didn't know who it was.

-He said, "This is..."

-BLEEP

"If you think I'm giving you £45,000, I'd rather kill the pair of you first." He threatened our lives.

So we contacted the police.

A sergeant from the local police station came round and took a statement

and all the details from my phone.

And they subsequently charged him with a...

They gave him an £80 fine for a malicious phone call and they've put all our numbers on high alert

in case anything happens again, that he phones back up and does this.

'Even with the full weight of the law behind them, the Lawlors couldn't get their cash back.

'I wish we could do more to help them, but they'll be relieved

'that at least we've made their home safe again.'

Our builders have just left after doing a cracking day's work. They really have got on well with it.

Hopefully, by tomorrow, the whole thing will be completed.

Kevin will be around, but Cosetta won't be.

I want to get her down and show her what we've done so far to put her mind at rest.

Oh, it's a tight squeeze for a small one!

-Wow!

-It's amazing, isn't it,

-what a good set of builders can do in a short space of time?

-Yes.

-Although it's blockwork, how does it make you feel?

-It makes me feel great.

It means a lot. It really does.

It's like a... It's a metaphor for a new beginning.

And I don't know how to thank you for everything you've done.

We've just got that little bit left to do before it's fully complete for you.

And you can feel safe. That peace of mind is so important, isn't it?

Yes, absolutely. And those acro props will go finally, thank God!

And the supporting wall will be back in place which is something that's been worrying us for months,

that the whole thing was going to fall down, so thank you.

It's an absolute pleasure because you guys are real gems.

And for us to be able to just start you off right now really chuffs me, so I'm really, really happy.

Thank you so much for everything.

'So after the terrible thing that's happened,

'what advice would they give anyone hoping to build their dream?'

To be very, very, very careful about who we get working in here

and never to give any money up front.

Kevin, what have you learned from it?

Not to trust anybody on face value, someone promising they'll give you the earth.

It's like inviting a stranger into your house and just giving him money for no good reason whatsoever.

'The following morning and it's the day Kevin and Cosetta have been waiting for.

'Finally, those steel acro props holding up their ceiling are ready to come out.

'Cosetta has had a sneak preview, but now it's Kevin's turn.'

-Let's first of all take that very first acro down.

-OK.

-So are you ready?

-I'm ready.

I've got loads of faith in these guys.

So let's take that first acro down. Here we go.

-Oh, it's away!

-It's up, it's still standing!

-Brilliant.

-We're all right with that one.

-OK, now it's time to take down our second acro.

-OK.

-It's all been packed out nicely.

-Yeah.

-All right, ready...?

Hold on tight cos this is the final one.

-If it's coming down, I'm first out the door.

-I won't be far behind you!

Here we go. OK, here we go.

Oh...

-Yes!

-Yes!

-Come on!

-That's great.

-Result! Absolute result!

-Fantastic.

-That all looks good to me.

-Yeah, me too. It looks absolutely wonderful.

-What are your feelings now?

Well, to have the house back structurally strong again, it's just amazing.

We can get on with things now. We can start afresh again.

It just means so much to us to be able to come into the house

and know that we haven't got to tread carefully around everything.

It's absolutely brilliant.

-You're a great support for Cosetta. Cosetta is a great support for you.

-Yeah.

Our builders have built a great support for Cosetta and yourself

-and I hope we've been some sort of support to you too.

-Thank you ever so much.

It's been a pleasure. You are top people.

'Kevin and Cosetta's builder drove off with their £46,000 life savings in his brand-new car.

'But before he ran, he wrecked their home,

'leaving them without electricity, water or heat,

'and hacking out a supporting wall.

'We've built a strong new wall to make sure the upstairs stays just that - upstairs.

'We've removed the steel acro supports that the builders left holding up their home,

'so they can sleep soundly at night, knowing their house is structurally safe.

'I wish we could have done more, but this helps get their confidence back

'and shows them there are good guys out there.'

To you or I, that's just a block wall, but to Cosetta and Kevin,

it's peace of mind and a chance for a fresh start.

I'm pretty confident that the next time they employ a builder, they won't get conned again.

'With one good deed done, let's get back to Stratford

'and see if we can put a smile on the faces of Elaine and her kids.

'Elaine was conned by not one cowboy, but two, who took a total of 35 grand,

'but even worse, her mum was taken in by the second builder as well.

'They thought he was a Good Samaritan and before he ran off,

'they paid a five-grand deposit for work to start at Mum's house.'

If it was just this house,

I might have said, "He obviously over-estimated and panicked."

But then he gave a quote for work at my mum's house

and took a deposit and never turned up to do the work in her house, so then it has to be a con.

'These cowboy con men took huge advantage of Elaine's trusting nature.

'I'm sure she'll have some advice to pass on to other vulnerable mums in her position.'

I've learnt that just because I'm honest and will do as I've said I will,

it doesn't mean the rest of the world works like that.

It's business and it doesn't matter if I've offended somebody.

As long as I'm not being rude, it's business. If they're business-minded, they'll understand that.

-Get my contract, get receipts for everything, no cash being handed over.

-Well done.

-Look for people that have had work done by them.

-Yeah.

-Just know where my money's going.

Although they're very expensive lessons and hard ones, you've learnt from them and that's very important.

'The bad builders started lots of jobs around Elaine's home.

'They probably thought the more damage they caused, the more cash they could take.

'We haven't had long, but we've achieved a real result.'

The bathroom's been sorted. It's all looking good. I'm waiting for Elaine coming back with the children.

Should be here any time now. I hope she likes it.

There they are. Come on, you guys!

'And I've got an extra surprise too.

'I hope she'll be pleased when she discovers we've replaced her broken back door

'to keep her and the kids safe and sound.'

Before we show you the bathroom, which is the main area, what do you notice straight away in here?

-New door.

-The door!

The door, the door!

Now then, remember, the door before was pretty bad, wasn't it?

Just tell us what worried you most about it.

The security because the original door, they'd broken the glass on it

and they'd boarded it up with cardboard.

I was worried that it could be kicked in really easily or that the interior door could just be broken into.

Exactly. It was an interior door. Now how do you feel?

You've got a proper exterior door with toughened safety glass as well and you can see out into the garden.

-Yes, so when the garden's done...

-It'll look really good.

-Yeah, that'll look good.

-And I'll be able to sleep at night without worrying so much.

-That makes such a big difference.

'But what Elaine really wanted was for us to create a tiny haven for her in her tiny bathroom.

'I hope she'll agree our boys have done a magnificent job.'

Right, before I show you what the good guys have done,

try and remind me about what it was like before we arrived.

There were tiles that hadn't been put on to the walls. There were tiles missing.

The tiles that they had put on to the wall hadn't been grouted or finished correctly.

The floor tiles hadn't been finished or even been installed correctly,

so they were cracking and coming apart under the feet.

I had a tap that wasn't letting out any hot water in the sink.

How long was it that you didn't have any hot water for?

How many months?

Oh... A year.

A year without hot water? That is amazing.

-Two years.

-Two years nearly?

-No, not exactly.

-Not two years. Roughly a year without hot water.

So what are you hoping for behind that door?

-I'm hoping for some hot water to come out of that tap.

-Brilliant. Basics, but it's important.

I'm hoping for a bathroom that I'm happy to be in.

-A fully functioning bathroom.

-Where things aren't creaking under my feet.

OK, well, I tell you what.

Christopher, would you mind doing the honours and opening the bathroom door?

Take a look, Mum.

-Wow!

-Oh, wow! It looks really spacious.

It's tiny, but it looks really good.

-I think it's made the most use of that particular space.

-It has.

Oh, look at the walls!

Excuse me.

-Let Mum in!

-Can I see?

-Look at that!

-Oh, wow!

-What do you think to that?

-My new towel rail!

New towel rail. We replaced the old radiator.

The boys have painted up, they've tiled for you. What about the floor?

-Look at the floor.

-That's lovely.

-Fantastic, isn't it?

-That is so much better.

-Really good.

-So much better.

Harmony, this is your little job.

Go and turn on the hot tap and tell me if you've got any hot water.

Be careful, though.

-Is any water coming out...

-At all?

-Yeah.

-You've got water.

-Do you want to feel it, see if it's hot?

-Just have a little touch of it.

-Is it hot?

-It's warm.

So you've got it now, that's the main thing.

It's not too much to ask for hot water to be coming out of a hot tap?

-No, you would think that it would be a human right to have hot water.

-Yeah.

'We've pulled up that thin plywood flooring covered with cracked tiles

'and replaced it with thick weather-proof board

'to provide a firm and permanent base for this gleaming new floor.

'Now Elaine won't have to watch her step when she comes out of the shower.

'We've tiled the rest of the walls and re-decorated the entire room.

'We've replaced the old radiator with a new, heated towel rail and we've fixed that tap,

'so now there's hot water on demand and that's something they haven't had in here for a while.

'What a cracking job! That's the finish you can expect when you get the professionals in.

'I'm so sorry that Elaine and Kevin and Cosetta all fell into the cowboy trap,

'but I hope sharing their stories will make life tougher for all the other cowboys out there.'

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

And by exposing your tricks, we're preventing others from falling into your cowboy trap.

If you've had a problem with builders and you would like to tell your story on Cowboy Trap,

then please call us on the above number.

Or you can send us an email.

Help us round up the cowboys.

Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2010

Email [email protected]